The importance of concrete slump and its impact on construction projects

(The importance of concrete slump and its impact on construction projects)

In construction projects, concrete is an indispensable building material. Its performance directly affects the building's quality, safety, and durability. The slump of concrete is one of the important indicators to measure the working performance of concrete. So, what are the dangers of concrete slumps that are too large or too small?

First, let’s understand what a concrete slump is. Slump refers to the fluidity of concrete when it flows out of a mixer truck or mixing building under the action of its weight. Simply put, it is the consistency of concrete. The greater the slump, the thinner the concrete; the smaller the slump, the thicker the concrete. The measurement and control of slumps are of great significance to ensuring concrete's working performance and construction quality.

 

Results of concrete that slumps too much

1. Reduction in strength: The greater the slump, the weaker the bonding force between the cement slurry and aggregate in the concrete, thus reducing the strength of the concrete. This is a serious safety hazard for buildings that bear large loads.

2. Decreased durability: Concrete with excessive slump has a loose internal structure and is easily eroded by the external environment, resulting in a decrease in the durability of the concrete.

3. Increase in shrinkage cracks: Concrete with an excessive slump is prone to shrinkage cracks due to a large amount of internal moisture. Not only do these cracks affect the aesthetics of the building, they can also cause structural safety issues.

4. Increased construction difficulty: Concrete with excessive slump can easily cause slurry and leakage at the construction site due to its excessive fluidity, which increases the difficulty of construction.

 

Compared with concrete with too large a slump, concrete with too small a slump will also bring about a series of problems:

1. Slow pouring speed: Due to the poor fluidity of concrete with a small slump, the pouring speed during on-site construction is slowed down, affecting the project's progress.

2. Difficulty in discharging: Concrete with a small slump has a large consistency and is easy to block the pipeline during the discharging process, causing inconvenience to the construction.

3. Increased risk of pile breakage: During pile foundation construction, too small a slump of concrete may lead to insufficient pouring, causing pile breakage, which seriously affects the safety performance of the building.

4. Reduced impact of hydration heat: Although concrete with a smaller slump will have a reduced impact on hydration heat, this does not mean that it is beneficial to the durability of the building. Because the heat of hydration is an important factor affecting the internal stress of concrete, reducing the heat of hydration may increase the stress within the concrete, thereby affecting its durability.

 

To sum up, concrete with too large or too small slump will bring varying degrees of harm to construction projects. Therefore, during the construction process, the appropriate slump should be selected according to the specific conditions to ensure the concrete's working performance and construction quality. At the same time, the construction unit should also strengthen the training and management of workers to ensure that they can correctly master the slump control method of concrete to avoid quality problems caused by improper operation.

High Slump Retaining Concrete Superplasticizer Admixture Supplier

TRUNNANO is a supplier of High Slump Retaining Concrete Superplasticizer Admixture(which is one of concrete additives) with over 12 years experience in nano-building energy conservation and nanotechnology development. It accepts payment via Credit Card, T/T, West Union and Paypal. Trunnano will ship the goods to customers overseas through FedEx, DHL, by air, or by sea. If you are looking for high quality concrete crack reducing admixture, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales@cabr-concrete.com).

 

(The importance of concrete slump and its impact on construction projects)