KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

PM DR MOHD. IBRAHIM SAFAWI

ASSIGNMENT 1
(CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY)
DISADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE
RASHIDAH BINTI SUREIA @ SURIA
28000
910110-13-5292
FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

CONCRETE

Concrete mainly consists of four main materials.

There are cement (C), fine aggregates (F), coarse aggregates (G) and water (W).
Examples of fine aggregates are sands while coarse aggregates are gravels or crushed
rocks.
These materials are also mixed together with admixtures and other cementitious
materials in order to increase the strength of concrete.
The mixture will undergo hydration process where the mixture will solidify and
harden after mixing with water.
Basically, concrete is being used widely in the making of :

KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

Architectural Structures
Architectural Structures

Bridges

pa

Pavement

Blocks

KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

DISADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE

Without a doubt, concrete is one most-used and versatile material in the

construction industry.
However, there are also the disadvantages of using concrete for construction.
These disadvantages may affect the quality of the structures itself where in some
cases, the buildings or structures will lead to cracks and failures.
Ignoring the cares and precautions may cause these disadvantages to occur.
The disadvantages are :

KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

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CRACKING OF CONCRETE
Concrete can crack if using too much water or when the water-cement ratio is
high.
This is because when there is excess water present, the concrete will evaporate
faster and shrinking more.
As a result, the concrete will crack. It will decrease the strength of the concrete.
Apart from that, other causes of cracking of concrete are thermal contraction,
restraint (external or internal) to shortening and applied loads.
The cracking of concrete can be prevented by using a low water-cement ratio or
by avoiding the used of calcium chloride.

KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

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REQUIRED SKILL AND ADDED MATERIAL FOR SUPPORT

For some cases, concrete cannot be installed in all places, making it more
expensive material.
Therefore, it needs skills to place it into place.
Other added material need to be used in the mixture of concrete to ensure it has a
high strength.
Such as the Pozzolan which can be added to the mixture of concrete to increase
the long-term strength of concrete.
Pozzolan can be produced when the water is present that eventually will react
with lime to produce a cementitious material with an excellent structural
properties.

KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

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EXPENSIVE BUILDING MATERIAL

Joining the pre-cast panels is one expensive and most complicated process in
construction and a very heavy material.
Pre-cast panel is a construction product produced by casting the concrete in a
reusable form then cured in a controlled environment.
Therefore, it needs skilled workmanship to install them.
Pre-cast concrete can withstand most extreme weather and it is a fire-resistance
materials.
Cranes for instance are needed to lift the panels to install it into places while on
site.

KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

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CORROSION OF CONRETE
The corrosion of concrete occurs due to the corrosion of the reinforcement of
concrete.
The material used for reinforcement is steel.
When the rusted reinforcement is placed with a freshly-mixed concrete, the
mixing water will diffuse into the pores of the steel.
Therefore, it will produce calcium ferrite or a thin layer of iron and calcium
hydroxides.
Corrosion of concrete can lead to cracking and spalling from the surface.
This problem can prevented by control the thickness and the quality of concrete
used.

KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

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CONCRETE KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS AND CONCRETE FLOORING

For concrete flooring, customers need to use a thick carpet on top of it.
The main reason is concrete floor can conduct heat, cold and sound.
The concrete floor can crack when the rough surface trap dust particles that will
increase the volume if they absorb water.
Countertops of kitchen usually made of concrete.
The concrete countertops will crack if wrong mixture is being used.
The surface of the concrete countertops undoubtedly will experience scratches.
A sealer or a cutting board can be used as an alternative to avoid the scratches.
Besides, concrete changes with time and this will cause the countertops to change
colour.

KNS 1042 CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS

REFERENCES
1. Concrete Network (1999-2010), Concrete.
http://www.concretenetwork.com
2. FloorTalk (2010), Concrete Flooring : The
Retrieved from http://floortalk.wfca.org
3. Wikipedia (2010, June 24), Pozzolan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pozzolan
4. Wikipedia (2010, July 20), Concrete.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete

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