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Design Example: Managing Concrete Workability

Design Example: Managing Concrete Workability

This example deals with managing the workability of concrete for a raft foundation project under hot weather conditions. Workability is crucial for ensuring the concrete is easy to place, compact, and finish. In this scenario, a slump test — a common method to measure the workability of fresh concrete — initially indicated low workability. This was attributed to the rapid water loss from the concrete mix, exacerbated by the high temperatures causing the course aggregates to heat up.

Factors Affecting Workability

Factors Affecting Workability

The workability of concrete is a critical characteristic that influences the ease of mixing, handling, and finishing the concrete. It is affected by several factors including water content, aggregate properties, and admixtures like air entrainment. Water plays a fundamental role as it lubricates the concrete mix, facilitating easier movement and placement. However, the water requirement varies depending on the texture and shape of aggregates. Finer particles and angular, rough-textured...

Workability of Concrete

Workability of Concrete

The workability of concrete is a crucial property that affects its handling, placing, and finishing during construction. It describes the ease with which concrete can be mixed, placed, compacted, and finished. Workability is primarily concerned with the concrete's movement and its ability to resist internal friction and external resistance from molds and reinforcements during the application process.
Concrete's workability is determined by its resistance to internal forces that arise...

Concrete

Concrete

Concrete is a vital construction material extensively used worldwide, primarily valued for its strength, durability, and versatility, which it provides for various structural designs. Concrete generally comprises ingredients like Portland cement, coarse gravel, fine sand, and water. Concrete can be mixed by simple hand methods or industrially at computer-controlled plants. The mixture consists of aggregates and a paste made from water and Portland cement. This paste coats the aggregates and,...

Placing Concrete

Placing Concrete

The concrete is placed as close as possible to its final position to avoid segregation. The placed concrete is then fully compacted to expel the entrapped air, and the next layer of concrete is laid while the underlying layer is still in the plastic state. The rate at which concrete is placed and compacted is kept equal.
While placing concrete, care is taken to ensure that the concrete is laid in uniform layers, and hand shoveling and moving concrete using poker vibrators is avoided. Also,...

Pumped Concrete

Pumped Concrete

Concrete in large quantities can be pumped across long distances for placing in inaccessible sites. This system comprises a hopper that receives concrete from a mixer, a pump to propel the concrete, and pipelines that facilitate its delivery.
For direct-acting pumps, the concrete enters the pump via the inlet valve under the action of gravity and suction created by the movement of the piston. This concrete is then forced into the pipeline and out through the outlet valve by the forward movement...

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Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

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Production practices affecting worker task demands in concrete operations: A case study.

Babak Memarian¹, Panagiotis Mitropoulos²

¹Exposure Control Technologies Research, CPWR - The Center for Construction Research & Training, Silver Spring, MD, USA.

Work (Reading, Mass.)

|November 1, 2015

Summary

Construction workers face high task demands impacting safety and productivity. Specific production practices can mitigate these demands, improving workers

Keywords:

NASA-TLX Production system design construction, concrete task demands worker

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Area of Science:

Occupational Health and Safety
Construction Management
Human Factors Engineering

Background:

Construction work presents significant physical, mental, and temporal demands.
Excessive task demands negatively impact worker safety, error rates, and overall production efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the extent and origins of task demands in a concrete construction operation.
To examine how specific production practices influence workers' perceived task demands.

Main Methods:

Utilized the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) to quantify perceived task demands in two construction crews.
Conducted interviews and field observations to identify task demand sources and production practices during cast-in-place concrete building construction under schedule pressure.

Main Results:

Workers reported varying task demands based on their specific roles within the crew.
Production practices were found to influence task demands: some mitigated demands, while others enhanced coping and adaptation abilities.

Conclusions:

Identified key production practices that effectively regulate workers' task demands in construction.
Worker ability to cope with and adapt to high task demands plays a crucial role in mitigating the impact on performance.