Brief overview of compaction of concrete

It is recommended to make your structure nonporous or impermeable to maintain the longevity and durability of the building structure. Porous concrete may create various issues which range from leakages, erosion etc.

These issues occur because of improper compaction after allocation of concrete.

Compaction of concrete refers to the method that is chosen for emitting the blocked air as much as possible from the concrete to retain the maximum probable density of the compacted mass.

The primary function of compaction of concrete is to produce a dense mass without voids as well as obtain the concrete to encircle all reinforcement and fill all corners.

At the time of blending, carrying and placing of fresh concrete, air bubbles are expected to be clogged in the concrete. If the functionality of the concrete is reduced, the chances for clogging of air bubbles are increased.

Air bubbles consumes among 5 to 20 percent volume of the total concrete. If the air is not taken out completely, it can make the bond weak among the concrete and reinforcement and/or any other implanted parts and as a result the strength of the structure is reduced significantly.

Compaction makes the fluidity of concrete better and if the internal friction is minimized, packing of coarse aggregates develops. A well-compacted concrete does not contain the loose pockets and air bubbles of clogged air.

Voids make the strength of concrete weak and produce a concrete permeable or porous. So, it is suggested to keep 100 percent compaction of concrete for making the concrete formation method superior. It should be considered that compaction is vital not only from the perspective of strength as well as from the durability standpoint.

The following methods are mostly recognized for compaction :-

01. Manual compaction
02. Mechanical compaction with vibrators