Concrete

Concrete is a rock like material, which is made by mixing cement, coarse aggregate and fine aggregate with water.

Relation between water cement ratio to the strength of concrete

Water has three functions in concrete

1.Wets aggregate surface
2.Imparts workability
3.Binds aggregate with cement chemically by hydration

For a given degree of compaction with the increase
of percentage of water, percentage of hydration increases.
So sufficient amount of water is necessary for hydration as well
as for increase in strength.Water also imparts workability to
concrete.but excess water cause concrete to be porous.
Hence for a certain limit strength increase with the increase of
water cement ratio.But after that strength decreases with the
increase of water cement ratio.

Placing concrete underwater

Sometimes concrete needs to be placed underwater.In this case bottom dump bucket or tremie pipe is used. In this case concrete is carried through the water in water tight box by bottom dump bucket and reaching the final position there is a mechanism to open the bottom of the bucket and dispose the concrete. This will not give satisfactory result as some concrete get washed away.

Sometimes dry cement and dry coars aggregate and fine aggregate are mixed in a cement bag and disposed under water. This also do not give satisfactory result as cement bag make voids in concrete.

Among the two tremie pipe method is preferable.