Análisis de la manejabilidad del hormigón con materiales empleados en la ciudad de Azogues, considerando su contenido de agua y asentamineto

Abstract

Within the design of concrete, there has been a great controversy for a long time, at the moment of elaborating concrete mixtures it has not been possible to control its workability rigorously. Many factors can affect the flowability of concrete mixtures, one of the most important being the amount of water added to the mixture; however, this factor is also related to the physical properties of the aggregates, as well as the cementitious agent used. The immense variety of aggregates and types of cement in the world makes it impractical to standardize a procedure for all existing combinations. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out laboratory tests to determine the behavior of fresh concrete made with locally available materials and under different humidity conditions. The research is focused on establishing the correlation between the plasticity of the concrete and the amount of water added, to obtain data that will allow designers, contractors, and concrete producers to improve the characterization of the mixtures,considering the properties of the aggregates and types of cement that are marketed in Azogues city. The tests were conducted in a laboratory, in a controlled environment, and with materials of excellent quality, which comply with the requirements established by the Ecuadorian Standardization Service. The results are shown in several graphs and tables where the different settlements of a fresh mix can be observed, depending on the amount of water used, the type of cement, size and shape of the aggregate, as well as the water-cement ratio (A/C).