In hot regions such as the Middle East and Africa, harsh weather conditions make it difficult for construction sites. Hot air reaches 55 ° C. Personnel working at these temperatures must adjust their working time according to the temperature of the air. There is usually no work at midday, but jobs that start in the evening can take up to 10 in the morning.
Producing and applying concrete in these hot weather conditions also requires some precautions. I will try to list the main ones below.
1- Aggregate resting and shading method,
Aggregate is the material having the highest mass and volume in the concrete mixture. The weight of the 1m3 concrete mixture weighs 2450kg and the aggregate weight in this mixture is about 1800kg. (Please note that this ratio may vary according to the concrete type)
Aggregate, which has the largest share in the total mixture, is the most influential factor in the mixture. The warmer the aggregate, the warmer the concrete mixture. Therefore, the priority is to take measures to reduce the temperature of the aggregate.
Below are some of the priority measures to reduce the aggregate temperature;
a. The first method is to protect the aggregate from sunlight. This is the first precaution. For this, you can cover the aggregate field. The procedure as in picture -1- can be performed.
b. If this process is insufficient, the aggregate stock area should be completely closed and internal cooling measures should be taken.
c. The other and most effective method of cooling Agerga is the instant cooling process in the aggregate bunker. This requires a high-calorie cooling system. It is a cooling system that is made by blowing cold air into the aggregate which is kept in the aggregate bunker before concrete mixture. With this cooling process, the aggregate temperature can be reduced to 14 ℃.
d. Another method is to lower the temperature by washing the aggregate with cold water. This method requires the integration of a serious refrigeration plant.
After the aggregate, the other material which has importance in terms of temperature is cement. As soon as the cement leaves the production site, it can reach temperatures up to 90 ° C. Furthermore, if hot cement is used without resting in the silo, it can increase the temperature of the concrete mixture significantly.
Therefore, the cement should first rest until it reaches 40 ° C, if necessary, the cloth should be wrapped around the silo, and if this is not enough, finally, cold water pipe around the wrapped cloth should be provided.
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