The Contractor’s Guide to Quality Concrete Construction, Fourth Edition

The Contractor’s Guide to Quality Concrete Construction is a valuable resource that helps readers better prepare for a job and improve performance during construction. Designers that need to develop the proper project specifications also find the proven insight and practical tips contained in the book especially helpful.

The Contractor’s Guide to Quality Concrete Construction - Table of Contents:

• Foreword
• Organizing for Quality
  • Quality Control
  • Record Keeping
  • Specifications
  • Quality and Profit
  • The Construction Team
  • Recommended Reading

• The Concrete Mix

  • Control Tests
    • Slump
    • Air Content
    • Compressive Strength
    • Unit Weight and Yield
    • Cement
      • Project Specification for Cement
      • Portland Cement Manufacture
      • Basic Types of Portland Cement

    • Other Cementitious Materials

      • Fly Ash
      • Microsilica (silica fume)
      • Granulated Slag

    • Mixing Water

    • Water-Cementitious Materials Ratio

    • Aggregates

    • Admixtures

      • Water Reducers
      • Retarders
      • Accelerators
      • Water-Reducing Retarders
      • Water-Reducing Accelerators
      • Air-Entraining Agents

    • Concrete Mix Design

      • The Right Mix for the Job
      • Free Moisture in the Aggregates (Mix #1A)
      • Water Reducer (Mix #2)
      • Fly Ash (Mix #3)
      • Adjusting for Air Entrainment

    • Water Addition at the Jobsite

  • The Concrete Specification

    • Sources for Concrete Specifications
    • Items to Confirm in the Specification
      • Strength
      • Early Strength Requirements
      • Flexural Strength
      • Minimum Cement Content
      • Water-Cementitious Material Ratio
      • Slump
      • Air Entrainment
      • Chemical Admixtures
      • Delivery Time for Ready-Mixed Concrete
      • Temperature of Concrete

  • Foundations

    • The Ground Below
    • Bearing Capacity
    • Geotechnical Investigations
    • Compaction
    • Basic Foundation Types
      • Wall Footings
      • Independent Isolated Column Footings
      • Combined Footings
      • Cantilever or Strap Footings
      • Pile or Pier Foundations
      • Mat, Raft or Floating Foundations

    • Groundwater Control

    • Footing Forms

    • Moisture Control

    • Backfilling

  • Formwork

    • Safety Precautions
    • Formwork Affects Concrete Quality
    • Types of Forms
      • Job-Built Forms
      • Prefabricated Forms
      • Manufactured Forms
      • Special Form Systems

    • Form Material and Hardware

      • Form Liners

    • Design of Forms

    • Placing Concrete in the Forms

    • Tolerances

    • Cost of Formwork

    • Form Removal

      • Measuring Concrete Strength for Form Removal
      • Time as a Measure of Strength for Form Removal

    • Shoring and Reshoring

    • Formwork for Slabs on Ground

    • Want to Know More?

  • Reinforcement in Structures

    • Why Use Reinforcement?
    • Engineering and Placing Drawings
    • Types of Reinforcement
      • Bar Identification
      • Welded Wire Fabric
      • Other Types of Reinforced Concrete

    • Bar Fabrication

      • Fabrication Tolerances
      • Bundling and Tagging

    • Storing and Handling Bars on the Job

    • Concrete Cover

    • Tolerances in Placing Reinforcement

    • Placing of Reinforcement

    • Bar Supports and Spacers

    • Splicing and Splices

    • Coordination

    • Want to Know More?

  • Joints and Embedments in Structures

    • Types of Joints
    • Joints for Slabs
    • Construction Joints for Supported Beams and Slabs
    • Contraction Joints for Walls
    • Isolation Joints for Walls
    • Construction Joints in Walls
      • Horizontal Construction Joints
      • Vertical Construction Joints

    • Waterstops

    • Embedments

    • Anchors

    • Points to Remember

    • Recommended Reading

  • Joints and Reinforcement for Slabs on Ground

    • Column Changes
    • Contraction Joints (Control Joints)
      • Contraction Joint
      • Special Contraction Joint Placement

    • Construction Joints

    • Isolation Joints (Expansion Joints)

    • Warping Joints

    • Reinforcement in a Concrete Slab

      • Welded Wire Fabric
      • Dowels
      • Tie Bars

    • Fiber Reinforcement

    • Recommended Reading

  • Preparing for Concreting

    • Contractor/Ready-Mixed Concrete
    • Producer Cooperation
      • The Concrete Mix
      • Ordering Responsibility
      • Testing Program
      • Water Addition at the Jobsite

    • Pre-Placement Conference

      • Some Pre-Placement Conference
      • Agenda Items

    • Jobsite Preparation

    • A Checklist for Major Projects

  • Concrete Placement and Finishing

    • Depositing Concrete from the Ready-Mix Truck
    • Buggying Concrete
    • Belt Conveyors
    • Bucket Placement
    • Pumping Concrete
    • Pumping Lightweight Concrete
    • Consolidation During Placement
      • Vibration
      • Vibratory Screeds

    • Finishing a Slab on Ground

      • Surface Finishes

    • Controlling Placement

    • Hot Weather Placement

    • Cold Weather Placement

    • Floor Surface Finish Tolerances

    • Recommended Reading

  • Common Field Problems: Cause and Prevention

    • Fresh Concrete
      • Excessive Bleeding
      • Segregation
      • Hard-to-Finish Mixes
      • Setting Time and Early Strength Gain
      • Plastic Shrinkage Cracks

    • Hardened Concrete

      • Shrinkage Cracks
      • Isolation Joints
      • Crazing (hairline cracking, surface cracking)
      • Dusting Floors
      • Blistering
      • Slab Curling
      • Surface Scaling
      • Honeycombing
      • Sand Streaking
      • Surface Voids (Bugholes)
      • Reported Low Cylinder Strengths
      • Evaluating Cylinder Test Results

    • Curing

    • Checklist of Common Field Problems: Their Cause & Prevention

  • Safety

    • Most Accidents Are Not Accidents
    • The Need for a Company Safety Program
    • Concrete Construction
    • Recommended Reading
      • Conversion Factors - US Customary to SI (Metric)