What is the disadvantage of concrete?

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Limitations of Concrete
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1. Concrete is Quasi-brittle Material
2. Low Tensile Strength
3. Concrete has Low Toughness
4. Concrete has Low specific strength
5. Formwork is Required
6. Long curing time
7. Working with cracks
8. Demands Strict Quality Control
What are the advantages and disadvantage of concrete?
What is the main problem in concrete?
What is the disadvantages of concrete block?
What are the main failures in concrete?

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Limitations of Concrete

Disadvantages of Concrete & Limitations

Disadvantages of Concrete are as follows:

Concrete has a very low tensile strength and requires the use of reinforcing bars in concrete tensile zone.
Expensive formwork is required for casting and molding and to hold the concrete in place until it hardens sufficiently.
The low strength per unit of weight of concrete leads to heavy members and is an important consideration for tall buildings and long-span structures resulting in disadvantages of Concrete
The properties of concrete vary widely due to variations in its proportioning and mixing.
The placing and curing of concrete is not as carefully controlled as is the production of other materials such as structural steel and laminated wood.
Another Disadvantages of Concrete is that Concrete is not ductile.
Concrete is quasi-brittle and exhibits a strain-softening behavior
Compared to steel, the concrete has significantly low toughness. Toughness of concrete is only 1-2% of steel.
Shrinkage in concrete causes crack are developed and strength loss.
Concrete requires installation of formwork to mould it in a shape and to support its self-weight.
Full strength development in concrete requires proper curing for up to 28 days which means that concrete requires extra care and a good amount of water which makes it a disadvantage.
The process of manufacturing concrete is not environment-friendly as it uses a lot more energy and emits greater volumes of carbon dioxide than other construction materials such as steel and glass.
Concrete is susceptible to cracking. There are different types and causes of cracking
Concrete is bulkier that steel or wood, increasing dead load of structure.
Can experience concrete creep – increase in deformation over time with sustained loading.
Can experience shrinkage – decrease in volume due to loss of absorbed water.

Properties of Fresh Concrete | Properties of Hard Concrete | Types of Concrete

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Though Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials, there are lot of disadvantages associated with it. Some of these disadvantages of concrete are modified by adding admixtures or modifying the concrete structure and ingredients. Still there are lot of limitations associated with concrete. Major limitations of concrete are listed below.

U Tub Composite Bridge Girder being Transported to site

1. Concrete is Quasi-brittle Material

Three major modes of failure of materials are brittle, quasi-brittle failure, and ductile failure. Typical failure of brittle and ductile failures are Glass and mild steel respectively. Brittle materials fail on onset of tension or once tensile strength is reached. Unlike these materials, concrete exhibits a strain-softening behavior these materials are called quasi-brittle materials.

Brittle and quasi brittle materials like concrete undergo very little deformations before failure. Less the deformation, lesser will be the warnings. Apart from this concrete has low fracture toughness. This is a major disadvantage of plain concrete. For these reasons, concrete is used along with steel to take tension and concrete takes compression loads effectively. Thus reinforced concrete is second generation concrete. Concrete adds stability to the structure.

2. Low Tensile Strength

Compression and tensile strength of concrete are not same. In fact the tensile strength of concrete is 1/10th of its compressive strength. Fibers and other polymers are introduced to concrete to increase its tensile capacity.

Fibres added to Concrete

3. Concrete has Low Toughness

Ability of a material to consume impact energy is called toughness. It is the area under the load displacement curve. Another limitation of concrete is that compared to steel, the concrete has significantly low toughness. Toughness of concrete is only 1-2% of steel. Fibre reinforced concrete provide better toughness to concrete.

4. Concrete has Low specific strength

The ratio of strength to density is called specific strength. Specific strength of normal grade concrete is half that of steel, ie 20. Specific strength is controlled by decreasing density and increasing strength. Lightweight concrete & high-strength concrete mitigates these limitations of concrete.

Concrete Failure – Limitations of Concrete

5. Formwork is Required

Fresh concrete is liquid. Formwork is required to mould it in a shape and to support its self-weight. Shuttering can be of plastic, steel or wood. The formwork is expensive to install and procure. Installation requires intensive labor and time. Precast and Prefabrication techniques are adopted to overcome these limitations of concrete.

6. Long curing time

Concrete attains specified compressive strength in 28-days after casting and curing. Full strength development requires proper ambient temperature controlled over a month time. This is another disadvantage of concrete. Curing period is reduced by steam curing or microwave curing or by using admixtures.

Concrete Formwork for Tunnel

7. Working with cracks

Tension face of concrete has a cover to protect the reinforcing steel bars. If tensile stress at extreme fibre exceeds the tensile capacity of concrete, it cracks and leads to corrosion of reinforcements. Normal reinforced concrete is assumed to be cracked in service loads for design. To overcome this limitation of concrete, third generation concrete, prestressed concrete is introduced.

8. Demands Strict Quality Control

Concrete demands strict quality control and skilled labor during mixing, placing and curing of concrete. This is important for superior quality of concrete. If not, concrete is viable to poor strength, durability and performance issues.

What are the advantages and disadvantage of concrete?

Advantages and disadvantages of concrete.

Compressive strength of concrete is very high..

It has fire resisting properties..

On reinforcing concrete, it can bear all the type of stresses. ... .

After setting concrete becomes very strong. ... .

Use of concrete is economical in long run..

What is the main problem in concrete?

Problems with concrete include construction errors, disintegration, scaling, cracking, efflorescence, erosion, spalling, and popouts.

What is the disadvantages of concrete block?

Disadvantages of Concrete Blocks: Some of the blocks may need to be cut to reach critical systems. Concrete block homes aren't usually attractive from the outside. Over time, concrete blocks may be subject to water seepage. Some regional preferences may not be compatible with this material.