CCSA’S LEAFLETS PROVIDE KEY INSIGHTS ON BEST PRACTICE

Cement & Concrete SA (CCSA) has a wide range of informative leaflets available free of charge for all levels of expertise – ranging from basic to advanced – in the building and construction industries. The leaflets, which are updated when required, play an important role in keeping the market informed of latest developments in concrete and cementitious materials. The leaflets currently cover: Cementitious materials for concrete: standards, selection and properties. Guidance is given on selection for various applications and the leaflet includes graphs of strength performance and discusses the manufacture and properties of cementitious materials and fillers.

Advisory Services

CCSA offers a free advisory service for general concrete technology queries. A consultancy service focused on concrete and related issues is also offered, including on-site investigation, troubleshooting and reporting. The technical team is available for consultation on construction sites anywhere in Southern Africa.

Concrete, plaster and mortar mixes for builders. This is presented largely in graphic form and contains the proportions for large and small batches of concrete, mortar and plaster. It also includes guidelines on quantities of materials to order.

Mortar mixes for masonry deals with the required materials and mix proportions to give freshly mixed mortars the necessary softness and plasticity. It also covers batching, mixing and handling of the mortar, as well as quantities of materials to order.

Trial concrete mixes: proportions and quantities for ordering provides trial mix proportions for concrete made with four stone sizes and with strengths ranging from 10 MPa to 40 MPa. A field test for assessing and adjusting stone content is also given.

Admixtures for concrete covers the most common reasons to use admixtures and looks, in some detail, at the five types most commonly used in construction. The properties, dosage, uses and practical considerations for each type are discussed.

Fibre-reinforced concrete explains how concrete’s tension weakness can be overcome by conventional rod reinforcement and sufficient volumes of certain fibres. The leaflet looks briefly at the concept of toughness, the use of fibres, and the types of fibres and their properties.

Foamed concrete. This leaflet deals with materials for foamed concrete, how it is produced, its properties and typical applications.

No-fines concrete (NFC): a practical guide provides information for materials and mix proportions, manufacture, placing and compacting, protection, curing and screeding for NFC. The latter is characterised by a coarse aggregate and cement paste composition with large interconnected voids and a much lower density than conventional concrete. Its structure is ideal as a drainage layer under reservoir and basement floors, as an insulating layer, and as a damp-proofing material.

Tests on concrete has been prepared to assist the operator and describes, step by step, the procedures for carrying out tests for measuring slump and how to make 150 mm cubes.

Repairing spalled joints in concrete floors provides guidance on the subject.

Sand-cement floor screeds and concrete toppings for floors is a moderately theoretical and technical publication with information needed by architects, engineers and contractors to specify and lay floor screeds of acceptable quality.

Health and safety is a leaflet on the safe use of Portland cements and concrete. It identifies the areas of risk, provides guidance on how to avoid unprotected exposure, and outlines basic first-aid procedures for concrete work.

How to make concrete bricks and blocks provides the technical information required to set up and run a block yard for small-scale manufacture of masonry units. Aspects dealt with include the feasibility study, selecting and establishing a site, selection of equipment, materials for blockmaking, trial mixes, production and quality control.

The manufacture of concrete paving blocks is a technical leaflet that covers basic principles and aims to assist manufacturers – particularly new ones – in the production of durable and consistent products.

Common defects in plaster lists the most common causes and discusses repair methods for each.

Concrete, plaster and mortar mixes for builders is presented largely in graphic form and provides the proportions for large and small batches of concrete, mortar and plaster. It includes brief guidelines on quantities of materials to order.

Mortar mixes for masonry discusses the required materials and mix proportions to give freshly mixed mortars the necessary softness and plasticity. It also covers batching, mixing and handling the mortar, as well as the quantities of materials to order for mortar mixes per cubic metre or per 50 kg bag of cement.

Repairing the surface of concrete – casting defects and minor damage is aimed at those responsible for specifying, supervising or carrying out relatively superficial repairs to concrete. Types of defects and their causes are given, as well as repairs of various types and the use of different materials.

Successful plastering covers the selection of materials, mix proportions, surface preparation and plaster application for conventional architectural purposes.

The full range of CCSA leaflets can be downloaded from the association’s website at www.cemcon-sa.org.za.