COMPANY DETAILS

Brief Introduction of L&T

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is India's largest technology, engineering, manufacturing and
construction organization with a record of over 70 years. L&T is also adjudged India's
best managed and most respected company on various attributes of customer delight
and shareholder value.

L&T Construction is the largest construction organization in the country. It figures

among the World's 58th Top International Contractors and ranks 27th in global
ranking as per the survey conducted by the reputed international contractors magazine
Engineering News Record, USA (August 2011).L&T Construction's cutting edge
capabilities cover every discipline of construction - civil, mechanical, and electrical
and instrumentation engineering and services extend to large industrial and
infrastructure projects from concept to commissioning.

L&T Construction has played a prominent role in India's industrial and infrastructure
development by executing several projects across length and breadth of the country
and abroad. For ease of operations and better project management, in-depth
technology and business development as well as to focus attention on domestic and
international project execution, entire operations of L&T Construction are structured
into four Independent Companies.

1
HISTORY
Larsen & Toubro Limited is the biggest legacy of two Danish Engineers, who built a
world-class organization that is professionally managed and a leader in India's
engineering and construction industry. It was the business of cement that brought the
young Mr. Henning Holck-Larsen and Mr.S.K. Toubro into India. They arrived on
Indian shores as representatives of the Danish engineering firm FL Smith & Co in
connection with the merge of cement companies that later grouped into the
AssociatedCementCompanies.

Together, Mr. Holck-Larsen and Mr. Toubro founded the partnership firm ofL&T in
1938, which was converted into a limited company on February 7, 1946. Today, this
has metamorphosed into one of India's biggest success stories. The company has
grown from humble origins to a large conglomerate spanning engineering and
construction. Engineering Construction and Contracts (ECC) Division (now L&T
Construction) was conceived as Engineering Construction Corporation Limited in
April 1944 .and was incorporated as wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro
Limited.

Building & Factories

The Buildings & Factories Independent Company is equipped with the domain
knowledge, requisite expertise and wide-ranging experience to undertake
Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) of all types of building and factory
structures.

Commercial Buildings & Airports Residential Buildings & Factories

Commercial Buildings & Airports L&T undertakes engineering, design and

turnkey construction of Institutional and Commercial Buildings. Projects are executed
using the cutting edge technology, sophisticated construction equipment and project

2
management tools for quality, safety and speed.

Airports

This Business Unit (BU) undertakes end to end responsibilities in design and turnkey
construction of major airports including all associated airport facilities.
IT and Institutional Space
This BU provides concept to commissioning solutions for IT Parks, office space
including high rise towers and green buildings. It afso undertakes design and
construction of educational institutions, metro stations, sports stadiums, exhibition /
convention centers and other public buildings.
Health & Leisure
Health & Leisure BU undertakes design and build type hospital projects including
procurement, installation and commissioning of medical equipment. In Leisure
segment, it undertakes turnkey construction of international class hotels,
entertainment centers, serviced apartments, commercial malls and mixed use
developments.
Residential Buildings & Factories L&T undertakes turnkey construction of a wide
range of residential buildings and factory structures. Projects are executed using the
cutting edge technology, sophisticated construction equipment and project
management tools for quality, safety and speed.

Residential Buildings L&T's expertise in residential buildings cover design and

construction of large townships and high rise apartments through two business units -
Elite Housing and Affordable & Mass Housing. L&T offers turnkey design and
construction solutions including complete infrastructure with modem state-of-the Art
amenities. L&T provides solution right from concept to completion addressing
different customer needs with its unique strength in construction methodology in
economical way.

Mass production techniques like heated tunnel forms, large area wall panel forms and

aluminum formwork are used in design and construction of system housing projects.
L&T also provides complete Pre-cast construction solutions thereby offering
production line quality to projects. Using these high-speed construction technologies,
reinforced walls and floor slabs are cast in a continuous single pour, reducing

3
construction time and cost.

Construction excellence coupled with experience and expertise gained over several
decades has made L&T to offer premium high-rise residential addresses across the
country and abroad.

Factories

L&T offers design and turnkey construction of heavy and light factories, cement &
plants including Defence Projects using the latest construction technology, with a
focus on Quality, Safety and Speed. The spectrum covers

 Heavy & Light Factories (HLF) -Automobile & Ancillary Factories, Glass plants,
Food processing Factories, Pharmaceutical plants, Warehouses & Logistics Parks,
Workshop Complexes, Solar thin film manufacturing units, etc.

 Cement & Plants (C&P) - Cement Plants, Sugar Plants, Distillery Plants, and
Food Grain storage structures, Pulp & Paper Mills, Textile Mills etc.
 Defence - Construction of Manufacturing Facilities and Warehouse Facilities for
Defence.

Expertise include:

 Complicated industrial structures using long-span prefabricated roofing structures

in steel and concrete, and large span column free factory and workshop structures

 Folded plate girders to cover very large spans and innovative designs to provide
natural ventilation and lighting
 Massive industrial parks using prefabricated modular construction techniques
 Long-span storage silos and warehouses
 Precast conveyors, pipe rack

4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
CONSTRUCTION PROCESS AND MATERIALS USED

Site Clearance- The very first step is site clearance which involves removal of grass
and vegetation along with any other objections which might be there in the site
location.

Demarcation of Site- The whole area on which construction is to be done is marked

so as to identify the construction zone. In our project, a plot of 450*350 sq ft was
chosen and the respective marking was done.

Positioning of Central coordinate and layout- The centre point was marked with
the help of a thread and plumb bob as per the grid drawing. With respect to this center
point, all the other points of columns were to be decided so its exact position is very
critical.

12
Excavation

Excavation was carried out both manually as well as mechanically. Normally 1-2
earth excavators (JCB’s) were used for excavating the soil. Adequate precautions are
taken to see that the excavation operations do not damage the adjoining structures.
Excavation is carried out providing adequate side slopes and dressing of excavation
bottom. The soil present beneath the surface was too clayey so it was dumped and was
not used for back filling. The filling is done in layer not exceeding 20 cm layer and
than its compacted. Depth of excavation was 5’4” from Ground Level.

PCC – Plain Cement Concrete

After the process of excavation, laying of plain cement concrete that is PCC is done.
A layer of 4 inches was made in such a manner that it was not mixed with the soil. It
provides a solid bas for the raft foundation and a mix of [Link] that is, 1 part of
cement to 5 parts of fine aggregates and 10 parts of coarse aggregates by volume were
used in it. Plain concrete is vibrated to achieve full compaction. Concrete placed
below ground should be protected from falling earth during and after placing.
Concrete placed in ground containing deleterious substances should be kept free from

13
contact with such a ground and with water draining there from during placing and for
a period of seven days. When joint in a layer of concrete are unavoidable, and end is
sloped at an angle of 30 and junctions of different layers break joint in laying upper
layer of concrete. The lower surface is made rough and clean watered before upper
layer is laid.

CEMENT

Portland cement is composed of calcium silicates and aluminate and aluminoferrite It

is obtained by blending predetermined proportions limestone clay and other minerals
in small quantities which is pulverized and heated at high temperature – around 1500
deg centigrade to produce ‘clinker’. The clinker is then ground with small quantities
of gypsum to produce a fine powder called Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). When
mixed with water, sand and stone, it combines slowly with the water to form a hard
mass called concrete. Cement is a hygroscopic material meaning that it absorbs
moisture In presence of moisture it undergoes chemical reaction termed as hydration.
Therefore cement remains in good condition as long as it does not come in contact
with moisture. If cement is more than three months old then it should be tested for its
strength before being taken into use.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has classified OPC in three different grades
The classification is mainly based on the compressive strength of cement-sand mortar
cubes of face area 50 cm2 composed of 1 part of cement to 3 parts of standard sand by
weight with a water-cement ratio arrived at by a specified procedure. The grades are

(i) 33 grade

(ii) 43 grade

(iii) 53 grade

The grade number indicates the minimum compressive strength of cement sand
mortar in N/mm2 at 28 days, as tested by above mentioned procedure.

14
Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) is obtained by either intergrinding a pozzolanic
material with clinker and gypsum, or by blending ground pozzolana with Portland
cement. Nowadays good quality fly ash is available from Thermal Power Plants,
which are processed and used in manufacturing of PPC.

ADVANTAGES OF USING ORDINARY PORTLAND CEMENT :

Ordinary combines with lime and alkali in cement when water is added and forms
compounds which contribute to strength, impermeability and sulphate resistance. It
also contributes to workability, reduced bleeding and controls destructive expansion
from alkali-aggregate reaction. It reduces heat of hydration thereby controlling
temperature differentials, which causes thermal strain and resultant cracking n mass
concrete structures like dams. The colour of PPC comes from the colour of the
pozzolanic material used. PPC containing fly ash as a pozzolana will invariably be
slightly different colour than the [Link] thing should be kept in mind that is the
quality of cement depends upon the raw materials used and the quality control
measures adopted during its manufacture, and not on the shade of the cement. The
cement gets its colour from the nature and colour of raw materials used, which will be
different from factory to factory, and may even differ in the different batches of
cement produced in a factory. Further, the colour of the finished concrete is affected
also by the colour of the aggregates, and to a lesser extent by the colour of the cement.
Preference for any cement on the basis of colour alone is technically misplaced.

SETTLING OF CEMENT

When water is mixed with cement, the paste so formed remains pliable and plastic for
a short time. During this period it is possible to disturb the paste and remit it without
any deleterious effects. As the reaction between water and cement continues, the paste
loses its plasticity. This early period in the hardening of cement is referred to as
‘setting’ of cement.

15
INITIAL AND FINAL SETTING TIME OF CEMENT

Initial set is when the cement paste loses its plasticity and stiffens considerably. Final
set is the point when the paste hardens and can sustain some minor load. Both are
arbitrary points and these are determined by Vicat needle penetration resistance

Slow or fast setting normally depends on the nature of cement. It could also be due to
extraneous factors not related to the cement. The ambient conditions play an
important role. In hot weather, the setting is faster, in cold weather, setting is delayed
Some types of salts, chemicals, clay, etc if inadvertently get mixed with the sand,
aggregate and water could accelerate or delay the setting of concrete.

STORAGE OF CEMENT

It needs extra care or else can lead to loss not only in terms of financial loss but also
in terms of loss in the quality. Following are the don’t that should be followed -

(i) Do not store bags in a building or a godown in which the walls, roof and floor are
not completely weatherproof.

16
(ii) Do not store bags in a new warehouse until the interior has thoroughly dried out.

(iii) Do not be content with badly fitting windows and doors, make sure they fit
properly and ensure that they are kept shut.

(iv) Do not stack bags against the wall. Similarly, don’t pile them on the floor unless
it is a dry concrete floor. If not, bags should be stacked on wooden planks or sleepers.

(v) Do not forget to pile the bags close together

(vi) Do not pile more than 15 bags high and arrange the bags in a header-and-stretcher
fashion.

(vii) Do not disturb the stored cement until it is to be taken out for use.

(viii) Do not take out bags from one tier only. Step back two or three tiers.

(ix) Do not keep dead storage. The principle of first-in first-out should be followed in
removing bags.

(x) Do not stack bags on the ground for temporary storage at work site. Pile them on a
raised, dry platform and cover with tarpaulin or polythene sheet.

COARSE AGGREGATE

Coarse aggregate for the works should be river gravel or crushed stone .It should be
hard, strong, dense, durable, clean, and free from clay or loamy admixtures or quarry
refuse or vegetable matter. The pieces of aggregates should be cubical, or rounded
shaped and should have granular or crystalline or smooth (but not glossy) non-
powdery [Link] should be properly screened and if necessary washed
clean before use.

Coarse aggregates containing flat, elongated or flaky pieces or mica should be

rejected. The grading of coarse aggregates should be as per specifications of IS-383.

After 24-hrs immersion in water, a previously dried sample of the coarse aggregate should
not gain in weight more than 5%.

17
Aggregates should be stored in such a way as to prevent segregation of sizes and
avoid contamination with fines.

Depending upon the coarse aggregate color, there quality can be determined as:

FINE AGGREGATE

Aggregate which is passed through 4.75 IS Sieve is termed as fine aggregate. Fine
aggregate is added to concrete to assist workability and to bring uniformity in
mixture. Usually, the natural river sand is used as fine aggregate. Important thing to
be considered is that fine aggregates should be free from coagulated lumps.

Grading of natural sand or crushed stone i.e. fine aggregates shall be such that not
more than 5 percent shall exceed 5 mm in size, not more than 10% shall IS sieve No.
150 not less than 45% or more than 85% shall pass IS sieve No. 1.18 mm and not less
than 25% or more than 60% shall pass IS sieve No. 600 micron.

18
19
LAYING OF FOUNDATION

At our site, Raft foundations are used to spread the load from a structure over a large
area, normally the entire area of the structure. Normally raft foundation is used when
large load is to be distributed and it is not possible to provide individual footings due
to space constraints that is they would overlap on each other. Raft foundations have
the advantage of reducing differential settlements as the concrete slab resists
differential movements between loading positions. They are often needed on soft or
loose soils with low bearing capacity as they can spread the loads over a larger area.

In laying of raft foundation, special care is taken in the reinforcement and

construction of plinth beams and columns. It is the main portion on which ultimately
whole of the structure load is to come. So a slightest error can cause huge problems
and therefore all this is checked and passed by the engineer in charge of the site.

Apart from raft foundation, individual footings were used in the mess area which was
extended beyond the R3 Tower and non tower.

20
BRICKWORK

Brickwork is masonry done with bricks and mortar and is generally used to build
partition walls. In our site, all the external walls were of concrete and most of the
internal walls were made of bricks. English bond was used and a ration of 1:4 (1
cement: 4 coarse sand) and 1:6 were used depending upon whether the wall is 4.5
inches or 9 inches. The reinforcement shall be 2 nos. M.S. round bars or as indicated.
The diameter of bars was 8mm. The first layer of reinforcement was used at second
course and then at every fourth course of brick work. The bars were properly
anchored at their ends where the portions and or where these walls join with other
walls. The in laid steel reinforcement was completely embedded in mortar.

Bricks can be of two types. These are:

1) Traditional Bricks-The dimension if traditional bricks vary from 21 cm to 25cm

in length,10 to 13 cm in width and 7.5 cm in height in different parts of country .The
commonly adopted normal size of traditional brick is 23 * 11.5*7.5 cm with a view to
achieve uniformity in size of bricks all over country.

2) Modular Bricks- Indian standard institution has established a standard size of

bricks such a brick is known as a modular brick. The normal size of brick is taken as

21
20*10*10 cm whereas its actual dimensions are 19*9*9 cm masonry with modular
bricks workout to be cheaper there is saving in the consumption of bricks, mortar and
labour as compared with masonry with traditional bricks.

STRENGTH OF BRICK MASONRY

The permissible compressive stress in brick masonry depends upon the following
factors:

1. Type and strength of brick.

2. Mix of motor.

3. Size and shape of masonry construction.

The strength of brick masonry depends upon the strength of bricks used in the
masonry construction. The strength of bricks depends upon the nature of soil used for
making and the method adopted for molding and burning of bricks .since the nature of
soil varies from region to region ,the average strength of bricks varies from as low as
30kg/sq cm to 150 kg /sq cm the basic compressive stress are different crushing
strength.

There are many checks that can be applied to see the quality of bricks used on the
[Link] the bricks are tested for Compressive strength, water absorption,
dimensional tolerances and efflorescence. However at small construction sites the
quality of bricks can be assessed based on following, which is prevalent in many sites.

• Visual check – Bricks should be well burnt and of uniform size and color.

• Striking of two bricks together should produce a metallic ringing sound.

• It should have surface so hard that can’t be scratched by the fingernails.

• A good brick should not break if dropped in standing position from one metre above
ground level.

22
• A good brick shouldn’t absorb moisture of more than 15-20% by weight, when
soaked in water For example; a good brick of 2 kg shouldn’t weigh more than
2.3 to 2.4 kg if immersed in water for 24 hours.

PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN BRICK MASONRY WORK:

• Bricks should be soaked in water for adequate period so that the water penetrates

to its full thickness. Normally 6 to 8 hours of wetting is sufficient.

• A systematic bond must be maintained throughout the brickwork. Vertical joints

shouldn’t be continuous but staggered.

• The joint thickness shouldn’t exceed 1 cm. It should be thoroughly filled with the

cement mortar 1:4 to 1:6 (Cement: Sand by volume)

• All bricks should be placed on their bed with frogs on top (depression on top of the

brick for providing bond with mortar).

• Thread, plumb bob and spirit level should be used for alignment, verticality and

horizontality of construction.

• Joints should be raked and properly finished with trowel or float, to provide good
bond.

• A maximum of one metre wall height should be constructed in a day.

• Brickwork should be properly cured for at least 10 days

23
REINFORCEMENT

Steel reinforcements are used, generally, in the form of bars of circular cross section
in concrete structure. They are like a skeleton in human body. Plain concrete without
steel or any other reinforcement is strong in compression but weak in tension. Steel is
one of the best forms of reinforcements, to take care of those stresses and to
strengthen concrete to bear all kinds of loads

Mild steel bars conforming to IS: 432 (Part I) and Cold-worked steel high strength
deformed bars conforming to IS: 1786 (grade Fe 415 and grade Fe 500, where 415
and 500 indicate yield stresses 415 N/mm2 and 500 N/mm2 respectively) are
commonly used. Grade Fe 415 is being used most commonly nowadays. This has
limited the use of plain mild steel bars because of higher yield stress and bond
strength resulting in saving of steel quantity. Some companies have brought thermo
mechanically treated (TMT) and corrosion resistant steel (CRS) bars with added
features.

24
Bars range in diameter from 6 to 50 mm. Cold-worked steel high strength deformed
bars start from 8 mm diameter. For general house constructions, bars of diameter 6 to
20 mm are used

Transverse reinforcements are very important. They not only take care of structural
requirements but also help main reinforcements to remain in desired position. They
play a very significant role while abrupt changes or reversal of stresses like
earthquake etc.

They should be closely spaced as per the drawing and properly tied to the
main/longitudinal reinforcement

TERMS USED IN REINFORCEMENT

BAR-BENDING-SCHEDULE

Bar-bending-schedule is the schedule of reinforcement bars prepared in advance

before cutting and bending of rebars. This schedule contains all details of size, shape
and dimension of rebars to be cut.

LAP LENGTH

Lap length is the length overlap of bars tied to extend the reinforcement
[Link] Lap length about 50 times the diameter of the bar is considered safe.
(lap length depend of steel grade and concrete grade) Laps of neighboring bar lengths
should be staggered and should not be provided at one level/line. At one cross section,

25
a maximum of 50% bars should be lapped. In case, required lap length is not available
at junction because of space and other constraints, bars can be joined with couplers or
welded.

ANCHORAGE LENGTH

This is the additional length of steel of one structure required to be inserted in other at
the junction. For example, main bars of beam in column at beam column junction,
column bars in footing etc. The length requirement is similar to the lap length
mentioned in previous question or as per the design instructions

COVER BLOCK

Cover blocks are placed to prevent the steel rods from touching the shuttering plates
and there by providing a minimum cover and fix the reinforcements as per the design
drawings. Sometimes it is commonly seen that the cover gets misplaced during the
concreting activity. To prevent this, tying of cover with steel bars using thin steel
wires called binding wires (projected from cover surface and placed during making or
casting of cover blocks) is recommended. Covers should be made of cement sand
mortar (1:3). Ideally, cover should have strength similar to the surrounding concrete,
with the least perimeter so that chances of water to penetrate through periphery will
be minimized. Provision of minimum covers as per the Indian standards for durability
of the whole structure should be ensured.

Shape of the cover blocks could be cubical or cylindrical. However, cover indicates
thickness of the cover block. Normally, cubical cover blocks are used. As a thumb
rule, minimum cover of 2” in footings, 1.5” in columns and 1” for other structures
may be ensured.

Structural element Cover to reinforcement (mm)

Footings 40
Columns 40
Slabs 25
Beams 30
Retaining wall 40 for earth face

26
 30 for other face

Reinforcement should be free from loose rust, oil paints, mud etc. it should be cut,
bent and fixed properly. The reinforcement shall be placed and maintained in position
by providing proper cover blocks, spacers, supporting bars, laps etc. Reinforcements
shall be placed and tied such that concrete placement is possible without segregation,
and compaction possible by an immersion vibrator.

For any steel reinforcement bar, weight per running meter is equal to d*d/162 Kg,
where d is diameter of the bar in mm. For example, 10 mm diameter bar will weigh
10×10/162 = 0.617 Kg/m

Three types of bars were used in reinforcement of a slab. These include straight bars,
crank bar and an extra bar. The main steel is placed in which the straight steel is
binded first, then the crank steel is placed and extra steel is placed in the end. The
extra steel comes over the support while crank is encountered at distance of ¼(1-
distance between the supports) from the surroundings supports.

For providing nominal cover to the steel in beam, cover blocks were used which were
made of concrete and were casted with a thin steel wire in the center which projects
outward. These keep the reinforcement at a distance from bottom of shuttering. For
maintaining the gap between the main steel and the distribution steel, steel chairs are
placed between them

27
SHUTTERING AND SCAFFOLDING

The term ‘SHUTTERING’ or ‘FORMWORK’ includes all temporary work and

arrangements the supports the green concrete. It includes all forms, moulds,
sheathing, shuttering planks, walers, propes, standards, ledgers, U-Heads, struts, and ,
ties, bolts, wedges, and all other temporary supports to the concrete during the process
of sheathing.

28
FORM WORK

Forms or moulds or shutters are the receptacles in which concrete is placed, so that it
will have the desired shape or outline when hardened. Once the concrete develops
adequate strength, the forms are removed. Forms are generally made of the materials
like timber, plywood, steel, aluminium etc.

Generally camber is provided in the formwork for horizontal members to counteract

the effect of deflection caused due to the weight of reinforcement and concrete placed
over that. A proper lubrication of shuttering plates is also done before the placement
of reinforcement. The oil film sandwiched between concrete and formwork surface
not only helps in easy removal of shuttering but also prevents loss of moisture from
the concrete through absorption and evaporation.

29
The steel form work was designed and constructed to the shapes, lines and dimensions
shown on the drawings. All forms were sufficiently water tight to prevent leakage of
mortar. Forms were so constructed as to be removable in sections. One side of the
column forms were left open and the open side filled in board by board successively
as the concrete is placed and compacted except when vibrators are used. A key was
made at the end of each casting in concrete columns of appropriate size to give proper
bondings to columns and walls as per relevant IS.

CLEANING AND TREATMENT OF FORMS

All rubbish, particularly chippings, shavings and saw dust, was removed from the
interior of the forms (steel) before the concrete is placed. The form work in contact
with the concrete was cleaned and thoroughly wetted or treated with an approved
composition to prevent adhesion between form work and concrete. Care was taken
that such approved composition is kept out of contact with the reinforcement.

DESIGN

The form-work should be designed and constructed such that the concrete can be
properly placed and thoroughly compacted to obtain the required shape, position, and
levels subject

ERECTION OF FORMWORK:

a) Care should be taken that all formwork is set to plumb and true to line and level.

b) When reinforcement passes through the formwork care should be taken to ensure
close

fitting joints against the steel bars so as to avoid loss of fines during the compaction of

30
concrete.

c) If formwork is held together by bolts or wires, these should be so fixed that no iron
is

exposed on surface against which concrete is to be laid.

d) Provision is made in the shuttering for beams, columns and walls for a port hole of

convenient size so that all extraneous materials that may be collected could be

removed just prior to concreting.

e) Formwork is so arranged as to permit removal of forms without jarring the

concrete.

Wedges, clamps, and bolts should be used where practicable instead of nails.

f) Surfaces of forms in contact with concrete are oiled with a mould oil of approved

quality. The use of oil, which darkens the surface of the concrete, is not allowed.
Oiling

is done before reinforcement is placed and care taken that no oil comes in contact
with

the reinforcement while it is placed in position. The formwork is kept thoroughly wet

during concreting and the whole time that it is left in place.

Things to be checked immediately before concreting:

a) Removal of all dirt, shavings, sawdust and other refuse by brushing and washing.

b) The tightness of joint between panels of sheathing and between these and any
hardened core.

c) The correct location of tie bars bracing and spacers, and especially connections of

31
bracing.

d) That all wedges are secured and firm in position.

e) That provision is made for traffic on formwork not to bear directly on

reinforcement

steel.

VERTICALITY OF THE STUCTURE

All the outer columns of the frame were checked for plumb by plumb-bob as the work
proceeds to upper floors. Internal columns were checked by taking measurements
from outer row of columns for their exact position. Jack were used to lift the
supporting rods called props

STRIPPING TIME OR REMOVAL OF FORMWORK

Forms were not struck until the concrete has attained a strength at least twice the
stress to which the concrete may be subjected at the time of removal of form work.
The strength referred is that of concrete using the same cement and aggregates with
the same proportions and cured under conditions of temperature and moisture similar
to those existing on the work. Where so required, form work was left longer in normal
circumstances

Form work was removed in such a manner as would not cause any shock or vibration
that would damage the concrete. Before removal of props, concrete surface was
exposed to ascertain that the concrete has sufficiently hardened. Where the shape of
element is such that form work has re-entrant angles, the form work was removed as
soon as possible after the concrete has set, to avoid shrinkage cracking occurring due
to the restraint imposed. As a guideline, with temperature above 20 degree following
time limits should be followed:

32
Structural Component Age
Footings 1 day
Sides of beams, columns, lintels, wall 2 days
Underside of beams spanning less than 6m 14 days
Underside of beams spanning over 6m 21 days
Underside of slabs spanning less than 4m 7 days
Underside of slabs spanning more than 4m 14 days
Flat slab bottom 21 days

Project Planning

33
34