Construction Cost Estimating

      

A Brief Discussion on Underwater Concrete

Underwater concrete ?UWC? is one special type of high performance concrete. It has been used in the past, present, and in the foreseeable future. It will be used as long as we need to construct bridges, with foundations in soil having high water levels and in almost all off and on-shore structures.

High performance concrete refers to concrete that performs particularly well in at least three key performance indicators: strength, workability, and service life. Thus, underwater concrete should meet these criteria.

Underwater concrete is a viable and economic choice. It requires special monitoring during all the stages of construction. Special consideration is needed for selecting the correct materials and, specialized apparatus for quality control, design and methods of construction.

Underwater construction as the name suggests was designed to enhance constructability and performance in water environments. This allows engineers to avoid previous techniques where water was isolated.

Therefore interruption to plant operation decreases and savings increases.

?UWC? is a highly flow-able concrete. It can spread into places under the influence of its own weight. As a result, it achieves good compaction without vibration. It doesn?t exhibit defects due to segregation and bleeding.

Technology for underwater concrete has developed tremendously in recent years. The mix can be proportioned to ensure high fluidity as well as high resistance of washout and segregation.

The construction of a wide range of structures ? bridge piers, harbors, sea and river defenses over many decades, the development offshore oilfields, has required placement of concrete underwater.

It is possible to carry out this process successfully. Sound, high quality concrete can be produced if sufficient attention is paid to the concrete mix design and the production method applied.

A Brief Discussion on Underwater Concrete