APPLICATION OF PACKAGED DRY CONCRETE MIXTURE FOR CONSTRUCTION IN REMOTE AREAS

Abstract

Construction of infrastructure facilities requiring mass concrete such as transmission lines towers’ foundations, pedestals, and roadways in remote and inaccessible areas is a challenge in many parts of the Indian sub-continent, sub-Saharan Africa, and similar nations. The problem is especially prominent where there are no ready-mix concrete (RMC) facilities available in those far-flung areas and the concreting work mainly relies upon on-site mixing and consequently, faces several problems with quality, durability, and overall performance. The work here signifies the importance of factory-prepared dry concrete mix which can be a suitable alternative to site mixing. The proposed dry concrete system only requires the addition of water i.e., wet mixing at the site with controlled quality of ingredients and thus, resulting in better performance. Thus, in this study, the applicability and feasibility of an improved variant in dry concrete named as packaged dry concrete (PDC) for mass concreting application have been studied. Experimental trials have been done to check the variability of PDC parameters to that of conventional concrete. The obtained results have shown the significance and feasibility of PDC and its potential as an alternative method of concreting in these remote areas. © 2022, Associated Cement Companies Ltd.. All rights reserved.