When mixing and pouring concrete, the inevitable result is a concrete mixture that contains a percentage of entrapped air bubbles created by the placing operations. Any concrete pour riddled with air bubbles can have problems that greatly affect the overall quality of the construction project. Luckily, concrete vibrators can mitigate entrapped air by vigorously shaking the freshly placed concrete to ensure maximum density and proper compaction. That said, all the vibration in the world wouldn't make a difference without good planning and proper vibration practices. Here are four tips for success.
Ideal Concrete Mixture Is Key
The first step is to ensure you have the right strength and consistency of concrete aggregate to avoid hiccups when using your concrete vibrators. A more workable concrete mix means less vibration energy is required in the forms. Your vibrator tool will have little chance of solving air bubble issues without the correct concrete mix.
Tight Formwork to Prevent Leakage
When compacting concrete using vibrators, a tight and strong formwork is key to preventing leakage. The formwork permits proper compaction of concrete until it solidifies and gains strength to stay in position. Since formwork vibration involves mounting the vibrators to the outside of the concrete forms, a leakage may result in honeycombing. A tight formwork is key to producing concrete of good quality, and a lining of plywood can come in handy in preventing leakage. Perhaps you might want to consider a form watcher to monitor safety and tolerance issues.
Vibration Time Matters
Acceptable vibration level and optimum vibration duration in a fresh pour are key to obtaining the desired compressive strength. The last thing you want is to under-vibrate or over-vibrate your concrete, as this will create problems with the aesthetics of the final product. Since there is no set time for the optimum compaction period, you must be careful not to under-vibrate or improperly vibrate your concrete.
When in doubt, vibrate until you can longer see air bubbles emerging from the concrete to avoid problems with honeycombing and bug holes. Along the same lines, make sure you stop once the air bubbles disappear to avoid mixture separation and breakage due to over-vibration.
Always Have the Best Equipment for the Job
In addition to skill and experience, proper vibration requires proper equipment for the job. You must use the right and appropriate concrete vibrators deepening on the concrete mixture you are working on. The size of the working area will also determine the best concrete vibrator for the job.
The final part of the equation for successful concrete vibration is good equipment. Make sure you seek quality concrete vibrators for your concrete placing operations. For more information, contact a concrete vibrator service.
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