Concrete bleeding

Causes, effects, and control

leeding isnt always bad. It lowers the water-cement ratio and densifies the conc re t e. But concrete that bleeds too fast or too long can cause a number of problems: rock jams in pumplines, sand streaks in walls, weak horizontal construction joints, and voids beneath rebars and aggregate particles. Even if bleeding isnt excessive, finishing concrete at the wrong time causes a different set of bleeding-related problems: blistering, scaling, and dusting surfaces. Preventing harmful effects of bleeding requires knowing why concrete bleeds and how mix proportions affect it. The right finishing methods also help ensure that bleeding problems wont ruin a slab surface.

fine particles of cement and sand, leaving wormholes in the interior or sand streaks at the form face. Channels are more likely to form when concrete bleeds excessively. Channels that reach the surface are open paths for deicing solutions to penetrate the concrete. This leads to freezing and thawing damage and rebar corrosion.

Concretes that bleed excessively can cause problems even before theyre placed. When these mixes are pumped, pressure in the pumpline forces water and cement in front of the concrete. With less paste to lubricate the line, rock jams form and the line plugs.

Bleeding problems in flatwork

Never float or trowel concrete while theres bleedwater on the surface. Thats the cardinal rule of finishing. Strike off and bull float the concrete before bleeding begins, then wait for bleeding to end and bleedwater to evaporate before finishing. Excessive bleeding causes excessive waiting by the finishers. Unless the bleedwater is removed, delays increase finishing costs. But getting on the concrete too soon reduces surface quality. Finishing before bleedwater has evaporated can cause dusting, craze cracking, scaling, and low wear resistance. Working bleed-water into the surface also increases permeability; water, deicing salts, and other harmful chemicals can enter the concrete more easily. Highly permeable concrete increases the possibility of rebar corrosion too. Floating or troweling concrete prematurely can cause surface defects even if theres no bleedwater on the surface. Sealing the surface before bleeding stops traps bleedwater beneath the surface. Blisters may form (Figure 3), or the whole surface may peel off later because of a weak, very porous concrete layer beneath the sealed surface.

Effects of excessive bleeding in deep sections

Concrete weathers and disintegrates most severely at the tops of walls, piers, and parapets. One reason for this is water gain thats caused by bleeding. Sometimes bleedwater cant entirely evaporate because it has been trapped near the top surface by setting. This raises the water-cement ratio, increases permeability, and lowers strength. The effect has been noted in laboratory load tests of full-sized columns where failure almost always was near the column top. Excessive bleeding also causes some other problems in deep sections: s Heavy laitance accumulation at horizontal construction joints. This plus the higher water-cement ratio near the surface can cause a plane of weakness at the joint. s Bond loss at aggregate and rebar surfaces. Channels form at the surface of coarse aggregate particles (Figure 1) or water collects beneath rebars. s Unsightly sand streaks (Figure 2) caused by bleedwater rising at the form face.

The bleeding process

Almost all freshly placed concrete bleeds. As aggregate and cement particles settle, they force excess mixing water upward. The process continues until settlement stops, either because of solids bridging or because the concrete has set. The total amount of bleeding or settlement depends on mix properties, primarily water content and amount of fines (cement, fly ash, fine sand). Increasing water content increases bleeding, and increasing the amount of fines reduces bleeding. Amount of bleeding is also proportional to the depth of concrete placed. More bleedwater rises in deep sections than in thin ones. Bleeding usually occurs gradually by uniform seepage over the whole s u rf a c e, but sometimes ve rt i c a l channels form. Water flows fast enough in these channels to carry

How to control bleeding

Excessive bleeding can be avoid-

100 sieves, blend in a fine blow sand at the batch plant. Figure 1. Rising bleed water sometimes forms channels at coarse aggregate surfaces, reducing pasteaggregate bond. s For air-entrained concrete, use the maximum allowable amount of entrained air. Consider using an air-entraining agent whenever excessive bleeding is a problem. Entrained air bubbles act as additional fines. Air entrainment also lowers the amount of water needed to reach a desired slump. Be particularly careful to control mix variables that affect bleeding when concrete slabs will be placed on a nonabsorbent base or during cold weather. Plastic vapor barriers or tightly compacted clay soils beneath the slab aggravate bleeding problems (Figure 4). Because the base absorbs no water, more excess water comes to the surface. Low temperatures prolong the bleeding period. A combination of cool concrete and rapidly drying surface in a heated enclosure can cause blistering or surface scaling. If the concrete is already in place and bleeding too much, fans may speed evaporation and permit earlier finishing. Another solution is dragging a rubber hose slowly over the entire surface; concrete should be stiff enough so that only water is removed. In small areas, a single pass with the tilted edge of a trowel removes the excess water.

Figure 2. Sand streaks are caused by water rising rapidly enough to wash out cement and fine sand. They are mostly a cosmetic problem.

Figure 3. Premature finishing may seal the surface before bleeding has stopped. Water or air trapped beneath the thin surface layer causes blisters to form.

ed. Dont add too much water to the concrete. Most of the water added to make placing easier bleeds out of the concrete. Any time saved during placement will be lost while waiting for the bleedwater to eva p o ra t e. Place concrete at the lowest possible slump. If you need a higher slump to speed placement, consider using a superplasticizer. Add additional concrete fines to reduce bleeding. The fines may come from a number of sources: s Use a more finely ground cement. Concretes made with high early strength (Type III) cement bleed less because the cement is ground finer than normal (Type I) cement. s Use more cement. At the same water content, rich mixes bleed less than lean mixes. s Use fly ash or other pozzolans in the concrete. s If concrete sands dont have much material passing the No. 50 and

References 1. Powers, T. C., The Properties of Fresh Concrete, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, New York, 1968, pp. 533-603. 2. Guide for Concrete Floor and Slab Construction, ACI 302.1R-80, American Concrete Institute, P.O. Box 19150, Detroit, Michigan 48219.

Figure 4. Plastic vapor barriers aggravate bleeding problems. Concrete on the left part of the slab is placed on a vapor barrier, concrete on the right on a granular base. Note the water sheen still present over the vapor barrier.

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