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2018/19 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

CIVE5452M Cement and Concrete Properties

30 creditsClass Size: 50

Module manager: Professor Leon Black
Email: l.black@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

Pre-requisite qualifications

Bachelor's degree in civil engineering or approved prior learning (certified or experiential).

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module contributes to students' comprehensive understanding of the properties of concrete at both fresh and hardened states at an advanced level. Course content provides participants with an in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles underpinning the construction of high-quality, durable concrete civil engineering structures and is aimed at students and current construction professionals involved in production, use, quality control or learning activities associated with concrete construction.

Objectives

The aim of the module is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the early-age and the long-term performance of concrete, including issues such as its ability to be placed and compacted, properties and performance characteristics; structural movements; etc. and strength development, fire resistance and durability performance. In addition, students will be able to develop the ability to appraise practical situations and make informed decisions regarding early-age performance, long-term concrete performance and related testing regimes.

Learning outcomes
Successful completion of the course will lead to the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Ability to discuss concrete rheology and its impact on issues such as consistence, stability, mobility and compactability;
• Ability to recognize and interpret key factors influencing concrete segregation, bleeding, plastic settlement and plastic shrinkage;
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the principles governing correct placing, compaction and curing of concrete;
• Ability to explain concrete heat evolution, including related test methods and performance issue;
• Ability to understand and describe early-age strength development characteristics, maturity methods;
• Ability to provide examples of appropriate curing methodologies and the impacts of hot and cold weather;
• Ability to explain concrete porosity and its impact on concrete strength and modulus of elasticity;
• Ability to discuss the principal causes and main factors affecting creep and shrinkage deformation;
• Ability to describe effects that shrinkage and creep may have upon concrete in service;
• Ability to explain how thermal and moisture movements in concrete are measured;
• Ability to outline durability concepts and describe transport processes for harmful species into concrete;
• Ability to justify causes, impacts and solutions for key durability problems associated with concrete;
• Understanding of, and ability to discuss, relevant British and European specifications.

Practical skills:

• Ability to apply knowledge of early-age concrete performance to a range of structural and non-structural concrete applications;
• Ability to trouble-shoot typical short-term problems associated with concrete construction;
• Ability to apply knowledge of long-term concrete performance to a range of structural and non-structural concrete applications;
• Ability to provide project-specific guidance on related design and specification issues pertaining to civil engineering structures.

Transferable skills:

• Confidence to work independently to research, collate and synthesise information;
• Ability to derive solutions to engineering problems;
• Ability to reflectively evaluate one's own learning and personal development;
• Apply subject-specific knowledge to generic engineering challenges;
• Ability to collate complex information in a concise and effective manner in the form of a report.

Skills outcomes
Please see learning outcomes


Syllabus

The module will cover the following broad topics:

* Concrete consistence, bleeding and segregation
* Plastic settlement ad cracking
* Placing and compaction
* Mixture proportioning
* Exothermic characteristics
* Thermal movements
* Strength development
* Curing
* Assessment of striking times
* Cold/hot weather concreting
* Strength development
* Structural movements
* Forms of physical and chemical attack
* Reinforcement corrosion
* Fire resistance
* Deterioration due to freeze/thaw and de-icing salts
* Acid, soft water and sulfate attack
* Alkali-silica reaction
* Standards, specifications and codes of practice

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
On-line Learning20.250.50
Lectures40.502.00
Class tests, exams and assessment23.006.00
Group learning125.0025.00
Independent online learning hours170.00
Private study hours96.50
Total Contact hours33.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)300.00

Private study

This module will be delivered via distance learning and will involve no conventional lectures or seminars, but will be based on the concept of self-learning, coordinated by the programme leader and invited University tutors (as appropriate). The module will be introduced through four recorded lectures by the programme leader.
The learning process will be achieved via the completion of group-based and individual assignments set by the programme leader, in consultation with University Tutors. These assignments will be based on reference text books made available to students specifically for this self-learning module, together with relevant online resource materials as appropriate. Assignment topics will be both topical and challenging, designed to provide revision, updating and an advanced understanding of concrete technology against the prescribed modules learning objectives. Each assignment will last approximately 4 weeks and for group assignments one student in each group will be assigned as a group leader. Each assignment group will receive technical and moral support from an appointed academic member of staff or invited University tutor as appropriate. Assignment-specific discussion forums will also be created on VLE to allow open communication between students and enable input/review by the module coordinator/ tutors. For each assignment, the team leader will be responsible for organising the group’s work and posting the final report online and to deadline, via the course website.

The group and individual assignments will be complemented by online MCQs. These will be designed to test deeper level thinking than conventional MCQs, by introducing “assertion-reason” style questions, or enabling calculation based questions. The introduction of these MCQs has been considered so as to provide instant feedback to students and guide them through their learning and potential gaps in their knowledge.

Information required to contribute to group assignments will come from independent online learning and private study. In addition to the group assignments, which will form the basis of formative feedback to students, there will be an individual assignment, which will be assessed by the programme leader and the University Tutor, and will form part of the summative assessment.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress is monitored via a number of routes. Firstly, students are encouraged to use each module’s online discussion board. Engagement is then followed by regular assessment through the semester, with an assessment timetable developed so as to offer regular feedback to students while also monitoring student engagement and progress. A typical timetable is given below:

Week 1 Group Assignment set
Week 3 Individual component submission of Group Assignment
Weeks 4-5 MCQ 1
Week 5 Feedback on Individual component of Group Assignment
Week 6 Individual Assignments set
Week 8 Group Assignment submission
Weeks 9-10 MCQ 2
Week 10 Feedback on Group Assignment
Week 11 Submission of Individual Assignment 1
Late March Feedback on Individual Assignment 1
Week 12 Submission of Individual Assignment 2
Late May Feedback on Individual Assignment 2

Note that the weeks are indicative of teaching weeks rather than calendar weeks, such that students also have the Easter vacation to complete their individual assignments.

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Essay3,000 words40.00
Essay3.000 words40.00
Group Project5,000 words (formative)0.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)80.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Online MCQ0 hr 00 mins10.00
Online MCQ0 hr 00 mins10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)20.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 02/04/2019

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