49151 Concrete Technology and Practice
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): ((120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10061 Bachelor of Engineering Diploma Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10066 Bachelor of Engineering Science OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10067 Bachelor of Engineering OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09067 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Diploma Professional Engineering Practice OR 120 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09066 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)) AND 48352 Construction Materials)
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses. See access conditions.
Description
Concrete is the most common construction material used in the world. Engineers select concrete as a construction material of choice to meet a diverse range of performance requirements for robust, resilient, and sustainable concrete infrastructure. The constituent raw materials of concrete and its mix design, its production methodology, its placement and curing, and the development of its fresh and hardened properties and serviceability and durability all contribute to determine concrete’s compliance with measurable performance-based and defined prescriptive-based specifications under the criteria set out by Australian Standards and government agencies across Australia. Innovative concretes and testing methods are continuously being developed to increase the usefulness of concrete as an advanced construction material that can meet the demand of the highest performance requirements.
This subject provides an in-depth understanding and knowledge of a variety of topics relating to concrete, including practical examples and practical learning experiences adopted by the teaching team who are also practitioners working in the concrete industry. As part of the subject learning outcomes, students engage with the engineering properties of concrete and the material and mix design factors controlling these properties in order to apply this knowledge to predict the behaviour of concrete in application and service. Drawing on experimental data taken from Australian Standard test methods students determine the properties of the concrete and ascertain its behaviour. Students further apply this knowledge to design and address the material specification requirements of a concrete structures project brief, including the sustainable and service life criteria as impacted by the effects of the environment and the failure modes of the concrete. By developing and advancing professional problem-solving and design skills, students acquire the ability to select the most appropriate concrete to meet prescriptive and performance-based specification requirements through the alignment of their choice of selection. Through this subject, students acquire an array of analytical and reflective skills to contribute to concrete analysis, design and development.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Identify and analyse factors contributing to the properties of concrete in the design and construction of concrete structural members and apply Australian Standard test methods for the testing of concrete. (D.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Predict the behaviour of concrete and synthesise appropriate solutions for selecting concrete mixes that address the specification, sustainability, and service life requirements of a concrete infrastructure design and construction project brief. (C.1) |
| 3. | Reflect on the lifecycle of a segment of a construction project and develop a concrete materials specification that documents alternative solutions for addressing a change in prescriptive and performance-based requirements to a civil engineering team. (F.1) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design thinking and decision-making methodologies in new contexts or to novel problems, to explore, test, analyse and synthesise complex ideas, theories or concepts. (C.1)
- Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply theoretical, conceptual, software and physical tools and advanced discipline knowledge to research, evaluate and predict future performance of systems characterised by complexity. (D.1)
- Reflective: FEIT graduates critically self-review their own and others' performance with a high level of responsibility to improve and practice competently for the benefit of professional practice and society. (F.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
This subject contributes to the development of the following Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies:
- 1.3. In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline.
- 2.1. Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving.
- 2.2. Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.
- 3.5. Orderly management of self, and professional conduct.
Teaching and learning strategies
Learning experiences in the subject will be facilitated through a combination of face-to-face, online, and out of class learning activities. Workshops that integrate a combination of teaching activities, including lectures and laboratory, and assessment task briefing, drop-in and feedback sessions, will be used as the main basis to establish fundamental knowledge of the discipline. Each workshop will be supplemented by weekly subject material made available on Canvas. Engaging with the learning materials on Canvas prior to class will prepare students to effectively participate in asking questions and understanding contextual examples. Student questions and queries arising from the individual workshop activities will be used to guide the weekly discussion format. Canvas will also be used to post a summary announcement of teaching activities and resources that will be made available each week.
The lecture activities will introduce the subject matter and delve into the application areas of concrete. Students will also explore the practical implications of the discipline in a laboratory environment, which involves engaging with their knowledge of concrete by observing, measuring, problem solving and interpreting data, and understanding and applying experimental methods. As part of laboratory groupwork activities, students will also undertake self, peer, and group evaluations to provide technical reasoning in the selection of their preferred concrete mix design of choice. The assessment task briefing, drop-in and feedback sessions will focus on addressing the criteria for each assessment task. These sessions will be guided by student questions, ensuring that students can seek feedback on assessment tasks both before and after their submission dates.
The assessment tasks covered in the subject are specifically designed to strengthen competency development in design thinking, decision making, analysis, synthesis, and problem-solving methodologies. Opportunities will be provided for students to author professional reports in developing and recommending solutions that address design scenarios and requirements criteria. Students will also critically self-review their proficiency of the learnt concepts within this subject and share their reflections as multimedia presentations with their peers. Students are welcome to use these professional reports and multimedia presentations when applying for jobs in professional practice to demonstrate their level of competency development.
Content (topics)
The design and construction of concrete structures requires a thorough understanding of the linkage between the functional role of the raw materials used in concrete mix design, the production methods utilised, and the supply, transportation, placement and finishing of concrete at a construction site. It is also necessary to understand the linkage between the behavioural characteristics of concrete for its fresh and hardened properties, and serviceability and durability requirements. In order to specify the use of concrete in the design and construction of safe, durable, low carbon and economical concrete infrastructure, a thorough knowledge of concrete, its functionality, its practicality, its testing criteria and its innovation is vital. The topics this subject explores include:
- Binders, aggregates, water and admixtures for concrete
- Concrete mix design
- Fresh and hardened concrete properties
- Concrete supply, handling and placing
- Concrete specification/s
- Concrete time dependent deformation
- Concrete durability
- Concrete decarbonisation and sustainability
- Specialty concretes
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Conformance Testing Report
| Intent: | To develop an understanding of concrete mix design and testing methodologies to evaluate and ascertain the properties of concrete, and undertake critical evaluation to provide technical writing discussion, justification, and conclusions for preferred concrete mix design choice. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): D.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, group assessed |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | The total length of the report should not exceed 8 pages excluding references and appendices. |
Assessment task 2: Materials Design Report
| Intent: | To formulate a concrete materials design specification based on an engineering project brief, applying discipline knowledge, techniques, and resources in order to analyse, synthesise and solve problems, and design and develop solutions to provide conclusions and recommendations. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 2 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | The total length of the report should not exceed 10 pages excluding references and appendices. |
Assessment task 3: Reflective Practice Presentation
| Intent: | To demonstrate understanding of a variety of topics relating to the application of concrete in a field concrete structure that builds upon learnt experiences taken from Reports 1 and 2, and demonstrates reflective practice being applied to a team of engineering peers. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): F.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | The total length of the video recording should not exceed 10 minutes. |
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.
Recommended texts
There is no standard textbook used in this subject.
A list of textbooks has been recommended below in the References section to help improve students’ understanding of content taught in this subject. The textbooks referenced are also available in the UTS library.
References
- Neville, A. M., and Brooks, J. J., Concrete Technology (Second Edition, 2010), Prentice Hall, Pearson, Pages 1-442, UTS Library Open Collection 666.893 NEVI (ED.2)
- Cement, Concrete & Aggregates Association of Australia, A Guide to Concrete Construction (Second Edition, 2002), Cement and Concrete Association of Australia, Standards Australia, Pages 1-204, UTS Library Request Library Retrieval System 693.5 GUID (ED.2)
- Mindess, S., and Young, J. F., Concrete (First Edition, 1981), Prentice Hall, Pages 1-671, UTS Library Open Collection 666.893/11
- Teychenné, D. C., Marsh, B. K., Franklin, R. E., and Erntroy, H. C., Design of Normal Concrete Mixes (Second Edition, 1997), Building Research Establishment, British Cement Association, Construction Research Communications, Pages 1-38, UTS Library Open Collection 624.1834 TEYC (ED.2)
Other resources
The subject will utilise Microsoft Teams as an online platform for discussion where students can ask questions and post ideas related to the learning material. Teaching staff will contribute to the Microsoft Teams platform and provide regular updates about the teaching activities and the return of marked assessment, and answer queries and questions relating to the learning material. The Microsoft Teams platform will also serve as the primary source of communication and feedback for all students undertaking the subject.
Subject material (e.g., notes, pre-recorded materials etc.) will be made available on Canvas.