Spanish Guide to Tremie Concrete for Deep Foundations, 2nd Edition - Guía del Hormigón Tremie en Cimentaciones Profundas, Segunda Edición-PDF

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The 2018 second edition of the EFFC/DFI Tremie Concrete Guide provides practical guidance for designing, specifying, testing, producing and placing concrete in deep foundations, including bored piles, barrettes and diaphragm walls. It is intended to complement—not replace—project specifications and applicable standards.<br /><br />The guide stresses that successful tremie placement depends on balancing fresh concrete’s workability, retention of workability and stability. Concrete must flow under its own weight, pass through reinforcement and fill the excavation while resisting segregation, bleeding and water loss. Slump or compressive strength alone cannot adequately characterize these properties. The guide recommends combined field testing of flow spread, flow rate and visual stability, with further tests for retention, segregation, bleeding or filtration where project conditions warrant. Suggested flow-spread targets are 400–550 mm, with a visual stability index of 0; acceptance values should be selected for the specific foundation and verified through suitability trials.<br /><br />Design and construction must be coordinated. Reinforcement congestion and inadequate cover can obstruct flow and cause inclusions or other defects. The guide recommends, as a general execution measure, at least 100 mm clear spacing between vertical bars and nominal concrete cover of at least 75 mm, subject to structural, durability and project requirements. Mix design should account for aggregate grading, cementitious materials, admixtures, temperature, supply logistics and production variability; full-scale trials are encouraged for complex or high-risk work.<br /><br />Execution guidance covers excavation cleanliness, tremie equipment and spacing, initial placement, embedment, concrete-level monitoring and recording. The tremie must remain embedded in fresh concrete, and placement should be continuous and controlled. The guide describes “bulging” and “plug” flow patterns and explains how reinforcement, concrete rheology and interruptions can influence them.<br /><br />Quality assurance includes production controls, acceptance testing and, where appropriate, post-construction investigations. Imperfections such as inclusions, bleed channels and reinforcement “mattressing” require expert assessment; they are not automatically structural defects. Numerical modelling and full-scale testing can help assess flow and improve project-specific procedures.

Keywords

tremie concrete

deep foundations

bored piles

diaphragm walls

workability

flow spread

visual stability

reinforcement congestion

quality assurance

placement procedures