DIFFERENT TYPES

OF VIBRATORS

LASU JOSE
M Tech 1st Year

NEED OF VIBRATORS
Strength of the hand compacted concrete will

be less because of the higher W/C ratio

required for full compaction.
For high strength concrete W/C ratio should

be kept minimum.
To compact such type of concrete, vibratory

equipment has to be used.

How Do Vibrators Work?

Vibrators

impart a vibratory force into

the concrete through a combination of
frequency and amplitude.

Frequency is the number of vibration cycles

per minute, and is expressed as rpm .

Vibration of fresh concrete reduces its

internal shear strength and enables the

concrete to temporarily liquefy- facilitating the
consolidation process.

Amplitude is the peak force.

It is more effective with a heavier mass of

concrete. It moves the rocks and determines

the radius of action.
For a thin concrete layer , vibration has to be

given at a high frequency and low amplitude.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF VIBRATOR

Internal Vibrator (needle vibrator)
Form work Vibrator (External)
Table Vibrator
Platform Vibrator
Surface Vibrator
Vibratory Rollers

Needle Vibrator
This is the most commonly used vibrator
This mainly consists of :
1. Power unit
2. Flexible shaft
3. Needle

The power unit may be electrically driven or

operated by petrol engine or air compressor

DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEEDLE

VIBRATORS

Pneumatic needle
vibrator

Use Of needle vibrator

External Vibrator
These type of vibrator s are mainly used for

concreting of columns, thin walls or in the

casting of precast units
The machine is clamped on to the external

wall surface of the form work.

The vibration is given to the form work so that

the concrete in the vicinity gets vibrated.

These type of vibration is adopted when

reinforcement, lateral ties and

interfere too much with vibrator .

spacers

Use of formwork vibrators

will produce a
good finish to concrete surface.

Since the vibration is given to the concrete

indirectly through
the
consume more power.
Efficiency

formwork,

of external vibrator
comparing with needle vibrator.

is

they

less

Table Vibrator
This is a special case of form work vibrator.
The vibrator is clamped to the table which is

mounted on springs.
Anything kept on the table gets vibrated.
These are mainly used for vibrating concrete

cubes.

Spring
s

TABLE VIBRATOR
Motor

Platform Vibrator
Platform vibrator is a table vibrator but it is

larger in size.
These are mainly used in the manufacture of

large prefabricate concrete elements.

PLATFORM

VIBRATOR

Surface Vibrator
These are also known as Screed board

Vibrators
These are mainly used for slabs and road

surface.
As the slabs are thin, it is very difficult to use

internal vibrators. In such cases we can use

surface vibrators.
These are not efficient beyond about 15cm.

SURFACE
VIBRATOR

Screed Paver
Screed Paver is a dual purpose concrete

finishing machine.
Consisting of a vibrator and screed finisher in

one unit.
It is light in weight, portable and gives higher

production and greater accuracy.

Guidelines For The Use Of Vibrators

Care shall be taken to avoid the collision of vibrating

head with any hard objects.

Otherwise the impact may damage the bearings.
When the space for vibrator is narrow , it should be

switched on only after the vibrator head has been

introduced .
Strength of form work has to be more, comparing with

form work for ordinary hand compacted concrete.

Factors to be Considered
Height of Concrete layer
Depth of immersion of Vibrator
Spacing and No of insertion positions
Speed of insertion and withdrawal of the

vibrating head
Duration of vibration

Height of Concrete
Usually thickness of concrete layer should not

be more than 60cm.

On intial placing it should not be more than

15 cm.
The superimposed load increases with the

height of layer will favour the action of

vibration. But thick layers may get entrapped
with more air.

Depth of immersion of
vibrator
Active part of the vibrator should be

completely immersed in the concrete.

The direction of vibrator should be

perpendicular.

Spacing and no of insertion points

The points of insertion of vibrator in the

concrete should be spaced such that range of

action should overlap.
For concrete of workability 0.75 to 0.8 CF,

spacing should be 35 to 90 cm .

Speed on insertion and withdrawal of

Vibrating Head
Vibrating head should be inserted regularly

and uniformly.
Usually a speed of 3cm/s gives sufficient

consolidation.

Duration Of Vibration
Duration of vibration required depends upon

the thickness of layer , characteristics of

vibrator and workability of the mix.
The degree of compaction can be recoganised

from the rising air bubbles and the formation

of thin shining film around the vibrating head.

Effects Of Over vibration

Over vibration leads to segregation
It separates lighter and smaller constituents

(mortar) of the mix to the surface.

Leads to leakage of mortar through the

defective joints of form work.

Reduces the strength and durability of

concrete.

REFERENCES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

www.JBformworks.com
www.mcmagazine.com
www.wikipeida.com
www.houstonvibrator.com
Concrete Technology, M S Shetty, S.Chand
&company, New Delhi.