Professional Documents
Culture Documents
How To Determine Concrete Yield - tcm45-345002
How To Determine Concrete Yield - tcm45-345002
concrete yield
oncrete yield is an important consideration on
many jobs. An engineer may compute the
number of cubic yards of concrete needed for
a 500,000 square foot floor, and the ready mix
producer may deliver the concrete in complete accordance with the specifications. Yet when the specified
number of cubic yards of concrete has been delivered,
the floor may be far from completed. Since this shortage
can result from a number of factors, it will be helpful to
take a look at the methods of calculating yield, the factors which will cause variations in yield and the techniques for policing yield.
CALCULATING YIELD
Yield is defined in ASTM C 138 as the volume of concrete (per unit volume of cement) delivered to the jobsite in response to a request for a specified number of
cubic yards of concrete.
The volume of concrete produced per batch can be
figured out with this formula:
cement
normal weight sand
lightweight coarse aggregate
water
entrained air
slump
In the field, however, we find that the sand has a moisture content of 5 percent and the lightweight aggregate
has a total of 15 percent absorbed and surface moisture
content. Applying a compensating adjustment, the mix
should be batched with 564 pounds of cement, 1365
pounds of sand, 1035 pounds of lightweight aggregate
CHECKING YIELD
Yield of the concrete as delivered at the jobsite can be
checked by the contractor by regular measurement of
unit weight. If this varies more than 2 percent, an investigation should be made into such factors as air content,
aggregate weight or batch weights. When the unit weight
varies considerably, it will often be found that yield is
varying (as well as other concrete properties).
To check the actual volume of concrete being delivered to the job, divide the plastic unit weight of the concrete into the total number of pounds of all the mix ingredients.
If the proper volume of concrete was delivered to the
jobsite, and if suitable allowances have been made for
unavoidable yield losses in placement, and a sizeable
shortage of concrete still turns up, the contractor can be
certain that he has his own practices to blame. Or if it develops that the job is completed before a good deal of the
anticipated concrete is delivered, the contractor cannot
rest easy; theres always the knowledge that over-yield
means lowered strengths.
Obviously, it is of the greatest importance to maintain
yield correctly. All parties benefit when yield is kept in
bounds, and all stand to lose when it is allowed to vary
substantially.
PUBLICATION#C680361
Copyright 1968, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved
YIELD DETERMINATION
Concrete is ordered on the basis of cement content; the
saturated, surface-dry condition of the aggregates and
the total water content. Free moisture content of aggregates is compensated for at the ready mix plant. In the
following example, 6 bags of cement and 6 gallons of
water per bag of cement were used.
Weights for 1 cubic yard batch (pounds)
Weights
Moisture
SSD.
Percent Pound
6 bags Cement
564 lb.
lb.
Sand* 1250 lb.
lb.
Coarse Agg* 1940 lb.
lb.
36 gal. Water
300 lb.
lb.
_______
_________
Total 4054 lb.
lb.
Adjusted
Weights
564
5%
62.5 lb.
1312.5
1%
19.4 lb.
1959.4
less
81.9 lb.
218.1
4054.0
94