Lecture No.

6

Aggregates


Natural Rock in the form of aggregate particles
make up between 70 to 80% of the volume of
normal concrete.

Aggregates have two prime functions in
concrete:
Providing concrete with a rigid skeletal
structure.
Reducing the void space to be filled by cement
paste.
Rocks can be divided into three broad groups:

Igneous rocks formed when molten rock material (magma)
crystallized as solid rock either on the surface as lava or within
the Earths crust as intrusion.

Sedimentary rocks formed by the accumulation of fragments of
pre-existing rocks resulting from processes of erosion, organic
debris such as shell fragments or plant material.

Metamorphic rocks formed from pre-existing rocks of any type,
sedimentary or igneous, which have been subjected to long
periods of increased temperature and or pressure within the
crust.

Aggregates materials need to be essentially chemically inert
and physically strong and stable.
















The distribution of the sizes of aggregates particles is called
grading. Mainly described in terms of cummulative
percentage by mass of aggregate passing particular sieve
sizes.

According BS 882 The 5mm sieve seperates the coarse and
fine aggregates (passing 5mm sieve is defined as fine
aggregates).

Fine Aggregates are divided into 3 categories
Coarse , Medium and Fine

Grading of fine and coarse aggregates are important
properties of aggregates for concrete because of their
influence on packing and thus voidage which will in turn
influence the water demand and cement content of the mix.


Refer to exercise
The above figure shows the effect of changes in sand grading at
constant workability. Grading limits have usually been derived
to maintain consistency with available materials.

Shape and Texture
Round and smooth particles in fine aggregates will aid
workability of concrete and lead to lower voidage and lower
water demand.

Angular and rough particles of coarse aggregate will bond better
to cement paste and often lead to higher strength. (Flakiness
and Elongation Index).

Water Absorption
Water absorption of an aggregate is related to its particle
porosity. Typical values of water absorption for natural
aggregate lies in the range of 0.5 to 5% by mass.
Porosity is calculated as relative density (OD) x absorption

Influence on workability of a concrete mix , Strength , Free
Water/cement ratio


SSD Conditions
Relative Density
Relative density(specific gravity) of an aggregate is the ratio of
mass per cubic meter of the aggregate to mass of volume of
water

Bulk Density , void content and voids ratio
Bulk density of dry or damp, compacted or uncompacted
aggregate can be used in design of concrete mix, conversion
from bulk volume to weight, purchase of stock.
Bulk Density is less for uncompacted than for compacted
aggregate and for damp compared with dry or saturated
aggregate. This phenomenon is called bulking
Aggregate Strength
The strength of concrete cannot exceed strength of aggregate
Stress concentrations are generated when the concrete stresses
are shared by the aggregate cement paste.
Test done 10% fines and Aggregate Impact Value

Drying Shrinkage
Usually due to the movement of cement paste Most
aggregates restrain concrete shrinkage because they are less
elastic than cement paste.

Concrete with higher aggregate contents shrink substantially
less.

Aggregates giving a concrete drying shrinkage of 0.075 % or less
is suitable for all concrete purposes.

Thermal Properties
The thermal coefficient of expansion of aggregates ranges from 2
to 16 micro-stains/oC in normal temperatures
Expansion coefficient of cement paste is higher than that of
aggregate.

Fines
Fines are defined in BS as material passing 75microns test sieve.
Material may be fine sand, silt, dust or clay.
Excessive fines specially clay increase water/demand and reduce
strength.

Impurities
Chlorides occur in marine aggregates and some coastal and
estuarine deposits.
Processing removes the majority chloride but traces do remain.
High level of chlorides can accelerate the set of fresh concrete
and can lead to damp patches and efflorescence on hardened
concrete.
Risk of Corrosion of steel reinforcement

Sulphates
High levels of sulphates can interfere with cement hydrations in
concrete known as thaumasite attack. The reaction is
expansive and leads to cracking and spalling of concrete.
BS EN 12620 limits the sulphate content of natural aggregates to
0.2%.
Shell
High levels of shell in aggregate can reduce the workability of
fresh concrete and make the concrete difficult to finish.

BS 882 limits the shell content of 10mm aggregate to 20% and
coarser aggregates to 10%.