Lab 04

1. What are the four basic ingredients in concrete mixing?

Concrete is a mixture of cement, air, water, sand, and gravel–it's as simple as that! Not
exactly. The typical concrete mix is made up of roughly 10% cement, 20% air and water,
30% sand, and 40% gravel. This is called the 10-20-30-40 Rule–though proportions may
vary depending on the type of cement and other factors.
2. What are the roles of each basic ingredient in concrete mixing?
Cement binds the aggregate into a solid mass, fills up voids present in aggregates (fine as
well as coarse) & gives strength to concrete on setting & hardening when it's mixed with
water.
Aggregates: fine aggregates reduce shrinkage & cracking, fills void present in coarse
aggregates & helps in hardening of cement. Coarse aggregates increase the crushing
strength of concrete, makes concrete solid hard mass, reduces cost of concrete by
occupying major volume in concrete. Also it should be noted that coarse aggregate plays
major role in transition zone.
Water: Basic requirement to take place hydration process. Maintains workability, helps in
spreading paste.
Admixtures (plasticizers, superplasticizers, retarders, accelerators, air entraining agents
etc.)
3. The design strength of concrete is its strength when tested ________ days after it is
cast.
Concrete takes about 12 months to reach almost 100% strength
4. What formula is used to calculate concrete’s compressive strength in compression
testing?
Compressive strength test The compressive strength is calculated by using the equation,
F= P/A

Post 4
To calculate the materials (type II cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, and water)
needed to make 16 non-air-entrained concrete cylinders (diameter = 4", height = 8") for
compression tests with specified compressive strength = 3000 psi at 28 days.

Below are the available materials:

Coarse aggregate: please choose 3/4 in max size gravel containing some crushed particles
with the following assumptions: oven-dry specific gravity of 2.68; oven-dry rodded unit
weight: 100 lb per cu. ft; moisture content: 1%.

Fine aggregate: Natural sand (ASTM C 33) with an oven-dry specific gravity of 2.64 and
absorption of 0.7%. The laboratory sample moisture content is 6%. The fineness modulus
is 2.80.

Type II cement

Water

Use 3-in slump for proportioning purposes.

Solution:

Strength: Since no statistical data is available, f’r (required compressive strength for
proportioning) from Table 7-11 is equal to f’+ 1200. Therefore, f’r = 3500 + 1200 = 4700 psi.

Water-Cement Ratio: For an environment with moist freezing and thawing, Table 7-1 requires
a maximum water-cement ratio of 0.50. The recommended water cement ratio for an r: r of 4700
psi is 0.42 interpolated from Table 7-3. t Since the lower water-cement ratio governs, the mix
must be designed for 0.42. If a curve from. Trial batches or field tests had been available.

Coarse Aggregate Size: From the specified information, a 3/4-in. maximum-size aggregate
should be adequate as it is less than 1/3 the slab thickness and less than ¾ of the distance
between reinforcing bars.
Air Content: For severe freeze-thaw exposure, Table 7-6 recommends a target air content of
6.0%. Therefore, design the mix for 6% ±1.0% air and use 7% (or the maximum allowable) for
batch proportions. The trial batch air content must be within ±0.5% of the maximum allowable
air content.
Slump: As no slump was specified, a slump of 1 to 3 in. would be adequate as indicated by
Table 7-7. Use 3 in. for proportioning purposes, the maximum recommended for slabs.
Water Content: Table 7-6 recommends that a 3-in. slump, air-entrained concrete made with
3/4-in. maximum- size aggregate should have a water content of about 305 lb per cu yd.
However, gravel with some crushed particles should reduce the water content of the table value
by about 35 lb. Therefore, the water content can be estimated to be about 305 lb minus 35lb,
which is 270 lb.
Cement Content: The cement content is based on the maximum “water: cement" ratio and the
water content. Therefore, 270 lb. of water divided by a water-cement ratio of 0.42 requires a
cement content of 643 lb., which is greater than the 564 lb. minimum commonly specified for
severe freeze-thaw climates. The 643 lb. also meets the minimum cement requirements of Table
7-8 for concrete used in flatwork.
Coarse- Aggregate Content: The quantity of 3/4-in. maximum-size coarse aggregate can be
estimated from Table7-5. The bulk volume of coarse aggregate recommended when using a sand
with a fineness modulus of 2.80 is 0.62. Since it weighs 100 lb. per cu ft., the oven dry weight of
coarse aggregate for a cubic yard of concrete (27 cu ft.) is
100*27*0.62 = 1674 lb. per cubic yard of concrete
Admixture Content: For a 7% air content, the air entraining admixture manufacturer
recommends a dosage rate of 0.9 fl oz. per 100 lb. of cement. From this premeasured water may
remain unused or additional water may be added to approach. The mixture Excluding admixture
therefore becomes.
Water = 13.12 lb.
Cement = 47.63 lb.
Coarse Aggregate (2% MC) = 126.44lb.
Fine Aggregate (6% MC) = 97.04 lb.
Total = 284.23lb.