CE-106 ENGINEERING MATERIALS &

CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY

Prepared by: Dr Sajjad Wali Khan

Assistant Professor,
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering &
Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan

Aggregates
Introduction
Aggregate is a rock like material, used in many civil
engineering and construction applications including:
• Portland cement concrete
• Asphalt concrete
• Base materials for roads
• Ballast for railroads
• Foundations
• Plaster, mortar, grout, filter materials, etc.
Used over 2,000,000,000 tons/yr.
ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) C
125 & D 8 are standard definitions
Granular material such as:
• Sand & Gravel
• Crushed stone
• Iron ore blast furnace and other slags
• Manufactured (lightweight and heavy weight)
• Reclaimed (Crushed Portland cement concrete,
clay bricks, or any other waste material etc.)
Aggregates in Concrete, Why?
 • Aggregates are the important constituents in the
concrete. Aggregates occupy 60 – 75 % of the
volume of concrete.
• Economy is not the only reason for using
aggregates, aggregates give a higher volume
stability and better durability to concrete.
Cement paste alone has no such higher volume
stability, strength and durability.
• Aggregate properties significantly affect the
workability of plastic concrete and also the
durability, strength, thermal properties, and
density of hardened concrete.
• Aggregate is cheaper than cement and it is,
therefore, economical to put into the mix as
much of aggregates and as little of cement as
possible.

Classification of Aggregates with Respect to Size

The aggregates can be classified based on size, according
to ASTM as:
1. Coarse Aggregate (CA)
Size: 4.75 mm (3/16 in.) to 50 mm (2 in.) (Retained on
No. 4 sieve)
2. Fine Aggregate (FA)
Size: <4.75 mm; >75 µm (0.003 in.) (Retained on No.
200 sieve)
Mass concrete may contain up to ≈150-mm (6 in.)
coarse aggregate.
Classification of Aggregates with Respect to Shape
British Standard classification of aggregates according to
shape is as:
1. Rounded:
Fully water-worn or completely shaped by abrasion
(physical wear) e.g. river or sea shore gravel, desert
and wind-blown sand.
2. Irregular:
Naturally irregular or partly shaped by abrasion and
having rounded edges. e.g hard grey siliceous stone.
3. Flaky:
Materials of which the thickness is small relative to the
other two dimensions. e.g laminated rock.
4. Angular:
Possessing well defined edges formed at the
intersection of roughly planar faces. e.g crushed rocks
of all types
5. Elongated:
Materials usually angular in which the length is
considerably larger than the other two dimensions.
6. Flaky and Elongated:
Materials having the length considerably larger than
the width and the width considerably larger than the
thickness.
Flakiness Index:
The mass of flaky particles expressed as a %age of the
mass of the sample is called flakiness index.
Elongation Index:
The mass of elongated particles expressed as a %age of
the mass of the sample is called elongation index.
Irregular/Elongated Aggregates

Rounded and Flaky Aggregates Smooth and Rounded Aggregates

Bulk Density (ASTM C 29)

Defined as the mass per unit volume an aggregate
including the volume of voids present in it. The typical
bulk density used in making normal concrete ranges
from 1200 to 1750 kg/m3.
• The void contents range between 30% to 45% for
coarse aggregate and 40% to 50% for fine
aggregate. Void content increases with angularity
and decreases with well graded aggregate.
Absolute Density
Defined as mass per unit volume of a material
(aggregate) excluding the volume of voids.
For example if:
VT = Vsolid + Vvoids = Total volume of the sample
Vvoid = Volume of the voids only
m = Mass of the sample
Then the absolute density pabs would be:
pabs = m/ Vsolid whereas bulk density will be;
pbulk = m/ (Vsolid + Vvoids)
Relative Density
Defined as the ratio of the density of a material to the
density of water.
Absolute Density =
Thus the value of absolute density will be less than 1 if
the material is lighter than water and will be greater
than 1 if it’s heavier than water.

Classification of Aggregates with Respect to Weight

1. Normal Weight Aggregates
The aggregates having the bulk density from 1520-
1680 Kg/m3 are called normal weight aggregates.
Normal weight aggregates are further classified as
natural aggregates and artificial aggregates.
• The natural aggregates are; Sand, gravel, crush
rock such as granite, quartzite, and sand stone etc.
Natural sands and gravels are the product of
weathering and the action of wind or water, while
manufactured crushed fine aggregate and crushed
stone coarse and fine aggregate are produced by
crushing natural stone. Crushing, screening, and
washing may be used to process aggregates from
either sand and gravel deposits or stone quarries.
Aggregates may be produced from igneous,
sedimentary, or metamorphic rocks, but geological
type does not by itself make an aggregate suitable
or unsuitable for use in concrete.
 • The artificial aggregates are; broken bricks, air-
cool slag, fly ash, bloated clay etc.
2. Light Weight Aggregates
The aggregates having bulk density less than 1100
kg/m3, are called light weight aggregates.
Light weight aggregates can be;
• Processed natural materials (e.g expanded clay or
expanded shale)
• processed by-products (e.g foamed slag)
• unprocessed materials (e.g pumice)
Light weight concrete results in significant benefits in
terms of load bearing elements of smaller x-section and
also give better thermal insulation than ordinary
concrete.

3. Heavy Weight Aggregates

The aggregates having the bulk density more than 2080
kg/m3, are called heavy weight aggregates.
• Heavy weight aggregates include Iron, Steel,
Limonite etc.
• Heavy weight aggregates produce heavy weight
concrete which is used in the construction of
radiation shields.
 • Radiation shields protect the operating personnel
against the biological hazards in the nuclear energy
industry or x-ray, gamma ray at therapy centers.
Classification of Aggregates with Respect to Surface
Texture
Aggregates can be classified on the basis of surface
texture into the following (British Standard
classification);
• Glassy
• Smooth
• Granular
• Rough
• Crystalline
• Honeycombed
The surface texture of the aggregates affects its bond to
the cement paste and also influence the water demand
of the mix, especially in the case of fine aggregates.
Gradation of Aggregates
Grading refers to the distribution of particle sizes
present in an aggregate. The grading is determined in
accordance with ASTM C 136, “Sieve or Screen
Analysis of Fine and Coarse Aggregates.” A sample of
the aggregate is shaken through a series of sieves with
square openings, nested one above the other in order of
size, with the sieve having the largest openings on top,
the one having the smallest openings at the bottom, and
a pan underneath to catch material passing the finest
sieve (Table 1).

Fineness Modulus
Using the sieve analysis results, a numerical index
called the fineness modulus (FM) is often computed. It
is computed by adding the cumulative percentages of
aggregate retained on each of the specified series of
sieves, and dividing the sum by 100.
The specified sieves are 75.0, 37.5, 19.0, and 9.5 mm
(3, 1.5, 3/4, and 3/8 in.) and 4.75 mm, 2.36 mm, 1.18
mm, 600 μm, 300 μm, and 150 μm (No. 4, 8, 16, 30,
50, and 100).
The coarser the aggregate, the higher the FM.
For fine aggregate used in concrete, the FM generally
ranges from 2.3 to 3.1 as called for in ASTM C 33, but
in some cases, fine sands are used with a FM less than
2.0 and in other cases, a coarser fine aggregate with an
FM higher that 3.1.
The fineness modulus of the fine aggregate is required
for mix design since sand gradation has the largest
effect on workability. A fine sand (low FM) has much
higher effect paste requirements for good workability.
Free Moisture and Absorption of Aggregates
� The moisture content and absorption of aggregates
are important in calculating the proportions of concrete
mixes since any excess water in the aggregates will be
incorporated in the cement paste and give it a higher
water/cement ratio than expected.
• All moisture conditions are expressed in terms of
oven dry unit weight.
Moisture conditions of aggregates:
Oven-dry Condition:
All free moisture, whether external surface moisture or
internal moisture, driven off by heat.
Air dry: No surface moisture, but some internal
moisture remains.
Saturated-surface dry condition (SSD):
Aggregates are said to be SSD when their moisture
states are such that during mixing they neither absorb
any of the mixing water added; nor they contribute any
of their contained water to the mix.
Note that aggregates in SSD condition may possess
“bound water” (water held by physical chemical bonds
at the surface) on their surfaces since this water cannot
be easily removed from the aggregate.
Damp or Wet condition:
Aggregate containing moisture in excess of the SSD
condition.
Soundness
Aggregate is considered to be unsound when volume
changes in the aggregate induced by weather, such as
alternate cycles of wetting and drying or freezing and
thawing, result in concrete deterioration.

Admixtures
In concrete, a substance other than active and inert
matter, added in small quantities to the mix to alter its
properties.
Admixtures are additions to the mix used to achieve
certain goals.

General Groupings of admixtures

Chemical Admixtures: There are water soluble
compounds added primarily to control setting and early
hardening of fresh concrete or to reduce the water
requirements.
• Air-entraining agents: These are used primarily to
improve freeze-thaw durability. Air entraining agents
entrains microscopic air bubbles in the concrete: when
the hardened concrete freezes, the frozen water inside
the concrete expands into these air bubbles instead of
damaging the concrete. For example Vinsol resin and
Dadex
Mineral admixtures: There are finely divided solids to
improve workability, durability, or provide additional
cementing properties. (i.e. slags, silica fume, fly ash,
and pozzolans).
Miscellaneous admixtures: The admixtures that don't
fall under the above categories.
Chemical Admixtures
� Type A: Water-reducing (WR)
� Type B: Set retarding (SR)
� Type C: Set accelerating (SA),
� Type D: WR + SR
� Type E: WR + SA
� Type F: High-range water-reducing (HRWR)
� Type G: HRWR + SR
Water-Reducing Admixtures
These admixtures lower the water required to attain a
given
slump, thus lowering the w/c ratio. This will:
• Improve the strength
• Improve the water tightness (permeability)
• Improve durability.
Alternately it may be used to maintain the same w/c
ratio but increase workability for difficult placement.
Typical reductions in water requirements are 5-10%
There are admixtures called "superplasticizers" or
"highrange water reducers" which can reduce water
contents by 15-30%.
The water reducers induce the electronegative charges
on the fine cement particles allowing them to disperse
more readily in the water. (similar to the use of Calgon
in hydrometer tests). This reduces the tendency for
flocculation of the cement particles in the paste.
Composition
Three General Categories
1. Salts and derivatives of lignosulfonates.
2. Salts and derivatives of hydroxycarboxylic
acids.
 3. Polymeric materials.
Accelerators: are added to concrete to reduce setting
time of the concrete and to accelerate early strength.
The amount of reduction in setting time varies
depending on the amount of accelerator used.
• These are used to increase the rate of strength gain
of
the concrete.
• They are used to speed construction permitting
earlier removal of formwork, earlier finishing of
surfaces, or earlier load carrying capacity.
• These also include admixtures for quick-setting
applications, in a few minutes (like shotcreting,
plugging leaks and emergency repairs).
• They can also be beneficial for cold-weather
concreting.
Composition
There are 2 general Groups:
1. soluble inorganic salts (CaCl2, carbonates,
aluminates, fluorides, and ferric salts)
2. soluble organic compounds (triethanolamine,
calcium formate, calcium acetate)
Calcium chloride is the most popular choice due to low
cost and high rate of acceleration for a given dosage.
Retarding Admixtures
Generaly used for:
• Offset effects of high temperature which can
decrease setting time.
• Avoid complications when unavoidable delays
may
occur between mixing and placing.
• Resist cracking of recently poured concrete due to
form deflection during successive pours.
The retarders slow the rate of early hydration of C3S
by extending the length of the dormant period. They
also tend to retard the hydration of C3A phases
Composition
1. Salts and derivatives of lignosulfonates.
2. Salts and derivatives of hydroxycarboxylic
acids.
3. Sugars and their derivatives (a bag of sugar
mixed in a truck of concrete can stop the set in
case of emergency!).
4. Inorganic salts.
Note 1&2 are also water reducers.
Effects on Concrete Properties
1. Delay the set of the concrete.
2. Because some are water reducers, they may
increase the amount of entrained air.
3. Increase slump.
4. They may increase the rate of slump loss though
the set has been retarded thus decreasing the time
available for placing.
Assignment No.3, Detailed presentation on:
Chemical and Mineral Admixtures (different
types), Plasticizers, super plasticisers and
Plasticizing action