LBYCV3B – Construction Materials and Testing Laboratory

Group No. Group Members (Surname, First name M.I.)

5 1. Aguilar, John Jose

2. Comendador, Jan Josef G.

3. Guillermo, Lenard Jan C.

4. Isip, Julia Angela R.

5. Seno, Raphael Matthew T.

Experiment No. 1 Moisture Content of Aggregates

1. A short introduction and experiment objective(s)
Aggregates are inert and cheap material that make up about 75% of concrete. The
aggregates used in making concrete affects the workability, strength, and durability of
concrete. The aggregates used can be natural or artificial. Natural aggregates include
sand, gravel, crushed rock, etc. while broken brick, slag, and sintered fly ash belong to
artificial aggregates. They come in different types, sizes, shapes, and textures and they
also have different physical and mechanical properties. One important property of
aggregates is the moisture content since it can affect the concrete.
In order to determine the moisture content of an aggregate, the standard procedure
ASTM C 702 is done to reduce the sample size to testing size. After that, the procedure
ASTM C 566 is performed to find out the total evaporable moisture content through
drying.
a. Objectives
i. To determine the mass of the samples that were dried through the means
of oven drying.
ii. To calculate the evaporable moisture content in percentage.
iii. To determine the percentage of evaporable moisture in a specimen of
aggregate through means of drying in both its surface moisture and the
moisture within the pores of said aggregate.
iv. To determine the significance or importance of moisture content of
aggregates in concrete mixing.

2. Experiment procedure (step by step in bullet form)

○ Experimenters will determine the mass of the sample to the nearest 0.1%
○ The sample is to be thoroughly dried in the sample container by means of
oven-drying. Caution is advised to prevent the loss of particles.
 ○ The sample should be considered as thoroughly dry when additional heating
caused less than 0.1% more loss in mass.
○ After the sample has sufficiently been dried, its mass should be determined to the
nearest 0.1%
3. Experiment results (datasheet) including calculation

Room Temperature: 24oC

Weather: Sunny

Sample Description: Moisture Content of Coarse Aggregates

Test No. 1
1. Sample Code Gravel
2. Weight of Container, g 383.2
3. Weight of Sample + Container, g 3787.3
4. Weight of Sample: W = [3] - [2], g 3404.1
5. Weight of Oven-Dried Sample + Container, g 3738.7
6. Weight of Oven-Dried Sample: D = [5] – [2], g 3355.5
7. p = 100 x {[4] - [6]} / [6], % 1.45
P = total evaporable moisture content = 100 (W-D)/D

Computation / Remarks:

3404.1 − 3355.5
𝑝 = ( 3355.5
) × 100 = 1. 45

Sample Description: Moisture Content of Fine Aggregates

Test No. 1
1. Sample Code Sand
2. Weight of Container, g 201.1
3. Weight of Sample + Container, g 702.8
4. Weight of Sample: W = [3] - [2], g 501.7
5. Weight of Oven-Dried Sample + Container, g 691.7
6. Weight of Oven-Dried Sample: D = [5] – [2], g 490.6
7. p = 100 x {[4] - [6]} / [6], % 2.26
P = total evaporable moisture content = 100 (W-D)/D

Computation / Remarks:

501.7 − 490.6
𝑝 = ( 490.6
) × 100 = 2. 26
4. Conclusions (for the experiment conducted)
From the measuring of weights of the containers alone, the samples in their
containers, and their thoroughly dry state, the experimenters were able to compute the
weight of the sample by means of subtraction. The moisture content (%) that evaporated
upon application of heat on each sample were obtained. In the test involving coarse
aggregates, the weight of the sample was measured as 3404.1g. It was known to weigh
3355.5g after the process of thorough drying. From these values, the total evaporable
moisture content was calculated as 1.45%. On the other hand, the test involving fine
aggregates had a sample weighing 501.7g. After thoroughly drying the sample to the
nearest 0.1%, the weight was measured as 490.6g. The computed total evaporable
moisture content for the fine aggregate sample was 2.26%. From these values, it can be
deduced that a higher percentage of evaporable moisture content can be observed in finer
aggregates, and a lower percentage on coarse aggregates. This may be due to the different
characteristics of fine and coarse aggregates which affect the absorption of water-like
texture and porosity. The researchers recommend that multiple trials using different types
of fine and coarse aggregates should be conducted to observe the consistency of the
moisture content of sand and the moisture content of gravel.

5. Things Learned from the Experiment

The researchers discovered that the moisture content of aggregates fluctuate from
time to time depending on their exposure to different conditions such as the sun, wind,
and rain. Generally speaking, aggregates are porous which means that they contain water
on the inside and externally, they can have surface moisture. These factors are important
because the moisture content can significantly affect the water content on the
proportioning of the concrete mix. Therefore, obtaining the total evaporable moisture
content from time to time can help in creating a better water-cement ratio during
construction. Moreover, it will also help in determining the strength, watertightness,
durability, and performance of the concrete that will be produced. Being consistent on
these testings will save a lot of time and budget, because it will ensure that the ratio and
proportions of the concrete mix will always be adjusted accordingly.

6. References
Frollo, J. (2019, January 17). One Thing: Aggregate Moisture Content Testing - NPCA. National Precast Concrete
Association. https://precast.org/2019/01/one-thing-aggregate-moisture-content-testing/
 Group Members Evaluation
Evaluator Group Members (Surname, First Grade
name M.I.)

Aguilar, 1. Comendador, Jan Josef G. 100%

John Jose
2. Guillermo, Lenard Jan C. 100%

3. Isip, Julia Angela R. 100%

5. Seno, Raphael Matthew T. 100%

Evaluator Group Members (Surname, First Grade

name M.I.)

Comendador, 1. Aguilar, John Jose 100%

Jan Josef G.
2. Guillermo, Lenard Jan C. 100%

3. Isip, Julia Angela R. 100%

4. Seno, Raphael Matthew T. 100%

Evaluator Group Members (Surname, First Grade

name M.I.)

Guillermo, 1. Aguilar, John Jose 100%

Lenard Jan
C. 2. Comendador, Jan Josef G. 100%

3. Isip, Julia Angela R. 100%

5. Seno, Raphael Matthew T. 100%

Evaluator Group Members (Surname, First Grade

name M.I.)
Isip, Julia 1. Aguilar, John Jose 100%
Angela R.
2. Comendador, Jan Josef G. 100%

3. Guillermo, Lenard Jan C. 100%

5. Seno, Raphael Matthew T. 100%

Evaluator Group Members (Surname, First Grade

name M.I.)

Seno, 1. Aguilar, John Jose 100%

Raphael
Matthew T. 2. Comendador, Jan Josef G. 100%

3. Guillermo, Lenard Jan C. 100%

5. Isip, Julia Angela R. 100%