MIX DESIGN OF PQC:

IRC 44-2017
Nikhil Saboo, IIT Roorkee
Background

■ Pavement Quality Concrete is a concrete which is used now a days for most type of Road
Contraction works. Generally it is designed in High Grade (M-35 to M-50) and designed for
32mm size aggregates and low slump.
■ Conventional material: Cement, Water, Coarse Aggregates and Fine Aggregates
■ State of the Art: Flyash, GGBFS, Silica Fume, Metakaoline Superplasticizers, Fibres etc.
■ Objective of Mix Proportioning: To arrive at the most economical and practical combinations
and proportions of different ingredients to produce concrete that will meet the performance
requirement under specified condition of use.
■ Method: Prepare trial mixes and adjust them to strike a balance between strength,
workability and durability
Principles and Definitions

■ Characteristic Strength: Strength of concrete below which not more than 5% of the test
results are expected to fall
■ Pozzollana: Silicious material which while in itself possesses no cementitious properties, in
finely divided form and in presence of water reacts with calcium hydroxide at ambient
temperature to form compounds possessing cementitious properties. Example: Flyash, Silica
fume, Metakaoline etc.
■ Granulated Blast Furnace Slag: Blast furnace slag is a nonmetallic product (glass containing
silicates and alumina-silicates of lime and other bases)-developed simultaneously with iron in
blast furnace or electric pig iron furnace
Granulated slag is obtained by further processing the molten slag by rapidly
chilling/quenching it with water/steam and air. It s used for manufacture of “Hydraulic
Cement”
Principles and Definitions

■ Saturated Surface Dry: Adsorption would no longer take place, but interparticle voids are
saturated with water.
■ Cement to be used: Minimum 28 day compressive strength should be at least 43 MPa.
OPC 43&53; PPC; PSC and composite cement may be used
■ Admixtures:
Retarders, plasticizers, Superplasticizers: Upto 0.5%, 1% and 2% respectively by mass of
cementitious material. Dosage of polycarboxylate based admixture: maximum of 1%.
Air Entraining admixture: to counteract freezing/thawing:
– 5.5 ± 1.5% for 31.5 mm maximum aggregate size
– 6 ± 1.5% for 19 mm maximum aggregate size
– Quantity of entrained air: 4.5 ± 1.5% and 5 ± 1.5% respectively by volume of concrete.
Principles and Definitions

■ Fibres: Carbon/Steel/Polymeric
■ CA: combined FI-EI: max 35%; AIV: Max 30%; Water absorption: Max 2%; Size: Max 31.5 mm
■ Mineral Admixtures
– Flyash: Grade1-IS 3812: Maximum of 25% by weight of cementitious material
– Silica Fume: (very fine non-crystalline silicon-di-oxide) is a byproduct of silicon,
ferrosilicon from quartz and carbon in electric arc furnace slag: 5-10% of cementitious
material (required for production of high strength concrete ≥ M50)
– Metakaolin: obtained by calcination of pure/refined kaolintic clay at temperature
between 650-850 ℃, followed by grinding to fineness of 700-900 m2/kg: upto 2%.
– GGBFS: upto 50%
Principles and Definitions
■ Aggregate Gradation
Principles and Definitions
■ Aggregate Gradation
Principles and Definitions
■ Aggregate Gradation
Mix Proportioning

■ Target mean strength to be higher than the characteristic strength.

■ Two set of equations each for flexural and compressive.
Mix Proportioning
■ Atleast 30 samples to be casted for value of S (standard deviation)
Mix Proportioning
■ Entrapped air content in the final concrete is important for mix proportining
Mix Proportioning
■ Relationship between free water-cement ratio and strength should be established.
■ Table 8 and 9 to be used in absence of data (corresponding to 28 day strength).
■ Maximum of 0.4 as per IRC 15 (Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for
Construction of Concrete Roads)
Mix Proportioning
■ Selection of water content is influenced by many factors.
■ Increase in aggregate size, reduction in w/c ratio and slump, use of water reducing
admixtures: Reduces the demand of water
■ Increase in temperature, cement content, slump, aggregate angularity: Increases the water
demand
■ Table 10: for SSD condition; angular aggregates and 50 mm slump
– Reduce by 10 kg for sub-angular, 15 kg for gravels with few crushed faces and 20 Kg for
rounded gravels.
– For other slump: reduce by 3% for every decrease in 25 mm slump.
– Water reducing admixtures: decrease by 5-10%; superplasticizers: decrease by 20%.
 Mix Proportioning

■ If the concrete has to carried to long distances, it should be designed for higher slump
initially. This decision on slump will depend upon distance and loss of slump with time.
Mix Proportioning

■ Cement/cementitious material content is a function of w/c ratio and water content

■ If SCM’s are used, the cement content may be increased (start by 10%): Specially when the
flyash is >20% and GGBFS is >30%.
■ Minimum cement/cementitious material: 360 kg/m3
■ Maximum cement: 450 kg/m3
■ For flyash: Minimum OPC is 310 kg/m3
■ For GGBFS: Minimum OPC is 250 kg/m3
Mix Proportioning
■ Choice of coarse aggregate volume: Table 11
■ For a w-c ratio of 0.5
■ Increase at a rate of 0.01 m3 for every decrease in w-c ratio of 0.05
■ Decrease at a rate of 0.01 m3 for every increase in w-c ratio of 0.05
Mix Proportioning
■ Trial Mixes: Measure the workability of trial 1: check for segregation and bleeding. Adjust
water and/or admixture content for desired workability. Recalculate the mix proportion by
keeping w-c ratio constant. This becomes trial 2.
■ Make trial 3 and 4 with ±10 % w-c ratio.
■ Draw graph between strength and w-c ratio. Select the design value and recalculate the final
proportion.

■ Early prediction: IS 9013-1978 upto M60: made of OPC and normal superplasticizer. Mixes
should be at lower w-c ratio by 0.02.
High Strength Concrete

■ Grade M65 and above

■ Specially selected cementitious material and chemical admixtures i.e. superplasticizers are
used to achieve a lower water to cementitious material ratio.
■ Flyash, Silica fume and GGBFS/Metakaoline are essentially used.
■ Fine aggregate should be on the coarser side: Zone 1 or Zone 2
■ Low w/c attainable with High range water reducing admixtures (reduces water need by more
than 30%): Polycarboxylate type
Mix Proportioning

■ Maximum aggregate size:

Mix Proportioning

■ Approximate air content

Mix Proportioning

■ Selection of water content is influenced by many factors.

■ Increase in aggregate size, reduction in w/c ratio and slump, use of water reducing
admixtures: Reduces the demand of water
■ Increase in temperature, cement content, slump, aggregate angularity: Increases the water
demand
■ Table 14: for SSD condition; angular aggregates and 50 mm slump
– Appropriate reduction to be made for HRWRA
 Mix Proportioning

■ If the concrete has to carried to long distances, it should be designed for higher slump
initially. This decision on slump will depend upon distance and loss of slump with time.
Mix Proportioning
Mix Proportioning

▪ For a w-c ratio of 0.3

▪ Increase at a rate of 0.01 m3 for every decrease in w-c ratio of 0.05
▪ Decrease at a rate of 0.01 m3 for every increase in w-c ratio of 0.05

All the other steps remains same!!

Pervious Concrete

■ Zero slump open graded material: CA, little or no FA, cement, admixture and water.
■ Voids are interconnected. Void content ranges from 15-35% with typical compressive strength
of 5-25 Mpa.
■ Drainage vary with aggregate size and density: 0.135-1.22 cm/sec
■ Higher the fines, lower is the permeability, higher is the strength.
■ Clogging possible if insufficient voids are provided.
Mix Proportioning

■ Target strength: Same calculation as before: Value of S will change.

Mix Proportioning

■ w/cm ratio is important.

■ Higher percentage will reduce the adhesion of the paste and will cause the paste to flow and
fill the voids even with low compaction.
■ Low value will make the mix dry and will affect the ultimate strength.
■ A range of 0.26 to 0.45 will provide the best results. Relationships of conventional concrete
will not apply here!
Mix Proportioning
■ Atleast 15% void content is required. Lower value will result in insufficient permeability.
■ Lower permeability higher the strength.
■ A tradeoff is desired.
■ Reduction in NMAS, increases the compressive strength.
■ No stringent specification is applicable
Mix Proportioning
Mix Proportioning
■ Paste volume: necessary to bind the particles together

■ Reduce by 2% and 1% for every 10% addition of FA.

Mix Proportioning

■ Mass of cement is a function of paste volume and (w/cm).

Thank You!