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Effect of types of aggregate and sand-to-aggregate volume ratio on UPV in

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DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.08.102

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 Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

Effect of types of aggregate and sand-to-aggregate volume ratio on UPV

in concrete
Tarek Uddin Mohammed, Md Nafiur Rahman ⇑
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Board Bazar, Gazipur 1704, Bangladesh

h i g h l i g h t s

Variation of UPV in concrete with types of aggregates and s/a.

Four different types of aggregate were investigated.

s/a ratios were 0.36, 0.40, and 0.44.

UPV in concrete significantly influenced by the types of aggregate and s/a.

With the increase of s/a, UPV in concrete is reduced.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: An experimental investigation was carried out to understand the variation of ultrasonic pulse velocity
Received 27 April 2016 (UPV) in concrete with the types of coarse aggregate and sand-to-aggregate volume ratio (s/a). The types
Received in revised form 6 July 2016 of aggregate investigated were brick chips, crushed stone, round shaped stone and black stone. Sand-to-
Accepted 25 August 2016
aggregate ratios were 0.36, 0.40, and 0.44 and W/C ratios were 0.45, 0.50, and 0.55. Concrete specimens
were made and tested for UPV, compressive strength, and modulus of elasticity. UPV in concrete is sig-
nificantly influenced by the types of aggregate and s/a ratio in addition to the compressive strength of
Keywords:
concrete. UPV in concrete is reduced with the increase of s/a ratio. Relationships between UPV and com-
Brick chips
Compressive strength
pressive strength, and UPV and modulus of elasticity are proposed for aggregates investigated.
Modulus of elasticity Ó 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sand to aggregate volume ratio
UPV

1. Introduction indicate different stages of microstructural changes at early ages

From the viewpoint of structural health evaluation of concrete
structures, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) in concrete has been
found to be an important parameter. Many investigations were
carried out to understand the variation of UPV with compressive
strength of concrete [1–7]. To establish the correlations between
UPV and compressive strength, different studies were carried out
with the variation of types of aggregate [1,8–10], maximum size
of aggregate [11–14], different grades of recycled aggregates
[15,16], absorption [17], age [1,2,18,19], workability [20], W/C
[2,21], and porosity of concrete [22]. It had been established that
similar to compressive strength, UPV of concrete also develops
with age and it is inversely proportional with volume of pores in
concrete [15]. Rate of change of UPV in concrete with time can
be used not only to determine the setting of concrete but also to
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: tarek@iut-dhaka.edu (T.U. Mohammed), nafi@iut-dhaka.edu
(M.N. Rahman).
of concrete [23,24]. It had been also found that UPV is affected
by the microstructural variations in mortar and can be used to esti-
mate sand content in mortar effectively [25]. UPV of concrete was
also studied to detect damage inside the concrete [26–28]. Also
evaluations of UPV for different types of concrete like lightweight
or asphalt concrete were also conducted [29,30]. Recently, differ-
ent types of statistical approach had been taken to predict com-
pressive strength of concrete from UPV using Principle
Component Analysis (PCA) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN)
where compressive strength can be predicted for a variety of mix
proportions and types of aggregate with a relatively smaller
margin of error [8,25]. Structural health of RC structures was also
evaluated by UPV [31].
Although many researchers carried out detailed investigations
to understand how UPV of concrete varies with compressive
strength, very limited number of literatures were found where
sand-to-aggregate (s/a) volume ratio was considered as a
governing parameter. As sand-to-aggregate (s/a) volume ratio
has a significant influence on compressive strength of concrete,

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.08.102
0950-0618/Ó 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 T.U. Mohammed, M.N. Rahman / Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841 833

therefore, it is necessary to investigate how UPV of concrete varies
with s/a ratios. It can be noted that s/a of existing concrete struc-
tures can be estimated based on the mix design of concrete or
cut section of a structural element. For accurate estimation of com-
pressive strength from UPV, s/a ratio is to be carefully determined.
Previous studies confirm that variation of UPV in concrete made
with different types of aggregate primarily accounts for two impor-
tant variables, one is the acoustic impedance property and another
is the quality of the aggregates [17,32]. In Bangladesh, some
detailed investigations were carried out to understand the
mechanical behavior of concrete made with different types of
aggregates including recycled aggregates [33–35]. Studies are still
necessary to correlate compressive strength with UPV for concrete
made with different aggregates.
Recently in Bangladesh, after the collapse of a garments factory
that killed more than 3000 workers, it becomes an important task
to the civil engineers to assess the safety of the existing structures.
For safety assessment, evaluation of compressive strength of con-
crete is an important requirement. Determination of compressive
strength by cutting core is not an easy method. Also, cutting cores
from columns may hamper the load carrying capacity of the col-
umns. On the other hand, UPV through concrete can be evaluated
easily for different structural elements.
Most of the RC structures in Bangladesh are made of brick
aggregates due to lack of availability of stone aggregates. Some-
times crushed stone, round shaped stone aggregate (locally known
as shingles) and black stone (extracted from quarry) are also used.
Therefore, it is necessary to make a comprehensive study on the
effect of different types of aggregate on UPV of concrete. As s/a
ratio may change depending on mixture proportions of concrete,
therefore investigations on the variation of UPV with s/a are
necessary.
With the above-mentioned background, a detailed experimen-
tal investigation was carried out by varying types of aggregate, s/
a, and W/C. UPV in concrete made with different types of aggregate
is compared and several relationships are proposed for evaluation
of compressive strength, and modulus of elasticity of concrete from
UPV. The results will be very useful for evaluation of structural
health of existing concrete structures.
2. Experimental method
2.1. Materials
Coarse aggregates investigated in this study include brick chips,
crushed stone, round shaped stone, and black stone as shown in
Fig. 1. Natural river sand was used as fine aggregate. The
aggregates were tested for specific gravity, absorption capacity,
fineness modulus, and abrasion according to ASTM specifications.
The chemical compositions (determined using X-ray Fluorescence
(XRF) Spectroscopy) and physical properties of coarse aggregates
are summarized in Tables 1 and 2 respectively. The maximum size
of coarse aggregate was 19 mm. The grading of aggregates was
controlled as per the requirement of ASTM C33 as shown in
Fig. 2. The specific gravity (SSD), absorption capacity, fineness
modulus and unit weight of fine aggregate were 2.45, 3.30%, 2.52
and 1520 kg/m3 respectively. CEM type II/A-M (as per BDS EN
197–1:2000) was used which consists of 80–94% clinker and
6–20% of mineral admixture and gypsum.

Round Shaped Stone Black Stone Crushed Stone

Brick Chips

Fig. 1. Coarse aggregates investigated in this study.

Table 1
Chemical compositions of coarse aggregates investigated.

Oxides (% by weight) CaO SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 MgO Na2O K2O Others
Brick chips (BC) 8.67 53.42 15.29 8.24 4.06 0.83 0.24 9.25
Crushed stone (CS) 1.25 88.23 0.14 0.84 0.27 0.51 0.29 8.47
Round shaped stone (SG) – 74.12 3.78 0.61 0.73 – – 20.76
Black stone (BS) 12.56 58.35 11.41 11.39 1.80 0.21 0.02 4.26

Table 2
Physical properties of coarse aggregates investigated.

Type of coarse aggregate Fineness modulus (FM) % Wear Bulk specific gravity in SSD condition Absorption capacity (%) Unit weight (kg/m3)
Brick chips (BC) Controlled as per ASTM C33 38.26 2.30 15.06 1236
Crushed stone (CS) 38.76 2.56 2.39 1549
Round shaped stone (SG) 27.3 2.58 1.16 1671
Black stone (BS) 10.9 2.84 1.45 1836
834 T.U. Mohammed, M.N. Rahman / Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841

Fig. 2. Grading of coarse aggregate (Left) and fine aggregate (Right).

2.2. Mixture proportion and specimen preparation
For this study, 100 mm  200 mm cylindrical concrete speci-
mens were made with sand to aggregate (s/a) volume ratios of
0.36, 0.40, and 0.44. s/a is defined as the ratio of absolute volume
of fine aggregate to absolute volume of coarse and fine aggregate
per unit volume of concrete. Water to cement (W/C) ratios were
0.45, 0.50, and 0.55. The specimens were made for different types
of coarse aggregate such as brick chips (BC), crushed stone (CS),
round shaped stone (SG), and black stone (BS). The mixture pro-
portions for all cases investigated are summarized in Table 3. As
summarized in Table 3, for each type of aggregate nine different

Table 3
Mixture proportions of concrete.

Type of Notation of case W/C s/a Cement Mixture proportion, kg/m3 Unit weight of fresh 28-Day compressive
aggregate paste (%) concrete (kg/m3) strength (MPa)
Cement Water Fine Coarse
aggregate aggregate
Brick chips BC-45-36-395 0.45 0.36 32 395 178 588 980 2141 17.3
BC-50-36-372 0.50 372 186 2126 15.9
BC-55-36-351 0.55 351 193 2112 14.9
BC-45-40-395 0.45 0.40 395 178 652 919 2144 23.1
BC-50-40-372 0.50 372 186 2129 17.3
BC-55-40-351 0.55 351 193 2115 16.7
BC-45-44-395 0.45 0.44 395 178 718 857 2148 26.7
BC-50-44-372 0.50 372 186 2133 21.5
BC-55-44-351 0.55 351 193 2119 20.3
Crushed stone CS-45-36-395 0.45 0.36 395 178 588 1091 2252 25.5
CS-50-36-372 0.50 372 186 2237 19.6
CS-55-36-351 0.55 351 193 2223 17.9
CS-45-40-395 0.45 0.40 395 178 652 1023 2248 27.2
CS-50-40-372 0.50 372 186 2233 22.5
CS-55-40-351 0.55 351 193 2219 20.9
CS-45-44-395 0.45 0.44 395 178 718 955 2246 30.7
CS-50-44-372 0.50 372 186 2231 24.7
CS-55-44-351 0.55 351 193 2217 23.7
Round shaped stone SG-45-36-395 0.45 0.36 395 178 588 1110 2271 23.2
SG-50-36-372 0.50 372 186 2256 18.2
SG-55-36-351 0.55 351 193 2242 16.8
SG-45-40-395 0.45 0.40 395 178 652 1031 2256 25.5
SG-50-40-372 0.50 372 186 2241 20.5
SG-55-40-351 0.55 351 193 2227 19.2
SG-45-44-395 0.45 0.44 395 178 718 962 2253 28.4
SG-50-44-372 0.50 372 186 2238 22.4
SG-55-44-351 0.55 351 193 2224 21.2
Black stone BS-45-36-395 0.45 0.36 395 178 588 1211 2372 26.4
BS-50-36-372 0.50 372 186 2357 22.7
BS-45-40-395 0.45 0.40 395 178 652 1135 2360 30.4
BS-50-40-372 0.50 372 186 2345 27.5
BS-45-44-395 0.45 0.44 395 178 718 1059 2350 33.2
BS-50-44-372 0.50 372 186 2335 25.6

Explanation of notations – the first two alphabets indicate type of aggregate (for brick chips-BC, crushed stone-CS, round shaped stone-SG, and black stone-BS), second two
digits indicate W/C, third two digits indicate sand to total aggregate (s/a) ratio in %, and the last three digits indicate cement content in kg/m3. W/C – water-to-cement ratio; s/
a – sand to total aggregate volume ratio.
 T.U. Mohammed, M.N. Rahman / Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841
cases were investigated. The number of cases investigated for
black stone aggregate was six. The volume of cement paste con-
tent was kept constant at 32% i.e. 32% of total volume of concrete
is filled with cement and water. Altogether 408 concrete speci-
mens were made for 33 different cases. Unit weight of fresh con-
crete and 28-day compressive strength are also summarized in
Table 3.
In the mix proportions, cement and water contents were
adjusted with the change of W/C to fix the volume of cement paste
at 32%. Irrespective of types of coarse aggregate being investigated,
the absolute volume of coarse aggregate (VCA) and fine aggregate
(VFA) were kept constant for each s/a ratio. So the fine aggregate
content is kept same for different types of coarse aggregate but
coarse aggregate contents is changed based on the specific gravity
of the type of coarse aggregate. The volume of cement paste is
defined as:
100  ðV c þ V w Þ
Cement Paste ð%Þ ¼ ð1Þ
ðV c þ V w þ V CA þ V FA Þ
where Vc = Absolute volume of cement, Vw = Volume of water,
VCA = Absolute volume of coarse aggregate, and VFA = Absolute vol-
ume of fine aggregate per unit volume of concrete.
Concrete specimens were casted in steel molds and kept under
a humid environment for 24 h. The specimens were demolded after
24 h of casting and kept in underwater till the age of testing.
Fig. 3. Measurement of UPV through concrete.
Brick Chips Crushed Stone
Fig. 4. UPV of concrete made with different types of aggregate at 28 days.
835
2.3. Testing of specimens
Prior to compressive strength test, concrete specimens were
tested for ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) as per ASTM C597 by
using Portable Ultrasonic Non-destructive Digital Indicating Tester
(PUNDIT). The transducers of the pulse meter were held firmly
along the length of the concrete specimen. Castrol Pyroplex Blue
grease was used as couplant to ensure full contact between the
transducers and the specimen. The time required by the pulse to
travel from transmitting end to the receiver end of transducers
was recorded for determination of UPV. For each cylindrical spec-
imen, UPV along the axis of the specimen was measured three
times and the average value was used for discussion. Nominal fre-
quency of the ultrasonic pulse meter was 54 kHz. A photograph of
measurement of UPV in concrete is shown in Fig. 3. The concrete
specimens are also tested for compressive strength as per ASTM
C39, and modulus of elasticity of concrete at the ages of 7, 28,
60, and 90 days. Modulus of elasticity was determined from
stress-strain curve of concrete. The modulus of elasticity was
determined by dividing compressive stress at strain level 0.0005.
Tests for black stone aggregate were carried out at 28 days only
due to limited number of specimens.
3. Results and discussions
3.1. Influence of types of aggregate on UPV
The variation of UPV and compressive strength of concrete
made with brick chips, crushed stone, round shaped stone, and
black stone at the age of 28 days are shown in Figs. 4 and 5
respectively. The ranges of UPV and compressive strength of con-
crete for different aggregates are summarized in Table 4. The low-
est UPV and compressive strength are found for concrete made
with brick aggregate where the highest UPV and compressive
strength are found for concrete made with black stone. As sum-
marized in experimental method (Table 2), brick chips had the
highest absorption capacity, lowest specific gravity and unit
weight among the other coarse aggregates investigated. Coarse
aggregate with high absorption capacity contains a lot of pores.
These pores reduce UPV as it tries to pass through the concrete
specimens. It is understood that aggregate with higher absorption
capacity and less unit weight contributes to lesser UPV in
concrete.
Round Shaped stone Black Stone
836 T.U. Mohammed, M.N. Rahman / Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841

Fig. 5. Compressive strength of concrete made with different types of aggregate at 28 days.

Table 4 compared to crushed stone based on the results of specific gravity

Range of UPV of concrete made with different types of aggregate. and wear value (Table 2). As a result, the ultrasonic pulse travels
Type of aggregate Compressive strength UPV through concrete faster in concrete made with round shaped stone. But round
(MPa) (m/s) shaped stone gives lower compressive strength, which is expected
Brick chips (BC) 14.7–26.7 3290–3660 due to less interlocking of the aggregate and relatively poor quality
Crushed stone (CS) 17.4–30.7 4273–4395 of interfacial transition zone (ITZ) [36]. It is observed that irrespec-
Round shaped stone (SG) 16.7–28.4 4326–4601 tive of the types of aggregate, compressive strength and UPV of
Black stone (BS) 22.7–33.2 4610–4731 concrete are reduced with the increase of W/C. It is also noted that
with the increase of s/a, compressive strength is increased but UPV
is reduced. It is clear that UPV varies with types of aggregate being
investigated. Thus it is difficult to establish a generalized relation-
In case of black stone, the lowest wear value (Table 2) indicates ship between compressive strength of concrete and UPV without
that it was the strongest among the aggregate investigated in this considering the type of aggregate used in concrete.
study. Also, it had shown the highest specific gravity and unit UPV in concrete with respect to type of aggregates can be
weight among the other aggregates implying that the aggregate ordered as black stone > round shaped stone > crushed stone >
was relatively dense. The denser and stronger physical property brick chips for similar level of strength.
of the aggregate allowed UPV to travel faster in concrete made
with black stone and also gives the highest strength compared to 3.2. Influence of age on UPV
similar cases of coarse aggregates investigated. UPV of concrete
made with round shaped stone is slightly better compared to The variations of UPV and compressive strength with age are
UPV of concrete made with crushed stone. This is because the shown in Fig. 6. Irrespective of the types of aggregate, UPV is
round shaped stone can be judged as relatively stronger and denser increased with time due to the development of strength of

Round Shaped Stone

Crushed Stone

Brick Chips

Fig. 6. Development of UPV and compressive strength with age of concrete.

 T.U. Mohammed, M.N. Rahman / Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841
concrete for continuous hydration of cement. It is found that
concrete made with crushed stone shows higher compressive
strength than concrete made with round shaped stone aggregate.
But UPV is found to be higher for concrete made with round
shaped stone aggregate compared to crushed stone. It is because
of better physical properties of round shaped aggregate, such as
lower absorption capacity and relatively lower wear value
(Table 2). On the other hand, relatively higher compressive
strength for concrete made with stone chips can be explained
due to better aggregate interlocking due to its angularity and
also formation of an improved interfacial transition (ITZ) zone
around the aggregate compared to smooth and round shaped
aggregate [36].
The rate of increase of UPV at early age is higher for concrete
made with round shaped stone and crushed stone compared to
brick chips. The rate of increase of UPV with time for brick chips
is lower compared to the other aggregates. Variation of compres-
sive strength and UPV with time for black stone aggregate is not
included here as the aggregate was tested at 28-day only. Based
on the data of 28-day, it is understood that concrete made with
black stone will give higher compressive strength of concrete
compared to concrete made with other coarse aggregates due
to the better physical properties of aggregate as summarized in
Table 2.
Fig. 7. Compressive strength vs pulse velocity for different types of aggregate with respect to s/a ratio.
837
3.3. Influence of s/a on UPV
The variations of compressive strength of concrete with UPV
for different types of aggregates and different s/a ratios are
shown in Fig. 7. Due to limited number of data for black
stone, the lines are not shown for this type of aggregate. It
is observed that for a given compressive strength, concrete
made with round shaped stone shows the highest UPV.
Concrete made with crushed stone shows comparatively lower
UPV. The lowest UPV is observed for concrete made with brick
chips. Similar trend of results is obtained for all s/a ratios. It is
also observed that at 28-day, black stone shows similar UPV to
round shaped stone. The results prove that irrespective of s/a
ratio, the type of aggregate has significant influence on UPV
in concrete.
Same as the previous sections, ultrasonic pulse velocity of
concrete with respect to type of aggregate can be ordered
as black stone > round shaped stone > crushed stone > brick
chips.
To investigate how the pulse velocity of concrete made with
same type of aggregate varies with different s/a ratios, compres-
sive strength is plotted against UPV in concrete made with
brick chips, crushed stone, and round shaped stone as shown
in Fig. 8. It is observed that irrespective of type of aggregate,
838 T.U. Mohammed, M.N. Rahman / Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841
Fig. 8. Compressive strength vs pulse velocity of concrete.
pulse velocity of concrete varies with s/a ratio. The lines move
rightward in parallel with the decrease of s/a. It is clearly
observed that for the same strength of concrete, UPV is reduced
with the increase of s/a. It is also understood that an exponen-
tial relationship between compressive strength and UPV can be
formed for each type of aggregate with an inclusion of a factor
related to s/a. From Fig. 7, it is also found that the compressive
strength versus UPV lines are not parallel for different aggre-
gates. Therefore, a general exponential equation cannot be
formed between UPV and compressive strength for all aggre-
gates. The relationships between UPV and compressive strength
are explained in the next section.
To explain the results with further details, compressive
strength and UPV in concrete made with different types of
aggregate are plotted for each s/a ratio for W/C of 0.55 and
cement content of 351 kg/m3 as shown in Fig. 9. It is
observed that with the increase of s/a ratio, compressive
strength of concrete is increased irrespective of type of aggre-
gate but pulse velocity of concrete is reduced. The increase in
s/a ratio (from 0.36 to 0.44) results in better compaction of
concrete that gives more compressive strength of concrete.
Again, with the increase of s/a ratio, coarse aggregate content
in concrete is reduced, therefore UPV is reduced. It is clearly
understood that in order to predict compressive strength of
concrete from UPV with reasonable accuracy, s/a ratio should
be considered as a governing parameter in addition to the
types of aggregate.
3.4. Relationships between compressive strength and UPV with the
variation of s/a
Based on Fig. 8, relationships were developed between
0
compressive strength (f c) and UPV in concrete for different
aggregates with the variation of s/a. The results are summarized
in Table 5.
The exponential relationships of Table 5 can be expressed in the
following generalized form:
0
f c ¼ A  eBUPV ð11Þ
where ‘‘A” and ‘‘B” are coefficients of the exponential equation.
‘A’ indicates the position of exponential lines from the axis of
compressive strength. The more is the values of ‘A’, the more is
the shifting of graphs from the axis of compressive strength.
From the exponential relationships, it is found that the value of
‘A’ is different for different types of aggregate (highest for
crushed stone then round shaped stone then brick aggregate).
Also, the value of ‘A’ is decreased with the increase of s/a. Coef-
ficient ‘B’ indicates the rate of change of compressive strength
with UPV. Interestingly, it is noted that for a particular type of
aggregate, the value of ‘B’ is almost constant irrespective of s/a.
Based on this observation, compressive strength and UPV in con-
crete can be represented by the following relationships for differ-
ent aggregates investigated:
0
f c ¼ K  A  eBUPV ð12Þ
where ‘K’ is a factor related to s/a ratio. The values of A, B, and K are
summarized in Table 6.
3.5. Relationships between modulus of elasticity and UPV
An attempt was also made to correlate compressive strength of
concrete with squared value of UPV. Similar type of relationships
are also proposed by other researchers [14]. The results are shown
in Fig. 10. It is found that for each type of aggregate, the lines move
rightward in parallel with the decrease of s/a. Exponential relation-
ships are developed between modulus of elasticity and UPV2 for
different aggregates and different s/a. The results are summarized
in Table 7.
Even though the data are dispersed, but an attempt has been
made to derive a simple relationship that can be used for predic-
tion of compressive strength and Young’s Modulus from UPV. Sim-
ilar level of dispersions of data can also be found in other literature
[4,5,11,37].
The exponential relationships between modulus of elasticity
(Ec ) and UPV can be expressed by the following equation:
2
Ec ¼ A  eBUPV ð22Þ
 T.U. Mohammed, M.N. Rahman / Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841 839

Fig. 9. Effect of s/a ratio on strength and UPV (W/C – 0.55 and Cement content – 351 kg/m3).

Table 5
Relationships between compressive strength and UPV of concrete for different aggregates with the variation of s/a.

Types of aggregate s/a Relationship between UPV and compressive strength R2 value Equation number
0
Brick chips 0.36 fc ¼ 0:8944e0:00080UPV 0.82 (2)
0
0.40 fc ¼ 0:3599e0:00115UPV 0.73 (3)
0
0.44 fc ¼ 0:1662e0:00140UPV 0.51 (4)
0
Crushed stone 0.36 fc ¼ 1:2277e0:000660UPV 0.74 (5)
0
0.40 fc ¼ 1:2003e0:000680UPV 0.75 (6)
0
0.44 fc ¼ 1:1502e0:00070UPV 0.81 (7)
0
Round-shaped stone 0.36 fc ¼ 0:5836e0:00080UPV 0.79 (8)
0
0.40 fc ¼ 0:5201e0:00085UPV 0.93 (9)
0
0.44 fc ¼ 0:4719e0:00090UPV 0.91 (10)

Table 6
0
Values of A, B, and K for exponential relationships between f c and UPV.

Types of Aggregate s/a Values of A, B and K

A B K
Brick chips 0.44 0.1662 0.0014 1
0.40 0.922
0.36 0.685
Stone chips 0.44 1.1502 0.0007 1
0.40 0.969
0.36 0927
Round shaped stone 0.44 0.471 0.0009 1
0.40 0.922
0.36 0.871
840 T.U. Mohammed, M.N. Rahman / Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841

Table 8
Values of A, B, and K for relationships between Ec and UPV2.

Types of aggregate s/a Values of A, B and K

A B K
Brick chips 0.44 10425 0.0672 1
0.40 0.919
0.36 0.765
Stone chips 0.44 9394 0.0514 1
0.40 0.913
0.36 0.854
Round shaped stone 0.44 12379 0.032 1
0.40 0.941
0.36 0.799

value of ‘A’ is increased with the increase of s/a. It is also found that
the value of ‘B’ is almost constant for a particular type of aggregate
irrespective of s/a. The relationship can be further generalized in
the following form:
2
Ec ¼ K  A  eBUPV ð23Þ
where ‘K’ is a factor related to s/a. The values of A, B, and K are sum-
marized in Table 8.

4. Conclusions

From the scope of this investigation, the following conclusions

are drawn:

UPV in concrete is strongly influenced by the types of aggregate

and s/a ratio. UPV of concrete can be ordered as black stone > -
round shaped stone > crushed stone > brick chips for the same
strength of concrete. With the increase of s/a ratio, UPV of con-
crete is reduced.

Exponential relationships are proposed between compressive
strength of concrete and UPV for different aggregates with
incorporation of a factor related to s/a ratio.

Exponential relationships are proposed between modulus of
elasticity of concrete and squared values of UPV for different
aggregates with incorporation of a factor related to s/a ratio.

Acknowledgments

Fig. 10. Relationship between modulus of elasticity and UPV.
From the exponential relationships, it is found that the value of
‘A’ is different for different types of aggregate (highest for round
shaped stone then crushed stone then brick aggregate). Also, the
The authors acknowledge the financial support and facilities
provided by Islamic University of Technology (IUT) for research
works in the field of concrete technology at the Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering (CEE). The authors also wish to
express their gratitude to Seven Circle Bangladesh Ltd. for provid-
ing materials for this study.

Table 7
Relationships between Young’s modulus and UPV of concrete for different aggregates with the variation of s/a.

Types of aggregate s/a Relationship between UPV and compressive strength R2 value Equation number
Brick chips 0.36 Ec ¼ 2981e 0:1459UPV 2
0.66 (13)
0.40 Ec ¼ 7633e0:0856UPV
2
0.66 (14)
0.44 Ec ¼ 10; 425e0:0672UPV 2 0.48 (15)

Crushed stone 0.36 Ec ¼ 7702e0:0547UPV

2
0.89 (16)
0.40 Ec ¼ 8001e0:0570UPV
2
0.89 (17)
0.44 Ec ¼ 9394e 0:0514UPV 2 0.60 (18)

Round-shaped stone 0.36 Ec ¼ 8648e0:0429UPV

2
0.80 (19)
0.40 Ec ¼ 11567e0:0325UPV
2
0.34 (20)
0.44 Ec ¼ 12; 379e0:0320UPV
2
0.37 (21)
 T.U. Mohammed, M.N. Rahman / Construction and Building Materials 125 (2016) 832–841 841

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