Chapter 3: Aggregates For Mortar, Concrete, Screeds

Chapter 3: Aggregates for mortar, concrete, screeds
1
Content
1. Introduction
2. Classification of Aggregates
3. Characteristics of Aggregates
4. Deleterious Materials and Organic Impurities
5. Soundness
6. Alkali-Aggregate Reaction
7. Testing of Aggregates
8. Hazards with Aggregates
9. Types of Fine Aggregate
10. Types of Coarse Aggregate
11. Aggregate Uses
2
1. Introduction
What are aggregates ?
• Aggregates are the materials basically used as filler with binding material in the production of mortar and concrete.
• Aggregates found in nature as sand, gravel, stones, or rock that can be crushed into particles. They may also be are
particles of random shape. They are by-products or waste material from an industrial process or mining operation
Fine aggregate
Cement
Water Cement (Sand)
Fine aggregate Coarse Water

(Sand) Mortar aggregate Concrete
3
1. Introduction
Aggregate is called
• Bound material when it is mixed with cement or binding materials.
• Unbound material when used without cement or unbinding materials.
Functions of aggregates
• To provide a relatively inexpensive filler for the cementing material
• To provide a mass of particles that resist the action of applied loads and abrasion
• To reduce the volume changes caused by the setting and hardening process and the drying of the cement-water paste (
hardening is the gain of strength of a cement paste at on set of the final setting stage)
4
1. Introduction
Good qualities of an ideal aggregate:
• Should be strong and durable

• Clean, hard, tough and well graded
• Abrasion resistant
• Not containing any harmful materials like iron pyrites, mica, silica, clay coatings etc.
• Non-reactive with cement. Reactive aggregates contain forms of silica that combine with the alkali in the cement and cause
differential expansion of the concrete. This leads to crazing, cracking and other forms of disintegration of the concrete
5
1. Introduction
Aggregates in concrete
• Aggregates are a semi-inert materials.

• Aggregates occupy 70-80 % of the volume and have considerable influence on the properties of the concrete. Its use considerably improves both
the volume stability and the durability of the resulting concrete. Strength of concrete and mix design are independent of the composition of
aggregate.
• Since aggregate is much cheaper than cement, maximum economy can be obtained by using as much aggregate as possible.
• The latest research exhibits chemical bond at the interface of aggregates and cement paste.
• To increase the bulk density of concrete, aggregates are used in two markedly different sizes—the bigger ones known to be coarse aggregate
(grit: sạn) and the smaller ones fine aggregate (sand: cát). The coarse aggregates form the main matrix of concrete and the fine aggregates form
the filler matrix between the coarse aggregate.
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Geological origin Size Shape Unit weight
7
On the basis of Geological Origin
The aggregates may be classified into natural aggregates and artificial aggregates.
1/ Natural aggregates:
• These are obtained by crushing from quarries of igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic rocks.
• Gravels and sand reduced to their present size by the natural agencies also fall in this category.
• The most widely used aggregate are from igneous origin.
• Aggregates obtained from pits or dredged from river, creek or sea are most often not clean enough or well graded to suit the
quality requirement. They therefore require sieving and washing before they can be used in concrete.
Igneous rock is formed by the cooling and Sedimentary rocks make up most of the rocks Metamorphic rock is rock made from pre-
crystallization of magma or lava. Igneous rock can on the earth and are formed when bits of rock, existing rocks. These rocks undergo a change,
be found nearly everywhere on the earth's crust, soil or organic matter settles and accumulates either caused by high heat, high pressure, or
particularly near volcanic hot spots. exposure to mineral rich hot liquid, which
transforms the existing rock into a new type of
rock, changing the minerals’ composition in the 8
process
On the basis of Geological Origin
2/ Artificial aggregates: Broken bricks, blast furnace slag and synthetic aggregates are artificial aggregates.
• Broken bricks known as brick bats are suitable for mass concreting, for example, in foundation bases. They are
not used for reinforced concrete works.
• Blast furnace slag aggregate is obtained from slow cooling of the slag followed by crushing. The dense and
strong particles as obtained are used for making precast concrete products. The specific gravity of these range
between 2–2.8 and bulk density 1120–1300 kg/m3 . The blast furnace slag aggregate has good fire resisting
properties but are responsible for corrosion of reinforcement due to sulphur content of slag.
• Synthetic aggregates are produced by thermally processed materials such as expanded clay and shale used for
making light weight concrete
Broken bricks Blast furnace slag aggregate Synthetic aggregates

9
On the basis of Size
Coarse Aggregate
• Aggregate retained on 4.75mm sieve are identified as coarse.
• The maximum size of aggregate can be 80mm.
• For economy, the maximum size should be as large as possible but not more than one-fourth of the
minimum thickness of the member.
• For reinforced sections, the maximum size should be at least 5mm less than the clear spacing
between the reinforcement and also at least 5mm less than the clear cover.
• Aggregate more than 20mm size are seldom used for reinforced cement concrete structural
members. In general, 40mm size aggregate used for normal strengths and 20mm size is used for
high strength concrete.
All – in – aggregate
• Naturally available aggregates of different fractions of fine and coarse sizes are known as all-in- Coarse Aggregate All – in – aggregate
aggregate. The deficiency of any particular fraction can be corrected for use in the mix but they are
not recommended for quality concrete.
Graded Aggregate
• Aggregate most of which passes through a particular size of sieve are known as graded aggregate.
For example, a graded aggregate of nominal size 20mm means an aggregate most of which passes
IS sieve 20mm.
Fine Aggregate
• Aggregate passing through 4.75mm sieve are defined as fine.
• They may be natural sand-deposited by rivers, crushed stone sand-obtained by crushing stones and Graded Aggregate Fine Aggregate
crushed gravel sand. The smallest size of fine aggregate (sand) is 0.06mm. Depending upon the 10
particle size, fine aggregates are described as fine, medium and coarse sands.
On the basis of Shape
Rounded aggregates
• These are generally obtained from river or sea shore and produce minimum voids (about 32%) in the
concrete hence give more workability.
• They have minimum ratio of surface area to the volume, so they require lesser amount of water-cement
ratio or the cement paste required is minimum.
• Poor interlocking bond and week bond strength make it unsuitable for high strength concrete and
pavements.
Irregular aggregates
• They have voids about 36% and require more cement paste. These will give less workability as compared
to rounded aggregate. Rounded aggregates Irregular aggregates
• Because of irregularity in shape they develop good bond and are suitable for making ordinary concrete.
Angular aggregate
• They have sharp, angular and rough particles having maximum voids (about 40%) hence giving less
workability.
• Angular aggregate provide stronger aggregate-mortar bond than the earlier two, are most suitable for
high strength concrete and pavements.
• The requirement of cement paste is relatively more.
Flaky aggregate Angular aggregate Flaky aggregate

• When the aggregate thickness is small when compared with width and length of that aggregate, it is said
to be flaky aggregate. When the length of aggregate is larger than the other two dimensions then it is
called elongated aggregate. These are generally obtained from the poorly crushed rocks.
• The 2 types of aggregates are not suitable for concrete mixing. Both of these influence the concrete 11
properties adversely.
Based on Unit Weight
Aggregates are classified depending on weight and specific gravity
Different density aggregates will have much different applications.
• Lightweight and ultra lightweight aggregates are more porous than their
heavier counterparts, so they can be put to great use in green roof
construction. They are also used in mixes for concrete blocks and
pavements, as well as insulation and fireproofing.
• High density aggregates are used to form heavyweight concrete. They are
used for when high strength, durable concrete structures are required
such as building foundations or pipework ballasting.
12
The properties to be considered while selecting aggregate for concrete are
• Strength
• Bond strength
• Shape and texture
• Specific gravity
• Bulk density
• Voids
• Porosity
• Moisture content
• Bulking
13
how to test the strength
Strength
• The strength should be at least equal to that of the concrete.
• Rocks commonly used as aggregates have a compressive strength much higher than the usual range of concrete strength.
• The test conducted for strength evaluation are crushing test, impact-test and ten per cent fines test.
• The toughness of aggregate is measured by impact test. The impact value should not exceed 30 per cent for wearing surface and
45 per cent for remaining concretes.
• Hardness of aggregate is tested by abrasion test. The abrasion value is restricted to 30 per cent for wearing surfaces and 50 per
cent for concrete for other purposes.
14
Bond strength
• The strength of the bond between aggregate and cement paste thus has an important influence on the strength of concrete.
• There is no standard test for bond but it is known that the rougher the surface texture of the particles, the better the bond.
EPJ Web of Conferences 140, DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201714012014 15

Powders & Grains 2017 12014 (2017)
Shape and texture
• The shape influences the properties of fresh concrete more than when it has hardened.
• Rounded aggregate are highly workable but yield low strength concrete.
• Same is the case with irregular shaped aggregate.
• Flaky aggregate require more cement paste, produce maximum voids and are not desirable.
• Angular shape is the best.
• Crushed and uncrushed aggregates generally give essentially the same strength for the same cement content.
• The shape and surface texture of fine aggregate govern its void ratio and significantly affect the water requirement.
16
Specific gravity
• The specific gravity of most of the natural aggregates lies between 2.6-2.7.
• The specific gravity and porosity of aggregates greatly influence the strength
and absorption of concrete.
• Specific gravity of aggregates generally is indicative of its quality.
• A low specific gravity may indicate high porosity and therefore poor durability
and low strength.
• The concrete density will greatly depend on specific gravity
17
Bulk density
• The bulk density of aggregate depends upon their packing, the particles shape and size, the grading and
the moisture content.
• For coarse aggregate a higher bulk density is an indication of fewer voids to be filled by sand and cement.
18
Voids
• The void ratio is calculated as
• If the voids in the concrete are more, the strength will be low
Mechanical behaviour and durability performance of concrete containing recycled concrete aggregate 19
Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
Porosity
• The entrapped air bubbles in the rocks during their formation lead to minute holes or cavities known as pores.
• The porosity of rocks is generally less than 20%; the concrete becomes permeable and ultimately affects the bond between
aggregate and cement paste, affects the resistance to freezing and thawing of concrete and resistance to abrasion of aggregate.
• The porous aggregate absorb more moisture, resulting in loss of workability of concrete at a much faster rate.
20
Moisture content
• The surface moisture expressed as a percentage of the weight of the saturated surface dry aggregate is
known as moisture content.
• A high moisture content increases the effective water/cement ratio to an appreciable extent and may
render the concrete weak.
21
Bulking
• The increase in the volume of a given mass of fine aggregate caused

by the presence of water is known as bulking.
• The water forms a film over the fine aggregate particles, exerts
force of surface tension and pushes them apart increasing the
volume.
• The extent of bulking depends upon the percentage of moisture

present in the sand and its fineness.
• With ordinary sand, bulking varies from 15-30 %. It increases with

moisture content up to a certain point (4-6%), reaches maximum,
the film of water on the sand surface breaks, and then it starts
decreasing.
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4. Deleterious Materials and Organic Impurities
• Organic matters, clay, shale, coal, iron pyrites, etc., which may have harmful physical or chemical
effects on the aggregates are considered to be deleterious.
• They affect the properties of concrete in green as well as in hardened state and are undesirable.
• They may be classified as those interfering with : (i) the process of hydration, i.e. organic matters, (ii)
coatings such as clay, etc. (iii) affecting the development of bond between aggregate and the cement
paste, and, unsound particles which are weak or bring about chemical reaction between aggregate
and cement paste.
• The salts present in the sea-shore sand should be washed out otherwise efflorescence is caused
afterwards.
• Mica, if present in sand, reduces the strength of concrete.
• Iron pyrites and sulphides produce surface staining and pop-outs
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5. Soundness
• Soundness is defined as the ability of aggregate to resist changes in volume as a result of changes in physical conditions.
• The conditions affecting this property are freezing and thawing, temperature changes, and alternate wetting and drying.
• Porous and weak aggregates containing undesirable extraneous matter undergo excessive volume changes under favourable conditions
• The freeze-thaw resistance of aggregate is related to its porosity, absorption, and pore structure.
• This may cause local scaling to surface cracking consequently leading to impaired appearance and sometimes structural failure.
• Aggregates may also be chemically unstable. Some of the aggregate with certain chemical constituents react with alkalis in cement which may
cause abnormal expansion and map cracking of concrete.
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6. Alkali Aggregate Reactions
Some aggregates react with the alkali hydroxides in concrete, causing expansion and cracking over a period of many years. This alkali – aggregate
reaction has two forms:
• Alkali – silica reaction (ASR): Aggregates containing certain forms of silica will react with alkali hydroxide in concrete to form a gel that swells
as it adsorbs water from the surrounding cement paste or the environment. These gels can induce enough expansive pressure to damage
concrete.
Step 1: the alkaline solution attacks the siliceous aggregate, converting it to
viscous alkali silicate gel.
Step 2: consumption of alkali by the reaction incudces the dissolution of Ca
ions into the cement pore water.
Step 3: the penetrateds alkaline solution converts the remaning siliceous
minerals into bulky alkali silicate gel. The resultant expansive pressure is
stored in the aggregate.
Step 4: the accumulated pressure cracks the aggregate and the surrounding
cement paste when the pressure exceeds the tolerance of the aggregate.
• Alkali – carbonate reaction (ACR): is a process suspected for the degradation of concrete
containing dolomite aggregate. Alkali from the cement might with the dolomite crystals
present in the aggregate inducing the production of brucite (Mg(OH)2, and calcite (CaCO3).
Brucite (Mg(OH)2) could be responsible for the volumetric expansion after de-
dolomitisation of the aggregate, due to absorption of water:
CaMg(CO3)2 + 2NaOH  CaCO3 + Na2CO3 + Mg(OH)2

Beyene & Meininge, Sixth International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures, Paper
25Number ICC26
R.B. Figueira et al. / Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 903–931
6. Alkali Aggregate Reactions
Prevention of Alkali-Silica Reaction in New Concrete
Controlling ASR Controlling ACR
• Non reactive aggregates • Selective quarrying to avoid reactive aggregates

• Supplementary cementing materials or • Blend aggregates according to appendix in
blended cements ASTM C1105
• Limit alkali loading • Limit aggregates size to smallest practical
• Lithium based admixtures
• Limestone sweetening (30% replacement
reactive aggregates with crushed limestone)
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• Aggregate plays an important role in pavement construction.

• Aggregates influence the load transfer capability of pavements.
• Thus, it is essential that they should be thoroughly tested before using for construction.
• Not only that aggregates should be strong and durable, they should also possess proper shape and size
to make the pavement act monolithically.
• Aggregates are tested for strength, toughness, hardness, shape, and water absorption.
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The following tests are performed to decide the suitability of the aggregate for use in pavement
construction:
• Crushing test
• Abrasion test
• Impact test
• Soundness test
• Shape test
• Specific gravity and water absorption test
• Bitumen adhesion test
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Crushing test
A test is standardized by IS:2386 part-IV and used to determine the crushing strength of aggregates.
The aggregate crushing value provides a relative measure of resistance to crushing under gradually applied crushing load.
Aggregate crushing value = (B/A)*100

Where B = weight of fraction passing the appropriate sieve
A = weight of surface-dry sample
Types of Roads / Pavements Aggregate Crushing Value Limit
Flexible Pavements
Soling 50
A value less than 10 signifies an exceptionally strong
aggregate while above 35 would normally be regarded Water bound macadam 40
as weak aggregates. Bituminous macadam 40
Bituminous surface dressing or thin premix carpet 30
Dense mix carpet 30
Rigid Pavements
Other than wearing course 45
Surface or Wearing course 30 29

Abrasion test
Abrasion test is carried out to test the hardness property of aggregates.

Los Angeles abrasion test is a preferred one for carrying out the hardness property and has been
standardized in India (IS:2386 part-IV)
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Impact test
The aggregate impact test is carried out to

evaluate the resistance to impact of aggregates
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Soundness test
• The soundness of aggregate refers to the durability of an aggregate in terms of the resistance to the action of weather and is an
indication of the resistance to weathering of fine and coarse aggregates.
• This test is used to determine the resistance of aggregates to disintegrate by saturated solutions of sodium sulfate or magnesium
sulphate
• Soundness is the % loss of material from an aggregate blend during the sodium or magnesium sulphate soundness test.
Percentage loss = (W0 - W1 )/W0
Where W0 : initial weight of sample

W1 : final retained weight on sample container after 10 cycles
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Shape test
Flakiness and Elongation Index Test are very important tests to be performed on aggregate in the laboratory. This test gives the percentage of
flaky and elongate aggregate present in the total aggregate sample.
• Flakiness Index
The flakiness index of aggregate is the % by weight of the particles (aggregates) whose thickness is less than 3/5th(0.6 times) of their mean dimension.”
• Elongation Index
The Elongation index of aggregate is the % by weight of the particles (aggregates) whose length is greater than 1 and 4/5th (1.8 times) of their mean
dimension.”
33
Specific gravity
The specific gravity of a solid is the ratio of its mass to that of an equal volume of distilled water at a specified temperature. Because the
aggregates may contain water-permeable voids, so some measures of specific gravity of aggregates are used:
Bulk Specific Gravity (Bulk Dry Specific Gravity):

• The ratio of the weight in air of a unit volume of aggregate at a stated temperature to the weight in air of an equal volume of gas-free distilled water at the
stated temperature.
Bulk SSD Specific Gravity:
• The ratio of the weight in air of a unit volume of aggregate, including the weight of water within the voids filled to the extent achieved by submerging in
water for approximately 15 hours, to the weight in air of an equal volume of gas-free distilled water at the stated temperature.
Apparent Specific Gravity:
• The ratio of the weight in air of a unit volume of the impermeable portion of aggregate (does not include the permeable pores in aggregate) to the weight in
air of an equal volume of gas-free distilled water at the stated temperature.
SSD - Saturated, Surface Dry. The condition in which the aggregate has been soaked in water and has absorbed water into its pore spaces. 34
The excess, free surface moisture has been removed so that the particles are still saturated, but the surface of the particle is essentially dry.
Water absorption test
Voids and moisture absorption of aggregates: (a) bone dry, (b) air dry, (c) saturated surface-dry (SSD), and (d) moist.
• Bone dry means the aggregate contains no moisture; this requires drying the aggregate in an oven to a constant mass.
• In an air dry condition, the aggregate may have some moisture but the saturation state is not quantified.
• In a saturated surface–dry (SSD) condition, the aggregate’s voids are filled with moisture but the main surface area of the
aggregate particles is dry.
• Absorption is defined as the moisture content in the SSD condition.
• Moist aggregates have moisture content in excess of the SSD condition.
The percent moisture content Absorption (% Abs.) The increase in weight of aggregate due to water in the pores
of the material, but not including water adhering to the outside surface of the
particles
Where Wmoist = weight of moist aggregate Where A = oven dry weight 35

Wdry = weight of oven dry aggregate B = SSD weight
Bitumen adhesion test

The adhesion between mineral aggregates and bitumen is an important criterion that describes the quality of the asphalt
mixture, asphalt pavement performance, and resistance to distress. The lack of bonding can lead to significant
asphalt pavement damage.
For the evaluation of the adhesion behavior between bitumen and aggregates, used in road construction, many test methods are known.
Therefore, it is important to assess the most appropriate test method for bitumen adhesion properties.
Standard Code For Test
Following IS Code used for the bitumen adhesion test on aggregates.

•IS:6241- 1971
36
8. Hazards with Aggregates
Unsound or Contaminated Aggregate
• Some aggregates turn out not to be as inert as they are usually assumed to be.
• In general, aggregates, which fail are classified as “unsound.”
• The failure may be caused by moisture or frost but usually the aggregate in Microcracks
Visible Cracks Blisters
concrete is well protected, so failure in a test on plain aggregate may not
indicate failure in concrete.
• Contamination of aggregate with clay or salt (common in the Middle East) is
also obviously harmful to concrete
Scaling Spalling Delamination

Aggregate Shrinkage
• If the aggregate shrinks in concrete, the concrete itself shrinks.

• The only way to test aggregate for it is to test a mortar bar with the aggregate in it, and dry it and
test for long-term expansion, as for the ASR measurement (the shrinkage occurs on drying).
• The difficulty occurs because the results are very variable and, if there is one bad result, it takes a
long time to repeat the test, and a decision must be made about continuing construction.
Pop-outs
• Aggregates (often artificial) containing substances such as pyrites, that expand in moisture, cause
“popouts,” where a particle of coarse aggregate falls out from the concrete surface.
• The term “Mundic” is used to describe the mine wastes used in South-West England that cause this
37
problem.
9. Types of Fine Aggregate
• Sand (> 0.07 mm) is used as a fine aggregate in mortar and concrete.
• Sand, crushed stone, and crushed bricks are used as fine aggregate in concrete or pavement construction.
• Fine aggregates are used to improve workability of a concrete mix.
• For increased workability and for economy as reflected by use of less cement, the fine aggregate should have a rounded shape.
• The purpose of the fine aggregate is to fill the voids in the coarse aggregate and to act as a workability agent.
Fine aggregate Size variation

Coarse sand 2.0mm – 0.5mm
Medium sand 0.5mm – 0.25mm
Fine sand 0.25mm – 0.06mm
Silt 0.06mm – 0.002mm
Clay <0.002
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10. Types of Coarse Aggregate
• These may be uncrushed, crushed or partially crushed gravel or stone most of which is retained on 4.75 mm IS
sieve.
• They should be hard, strong, dense, durable, clear and free from veins and adherent coatings; and free from
injurious amounts of disintegrated pieces, alkali, organic matter and other deleterious substances.
• Flaky, scoriaceous and elongated aggregate should be avoided.
Coarse aggregate Size variation

Fine gravel 4mm – 8mm
Medium gravel 8mm – 16mm
Coarse gravel 16mm – 64mm
Cobbles 64mm – 256mm
Boulders >256mm
39
11. Aggregate Uses
• The sand used for mortar for brickwork should pass through a sieve of 8 meshes per inch (3.2 mm)
• The sand for plastering and pointing must pass through a sieve of 12 meshes to the inch (2mm)
• Another recommendation for sand used for plaster and mortar work is that the percentage of material that
pass through a 600 micron sieve should be 40 to 100 per cent for mortar, and 80 to 100 percent for plasters
thus enabling a wide variety of sand to be used for this purpose.
• We should remember that even though coarse sand can be used for mortar for brickwork, for plastering and
rendering of brickwork, we require finer sand.
The recommended grading of masonry mortars and plasters
40
11. Aggregate Uses
- Sand is used in building construction for filling underground floors and also filling behind retaining walls, etc. In each situation, it should satisfy
the specific requirements for its use.
• Sand used for filling underground floors has to reduce the capillary suction by which water will travel from foundation soil to the floor. This
will require coarse sand with large voids between the grains.
• On the other hand, for sand required for filling behind retaining walls, the only requirement is that it should be free draining and non-
expansive.
- Most of the sands are not expansive as they get saturated at low water content.
- Thus, most of the free draining sands are suitable for general filling purposes.
41
11. Aggregate Uses
• Aggregates are used primarily as an underlying material for foundations and pavements, and as ingredients in portland cement and asphalt concretes.
•
• Aggregate underlying materials, or base courses, can add stability to a structure, provide a drainage layer, and protect the structure from frost damage
• Stability is a function of the interparticle friction between the aggregates and the amount of clay and silt “binder” material in the voids between the
aggregate particles.
• However, increasing the clay and silt content will block the drainage paths between the aggregate particles, thereby inhibiting the ability of the material to
act as a drainage layer
• In portland cement concrete, 60% to 75% of the volume and 79% to 85% of the weight are made up of aggregates.
• The aggregates act as a filler to reduce the amount of cement paste needed in the mix.
• In addition, aggregates have greater volume stability than the cement paste. Therefore, maximizing the amount of
aggregate, to a certain extent, improves the quality and economy of the mix
• In asphalt concrete, aggregates constitute 75% to 85% of the volume and 92% to 96% of the mass.
• The asphalt cement acts as a binder to hold the aggregates together, but does not have enough strength to lock the
aggregate particles into position.
• As a result, the strength and stability of asphalt concrete depends mostly on interparticle friction between the aggregates
and, to a limited extent, on the binder.
42
11. Aggregate Uses
Why is Aggregate used in Concrete?
The reasons are
Strength
• Aggregates are easily available and they are economical as compared to cement.
• Aggregates provide additional strength to the concrete.
• Aggregates helps in binding the cement properly.
• If properly graded aggregates are used in concrete as both fine and coarse then the voids in the concrete will reduce and thus creating more strength
• If the concrete is made only with cement, it will shrink more and relatively more water is required for the cement to form workable paste  so more
amount of water means decrease in strength, and shrinkage causing cracks in the concrete,
 so it is necessary to use aggregate because they decreases the cement content and so water content and increasing its strength.
Notes: The properties of concrete resulting from the use of particular aggregates depend on:
• The mineral character of the aggregate particles, especially as related to strength, elasticity, moisture, volume changes and durability.
• The surface characteristics of the particles, especially as related to the workability of the fresh concrete and bond within the hardened mass.
• The grading of the aggregates , especially as related to the workability, density, and economy of the mix.
• The amount of aggregate in a unit volume of concrete, especially as related to strength and elasticity, to volume changes due to drying, and to cost.
43

Chapter 3: Aggregates For Mortar, Concrete, Screeds

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Chapter 3: Aggregates For Mortar, Concrete, Screeds

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Chapter 3: Aggregates for mortar, concrete, screeds

Fine aggregate Coarse Water

• Should be strong and durable

• Aggregates are a semi-inert materials.

Geological origin Size Shape Unit weight

Broken bricks Blast furnace slag aggregate Synthetic aggregates

Flaky aggregate Angular aggregate Flaky aggregate

Different density aggregates will have much different applications.

The properties to be considered while selecting aggregate for concrete are

EPJ Web of Conferences 140, DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201714012014 15

• Same is the case with irregular shaped aggregate.

• Angular shape is the best.

• Specific gravity of aggregates generally is indicative of its quality.

• The concrete density will greatly depend on specific gravity

• The void ratio is calculated as

• The increase in the volume of a given mass of fine aggregate caused

• The extent of bulking depends upon the percentage of moisture

• With ordinary sand, bulking varies from 15-30 %. It increases with

• Mica, if present in sand, reduces the strength of concrete.

• Iron pyrites and sulphides produce surface staining and pop-outs

CaMg(CO3)2 + 2NaOH  CaCO3 + Na2CO3 + Mg(OH)2

Controlling ASR Controlling ACR

• Non reactive aggregates • Selective quarrying to avoid reactive aggregates

• Aggregate plays an important role in pavement construction.

Aggregate crushing value = (B/A)*100

as weak aggregates. Bituminous macadam 40

Bituminous surface dressing or thin premix carpet 30

Dense mix carpet 30

Other than wearing course 45

Surface or Wearing course 30 29

Abrasion test is carried out to test the hardness property of aggregates.

The aggregate impact test is carried out to

Percentage loss = (W0 - W1 )/W0

Where W0 : initial weight of sample

Bulk Specific Gravity (Bulk Dry Specific Gravity):

Where Wmoist = weight of moist aggregate Where A = oven dry weight 35

Bitumen adhesion test

Standard Code For Test

Following IS Code used for the bitumen adhesion test on aggregates.

Scaling Spalling Delamination

• If the aggregate shrinks in concrete, the concrete itself shrinks.

• Fine aggregates are used to improve workability of a concrete mix.

Fine aggregate Size variation

• Flaky, scoriaceous and elongated aggregate should be avoided.

Coarse aggregate Size variation

The recommended grading of masonry mortars and plasters

• Aggregates provide additional strength to the concrete.

• Aggregates helps in binding the cement properly.

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