THE IMPORTANCE
100 sieve and the actual size of
OF FITNESS
MODULUS
By Bruce Suprenant
I n 1925, Duff Abrams introduced the
concept of fineness modulus
(FM) for estimating the proportions of
fine and coarse aggregates in c o n c rete
mixtures. The pre m i s e : “aggregate of
the same fineness modulus will require
the same quantity of water to produce a
mix of the same consistency and give a
concrete of the same strength.” Over the
years, many ready mix producers have
verified the wisdom of Abram’s premise.
ASTM C 33 “Standard Specification
for Concrete A g g regates” specifies
requirements for the FM of fine
aggregate, and ACI 211 “Standard
Practice for Selecting Proportions for
Normal, Heavyweight, and Mass Concre t
e ” uses FM to select the amount of
coarse a g g regates for trial mix designs.
Because FM is such a widely used index
for aggregate pro p o r t i o n i n g , most
testing labs report the FM for fine
aggregate with each sieve analysis.
CALCULATING FM
Before calculating FM, lab technicians
perform a sieve analysis to determine the
particle size distribution, or grading, of
the aggregate sample. To obtain a
grading, the aggregate is shaken through
a series of sieves, nested one above the
other in order of size. The sieve with the
largest openings is on top and the one
with the smallest openings is on the
bottom. A pan placed beneath the sieves
catches material passing through the
smallest sieve.
Coarse and fine aggregate usually are
sieved separately. That portion of an
aggregate sample passing the No. 4 sieve
is fine aggregate. After sieving, a scale is
used to weigh material retained on each
sieve and on the pan. FM is the sum of
the total percentages retained on each
specified sieve divided by 100 (Table 1).
The lower limit of the specified sieves is
the No.
the openings in each larger sieve is twice
FM variations should be closely
monitored.
that of the sieve below. The most Concrete is proportioned using a base
common sieve sizes for calculating the
FM of fine aggregate are No. 4, 8, 16, 30,
fineness modulus determined from
previous tests or, if no previous tests
50, and 100. The No. 200 sieve is exist, from the average of the FM values
included in a standard sieve analysis, but for the first 10 aggregate samples tested.
is not used to calculate FM.
ASTM C 33 requires the FM of fine
aggregate to be between 2.3 and 3.1. The
A g g regates delivere d w ith a d ifferent
FM than the base value may require an
adjustment in the concrete mix.
higher the FM, the coarser the a g g For shipments of fine aggre g a t e from
regate. FM doesn’t define the grading a given source, the FM shouldn’t vary m
curve, however, since different gradings ore than 0.2 from the base value. (The
can have the same FM. purchaser may agre e , h o w e v e r, to
accept a greater base value variation from
HOW AGGREGATE FINENESS a specific aggregate source.) If the
AFFECTS CONCRETE fineness modulus varies by 0.2, adjust the
PROPERTIES proportions of fine and coarse aggregate.
Fine aggregate affects many concrete As the FM decreases (aggregate becomes
properties, including workability and finer), use a lower percentage of sand in
finishability. Experience has shown that the total aggregate or increase the amount
very coarse sand or very fine sand of coarse aggregate.
produces poor concre t e mixes. Coarse
sand results in harsh concrete mixes
prone to bleeding and s e g regation. Fine
sand re q u i res a comparatively large
amount of water to achieve the desired
concrete workability, is prone to PUBLICATION #J940107
segregation, and may require higher Copyright © 1994, The A b e rdeen Gro u p
cement contents. All rights re s e r v e d
F i g u re 1 shows that decreasing FM
for a sand used in mortar re q u i res
considerably more cement content when
the water-cement ratio and slump are held
constant. However, a changing FM has
little influence on the cement content re q
u i red in concre t e .
U s u a l l y, a lower FM results in more
paste, making concrete easier to finish.
For the high cement contents used in the
production of high-strength conc rete,
coarse sand with an FM aro u n d 3.0
produces concrete with the best
workability and highest compre s s i v e s
t rength. In general, manufacture d sands
re q u i re more fines than natural sands
for equal workability.
CHECK FOR AGGREGATE
VARIATIONS
Because changes in fine aggregate can
significantly affect concrete properties,