This standard may only be used by approved subscription and freemailing clients of the SABS.

ISBN 978-0-626-21744-0
SANS 5847:2008
Edition 2.2

Any reference to SABS SM 847 is deemed

to be a reference to this standard
(Government Notice No. 1373 of 8 November 2002)

SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL STANDARD

Flakiness index of course aggregates

Published by Standards South Africa

1 dr lategan road groenkloof private bag x191 pretoria 0001
tel: 012 428 7911 fax: 012 344 1568 international code + 27 12
www.stansa.co.za
© Standards South Africa
 This standard may only be used by approved subscription and freemailing clients of the SABS.

SANS 5847:2008
Edition 2.2

Table of changes
Change No. Date Scope
Amdt 1 2002 Amended to update normative references.
Amdt 2 2008 Amended to change the designation of SABS standards to SANS
standards, with no technical changes.

Foreword
This South African standard was approved by National Committee StanSA SC 5120.61A, Construction
standards – Cement, lime and concrete, in accordance with procedures of Standards South Africa, in
compliance with annex 3 of the WTO/TBT agreement.

This document was published in August 2008. This document supersedes SABS SM 847:2002
(edition 2.1).
 This standard may only be used by approved subscription and freemailing clients of the SABS.

SANS 5847:2008
Edition 2.2

Contents
Page

Foreword

1 Scope and field application .................................................................................................... 3

2 Normative references ............................................................................................................. 3

3 Apparatus ............................................................................................................................... 3

4 Procedure ............................................................................................................................... 4

5 Expression and reporting of results ........................................................................................ 5

1
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SANS 5847:2008
Edition 2.2

This page is intentionally left blank

2
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SANS 5847:2008
Edition 2.2

Flakiness index of coarse aggregates

1 Scope and field of application

This standard specifies a method for determining the flakiness index of coarse aggregate that passes a
sieve of aperture size 75 mm and that is retained on a sieve of aperture size 4 750 µm.

NOTE The flakiness index is a measure of the flatness of an aggregate, which has an effect on most of its uses in
the construction industry. The flakiness index is the mass of particles in the aggregate (expressed as a percentage
of the total mass of the aggregate test sample) that will pass slots of specified width for the appropriate size fraction
of the aggregate.

2 Normative references
The following standards contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of
this standard. All standards are subject to revision and, since any reference to a standard is deemed to
be a reference to the latest edition of that standard, parties to agreements based on this standard are
encouraged to take steps to ensure the use of the most recent editions of the standards indicated below.
Information on currently valid national and international standards can be obtained from Standards
South Africa.

SANS 3310-1/ISO 3310-1, Test sieves – Technical requirements and testing – Part 1: Test sieves of
metal wire cloth. Amdt 1

SANS 3310-2/ISO 3310-2, Test sieves – Technical requirements and testing – Part 2: Test sieves of
perforated metal cloth. Amdt 1

SANS 197, Preparation of test samples of aggregates.

SANS 201, Sieve analysis, fine content and dust content of aggregates.

3 Apparatus
3.1 Flakiness gauge, of metal (and of any suitable form), of nominal thickness 1,6 mm, and that has at
least one slot for each fraction to be tested. The slots are rectangular and their dimensions conform to
the relevant values given in columns 3 and 4 of table 1.

3.2 Test sieves, of aperture sizes as given in columns 1 and 2 of table 1, and that comply with the
requirements of SANS 3310-1 or SANS 3310-2. Amdt 1

3
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SANS 5847:2008
Edition 2.2

Table 1 — Slot dimensions, size and mass of fractions

1 2 3 4 5

Fraction size
to be gauged
Slot dimensions Minimum mass
mm of specimen
to be gauged
Minimum
Width
length
Passing Retained
mm mm1) g

75,0 63,0 150,0 37,5 35 000

63,0 53,0 126,0 31,5 20 000
53,0 37,5 106,0 26,5 7 500

2 500
37,5 26,5 75,0 18,75
1 000
26,5 19,0 53,0 13,25
500
19,0 13,2 38,0 9,5

13,2 9,5 26,4 6,6 120

9,5 6,7 19,0 4,75 50
6,7 4,75 13,4 3,35 20

1) Subject to a tolerance of ± 0,10 mm.

4 Procedure
4.1 From the sample to be tested (see SANS 197), weigh out a test specimen of such quantity that, for
each fraction size to be gauged, the minimum mass prescribed in column 5 of table 1 will be available.
The test specimen should be weighed out to the nearest 0,1 % of its mass (basing the size of portions to
be gauged on the actual fraction sizes present in the test sample).

4.2 Carry out a grading analysis in accordance with SANS 201, separating the aggregate into the
relevant fraction sizes given in table 1 and discarding fraction sizes that constitute less than 10 % of the
total mass of the test specimen. Record, to the nearest 0,1 %, the percentage (a), retained on each
sieve.

4.3 From the fraction sizes separated in the grading analysis, take at least the minimum mass specified
in column 5 of table 1 for each fraction size. Determine, to an accuracy of 0,2 % of its mass, the mass of
each fraction to be gauged.

4.4 Gauge pieces in each fraction size (using the corresponding slot given in table 1), and determine
the mass, to the same accuracy, of each quantity that passes through the appropriate individual slots.

4
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SANS 5847:2008
Edition 2.2

5 Expression and reporting of results

5.1 Calculate, to the nearest 0,1 %, the percentage (b) of each fraction size that passes through the
individual slots.

5.2 Calculate (for each fraction size) the product (a × b) as a percentage and report, rounded-off to the
nearest whole number, the sum of these products as the flakiness index of the aggregate. (An example
of the calculation of the flakiness index is given in table 2.)

Table 2 — Example of a calculation

1 2 3 4

Sieve size Individual Percentages Flakiness index

percentage passing slots
retained a xb
∑
mm a b 100

3,6
26,5 13,9 25,8
24,4
19,0 75,2 32,4
4,2
13,2 11,6 36,5
32,21)

1) Report the flakiness index as 32.

© Standards South Africa