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  Test  How To Do Sieve Analysis Of Aggregate

How To Do Sieve Analysis Of Aggregate

 Noel Mades  November 9, 2014  Test

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When I was working in a concrete batching plant before, I was the one who is managing all the tests as per plant
quality control procedures like checking the moisture content of aggregates, flakiness index and elongation index,
pH value of water and many more.

The most important test is the sieve analysis of aggregate, whether it is 20mm, 10mm, 5mm and 1mm sizes. The
crucial thing is I have to do it every delivery of aggregate and as per the frequency of sieve analysis, which is
written in this article frequency of tests.

As a quality engineer in the concrete batching plant, you have to see to it that the sieve analysis is done regularly,
as per plant standards and quality procedures. There are certain purposes why you need to do this test, first, is you
need to know if the delivered aggregate in your plant is a true size what I mean is “Is this really a 20mm size?” I will
show how you will say that it is satisfactory or unsatisfactory and then how you will conclude that the aggregate you
received is acceptable.

Second, is you have to determine the gradation or the distribution of aggregate particles by size, within a given
sample in order to determine the concrete production requirements and the design of concrete mix.
You have to determine also the proportion of all­in aggregates within a sample to be used on concrete because if
you will not get the appropriate proportion it may affect to the strength of your concrete, so it is really necessary to
“do sieve analysis continually.”

Moreover, this sieve analysis procedure can be used by people who are working in the laboratory like government
laboratory, private independent laboratory or even schools so this would help students make their “sieve analysis”
done.

First here are the apparatus of the sieve analysis.

S/N DESCRIPTION Uses

1 Sieves Use to get the wt. of sample retained on each sieves

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and to determine the particle size distribution

2 Balance or Use to weigh the sample from dry and wet condition
Weighing and the wt. of sample retained on each sieves
Scale

3 Mechanical Use to shake the sample once it is inside the sieves

Sieve
Shaker

4 Oven or Hot Use to dry the sample and maintain the temp. of 110
plate +/­ deg. Celsius

5 Steel brush For removing entrapped material from sieve holes &
& Paint cleaning
Brush

6 Sample Use to reduce the sample to "mass test portion"

Splitter

7 Spoons Use to take sample from pan and for seggregating

material

8 Pans For handling samples

Here is the full procedure on “How to do the Sieve Analysis of aggregate.”

1. Taking the representative sample. Take the samples with a minimum of 25kg. in the aggregates stockyard or
storage bin by scattered basis, take from bottom, middle and top of the dumped aggregate, do not take from just
one area. Place the sample in clean container. You can see in this video.

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2. Reduce the sample to “Minimum Mass of Test Portion.” There are minimum masses that you would need to
take corresponding to each size of aggregate that you are going to do sieve analysis. This time we’re going to use
20mm aggregate, so we will reduce the sample to 2 kilograms (minimum weight) but you can make it more than
2kgs as long as you will follow the process. There are two ways how to reduce the weight of the sample, one is by
using the riffle box which you can see it on this video which I almost can’t speak.. haha lol! “How to reduce sample
using riffle box” and the other by manual splitting called “Quartering Method” which is also a very simple way. See
photo below of a sample quartering.

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3. Washing the sample. Once the sample has been reduced to 2 kilograms or to a “minimum mass” then wash it
with a clean water or faucet water, make sure it is thoroughly cleaned before oven drying. Weigh the sample, mark
as mass at wet condition Mass 1 (M1).

4. Oven dry the sample. Oven dry it for 24 hours before you will conduct sieve analysis, but make sure weigh the
sample and record before you put the sample inside the oven, mark as sample at moist condition as per Item 3. Put
the oven to a temperature of 110 degree Celsius. Once the sample is oven dried, weigh the sample, mark as Mass
at Dry condition, or M2.

5. Sieving the sample. The sieves number that you will use in the 20 size aggregate samples are 37.5 mm, 20.0
mm, 14.0 mm, 10.0 mm & 0.075 mm. Place the bigger size of sieve on top of smaller and in order from from top to
bottom. And then put the dried sample on topmost sieve (37.5 mm) be careful on placing the sample to avoid
throwing out of some pieces of aggregate that would create error on the calculations. Put the sieve on the sieve
shaker or you can make sieve shaking manually for 10 minutes long.

6. Weight the retained material on sieves. You can weigh now the material retained on each sieve. But make sure
you remove the trapped material from the holes of the sieve, remove by steel brush or paint brush accordingly. You


can then weight now and include the material to the mass retained and record it.

7. Calculations. Once you have finished recording the mass retained samples. You can easily calculate the
79


percentage retained and cumulative percentage retained. See below calculations.

19

100


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So in the above calculations the result of cumulative percent passing is within the limits, in the first place we can
initially conclude that the 20mm size aggregate sample as a representative of the delivery is acceptable.

And the final conclusion can be obtained from the result of “material finer than a 75µm in percent.” The standard
say’s “the course aggregate shall have not less than 5 percent of material passing 75µm sieve.” So therefore, the
20mm size aggregate delivered in this instance is satisfactory.

If you enjoyed and liked reading this post you may share this with the social networks below.

Thanks!

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12 Comments qualityengineersguide 
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Ronualdo Gabaldon • 3 months ago

Hello Mr. Noel! Good day. Thank you very much for this site, we learned a lot from you. You
are so generous. GOD bless you more.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Noel Mades Mod > Ronualdo Gabaldon • 3 months ago

Hi! Thank you Ronualdo. God bless you too..
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ck • 5 months ago
I love this site, please continue writing. It refreshes my knowledge. Also, I like how you deal
with etmasonjr. I believe you are good in dealing problems on site, there are lots of people who
delays activities.. a personality of mason is a good example.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Noel Mades Mod > Ck • 5 months ago

Thanks. I will write more informative articles, don't worry. Ya, we should know how to
handle things around us. Thanks for your concern.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

etmasonjr@gmail.com • 6 months ago

This is a reproduction copy of ASTM C33. Can you not make your own without copying to the
copyrighted standards? It make you popular by deceit.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Noel Mades Mod > etmasonjr@gmail.com •

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6 months ago
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Noel Mades Mod > etmasonjr@gmail.com • 6 months ago
Hahaha Sorry Mr. Emilio Mason. I learned that when I was working in a concrete
batching plant. I am just sharing the knowledge I gained haha. If you have knowledge, I
challenge you to share here. In fact, I am searching for a writer on this blog. If you are
willing to make extra income because I will pay every time you write for me. Just let me
know my friend. Please read this for more http://www.qualityengineersgui....

Much better to become a giver of knowledge rather than become a "Critic." Negativity
will never change your life.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ronaldo Mangulabnan • a year ago

I want to have a soft copy of this article. Thanks in advance.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Noel Mades Mod > Ronaldo Mangulabnan • a year ago

You can just copy it and paste. Welcome...
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

etmasonjr@gmail.com > Noel Mades • 6 months ago

be ashame my friend. You are doing a copyright infringement.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Noel Mades Mod > etmasonjr@gmail.com • 6 months ago

Haha tell that to thousands and not only thousands maybe millions who
wrote like this on the internet. But this is my personal and genuine
experience I am not ashamed to share. If you are willing to share your
knowledge here I will pay you just let me know.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

etmasonjr@gmail.com > Noel Mades • 6 months ago

Mr Mades. do not just copy and publish. You must have your own
patented copy. If you worked in a batching plant, then I will tell you I am
not that cheap. I was in UAE and worked for the biggest flagship project.
However these frequency that you had shared are very wrong. The
UAE adopts more frequently BS standard and DIN standard. Do not
insist that you have your own standard like UAE standard. Anyhow, I do
not intend to argue with you in what you called sharing idea. if I share, I
will make is sure that all are true and correct and even I have to mention
where standard it came from. What I ask you is that you may have the
purpose of helping but the help you have are fictitious and non existing.
If your claims are true and correct. then let me know what standard it
came from. I have full copies of BS, ASTM,ACI,DIN. CS, BIS, AREMA,.
I am not interested to earn by telling my readers the wrong and
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I am not interested to earn by telling my readers the wrong and
unsupported data.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Noel Mades Mod > etmasonjr@gmail.com • 6 months ago

That is my own word :). Wow! Mr. Mason do not underestimate the
people who work in a Batching Plant. I worked in a batching plant for
over 6 months, but I am proud because I really learnt a lot. And I have
known one person that worked in a Batching Plant who is earning a big
money every month, 80,000 Dirhams I guess. Tell me how much you
are earning before you had looked down the people who work in a BP. In
your statement, you had just depicted who you are.

If you really wanted to know what standard I used, it was BS standard in

this article for your clear information.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

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