AGGREGATES

 At least three-quarters of the volume of concrete is occupied by

aggregate.
 Aggregate limits the strength of concrete and also the

properties of aggregates greatly affect the durability and

structural performance of concrete.
 Aggregate was originally viewed as inert material dispersed

throughout the cement paste for economic reasons.

 But it is not truly inert and its physical, thermal and chemical

properties influence the performance of concrete.

 Aggregate is cheaper than cement. But it is not only the reason

to use it.
 It gives a higher volume stability and better durability than

hydrated cement paste.

Classification of Aggregates:
 Aggregate is classified based on their geological origin, size, shape,

unit weight.

Classification based on Geological Origin:

 The aggregates are generally derived from natural sources and may

have been naturally reduced to size or may have to be reduced by

crushing.
 The suitability of locally available aggregate depends upon the

geological history of the region.

 The aggregate is generally divided into natural aggregate and

artificial aggregate.
Natural Aggregate:
• These aggregates are obtained from natural deposits of sand
and gravel or from quarries by cutting rock.
• The natural sand and gravel are reduced to their present size
by natural agents such as water, wind and snow etc.
• The river deposits are the most common and are of good
quality.
• Other commonly used aggregate is from the quarried rock
which is reduced to size by crushing.
• Natural rocks cans be classified according to their geological
mode of formation as igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
origin.
• Aggregates from igneous rocks are highly satisfactory because
they are hard, tough and dense.
 They have massive structure with crystalline/glassy texture.
 The bulk of concrete aggregates are of igneous origin.
 The aggregate may be acidic or alkaline depending upon silica
content and of light or dark colour.
 The quality of aggregate derived from sedimentary rocks vary
depending upon the formation history of rock.
 Limestone and some siliceous sand stone have proved to be source of
good concrete aggregates.
 Sometimes stratifications in the parent rock show up in the individual
aggregates and thereby impair the strength of the aggregate.
 Sedimentary rocks may vary from soft to hard, porous to dense and
light to heavy.
 They may also yield flaky aggregates.
 The metamorphic rocks show foliated structure. (meaning:

Foliation in geology refers to repetitive layering in

metamorphic rocks. Each layer may be as thin as a sheet of
paper, or over a meter in thickness.)
 Inspite of this some rocks like quartzite and genesis have
provided good concrete aggregates.

Artificial Aggregates:
 Most widely used artificial aggregates are clean broken bricks

and air-cooled fresh blast-furnace slag.

 The broken bricks of good quality provide a satisfactory

aggregate for the mass concrete and are not suitable for
reinforced concrete work.
 The bricks should be free from lime mortar and lime

sulphate plaster.
 The brick aggregate is not suitable for water proof

construction.
 It has poor resistance to wear and tear hence is not used in

concrete for the road work.

 The blast furnace slag is the by-product obtained
simultaneously with pig iron in the blast furnace, which is
cooled slowly in air.
 The concrete made with this aggregate has properties

comparable to concrete with gravel aggregate.

 But in this concrete the corrosion of steel is more due to

sulphur content of slag.

 This concrete has good fire resisting qualities.

 The other examples of artificial slag are expanded shale,

expanded slag, cinder etc.

Classification according to Size:
 The size of aggregates varies from few centimetres to few microns.
 It is generally required to use different size fractions in the mix in
appropriate proportions.
 The particle size distribution is called the grading of the aggregate.
 According to size the aggregate is classified as fine aggregate,
coarse aggregate and all-in-aggregate.
FINE AGGREGATE:
 It is generally called sand.
 It is the aggregate most of which passes through a 4.75mm IS sieve.
 Sand is considered to have a lower size limit of about 0.07mm.
 Material between 0.06 mm and 0.002mm is classified as silt and
still smaller particles are called clay.
 The fine aggregate may be one of the following types:
 Natural sand : fine aggregate resulting from natural
disintegration of rock and or that which has been deposited by
stream and glacial agencies.
 Crushed stone sand: the fine aggregate produced by crushing
hard stone.
 Crushed gravel sand: the fine aggregate produced by crushing
natural gravel.
 According to size, the fine aggregate is classified as coarse ,
medium and fine sands.
 IS 383-1970 has divided fine aggregate into four grading zones.
 The grading zones become progressively finer from grading zone
I to grading zone IV.
COARSE AGGREAGATE:
 The aggregate most of which is retained on the 4.75mm IS sieve is

coarse aggregate.
 The coarse aggregate may be one of the following types:

 Crushed gravel or stone obtained by the crushing of gravel or hard

stone.
 Uncrushed gravel or stone resulting from the natural disintegration

of rock.
 Partially crushed gravel or stone obtained as a product of the

blending of the above two types.

 The graded coarse aggregate is described by its nominal

size : 40mm, 20mm ,16mm and 12.5mm etc.

 A graded aggregate of nominal size 12.5mm means an

aggregate most of which passes the 12.5mm IS sieve.

 The aggregates derive most of the properties from their

parent rock like chemical and mineral composition, specific

gravity, hardness, strength, physical and chemical stability,
pore structure and color.
 Some other properties not possessed by the parent rock are
particle shape and size, surface texture, absorption etc.
 These properties have considerable effect on the concrete in
fresh and hardened state.
ALL-in-AGGREGATE:
 Combined aggregates are available in nature having different
fractions of fine and coarse aggregates are known as all-in-
aggregate.
 In such cases it becomes necessary to supplement the grading
by addition of respective size fractions which may be deficient
in the aggregate.
 This aggregate is also described by its nominal size.
 The all-in-aggregate is not generally used for making high
quality concrete.
SINGLE SIZE AGGREGATE:

 Aggregates consisting of particles falling with in a narrow

limit of size fractions are called single-size aggregates.

 For example: a 20mm single size aggregate means an

aggregate most of which passes through a 20mm IS sieve

and the major portion of which is retained on a 10mm IS

sieve.
Classification according to SHAPE:
 The particle shape of aggregates influence the properties of
fresh concrete than those of hardened concrete.
 Based on the shape, the aggregate is classified as rounded,
irregular or partly rounded, angular or flaky.
ROUNDED AGGREGATE:
Roundness measures the relative sharpness or angularity

of the edges and corners of a particle.

Roundness is controlled by the strength and abrasion

resistance of the parent rock and by the amount of wear to

which the particle has been subjected.
 In the case of crushed aggregate, the particle shape depends not

only on the nature of the parent material but also on the type of
crusher and its reduction ratio. i.e: the ratio of the size of
material fed into the crusher to the size of finished product.
 One of the method of expressing the angularity is by angularity

number.
 This is based on the percentage of voids in the aggregate after

compaction in a specified manner.

 If the void is 33% the angularity of such aggregate is considered

as ZERO.
 If the void is 44% the angularity number of such aggregate is

considered 11.
i.e: if the angularity number is zero, the solid volume of the aggregate

is 67% and if the angularity number is 11, the solid volume is 56%.
The normal aggregate which are suitable for making the concrete may

have angularity number anything from 0 to11..

Angularity number 0 represents the most practicable rounded

aggregate and the angularity number 11 indicates the most angular

aggregate.
The aggregate with rounded particles has minimum voids ranging

from 32 to 33%.
It gives minimum ratio of surface area to the volume, thus requiring

minimum cement paste.

Angular Aggregate:
The aggregate with sharp, angular and rough particles

has a maximum percentage of voids ranging from 38 to

40.
The interlocking between these aggregates is good and

therefore provide a good bond.

The aggregate requires more cement paste to make

workable concrete of high strength than that required by

rounded particles.
The angular aggregate is suitable for high strength

concrete and pavements subjected to tension.

 The total surface area of rough textures angular aggregate

is more than smooth rounded aggregate for the given

volume. Because of this, the angular aggregate shows
higher bond strength than rounded aggregate.
 The higher surface area of angular aggregate with rough

texture requires more water for a given workability than

rounded aggregate.
It can be concluded that: for W/C ratio below 0.4 the use of crushed

aggregates has resulted in strength up to 38% more than the rounded

aggregate.
With an increase in W/C ratio the influence of roughness of surface

of the aggregate gets reduced, because the strength of cement paste is

more important and at W/C of 0.65 there is no difference in strength
of concrete made with angular aggregate or rounded aggregate.

Irregular Aggregate:
 These aggregates have partly rounded particles and have higher

percentage of voids between 35 to 38.

 The interlocking between particles is better than rounded
aggregates but is inadequate for high strength concrete.
Flaky and Elongated Particles:
An aggregate is termed flaky when its least dimension
(thickness) is less than three-fifths of its mean
dimension.
The mean dimension of the aggregate is the average of
the sieve sizes through which the particles pass or
retained.
The particles is said to be elongated when its greatest
dimension (length) is greater than nine-fifth of its mean
dimension.
The angularity of aggregate affects the workability of the
mix which depends on the interlocking of the particles.
The elongated and flaky particles adversely effect the
durability of concrete as they tend to be oriented in one
plane with water and air voids forming underneath.
Classification based on Unit Weight:
1. Normal-weight Aggregate:
 The commonly used aggregates like sand, gravels,
crushed rocks such as granite, basalt, quartz, sandstone
and limestone etc having specific gravities between 2.5
and 2.7 produce concrete with unit weight ranging from
23 to 26 kN/m3
 These aggregates are called normal-weight aggregate.
2. Heavy weight or High-density aggregates:
 Aggregates such as baryte (sd:4 to 4.6), ferro-
phosphorous (5.8-6.8), goethite( 3.4-3.7), hematite (4.9-
5.3), ilmenite (4-4.6),limonite(3.4-4.0), magnetite(4.2-5.2)
de-greased scrap iron and iron shots(6.2-7.8) are used in
the manufacture of heavy weight aggregate.
Concrete having unit weight of about 30,31,35,38,40,47 and 57 kN/m 3
can be produced by using geothite, limonite, baryte,
magnetite,hematite,ferrophosphorous and scrap iron respectively.
These aggregates are not graded and hence it is difficult to get
workability without segregation.
3. Light weight aggregate:
 Aggregates having unit weight up to 12 kN/m 3 are used.
 These aggregates can be either natural such as dolomite, pumice,
volcanic cinder etc. or manufactures such as bloated clay, sintered fly
ash or foamed blast furnace slag.
 The concrete from these aggregates has better thermal insulation and
improved fire resistance.
 A test on the crushing properties of bulk aggregate is called crushing value

test.
 It is more popular.

 There is n physical relation between the crushing value and the compressive

strength, but the results of the two tests are usually in agreement.
 IS 383-1970 prescribes a 45% limit for the crushing value determined as per

IS 2386 9Part IV)-1963 for the aggregate used for concrete other than for
wearing surfaces and 30% for concrete for wearing surfaces. Such as
runways , roads and pavements.
 Aggregate crushing value gives a relative measure of the resistance of an

aggregate sample to crushing under gradually applied compressive load.

Characteristics of Aggregates:
The important properties of aggregate are :
1. Strength:
 The compressive strength of concrete cannot significantly
exceed that of the major part of the aggregate contained
therein.
 Three tests are conducted for the determination of
strength of aggregate. Aggregate Crushing Value ,
aggregate Impact value and 10 percent fines value.
 Compressive strength test on rock cylinders used to be
conducted. But this test is affected by the presence of
planes of weakness in the rock, which may not ne
significant once the rock has been reduced to the present
size used in concrete.
 In essence , the crushing strength measures the quality of
the parent rock rather than the quality of the aggregates.
For this reason the test is rarely used.
This test is conducted on single sized aggregate passing

12.5mm and retained on 10 mm IS sieve.

The aggregate is placed in a cylindrical mould and a load

of 40 ton is applied through plunger in 10 minutes.

The material is crushed to finer than 2.36mm is

separated and expressed as a percentage of the original

weight taken in the mould.
This percentage is referred as aggregate crushing value.
 The crushing value of aggregate is rather insensitive to the

variation in strength of weaker aggregate.

 This is because the weaker aggregate get crushed before

application of full load and then they become compacted and the
amount of crushing during the later stages of the test is reduced.
 Thus this test does not accurately give the aggregate crushing

value and this is more so for aggregate crushing value for 30 and
above.
 Hence to overcome this in accurate result, the 10 per cent fines

test is done.
 The sample of aggregate for this test is same as that for the

crushing test.
 The cylinder for the test is placed on the base plate and the

sample is placed in the cylinder in three layers with each

layer subjected to 25 stokes by a tamping rod.
 The surface of the aggregate is leveled and the plunger is

inserted so that it rests horizontally on the surface.

 The apparatus with the test sample and the plunger in

position is placed in the compression testing machine.

 The load is applied at a uniform rate so as to cause a total

penetration of the plunger in 10 minutes of about:

15.00 mm for rounded or partially rounded
aggregates.
20.00 mm for normal crushed aggregates.
24.00mm for honeycombed aggregates( expanded
shales and slags).
 After reaching the required maximum penetration, the load is
released and the whole of the material is removed from the
cylinder and sieved on a 2.36mm IS sieve.
 The fines passing the sieve is weighed and the weight is
expressed as a percentage of the weight of the test sample.
 The percentage would fall within the range of 7.5 to 12.5.
 If the percentage does not fall with in above range, further test
should be done to adjust the load so as to bring the percentage
fines with in the range of 7.5 to 12.5 percent.
 Repeat the test and find the load which gives percentage of
fines with in the range 7.5 to 12.5.
 Load required for 10 per cent fines =
Where
X= load in tons, causing 7.5 to 12.5 per cent fines.
Y= mean percentage fines from two tests at X tons load.

The 10 per cent fines value test shows a good

correlation with the standard crushing value test for
strong aggregates while for weaker aggregates this test is
more sensitive.
A higher value from this test indicates a higher strength
of the concrete.
 The toughness of aggregate is measured as the resistance of
the aggregate to failure by impact, determined in
accordance with IS 2386 (part IV)-1963.
 A standard aggregate is kept in a mould and is subjected to
15 blows of a metal hammer of weight 14 kgs from a
height of 38 cms.
 The material from the mould is removed and then sieved on
2.36mm sieve.
 The ratio of the material passing through the 2.36mm IS
sieve to the total weight of the sample is expressed as
percentage.
 This is known as aggregate impact value.

 IS 383-1970 specifies that aggregate impact value shall not

exceed 45% by weight for aggregates used for concrete

other than those used for wearing surfaces and 30 percent
for concrete for wearing surfaces.
 The hardness of the aggregate is defined as its resistance to
wear obtained in terms of aggregate abrasion value.
 This is determined by using the Los Angeles machine
described in IS 2386 (Part IV) 1963.
 The method combines the test for attrition and abrasion.
 A satisfactory aggregate should have an abrasion value of
not more than 30% for aggregates used for wearing
surfaces and 50% for aggregates used for non-wearing
surface.
 The strength of aggregate measured by its resistance to
freezing and thawing is an important characteristic for a
concrete exposed to severe weather.
2. Particle shape and texture:

 The physical characteristics such as shape, texture and

roughness of aggregates influence the workability of the

concrete.
 The angular aggregates obtained from laminated rocks having

thickness smaller than the width and/or length are termed as

flaky.
 The flakiness index of the coarse aggregate is limited to 25%.

 The presence of elongated particles in excess of 10 to 15% is

generally considered undesirable, but no recognized limits are

laid down.
Test for Flakiness Index:

 The flakiness index of aggregate is the percentage by weight

of particles in it whose least dimension(thickness) is less than
three-fifths of their mean dimension.
 This test is not applicable to sizes smaller than 6.3mm.
 The test is done using metal thickness gauge.
A sufficient quantity of aggregate is taken such that a
minimum number of 200pieces of any fraction can be tested.
Each fraction is gauged for its thickness on the metal

gauge.
The total amount passing in the gauge is weighed to an

accuracy of 0.1% of the weight of the samples taken.

The flakiness index is taken as the total weight of the

material passing the various thickens gauges expressed

as a percentage of the total weight of the sample taken.
Test for determining Elongation Index:
 The elongation index on an aggregate is the percentage by weight of

particles whose greatest dimension (length) is greater than 1.8 times

their mean dimension.
 The elongation index is not applicable to sizes smaller than 6.3mm.

 The test is conducted by using metal length gauge.

 A sufficient quantity of aggregate is taken such that a minimum

number of 200pieces of any fraction can be tested.

Each fraction shall be gauged individually for length on

the metal gauge.

The total amount retained by the gauge length shall be

weighed .

The elongation index is the total weight of the material

retained on the various length gauges expressed as a

percentage of the total weight of the sample gauged.

 The surface texture is a measure of the smoothness or

roughness of the aggregate.

 Surface texture depends on hardness, grain size, pore

structure, structure of the rock and the degree to which the

forces acting on the particle surface have smoothed or
roughed it.
 An aggregate with a rough, porous texture is preferred to

one with a smooth surface as the former can increase the

aggregate-cement bond by 75%, which may increase the
compressive and flexural strength of concrete up to 20%.
 The surface pores help in the development of good bond on
account of suction of paste into these pores.
 The shape and surface texture of aggregate influence
considerably the strength of concrete.
 The flexural strength is more affected than the compressive
strength and the effects of shape and texture are significant
in the case of high strength concrete.
3. Specific Gravity:
The specific gravity of an aggregate is defined as the
ration of the mass of solid in a given volume of sample
to the mass of an equal volume of water at the same
temperature.
There are three different types of specific gravities:
Absolute specific gravity refers to the volume of solid
material excluding the voids and therefore is defined
as the ratio of the mass of solid to the weight of an
equal void-free volume of water at a stated
temperature.
If the volume of aggregate includes the voids, the
resulting specific gravity is called the apparent/bulk
specific gravity.
 The aggregate contains both impermeable and capillary

voids (voids between the particles), the apparent specific

gravity refers to volume including impermeable voids only.

 The apparent specific gravity is then the ratio of the mass

of the aggregate dried in an oven at 100 to 110°C for 24

hours to the mass of water occupying a volume equal to

that of the solid including the impermeable pores.

Also in order to eliminate the effect of totally enclosed
impermeable pores the material has to be pulverized and
the test is both laborious and sensitive. Hence this is
generally not used in concrete technology work.
The specific gravity most frequently and easily
determined is based on the saturated and surface dry
condition of the aggregate because the water contained
in all the pores in the aggregates does not take part in the
chemical reactions of cement and therefore be considered
as part of the aggregate.
This specific gravity is required for the calculations of
the yield of concrete or the of the quantity of aggregate
required for a given volume of concrete.
The specific gravity of an aggregate gives valuable
information on its quality and properties.
The higher the specific gravity of aggregate,the harder
and stronger it will be.
If the specific gravity is above or below that which is
normally assigned to a particular type of aggregate, it
may indicate that the shape and grading of the aggregate
has changed.
The specific gravity is determined as described in IS:2386
(part-I) 1963.

The specific gravity is given by

Where
a= mass of saturated surface dry aggregate in air.
b= mass of saturated surface dry aggregate in water
c= mass of oven dry aggregate in air.

The specific gravity of different rocks is given below.

4. Bulk Density:

 The bulk density of an aggregate is defined as the mass of the

material in a given volume and is expressed in kilograms/liter.

 The bulk density of an aggregate depends on how densely the

aggregate is packed in the measure.

 The other factors affecting the bulk density are the particle

shape, size, the grading of the aggregate and the moisture

content.
 The shape of the particles greatly affects the closeness of the

packing that can be achieved.

 For a coarse aggregate of given specific gravity, a higher bulk

density indicates that there are fewer voids to be filled by sand

and cement.

 Bulk density is required for converting proportions by weight

into the proportions by volume.

 IS 2386 (part III) 1963 describes the test for bulk density.
Test for Bulk Density:
A cylindrical measure is used to measure bulk density.

the size of container is given below.

The cylindrical measure is filled about 1/3 each time

with thoroughly mixed aggregate and tamped with 25

stokes by a bullet ended tamping rod, 16mm diameter
and 60cm long.
The measure is carefully struck off level using tamping rod

as a straight edge.
The net weight of the aggregate in the measure is

determined and the bulk density is calculated in kg/litre or

kg/cubic meter.
5.Voids:
 The empty spaces between the aggregate particles is termed as

voids.
 It is the difference between the the gross volume of aggregate

mass and the volume occupied by the particles alone.

6. Porosity and absorption of aggregate:

 The presence of air bubbles which are entrapped in a rock

during its formation or on account of the decomposition of

certain constituent minerals by atmospheric action, minute
holes or cavities are formed in it which are known as pores.
 The pores in aggregate vary in size over a wide range, the

largest being large enough to be seen under a microscope or

even with the naked eye, but even the smallest aggregate
pores are larger than the gel pores in the cement paste.
 The values of the porosity of some common rocks are
given below.
Since the aggregate represents about 75% of the
volume of the concrete, it is clear that the porosity of
aggregate materially contributes to the overall porosity
of concrete.
Rock group Porosity, percent

Gritstone 0.0-48.0

Quartzite 1.9-15.1

Limestone 0.0-37.6

Granite 0.4-3.8
 The percentage of water absorbed by an aggregate when

immersed in water is termed as the absorption of aggregate.

 When all the pores in the aggregate are full, it is said to be

saturated and surface-dry.

 If aggregate in this condition is allowed to stand free in dry air ,

some of the water contained in the pores will evaporate and the
aggregate will be less than saturated i.e: air-dry.
 Prolonged drying in an oven would reduce the moisture content

of the aggregate still further until, when no moisture is left, the

aggregate is then said to be bone-dry.
 In proportioning the materials for concrete, it is always taken for

granted that the aggregates are saturated and surface dry.

 In mix design calculation the relative weight of the aggregates

are based on the condition that the aggregates are saturated and
surface dry.
 But in practice, aggregates in such ideal condition is rarely met

with.
 Aggregates are either dry and absorptive to various degrees or

they have free moisture.

 The absorption capacity of the coarse aggregate is of the order of

about 0.5 to 1% by weight if aggregate.

 IS 2386 (Part III)-1963 describes the method of

determining the water absorption of an aggregate.

 If the aggregate is previously dried in an oven at 105°C to a

constant weight before being immersed in water for 24

hours, the absorption is referred to as an oven dry basis.

 The percentage water absorbed by an air dried aggregate

when immersed in water for 2 hours is termed absorption

of aggregate on air dry basis.

7. Moisture content of aggregate:
 The surface moisture expressed as a percentage of the weight

of the saturated surface dry aggregate is termed as moisture

content.
 The absorption represents the water contained in the

aggregate in the saturated-surface dry condition and the

moisture content is the water in excess of that.
 The total water content of a moist aggregate is equal to the

sum of absorption and moisture content.

 IS 2386 (Part III)-1963 describes the method of determining

the moisture content of an aggregate.

 It is necessary to determine the moisture content of an aggregate

so as to determine the water-cement ratio for a batch of concrete.

 The code gives two methods for determining the moisture

content.
 Displacement Method: The moisture content of aggregate is

determined by means of pycnometer in the laboratory.

 The principle made use of is that the specific gravity of normal

aggregate is higher than that of water and that a given weight of

wet aggregate will occupy a greater volume than the same
weight of the aggregate when dry.
 By knowing the specific gravity of the dry aggregate , the specific

gravity of the wet aggregate can be calculated.

 From the difference between the specific gravities of the dry and wet

aggregates , the moisture content of the aggregate can be calculated.

Drying Method:
 Drying is carried out in a oven and the loss in weight

before and after drying will give the moisture content of

the aggregate.
 If the drying is done completely at a high temperature for a

long time, the loss in weight will include not only the
surface water but also some absorbed water.
 So corrections are to be done for saturated and surface dry

condition.
8. Bulking of fine aggregate:
 The increase in the volume of a given mass of fine aggregate

caused by the presence of water is known as bulking.

 Free moisture forms a film around each particle.

 This film of moisture exerts surface tension which keeps the

neighboring particles away from it.

 Similarly, the force exerted by surface tension keeps every

particle away from each other.

 Therefore no point of contact is possible between the particles.

 This causes the bulking of the volume.

 The extent of bulking depends upon the percentage of moisture present

in the sand and its fineness.

 The bulking increases gradually with moisture content up to a certain

point and then begins to decrease with further addition of water due to

merging of films, until when the sand is inundated.

 At this stage, the bulking is nil.

 With ordinary sands the bulking varies between 15 and 30 percent.

 Finer sand bulks considerably more and the maximum
bulking is obtained at a higher water content than the
coarse sand.
 In extremely fine sand, the bulking is of the order of 40%
at a moisture content of 10% but such sand is not suitable
for concrete.
 For coarse aggregate the increase in volume is negligible
due to presence of free water as the thickness of the
moisture film is very small as compared with particle size.
 IS 2386 (part III) 1963 gives the procedure for bulking of
sand.
 The variation of percent bulking with moisture content is
shown below.
 If the sand is measured by volume and no allowance is

made for bulking the mix will be richer than that specified

because for given mass, moist sand occupies a larger

volume than the same mass of dry sand.

 This results in a mix deficient in sand increasing the

chances of segregation and honey combing of concrete.

Deleterious substances in aggregates:
 The materials whose presence adversely affects the strength,

workability and long term performance of concrete is

termed as deleterious materials.
 The deleterious materials found in aggregate is divided into

three categories:
 1. impurities interfering with the process of hydration of

cements.
 2. Coatings preventing the development of good bond

between aggregates and the hydrated cement paste.

 3. Unsound particles which are weak or bring about

chemical reaction between the aggregate and cement paste.

 The impurities in the form of organic matter interfere with the

chemical reaction of hydration.

 These impurities consists of decayed vegetable matter and

appear in the form of humus or organic loam .

 These materials are more likely to be present in sand than in

coarse aggregate.
 The effect of impurities is tested as per IS:2386 (part III)-1963.

 The clay and other fine materials such as silt and crusher dust are

generally present in the form of surface coating.

 This will prevent in developing good bond.

 The soft or loosely adherent coatings can be removed by

washing.
 Chemically stable coatings have no harmful effects except
that the shrinkage is increased.
 The silt and fine dust if present in excessive amounts, increase

the specific surface of the aggregate and hence the amount of

water required to wet all particles in the mix, thereby reducing
the strength and durability of concrete.
 The total amount of deleterious material should not exceed

5% as per IS 383:1970.
 Sand obtained from a seashore or a river estuary contains salt

and its percentage may be as high as 6% of mass of sand.

 The salt can be removed from the sand by washing it with

fresh water before use.

 If salt is not removed, it absorbs moisture from air and may

cause efflorescence and corrosion of reinforcement.

 Unsound particles are two types (i) the particles failing to

maintain their integrity. (ii) particles leading to disruptive

expansion on freezing or exposure to water.
 The shale and other particles of low density, such as clay

lumps, wood, coal etc are regarded as unsound as they lead

to pitting and scaling.
 If the percentage of these particles exceeds 2 to 5% of the mass of

aggregate, they may adversely affect the strength of the concrete.

 The presence of mica in fine aggregate reduces the compressive

strength of concrete.
 Iron pyrites and marcasite are the most common expansive

inclusions in the aggregate.

 These sulfides react with water and oxygen in the air resulting in

the surface staining of concrete and pop-outs.

 The majority of these impurities are found in natural aggregate

deposits than in crushed aggregate.

Soundness of aggregate:
The soundness indicates the ability of the aggregate to resist
excessive changes in volume due to changes in environmental
conditions like freezing, thawing, thermal changes and
alternating wetting and drying.
The aggregate is said to be unsound when volume changes
result in the deterioration of concrete.
This appears in the form of local scaling to extensive surface
cracking or to disintegration over a considerable depth.
IS 2386 (Part V) 1963 describes a method to determine the
resistance to disintegration of aggregates by saturated solution
of sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate.
According to IS 383-1970 the average loss of weight after ten
cycles should not exceed 12 & 18% when tested with sodium
sulfate and magnesium sulfate respectively.
Gradation:
• Aggregate comprises about 55% of the volume of mortar and
about 85% of the volume of the mass concrete.
• Mortar contains aggregate of size 4.75mm and concrete
contains aggregate up to a maximum size of 150mm.
• The way the particles of aggregate fit together in the mix is
influenced by gradation, shape and surface texture.
• These have important bearing on the workability and
finishing characteristics.
• The particle size distribution of an aggregate as determined
by sieve analysis is termed as grading of the aggregate.
• If all the particles of an aggregate are of uniform size, the
compacted mass will contain more voids whereas an
aggregate comprising particles of various sizes will give a
mass containing lesser voids.
 The particle size distribution of a mass of aggregate should be
such that the smaller particles fill the voids between the large
particles.
 The proper grading of an aggregate produces dense concrete and
needs less quantity of fine aggregate and cement paste.
 Sieve analysis is the operation of dividing a sample of aggregate
into fractions, each consisting of particles of the same size.
 The grading of an aggregate is expressed in terms of
percentages by weight retained on or passing through a series of
sieves taking in order 80mm,40mm,20mm,10mm,4.75mm for
coarse aggregate.
 10mm,4.75mm,2.36mm,1.18mm,600microns,300microns and
150microns for fine aggregate.
 The sieves are arranges in such an order that the square
openings are half for each succeeding smaller size.
The material retained on each sieve after shaking,
represents the fraction of aggregate coarser than the sieve
in question and finer than the sieve above.
From the sieve analysis particle size distribution in a
sample of aggregate is found.
The fineness modulus is a numerical index of fineness,
giving some idea of the mean size of the particles present
in the entire body of the aggregate.
The sum of the cumulative percentages retained on the
sieves divided by 100 gives the fineness modulus.
The fineness modulus can be regarded as a weighted
average size of sieve on which material is retained and
the sieves being counted from the finest.
 Example: a fineness modulus of 6.0 can be interpreted to
mean that the sixth
sieve(80,40,20,10,4.75,2.36,1.18,600,300,150) i.e 4.75 mm
is the average size.
 The value of fineness modulus is higher for coarser
aggregate.
 For the aggregates commonly used , the fineness modulus
of fine aggregate varies from 2.0 to 3.5 for coarser
aggregate it varies between 5.5 and 8.0 and from 3.5 to 6.5
for all in aggregate.
 The objective a finding the fineness modulus is to grade the
given aggregate for the most economical mix for the
required strength and workability with minimum quantity of
cement.
 If the test aggregate gives higher fineness modulus, the mix
will be harsh and if it gives lower fineness modulus it will
produce an uneconomical mix.
 The curve showing the cumulative percentages of the material
passing the sieves represented on the ordinate with the sieve
openings to the logarithmic scale represented on the abscissa
is termed the grading curve.
 The grading curve indicates whether the grading of a given
sample conforms to that specified or is too coarse or too fine or
deficient in a particular size.
i. In case the actual grading curve is lower than the specified
grading curve, the aggregate is coarser and segregation of
mix might take place.
ii. In case the actual grading curve lies well above the specified
curve , the aggregate is finer and more water will be
required, thus increasing the quantity of cement.
iii. If the actual grading curve is steeper than the specified , it
indicates an excess of middle size particles and leads to
harsh mix.
iv. If the actual grading curve is flatter than the specified
grading curve, the aggregate will be deficient in middle size
particles.
Grading curves for 10mm nominal maximum size aggregate
The grading of the aggregate affects the workability which in
turn controls the water and cement requirements, segregation
and influences the placing and finishing of concrete.
The main factors governing the desired aggregate grading are
the surface area of aggregate, the relative volume occupied
by the aggregate , the workability of the mix and the
tendency to segregate.
The ratio of surface of the particles to their volume is called
specific surface.
The smaller the size of aggregate, the greater is the surface
area per unit mass or unit volume.
The aim must be to have as large a maximum aggregate size
as possible and to grade it down is such a way that the voids
in the coarse aggregate are filled with the minimum amount
of fine aggregate.
The greatest contribution to the total surface area is
made by the smaller size aggregate and therefore
particular attention should be paid to the proportion
and grading of fine aggregate.
The mortar consisting of fine aggregate and cement
should be slightly in excess of that just required to fill
the voids in the coarse aggregate.
Too coarse a fine aggregate results in harshness ,
bleeding and segregation and too fine an aggregate
requires too large a water-cement ratio for adequate
workability.
The grading of fine aggregate has a much greater
effect on workability of concrete than does the grading
of the coarse aggregate.
Very coarse and very fine sand is unsatisfactory for
concrete.
Fine grading conforming to the specifications laid by
IS 383:1970 shall satisfactory for most concretes.
The road research laboratory of the department of
scientific and Industrial relations has prepared a series
of grading curves which are useful for the design of
concrete mixes.
Higher the number of grading curve, larger will be the
proportion of fine particles.
The coarser grading curve No 1 is suitable for harsh
mixes, i.e the most economical mix having highest
permissible aggregate-cement ratio.
The finest grading curve No. 4 is suitable for lean
mixes where a high workability is required.
The change from one extreme to the other is
progressive.
Gap Graded Aggregate:
 Gap grading is defined as a grading in which one or more
intermediate –size fractions are absent.
 The term continuously graded is used to distinguish the
conventional grading from gap grading.
 It is believed that the voids present in the higher size of the
aggregate are filled up by the next lower size of aggregate.
 It was later found that the voids created by a particular fraction
are too small to accommodate the very next lower size.
 The next lower size being itself bigger than the size of the
voids , it will create “ particle size interference”, which
prevents the large aggregates compacting to their maximum
density.
 It is found the size of voids existing between a particular size
of aggregate is of the order of 2 or 3 size lower than that
fraction.
Important features of gap-graded aggregate are:
1. For the given aggregate –cement and water-cement ratios the
highest workability is obtained with lower sand content in the
case of gap-graded aggregate rather than when continuously
graded aggregate is used.
2. In the more workable range of mixes, gap-graded aggregates
show a greater tendency to segregation . Hence gap-grading is
recommended mainly for mixes of relatively low workability that
are to be compacted by vibration.
3. Gap-graded aggregate does not affect compressive or tensile
strengths.
4. Specific surface area of gap-graded aggregate is lower because of
higher percentage of coarse aggregate.
5. Gap-graded aggregates requires lesser cement and lower water-
cement ratio.
6. The drying shrinkage is reduced in the concrete using gap-graded
aggregate.
Grading Limits:
There is no universal ideal grading curve.
IS 383:1970 has recommended certain limits within
which the grading must lie to produce satisfactory
concrete.
The grading of coarse aggregate is varied through wider
limits than that for fine aggregate since it does not
largely affect the workability , uniformity and finishing
qualities.
The sands are generally divided into different zones
according to the percentage passing the IS:600 micron
sieve.
IS:383-1970 classifies the sand into four zones, I, II, III
and IV so that the range of percentage passing the
600micron sieve in each zone does not overlap.
From grading zone I to IV, the fine aggregate becomes
progressively finer.
A fine aggregate is considered as belonging the zone
in which its percentage passing the 600 micron sieve
falls and it is allowed to fall outside the limits fixed for
other sieves by not more than a total of 5%.
For crushed stone sands the permissible limit on
IS:150 micron sieve is increased by 20%.
The values of fineness modulus for preparing a
satisfactory concrete are:
Type of sand Fineness modulus
Fine sand 2.2-2.6
Medium sand 2.6-2.9
Coarse Sand 2.9-3.2
Any sand having fineness modulus more than 3.2 will
not be suitable for making satisfactory concrete.
Thermal Properties of aggregates:
Three properties of the aggregates are:
1.Coefficient of thermal expansion
2. Specific heat
3.Conductivity
The last two properties are important in mass concrete
or where insulation is required but not in ordinary
structural works.
If the coefficient of thermal expansion of coarse
aggregate and of the hydrated cement paste differ too
much, a large change in temperature may introduce
differential movement and a break in the bond between
the aggregate particles and the surrounding paste.
Further the differential movement is affected by other
forces like due to shrinkage .
A large difference between the coefficients is not
necessarily detrimental when the temperature does not
vary outside the range of 4 to 60°C.
If the two coefficients differ by more than 5.5 X 10 -6
per °C the durability of concrete subjected to freezing
and thawing is affected.
The coefficient of thermal expansion can be
determined by means of a dilatometer devised by
Verbeck and Hass for use with both fine and coarse
aggregate.
The linear coefficient of thermal expansion varies with
the type of parent rock.
The range of coefficient of thermal expansion is 0.9 X
10-6 to 16 X 10-6 per °C.
For hydrated cement paste the coefficient varies of
between 11 X 10-6 and 16 X 10-6 ° C.
A serious difference in coefficients occurs only with
aggregates of a very low expansion like certain
granites, limestones and marbles.