BCT 613: ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

TOPIC 1: AGGREGATES

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LEARNING OUTCOME
Upon completion of this lecture, the student will be able to:

• Explain the definition of aggregate

• Classify the types of aggregate

• Identify the properties of aggregate for concrete

• Describe the tests involved in determine the properties of aggregate

LECTURE CONTENT
1. Definition
2. Uses of aggregate
3. Classification of aggregate
4. Grading
5. Particle shape and texture
6. Strength
7. Moisture and absorption
8. Bulk density
9. Specific gravity
10. Durability
DEFINITION

• Aggregate is the inert filler materials, such as sand or stone, used in

making concrete
• Aggregates occupy at least three quarters of volume of concrete.
• It is economical to put as much aggregate into a concrete mix as possible
while not sacrificing other properties.
• Quality is especially important.
• Cheaper than the cement, put into the mix as much as possible.
• Higher volume stability and better durability than the cement paste alone.
.
USES OF AGGREGATES
• Filler material
• Dimensional Stability:
shrinkage,
thermal changes
• Strength and Stiffness
• Economy
• To make the concrete denser
CLASSIFICATION
Aggregate can be divided into several categories according to :

• Size
• Source
• Petrological Characteristic
• Unit Weight
CLASSIFICATION
According to Particle Size

a) Fine Aggregate (sand): Fine

aggregate includes the particles that
all passes through 4.75 mm sieve or
aggregates with size less than 5 mm
and retain on 0.075 mm sieve.

b) Coarse Aggregate (gravel): Those

aggregates passing through 75 mm
sieve and entirely retained on 4.75
mm sieve OR those aggregates with
size greater than 5 mm
CLASSIFICATION
According to Sources/Production Methods

a) Natural Aggregates: – Taken from native deposits without any change in

their natural states during production except for crushing, grading or
washing. – Example: sand, gravel, crushed stone, lime rock.

b) By-Product Aggregates/Artificial: – Comprise blast-furnace slags and

cinders, fly ash, etc. Cinders are residue of coal or wood after burning.
Processed Aggregates: – Heat treated,
expanded materials with lightweight
characteristics. – Example: Perlite, burnt
clays, shales, processed fly ash.

Colored Aggregates: – Glass, ceramics,

manufactured marble for decorative and
architectural purposes.
CLASSIFICATION
According to Petrological Characteristics

a) Igneous Rocks:
Solidification of molten lava forms igneous rocks. Excellent aggregate for
high strength concrete
Example: Quartz, granite, basalt, obsidian, tuff.
CLASSIFICATION
According to Petrological Characteristics

b) Sedimentary Rocks:
Obtained by the
deposition of weathered
and transported
preexisting rocks.
Example: Sandstone,
limestone, shale.

IMPORTANT: If these
are hard and dense,
OK. If not, high
absorption capacity
gives unsatisfactory
results
CLASSIFICATION
According to Petrological Characteristics

c) Metamorphic Rocks: Formed

at a depth under high heat and
pressure by the alterations of
either igneous rocks or
sedimentary rocks.

Example: Marble, slate, schist.

IMPORTANT: If hard and

dense, OK. If laminated,
undesirable.

Marble
CLASSIFICATION
According to Their Unit Weights

Weight Examples of Aggregates Used Uses for the Concrete

ultra-lightweight
vermiculite, ceramic, diatomite, can be sawed or nailed, also used for
(250 to 1450 kg/m3).
pumice, scoria, perlite, its insulating properties

lightweight used primarily for making lightweight

expanded clay, shale or slate,
(1350 to 1850 kg/m3). concrete for structures, also used for
crushed brick
its insulating properties

Normal weight crushed limestone, sand, river

(2160 to 2560 kg/m3). gravel, used for normal concrete projects
crushed recycled concrete
Heavyweight used for making high density concrete
barite, magnetite , steel or iron
(2800 to 6400 kg/m3). for shielding against nuclear radiation,
shot; steel or iron pellets
dam, etc
CLASSIFICATION
CLASSIFICATION

Vermiculite

Perlite Scoria
CLASSIFICATION

Expanded clay Expanded shale

CLASSIFICATION

River gravel Crushed Limestone

CLASSIFICATION

Magnetite Barite
PROPERTIES OF AGGREGATE
1. Grading
2. Particle shape and texture
3. Strength
4. Moisture and absorption
5. Bulk density
6. Specific gravity
7. Durability
 Grading
• Grading is the distribution of particles of angular materials among various
sizes. Grading is usually expressed in terms of cumulative percentage
passing each sieve.

• There are several reasons for specifying grading limits and maximum
aggregate size, they affect relative:

 Relative aggregate proportions : coarse and fine aggregate

 Cement and water requirement
 Workability
 Economy
 Strength, shrinkage and durability of concrete

• To determine the paste requirement for workable concrete since the amount
of voids among aggregate particles requires the same amount of cement
paste to fill out in the concrete mixture.
Grading
• Proper selection of various sizes will be very effective in reducing the total
volume of voids between aggregates (see Figure below). The cement paste
requirement is related the void content of the combined aggregates.

• Production of satisfactory; economical concrete requires aggregates of low

void content, but not the lowest.
 Grading
Sieve Analysis

• Sieve analysis is the name of the operation of dividing a sample of aggregate

into fractions, each consisting of particles of the same size.
• In practice each fraction contains particles between specific limits, these
being the openings of standard test sieves.
Grading
Grading
Grading Requirements for Fine Aggregates
 Grading
Grading Requirements for Coarse Aggregates
Grading
Grading
 Grading

Fineness Modulus (FM)

• Index of fineness of an aggregate.

• FM = the sum of the cumulative percentage retained on the sieves of the

standard test sieves or FM = (Cum. percent retained / 100)

• The fineness modulus of the fine aggregate is required for mix design since
sand gradation has the largest effect on workability. A fine sand (low FM) has
much higher effect paste requirements for good workability.

• Limits for FM for fine aggregate: 2.3-3.0

• The FM of the coarse aggregate is not required for mix design purposes.
Grading
 Grading
Well Graded
Dense and well graded aggregates are desirable
for making concrete, as the space between larger
particles is effectively filled by smaller particles to
produce a well-packed structure.

Gap Graded
Missing middle sizes. Advantages of gap grading
are more economical concrete, use of less cement
and lower w/c ratios. When they are used in high
workability mixes, segregation may become a
problem. The resulting concrete is very stiff and
has low workability. Low stability
 Grading
Uniformly Graded
Only a few sizes dominate the bulk material. With
this grading, the aggregates are not are not
effectively packed, and the resulting concrete will
be more porous, unless a lot of paste is employed.

Open Graded
Open graded aggregate contains only a small
percentage of aggregate particles in the small
range. This results in more air voids because there
are not enough small particles to fill in the voids
between the larger particles.
Grading
Particle Shape and Texture

Figure : Aggregate particle shape (form), angularity, and

surface texture properties
Particle Shape and Texture
Particle Shape
Particle Shape and Texture
Surface Texture

• The degree to which the aggregate surface is smooth or rough- (based

on visual judgement).
• Depends on: rock hardness, grain size, porosity, previous exposure.
• Affects: Workability, paste demand, initial strength.
Particle Shape and Texture
Surface Texture

Surface Characteristics of Aggregate

Particle Shape and Texture
Effects
• Strength of aggregate particles
• Workability of fresh concrete
• Bond with cementitous materials
• Resistance to sliding of one particle over another

Angular particles with a rough surface texture:

• Can create a very strong matrix, but
• Can also be very difficult to compact since the rough surface textures and
angular particles can interlock together and resist compactive effort.
• Rough-texture, and angular particles require more water and cement paste to
produce workable concrete than do smooth, rounded and compact particles.
• Rough surface requires more lubrication for movement

Rounded particles with smooth surface texture:

• Will compact readily, but
• Will be unstable under load since the particles will displace and slide against
each other.
Particle Shape and Texture
Flat, thin, elongated, needle-shaped particles break easily
• Want cubical or sphere-shaped particles instead. Flat or elongated
aggregates should be avoided.

Rough and fractured faces allow a better bond with cements than
rounded, smooth faces
• More friction against sliding particles
• Better interlocking of particles to create a strong framework to resist loads
Particle Shape and Texture
Particle Shape and Texture

angular subangular subrounded rounded well rounded

Relationship between aggregate and concrete properties

Aggregate concrete cement/admixture

properties handling adhesion
1. dirty bad very bad
2. well rounded,smooth good bad
3. angular bad very good
4. angular with neg. angles bad bad
Particle Shape and Texture

Shape Test

• Flakiness Index : is the percentage by particles whose least dimension

(Thickness) is less then 3/5th (0.6) of their mean dimension.

• Elongation Index : is the percentage by weight of particles whose greatest

dimension (length) is greater then 1 and 4/5th times (1.8 times) their mean
dimension.

• The test is not applicable to size smaller then 6.3. mm.

Particle Shape and Texture

Flakiness Index Test Instrument

Particle Shape and Texture
Particle Shape and Texture

Elongation Test Instrument Diagram

Particle Shape and Texture
Strength
• Generally, strength of aggregate does not influence the strength of
conventional concrete as much as the strength of the paste and the paste-
aggregate strength. However, aggregate strength becomes important in high
strength concrete.

• Aggregate tensile strengths range between 2 to 15 MPa, and compressive

strengths range between 65 to 270 MPa.

• The test for strength of aggregate is required to be made in the following

situations:

i. For production of high strength and ultra high strength concrete.

ii. When contemplating to use aggregates manufactured from weathered
rocks.
iii. Aggregate manufactured by industrial process
Strength
The test for strength of aggregate can determine as follows:
1. Crushing test - to determine the crushing strength of aggregates
2. Abrasion test - to test the hardness property of aggregates with respect
to wear or rubbing action i.e test – Los Angeles Abrasion Test
3. Impact test - resistance of the aggregates to impact is termed as
toughness

Aggregate Crushing Value Apparatus

Strength

Los Angeles Abrasion Testing Machine

Strength

Aggregate Impact Value Apparatus

Strength

Table : Average Test Values For Rocks of Different Groups

Moisture and Absorption
The moisture content and absorption of aggregates are important in calculating the
proportions of concrete mixes since any excess water in the aggregates will be
incorporated in the cement paste and give it a higher water/cement ratio than
expected.

The moisture conditions of aggregates are:

1. Oven-dry - All free moisture, whether external surface moisture or internal

moisture, driven off by heat.
2. Air dry - No surface moisture, but some internal moisture
3. Saturated-surface dry condition (SSD) - Aggregates are said to be SSD
when their moisture states are such that during mixing they will neither absorb
any of the mixing water added; nor will they contribute any of their contained
water to the mix
4. Damp or Wet condition - Aggregate containing moisture in excess of the SSD
condition. The Free Water, which will become part of the mixing water,
Moisture and Absorption

Moisture conditions of aggregate

Bulk Density

• Defined as the weight of the aggregate particles that would fill a unit volume.
The term bulk is used since the volume is occupied by both the aggregates
and voids. The typical bulk density used in making normal concrete ranges
from 1200 to 1750 kg/m3.

• The void contents range between 30% to 45% for coarse aggregate and 40%
to 50% for fine aggregate. Void content increases with angularity and
decreases with well graded aggregate.
Bulk Density
• Defined as the weight of the aggregate particles that would fill a unit volume.
The term bulk is used since the volume is occupied by both the aggregates
and voids. The typical bulk density used in making normal concrete ranges
from 1200 to 1750 kg/m3.

• The void contents range between 30% to 45% for coarse aggregate and 40%
to 50% for fine aggregate. Void content increases with angularity and
decreases with well graded aggregate.
Specific Gravity

 The relative/specific density of an aggregate (ASTM C 127 and C 128) is

defined as the ratio of its mass to the mass of an equal volume of water. It is
used in certain computations for mixture proportioning and control. Most
natural aggregates have relative densities between 2.4 and 2.9 (2400 and
2900 kg/ m3).

 The density of aggregate used in mixture proportioning computations (not

including the voids between particles) is determined by multiplying the relative
density of the aggregate times the density of water (1000 kg/m3).
Durability
Physical Durability

• Soundness: if volume changes accompanied with environmental changes

lead to the deterioration of concrete –unsoundness.
• Volume changes: alternate freezing and thawing, repeated wetting and
drying –internal stresses – volume increase.
• Wear resistance: resistance to surface abrasion and wear.

Soundness test - Sample submerged in magnesium or sodium sulfate—

causes salt crystals to form in the aggregate pores
Durability
Chemical Durability

• It results from a reaction between reactive silica in aggregates and alkalis

compounds contained in the cement –alkali-aggregate reaction.
THE END……
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