Concrete
Mix Design
ACI Method of Mix Design
1. Required informa;on
2. Choice of slump
3. Choice of maximum aggregate size
4. Es;ma;on of mixing water and air content
5. Selec;on of w/c or w/cm
6. Calcula;on of cement or cm content
7. Es;ma;on of coarse aggregate content
8. Es;ma;on of fine aggregate content
9. Adjustments for moisture in the aggregates
10. Trial batch
1. Required Informa;on
• sieve analysis of fine and coarse aggregate,
fineness modulus
• dry-rodded unit weight of coarse aggregate
• bulk specific gravity of materials
• absorp;on capacity of aggregates
• informa;on on the structure:
– type and dimensions of structural members
– minimum space between reinforcing bars
– required concrete strength
– exposure condi;ons
Required Strength
2. Choice of slump
3. Choice of maximum aggregate size
• affects cement paste content, workability,
strength
• limited by the dimensions of the structural
element, space available between
reinforcement and formwork, capabili;es of
construc;on equipment
3. Choice of maximum aggregate size
• Once maximum aggregate size is determined,
the nominal maximum aggregate size is used
for the remainder of the propor;oning
analysis
• Nominal maximum aggregate size = generally
one sieve size smaller than the maximum
aggregate size
– e.g. for max agg size 25mm,
nominal max agg size 19mm
4. Es;ma;on of mixing water and air
• amount of mixing water determines amount
of cement paste in the mix
– depends on desired slump, max size, shape and
grading of aggregate, amount of air
• air entrainment is required when concrete is
exposed to freeze-thaw condi;ons; can also
be used for workability
4. Es;ma;on of mixing water
4. Es;ma;on of mixing water
• Previous table should only be used for
reasonably well-shaped angular coarse
aggregates
• For other aggregate shapes, water content
should be reduced accordingly
4. Es;ma;on of air content
4. Es;ma;on of air content
• Exposure levels
– Mild: indoor or outdoor service where concrete is
not exposed to freezing and deicing salts; AEA
may be used to improve workability
– Moderate: some freezing exposure occurs but
concrete is not exposed to moisture or free water
for long periods prior to freezing; concrete not
exposed to deicing salts
– Severe: exposed to deicing salts, satura;on, or
free water
5. Selec;on of w/c or w/cm
• Strength
5. Selec;on of w/c or w/cm
5. Selec;on of w/c or w/cm
• Durability
– if there are severe exposure condi;ons such as
freezing and thawing or exposure to seawater or
sulfates, the more severe w/c ra;o requirements
will govern
– generally, more severe exposure condi;ons
require lower w/c
– the minimum of the w/c for strength and
durability is selected for propor;oning of concrete
5. Selec;on of w/c or w/cm
5. Selec;on of w/c or w/cm
6. Calcula;on of cement or cm content
• weight of water (Step 4) divided by w/c ra;o (Step 5)
7. Es;ma;on of coarse aggregate content
7. Es;ma;on of coarse aggregate content
• b/bo factor
7. Es;ma;on of coarse aggregate content
• Assume fineness modulus = 2.6,
nominal max aggregate size = 19mm
• Volume of coarse aggregate in concrete
0.64 m3 CA / m3 concrete
• If CA dry rodded unit weight = 1500 kg/m3
• CA oven dry = 0.64 * 1500 = 960 kg/m3
• CA SSD = 960 * (1 + absorp;on capacity)
8. Es;ma;on of fine aggregate content
• Es;mated weight method
Wtotal = Wwater + Wcement + Wgravel + Wsand
Wsand = Wtotal – (Wwater + Wcement + Wgravel)
8. Es;ma;on of fine aggregate content
• Absolute volume method
kg
1m3 = 1000L kg/L
9. Adjustments for moisture in the aggregates
• The mix propor;ons are assumed to be on a
saturated surface dry (SSD) basis
• If aggregate is dry, increase mixing water,
decrease aggregates correspondingly
• If aggregate contains free moisture, decrease
mixing water, increase aggregates
correspondingly
9. Adjustments for moisture in the aggregates
9. Adjustments for moisture in the aggregates
• CA: absorp;on capacity = 1%
effec;ve absorp;on = 0.5%
• FA: absorp;on capacity = 1.3%
total moisture content = 4.5%
10. Trial batch
• Purpose
– to verify that the concrete mix propor;ons meet
design requirements prior to use in construc;on
• Test
– Fresh concrete: slump, unit weight, air content,
segrega;on tendency, cohesiveness, finishing
– Hardened concrete: 28-day strength or other ages
10. Trial batch
• Adjust concrete mix
– strength not ok, workability ok
• Reduce w/c ra;o
– Do not alter water content
– Instead, increase cement. Reduce aggregate.
– workability not ok, strength ok
• Do not alter w/c ra;o
– Slump too low: increase water and cement content
– Slump too high: decrease water and cement content
– segrega;on: increase fines, reduce CA
– air content: ↑ 1% air = ↓ water by 3 kg/m3
Propor;oning with Superplas;cizer
If a superplas;cizer with water reducing capacity of
15% is available, how can the concrete mixture be
revised to reduce cement content? Assume
recommended SP dosage = 0.8 L/100 kg cement
