Construction materials mix design
Concrete Mix Design
It is the process of selecting suitable ingredients of concrete and determining their
relative proportions with the object of producing concrete of certain minimum strength
and durability as economically as possible.
Variables in proportioning
In connection with specifying a concrete mix, four variable factors to be considered are
Water-cement ratio.
Cement content or cement-aggregate ratio.
Gradation of the aggregates.
Consistency.
Usually two or three factors are specified, and the others are adjusted to give minimum
workability and economy. Water/cement ratio expresses the dilution of the paste - cement
content varies directly with the amount of paste. Gradation of aggregate is controlled by
varying the amount of given fine and coarse aggregate. Consistency is established by
practical requirements of placing.
In brief, the effort in proportioning is to use a minimum amount of paste (and therefore
cement) that will lubricate the mass while fresh and after hardening will bind the
aggregate particles together and fill the space between them. Any excess of paste
involves greater cost, greater drying shrinkage, greater susceptibility to percolation of
water and therefore attack by aggressive waters and weathering action. This is achieved
by minimizing the voids by good gradation.
Design Mean Strength
The assumption of a normal distribution of concrete strengths forms the basis of mix
design and statistical quality control procedures for satisfying the strength requirement.
For a normal distribution, the probability of a strength lying outside specified limits either
side of the mean strength can be determined. These limits (fig. below) are usually
expressed in terms of the standard deviation s defined by,
1/ 2
fc c
2
1/ 2 f
f c f cm 2
2
s n N / mm2
n1 n 1
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Construction materials mix design
Where fc = observed strength
fcm = best estimate of the mean strength
= fc n
n = the number of observations.
Probability values
Probability of an observed strength Probability of an observed strength
lying outside the range b being less than (fcm - bs)
(fcm ± bs)
1 in 50 2.33 1 in 100
1 in 20 1.96 1 in 40
1 in 10 1.64 1 in 20
The probabilities of a strength lying outside the range (f cm ± bs) for different values of b
are given in the above table, in which of probabilities of strengths falling below the lower
limit (fcm - bs) are also given.
If the specified characteristic strength fcu is the strength below which not more than
1 in 20 of the population of strengths shall fall, it follows that,
fcu = fcm - 1.64s
or fcm = fcu + 1.64s
Hence if the standard deviation likely to be obtained on site can be assessed, the mean
strength for which the concrete must be designed can be determined.
American Method of Mix Design
Among the various standard methods of concrete mix design, the ACI
recommended practice for selecting proportions of concrete is most widely used. These
design method is more or less based on the fact that crushing strength is primarily
dependent upon the water/cement ratio and that for a given water/cement ratio, the
aggregate concentration or cement-aggregate ratio, the maximum size and grading of the
aggregate. The prerequisite for the application of the method is the determination of the
specific gravity and absorption capacity of the aggregates to be used.
The procedure to be followed in designing a concrete mix is detailed below:
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Construction materials mix design
Step1: Choice of Slump: If slump is not specified, recommend consistencies in terms of
slump for concretes consolidated by vibration are given in the table1. The method
recommends using mixes of stiffest consistency that can be placed efficiently.
Step2: Choice of Maximum Size of Aggregate: The method recommends using the
largest size that is economically available and consistent with dimensions of the structure.
The maximum size should not exceed:
1/5th of the narrowest dimension between sides of forms,
1/3rd of the depth of slabs,
3/4th of the minimum clear spacing between individual reinforcing bars.
*Minimum of these values is taken as maximum size.
Step3: Estimation of Mixing Water and Air Content: The approximate mixing water
required is selected from tables 2a and b for desired workability and maximum size of
aggregate.
Step 4: Selection of Water/ Cement Ratio: The water/cement ratio is selected based on
the dual criterion of durability and strength using tables 3&4. The minimum of the two
being adopted for trial mix.
Step 5: Calculation of Cement Content: The cement content is calculated from the
water content and the water/cement ratio required for durability or strength.
Step 6: Estimation of Coarse Aggregate Content: The coarse aggregate content is
estimated from table 5&6, for the maximum size of aggregate and the fineness modulus
of sand.
Step 7: Estimation of Fine Aggregate Content: The fine aggregate content is
determined by subtracting the sum of the volumes of coarse aggregate, cement, water and
air content from the unit volume of fresh concrete. Often the unit weight of concrete is
known with reasonable accuracy from previous experience with the materials. In the
absence of such information, values from table 6 can be used to make a first estimate. If a
theoretically exact calculation of fresh concrete weight per cubic meter is desired the
following formula can be used.
U = 10Ga (100-A) + C (1-Ga/Ge) -W (Ga-1)
Where
U = Weight of fresh concrete, Kg/m3
Ga= weighted average specific gravity of combined fine and coarse aggregate,
bulk, SSD
Ge= specific gravity of cement (generally 3.15)
A= air content, %
W = Mixing water requirement, kg/m3
C = Cement requirement, kg/m3
Step 8: Adjustments for Aggregate Moisture: The aggregate quantities actually to be
weighed out for the concrete must allow for moisture in the aggregate. In the above
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Construction materials mix design
design procedure the aggregate was considered to be saturated surface dry. Generally, the
aggregate may have moisture content above or below its absorption capacity. In the
former case the amount of aggregate to be weighed must be increased and equal amount
of mixing water must be decreased. Whereas in the later case the amount of aggregate to
be weighed is decreased and equal amount of mixing water is increased
Step 9: Trial Batch Adjustment: The calculated mixture proportions should be checked
by means of trial batches prepared and tested for compressive and flexural resistance.
Table 1: Recommended slumps for various Types of construction.
Types of construction Slump,cm
Maximum* Minimum
Reinforced foundation walls 8 2
and footings
Plain, footings, caissons, and 8 2
substructure walls
Beams and reinforced walls 10 2
Building columns 10 2
Pavements and slabs 8 2
Heavy mass concrete 8 2
*May be increased by 2cm for methods of consolidation other than vibration
Table 2a: Relative Mixing Water Requirements for Different Consistencies of
Concrete.
Consistence Relative Water
Content,
Description Slump Compacting Vebes %
mm factor
Extremely dry _ _ 32 - 18 78
Very stiff _ 0.70 18 -10 83
Stiff 0 - 30 0.75 10 - 5 88
Stiff plastic 30 - 80 0.85 5 -3 92
Plastic(reference) 80 - 130 0.91 3-0 100
Fluid 130 - 180 0.95 _ 106
Table 2b: Approximate Mixing Water Content for the Reference (Plastic) Mix of
Table 2a. for different Maximum Sizes of Aggregate.
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Construction materials mix design
Maximum size of Non-air-entrained Entrapped air content Air-entrained water
aggregate water content per cent
mm Kg/m3
content
Kg/m3
10 225 3 200
12.5 215 2.5 190
20 200 2 180
25 195 1.5 175
40 175 1 160
50$ 170 0.5 155
70$ 160 0.3 150
150$ 140 0.2 135
$ Water contents of concretes with aggregates sizes greater than 40 mm are not given for
mixes with a slump of less than 30 mm.
Table 3. Relation between Water/Cement Ratio and Compressive Strength of
Concrete According to ACI Standard
Compressive strength at Water/cement ratio (by weight)
28 days*MPa Non-air-entrained concrete Air-entrained concrete
48 0.33 _
41 0.41 0.32
34 0.48 0.40
28 0.57 0.48
21 0.68 0.59
14 0.82 0.74
*measured on standard cylinders. The values given are for maximum size of aggregate of
20 to 25mm.
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Construction materials mix design
Table 4. Maximum Permissible Water/Cement Ratios for Different Types of
Structures in Severe Exposure, Prescribed by ACI Standard.
Exposure conditions
Type of structure Structure wet continuously Structure exposed to
or frequently and exposed sea water or
to freezing and thawing* sulphates
Thin sections, such as railings,
kerbs, sills, ledges, ornamental
work, and sections with less 0.45 0.40$
than 25mm cover to the
reinforcement.
All other structures 0.50 0.45$
* Air-entrained concrete should be used under all conditions involving severe exposure.
$
When Type II or Type V cement is used, maximum water/cement ratio may be
increased by 0.05.
Table 5. Bulk Volume of Coarse Aggregate per Unit Volume of Concrete.
Maximum size of Bulk volume of rodded coarse aggregate per unit volume of concrete for
aggregate(mm) fineness modulus of sand of __
2.40* 2.60* 2.80* 3.00*
10 0.50 0.48 0.46 0.44
12.5 0.59 0.57 0.55 0.53
20 0.66 0.64 0.62 0.60
25 0.71 0.69 0.67 0.65
40 0.75 0.73 0.71 0.69
50 0.78 0.76 0.74 0.72
70 0.82 0.80 0.78 0.76
150 0.87 0.85 0.83 0.81
Fineness modulus of sand.
The values given will produce a mix with workability suitable for reinforced concrete
construction. For less workable concrete, e.g. that used in road construction, the values
may be increased by about 10 per cent. For more workable concrete, such as may be
required for placing by pumping, the values may be reduced by up to 10 per cent.
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Construction materials mix design
Table 6. Factors to be applied to the Volume of Coarse Aggregate Calculated on the
basis of Table 3.2. for Mixes of Consistence other than Plastic.
Factor for maximum size of aggregate of _
Consistence
10mm 12.5mm 20mm 25mm 40mm
Extremely dry 1.90 1.70 1.45 1.40 1.30
Very stiff 1.60 1.45 1.30 1.25 1.25
Stiff 1.35 1.30 1.15 1.15 1.20
Stiff plastic 1.08 1.06 1.04 1.06 1.09
Plastic (reference) 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Fluid 0.97 0.98 1.00 1.00 1.00
Table7. First estimate of weight of fresh concrete
First Estimate of concrete weight, kg/m3
Maximum Size of Aggregate, mm Non-air-entrained Air-entrained
concrete concrete
10 2285 2190
12.5 2315 2235
20 2355 2260
25 2375 2315
40 2420 2355
50 2445 2375
70 2465 2400
150 2505 2435
