Advanced Concrete Technology

Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

Aggregates

By dictionary definition, aggregates are a combination of distinct parts gathered into a

mass or a whole. Generally, in civil engineering the term aggregate means a mass of crushed
stone, gravel, sand, etc., predominantly composed of individual particles, but in some cases
including clays and silts. The largest particle size in aggregates may have a diameter as large
as 150 mm (6 in.), and the smallest particle can be as fine as 5 to 10 microns.
Due to the differences in the size of the aggregate particles, four terms are defined to
facilitate the discussion of the general size characteristics of aggregates:
Course aggregates: aggregate particles that are retained on a 4.75 mm sieve (No. 4). A
4.75 mm sieve has openings equal to 4.75 mm between the sieve wires. A No. 4 sieve has
four openings per linear inch. The 4.75 mm sieve is the metric equivalent to a No. 4 sieve.
Fine aggregates: aggregate particles that pass a 4.75 mm sieve (No. 4).
Maximum aggregate size: The smallest sieve through which 100 percent of the
aggregates pass.
Nominal maximum aggregate size: The largest sieve that retains any of the aggregate,
but generally not more than 10 percent.
Aggregate Sources
Natural sources for aggregates include gravel pits, river run deposits, and rock
quarries. Generally, gravel comes from pits and river deposits, whereas crushed stones are
the result of processing rocks from quarries. Usually, gravel deposits must also be crushed to
obtain the needed size distribution, shape, and texture.
Manufactured aggregates can use slag waste from iron and steel mills and expanded
shale and clays to produce lightweight aggregates. Heavyweight concrete, used for radiation
shields, can use steel slag and bearings for the aggregate. Styrofoam beads can be used as an
aggregate in lightweight concrete used for insulation. Natural lightweight aggregates include
pumice, scoria, volcanic cinders, tuff, and diatomite.

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Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

Particle Shape and Surface Texture

The shape and surface texture of the individual aggregate particles determine how the
material will pack into a dense configuration and also determines the mobility of the stones
within a mix. There are two considerations in the shape of the material: angularity and
flakiness. Crushing rocks produces angular particles with sharp corners and rough texture.
Due to weathering, the corners of the aggregates break down, creating subangular particles
and smooth texture. When the aggregates tumble while being transported in water, the
corners can become completely rounded. Generally, angular and rough-textured aggregates
produce bulk materials with higher stability than rounded, smooth-textured aggregates.
However, the angular aggregates will be more difficult to work into place than rounded
aggregates, since their shapes make it difficult for them to slide across each other. Due to the
size differences between coarse and fine aggregates, different test methods are used for their
evaluation.
Bond Strength:-
*Bond between aggregate and cement paste is an important factor in the strength of
concrete
*Bond is due to the interlocking of the aggregate and the paste owing to the roughness of the
aggregate . Rough results in better bond
*Bond strength increase with age of concrete.
Soundness and Durability
The ability of aggregate to withstand weathering is defined as soundness or durability.
Aggregates used in various civil engineering applications must be sound and durable,
particularly if the structure is subjected to severe climatic conditions. Water freezing in the
voids of aggregates generates stresses that can fracture the stones.
Toughness, Hardness, and Abrasion Resistance
The ability of aggregates to resist the damaging effect of loads is related to the
hardness of the aggregate particles and is described as the toughness or abrasion resistance.

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Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

The aggregate must resist crushing, degradation, and disintegration when stockpiled, mixed
as either Portland cement or asphalt concrete, placed and compacted, and exposed to loads.
Absorption
Although aggregates are inert, they can capture water and asphalt binder in surface
voids. The amount of water the aggregates absorb is important in the design of Portland
cement concrete, since moisture captured in the aggregate voids is not available to react with
the cement or to improve the workability of the plastic concrete. There is no specific level of
aggregate absorption that is desirable for aggregates used in Portland cement concrete, but
aggregate absorption must be evaluated to determine the appropriate amount of water to mix
into the concrete.
Figure 5.9 demonstrates the four moisture condition states for an aggregate particle.
Bone dry means the aggregate contains no moisture; this requires drying the aggregate in an
oven to a constant mass. In an air dry condition, the aggregate may have some moisture but
the saturation state is not quantified. In a saturated surface dry (SSD) condition, the
aggregate’s voids are filled with moisture but the main surface area of the aggregate particles
is dry. Absorption is defined as the moisture content in the SSD condition. Moist aggregates
have moisture content in excess of the SSD condition. Free moisture is the difference
between the actual moisture content of the aggregate and the moisture content in the SSD
condition.

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Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

Specific Gravity
The weight–volume characteristics of aggregates are not an important indicator of
aggregate quality, but they are important for concrete mix design. Density, the mass per unit
volume, could be used for these calculations. However, specific gravity (Sp. Gr.), the mass
of a material divided by the mass of an equal volume of distilled water, is more commonly
used.
Strength of aggregate

Clearly, the compressive strength of concrete cannot significantly exceed that of the
major part of the aggregate contained therein, although it is not easy to state what is the
strength of the individual particle.
Indeed, it is difficult to test the crushing strength of individual aggregate particles,
and the required information has to be obtained usually from indirect tests: crushing value of
bulk aggregate, force required to compact bulk aggregate, and performance of aggregate in
concrete.
Sampling
There are two ways of reducing the size of a sample, each essentially dividing it into
two similar parts: quartering and riffling. For quartering, the main sample is thoroughly
mixed and, in the case of fine aggregate, dampened in order to avoid segregation. The
material is heaped into a cone and then turned over to form a new cone. This is repeated
twice, the material always being deposited at the apex of the cone so that the fall of particles
is evenly distributed round the circumference.
The final cone is flattened and divided into quarters. One pair of diagonally opposite
quarters is discarded, and the remainder forms the sample for testing or, if still too large, can
be reduced by further quartering. Care must be taken to include all fine material in the
appropriate quarter.

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Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

Bulking of sand
The presence of moisture in aggregate necessitates correction of the actual mix
proportions: the mass of water added to the mix has to be decreased by the mass of the free
moisture in the aggregate, and the mass of the wet aggregate must be increased by a like
amount. In the case of sand, there is a second effect of the presence of moisture: bulking.
This is the increase in the volume of a given mass of sand caused by the films of water
pushing the sand particles apart. While bulking per se does not affect the proportioning of
materials by mass, in the case of volume batching, bulking results in a smaller mass of sand
occupying the fixed volume of the measuring box. For this reason, the mix becomes
deficient in fine aggregate and appears ‘stony’, and the concrete may be prone to segregation
and honeycombing. Also, the yield of concrete is reduced. The remedy, of course, lies in
increasing the apparent volume of fine aggregate (sand) to allow for bulking. The extent of
bulking depends on the percentage of moisture present in the sand and on its fineness. The
increase in volume relative to that occupied by a saturated and surface-dry sand increases
with an increase in the moisture content of the sand up to a value of some 5 to 8 per cent,
when the bulking of 20 to 30 per cent occurs.

Decrease in true volume of sand due to bulking (for a constant apparent volume of moist sand)

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Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

Deleterious substances in aggregate

There are three broad categories of deleterious substances that may be found in
aggregates: impurities which intefere with the processes of hydration of cement; coatings
preventing the development of good bond between aggregate and the hydrated cement paste;
and certain individual particles which are weak or unsound in themselves.
All or part of an aggregate can also be harmful through the development of chemical
reactions between the aggregate and the cement paste.
Gradation
Gradation describes the particle size distribution of the aggregate. The particle size
distribution is an important attribute of the aggregates. Large aggregates are economically
advantageous in Portland cement and asphalt concrete, as they have less surface area and,
therefore, require less binder. However, large aggregate mixes, whether asphalt or Portland
cement concrete, are harsher and more difficult to work into place. Hence, construction
considerations, such as equipment capability, dimensions of construction members,
clearance between reinforcing steel, and layer thickness, limit the maximum aggregate size.
Sieve Analysis Gradation is evaluated by passing the aggregates through a series of
sieves, as shown in Figure 5.12 (ASTM C136, E11). The sieve retains particles larger than
the opening, while smaller ones pass through. Metric sieve descriptions are based on the size
of the openings measured in millimeters. Sieves smaller than 0.6 mm can be described in
either millimeters or micrometers. In U.S. customary units, sieves with openings greater than
1/4 in. are designated by the size of the opening; the lengths of the sides of the square
openings of a 2-in. sieve are 2 in. measured between the wires. This equals the diameter of a
sphere that will exactly touch each side of the square at the midpoints. Sieves smaller than
1/4 in. are specified by the number of uniform openings per linear inch (a No. 8 sieve has 8
openings per inch, or 64 holes per square inch). Gradation results are described by the
cumulative percentage of aggregates that either pass through or are retained by a specific
sieve size. Percentages are reported to the nearest whole number, except that if the

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Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

percentage passing the 0.075-mm (No. 200) sieve is less than 10%, it is reported to the
nearest 0.1%. Gradation analysis results are generally plotted on a semilog chart.
Example of Sieve Analysis
Wt. %Accumulative %Accumulative
Sieve size % retained
retained retained passing
10mm 0 0 0 100
5mm 6 (6/307)*100=2 2 100-2=98
2.36mm 31 10.1 12 88
1.18mm 30 9.8 22 78
0.6mm 59 19.2 41 59
0.3mm 107 34.9 76 24
0.15mm 53 17.3 93 7
0.075mm 21 6.8 ---
Total=246
Total= 307 Fineness
Modulus=2.46

Fineness Modulus:
The sum of the Accumulative percentages retained on the sieves of standard series
(150, 300,600, 1.18, 2.36. 5 and up to largest sieve) used divided by 100.

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Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

Grading of fine and coarse aggregates (according to

IQS 45/80)

8
Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

Alkali- Silica Reaction

The reaction start when there is silica in the aggregate which attacks by the alkaline
hydroxide in the pore water from the alkalis ( Na 2O + K2O) in the cement. The result of this
chemical reaction is alkali- silicate gel which has unlimited swelling type. This gel is
confined by the surrounding hydrated cement paste. Internal pressure may lead to expansion
cracking of the hydrated cement.
Practical Grading:
: The most important advantages of using aggregate with grading is to obtain
reasonable workability and -1
.minimums segregation -2

*The grading of coarse aggregate is divided in to curves according to the maximum size of
coarse aggregate.
Q/ What are the effect of grading of coarse aggregate on properties of fresh concrete?
1- For the same water content the coarser grading the lesser amount of water.
2- Continuous grading gives less voids in concrete.
3- Good grading is economical because it permits lesser amount of cement in the mix.
9
Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

4- Good grading minimizes the segregation problems

5- Effect the Shrinkage of concrete

* The grading of fine aggregate, the areas between the four curves is divided to 3
zones (A, B and C) according to BS 882/ 1992, ASTM C33 and IQS No.45 is divided 4
zones.

Curve 1: represents the coarsest grading in each such grading is comparatively workable and
thus can be used for mixes with low w/c ratio or for rich mixes it is necessary that
.segregation does not take place
Curve 4: represents a fine grading, it will produce cohesive but not very workable. It is
difficult to place by hand.
Note:
Quite good concrete can be obtained with sand of zone 4 particularly using -1
vibration
2-Sand of zone 1 is more suitable for rich mixes or for use in concrete of low workability
10
Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

Q/ What are the effect of grading of fine aggregate on properties of fresh concrete?
1- The effect on workability
2- The cement content for the mix.
3- The quantity of coarse aggregate.
4- The shrinkage
5- The effect on strength

Gap Grading Aggregate:

The grading of aggregate continuous
single size
gap

Typical gap gradings

 Gap grading can be defined as a grading in which one or more intermediate size
fractions are omitted.
 Gap grading is represented by horizontal line over the range of size omitted.
 Concrete mix with gap grading aggregate gives higher workability than concrete with
continuous grading for the same aggregate/ cement ratio or w/c ratio.
 Gap grading aggregate showed greater segregation.

11
Advanced Concrete Technology
Postgraduate studies
Al Mustansiryah University / Engineering College / Civil Engineering Department
Asst. Prof. Dr. Layth A. Al- Jaberi
Aggregates

 Gap grading aggregate is recommended mainly for mixes of relatively low workability

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