CE221

Construction
Materials and
Testing

I. Aggregates
 Aggregate Types and Processing
• Aggregate – is a combination of sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag,
or other material of mineral composition, used in combination with a
binding medium to form such materials as bituminous and Portland
cement concrete, mortar, and plaster, or alone, as in railroad ballast,
filter beds, and various manufacturing processes.
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Aggregate Classification
A. Natural Aggregates
These are taken from natural deposits without change in
their nature during production, with the exception of crushing, sizing,
grading, or washing.
Examples: crushed stone pumice
gravel shells
sand iron ore
limerock
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Aggregate Classification
B. Manufactured Aggregates
Examples: blast furnace slag
clay
shale
lightweight aggregates
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Aggregate Classification
C. Further Classification

For Concrete Aggregates

1. Coarse Aggregates – defined as aggregate predominantly retained

on the No.4 (4.75-mm) sieve or that portion of an aggregate
retained on the No.4 (4.75-mm) sieve.

2. Fine Aggregates – defined as aggregate passing a 3/8-in. (9.5-mm)

sieve and almost entirely passing a No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve and
predominantly retained on the No. 200 (75-m) sieve or that portion
of an aggregate passing the No.4 (4.75-mm) sieve and retained on
the No. 200 (75-m) sieve.
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Aggregate Classification
C. Further Classification

For Bituminous Concrete Mixtures

The dividing line between fine and coarse aggregate is the

No. 8 (9.5-mm) or the No. 10 (11.8-mm) sieve.
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Processing

Objective: Obtain aggregates of the highest quality at the least cost.

The processes include:

Excavation
Transportation
Washing
Crushing
Sizing
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Processing

Excavation – the removal is carried out through the use of power

shovels, draglines, or scrapers.
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Processing

Transportation - After the aggregate is excavated, it is transported by

rail, truck or conveyor belt to the processing plant.
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Processing

Washing - Deleterious materials (clay, mud, leaves, etc.) are removed.

 Aggregate Types and Processing
Processing

Crushing - Reduce the size of the stone or gravel. Usual practice is to

reduce the size of the rock at a ratio of 1:6 or less.

Primary Crusher
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Processing

Crushing - Reduce the size of the stone or gravel. Usual practice is to

reduce the size of the rock at a ratio of 1:6 or less.

Secondary Crusher
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Processing

Sizing - Sieves are used for coarse material and hydraulic classification
for fine material.
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Particles (Rounded or Angular)

Gravel consists of naturally rounded particles resulting from

disintegration and abrasion of rock or processing of weakly
bounded conglomerate.
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Particles (Rounded or Angular)

Sand consist or rock particles that have been disintegrated naturally.;

the grains are generally angular but have been subjected to
weathering
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Particles (Rounded or Angular)

Crushed stone is a product of artificial crushing of rocks, boulders, or

large cobblestones.

Stone sand is a finely crushed rock corresponding to sand in size.

 Aggregate Types and Processing
Gradation and Aggregate Blending

Five Types of Gradation:

Dense - well or
continuously graded
aggregate (gradation
curve does not have any
abrupt slope change) 
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Gradation and Aggregate Blending

Five Types of Gradation:

Gap graded - aggregate

gradation with particles
ranging from coarse to
fine with some
intermediate sizes
missing or present in
small amounts.
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Gradation and Aggregate Blending

Five Types of Gradation:

Uniform
Well graded
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Gradation and Aggregate Blending

Five Types of Gradation:

Open graded - relatively

uniform-sized aggregate
typified by an absence of
intermediate-sized
particles (gradation curve
has a nearly vertical drop
in intermediate size
range)
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Gradation and Aggregate Blending
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Manufactured Aggregates

These are man-made aggregates.

ASTM C125 (Concrete and Concrete Aggregates)

Air-cooled blast-furnace slag – material resulting from solidification of

molten blast-furnace slag under atmospheric conditions.
Aggregate Processing
Manufactured Aggregates

These are man-made aggregates.

ASTM C125 (Concrete and Concrete Aggregates)

Air-cooled blast-furnace slag

Blast Furnace Slag is formed when iron ore or iron pellets, coke and a
flux (either limestone or dolomite) are melted together in a blast
furnace. When the metallurgical smelting process is complete, the lime
in the flux has been chemically combined with the aluminates and
silicates of the ore and coke ash to form a non-metallic product called
blast furnace slag. During the period of cooling and hardening from its
molten state, BF slag can be cooled in several ways to form any of
several types of BF slag products
 Aggregate Types and Processing
Manufactured Aggregates

These are man-made aggregates.

ASTM C125 (Concrete and Concrete Agggregates)

Lightweight aggregates – cinders, clay, shale, shells, or slag. These

type of aggregates are used to produce lightweight concrete in a
structure where dead weight is important.
 Aggregate as a base-course material
Next Meeting…
 Aggregate as a base-course material
Particle Strength,
Shape, and
Texture
 Aggregate as a base-course material
Particle Strength,
Shape, and
Texture
 Aggregate as a base-course material
Particle Strength,
Shape, and
Texture
Aggregates for Portland Cement Concrete

Aggregate Gradation becomes a key factor as it controls the workability

of the plastic concrete.

Blend of fine and coarse aggregate to achieve an economical mix.

Aggregates for Portland Cement Concrete

Fineness modulus

- denotes the relative fineness of the sand

- one-hundredth of the sum of the cumulative percentages held on the
standard sieves in a sieve test of sand.
-six sieves are used Nos. 4, 8, 16, 30, 50, and 100.
-the smaller the value of the fineness modulus, the finer the sand.
-the fineness modulus for a good sand ranges between 2.25 and 3.25.
Aggregates for Portland Cement Concrete

Fineness modulus
Aggregates for Portland Cement Concrete

Surface Texture
Requires less water, results in a lower water-cement ratio, increasing
the strength

Rough Surface
Requires more water, increasing water-cement ratio, resulting in a
weaker concrete.

Aggregate shape and surface texture influence the properties of freshly

mixed concrete more than the properties of hardened concrete.

Rough-textured, angular, and elongated particles require more water to

produce workable concrete than smooth, rounded compact aggregate.
Aggregates for Portland Cement Concrete

Surface Texture
Requires less water, results in a lower water-cement ratio, increasing
the strength

Rough Surface
Requires more water, increasing water-cement ratio, resulting in a
weaker concrete.

Particle shape influences the workability of the concrete mix, but the
interlocking characteristic needed for base-course material is not
important here.

Angular aggregates requires require more mortar to fill voids and

separate aggregate particles for workability.
 Aggregates for Bituminous Mixtures
The influence of aggregates on the properties and performance of
bituminous mixes is great. The ideal aggregate for a bituminous mix
would have:

Proper gradation and size

Strong and tough
Angular in particle shape
Low porosity
Surfaces that are free of dirt
Rough texture
Hydrophobic nature
 Aggregates for Bituminous Mixtures
Aggregate gradation and size

A high quality bituminous mix that is to be used as a pavement for

heavy traffic will generally utilize a dense-graded aggregate (a well-
graded aggregate from coarse to fine)

Leave sufficient room for the asphalt cement. Best procedure would be
to open the grading somewhat more than the maximum by the
addition of fines (material less than the No. 200 sieve).
 Aggregates for Bituminous Mixtures
Strength, Toughness, Shape, and Porosity

The aggregate in a bituminous mix, unlike that in Portland cement

concrete, supplies most of the stability and thus should have a
certain amount of strength and toughness; otherwise, loss of
stability will result.

Particle shape is more important than other properties when it comes

to bituminous mixes. When rounded aggregates are used in an
open-mix gradation, very little stability is achieved.

Porosity of the aggregate strongly affects the economics of the mix.

The higher the porosity, the more asphalt will be absorbed Ito the
aggregate, thus requiring a higher percent of asphalt in the mix
design. Selective absorption could lead to stripping of the aggregate
from the asphalt cement.
 Aggregates for Beneficiation
In various parts of the country, sound aggregates are scarce and
transportation costs for this good aggregate are expensive. In a
few of these cases the aggregate can be beneficiated so that it
becomes a useful economical product.

In the beneficiating of aggregates, several processes have been

developed:

1. Washing
2. Heavy-media separation
3. Elastic fractionation
4. Jigging
 Aggregates for Beneficiation
Washing

Undesirable aggregates are washed to remove the particle coatings or

to change the gradation. Stokes’s law can also be used to remove
certain fractions of the fine aggregate by differential settlement.

For water at 77F (25C) and using 2.65 as the specific gravity of sand,
Stokes’s law is

V = 9000D2

where V = velocity of settlement

D = particle diameter
 Aggregates for Beneficiation
Heavy-Media Separation

This utilizes the principle that the specific gravity of much deleterious
material is lighter than the specific gravity of sound aggregate.

In this method, referred to as the sink float method, the suspension is

composed of water and magnetite. It is maintained at a specific
gravity that will allow the deleterious material to float to the top and
the sound material to sink.
 Aggregates for Beneficiation
Elastic Fractionation

A procedure whereby heavy but soft particles can be removed.

Aggregates fall on an inclined plate, and their quality is measured
by the distance they bounce from the surface.
Poor, soft particles bounce only a short distance, whereas the harder,
sound aggregate particles bounce much farther.

Jigging

This is a specific-gravity method of removing light particles such as

coal, lignite, or sticks. Upward pulsations created by air tend to
hinder settlement of lighter particles, which are removed by
shimming devices.
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates

Special Emphasis on the following categories:

1. Tests concerning the general quality of aggregates.

2. Tests concerning deleterious materials in aggregates.
3. Tests used in the design of Portland cement concrete and
bituminous mix design.
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates

Tests concerning the general quality of aggregates

ASTM C88
Soundness of aggregates by use of sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate

Objective: To determine the potential resistance of an aggregate to

weathering.

Procedure:
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates
Tests concerning deleterious materials in aggregates

ASTM C117
Materials finer than no. 200 (75-m) sieve in mineral aggregates by washing

Objective: To purpose of this test is to determine the amount of material finer than a No. 200
(75-m) sieve in aggregate by washing.

Procedure:
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates
Tests concerning deleterious materials in aggregates

ASTM C117
Materials finer than no. 200 (75-m) sieve in mineral aggregates by washing

The amount of material passing a No. 200 (75-m) sieve, by washing to the nearest 0.1 percent, is calculated as follows:

where A = percentage of material finer than a No. 200 (75-m) sieve,

by washing
B = original dry weight of sample, grams
C = dry weight of sample, after washing, grams

B C
A x100
B
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates
Tests concerning deleterious materials in aggregates

ASTM C40
Organic Impurities in sands for concrete

Objective: To approximately determine the presence of injurous orgaic compounds in natural

sands that are to be used in cmeent mortar or concrete.

Procedure:
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates
Tests used in the Design of Concrete Mixes (Portland Cement/Bituminous)

ASTM C127
Specific gravity and absorption of coarse aggregates

Objective: To ultimately determine the solid volume of coarse aggregate and the unit volume of the dry
rodded aggregate such that a weight-volume characteristic can be determined for a concrete design
mix.

Procedure:
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates

Tests used in the Design of Concrete Mixes (Portland Cement/Bituminous)

ASTM C127
Specific gravity and absorption of coarse aggregates
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates

Tests used in the Design of Concrete Mixes (Portland Cement/Bituminous)

ASTM C127
Specific gravity and absorption of coarse aggregates

The bulk and apparent specific gravity and the percent absorption are
determined as follows:

A
bulk specific gravity 
B C
where A = weight of oven-dry specimen in air, grams
B = weight of saturated-surface dry specimen in air, grams
C = weight of saturated specimen in water, grams
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates

Moisture conditions of aggregate

1. Ovendry—fully absorbent
2. Air dry—dry at the particle surface but containing some interior moisture,
thus still somewhat absorbent
3. Saturated surface dry (SSD)—neither absorbing water from nor contributing
water to the concrete mixture
4. Damp or wet—containing an excess of moisture on the surface (free water)
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates

Tests used in the Design of Concrete Mixes (Portland Cement/Bituminous)

ASTM C127
Specific gravity and absorption of coarse aggregates

B
bulk specific gravity (saturated-surface-dry)  x100
B C
A
apparent specific gravity 
AC
B A
absorption  x100
A
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates

Tests used in the Design of Concrete Mixes (Portland Cement/Bituminous)

ASTM C128
Specific gravity and absorption of fine aggregates

Objective: To determine the bulk and apparent specific gravity of fine

aggregate as well as the absorption.

Procedure:
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates
Tests used in the Design of Concrete Mixes (Portland Cement/Bituminous)

ASTM C128
Specific gravity and absorption of fine aggregates

The bulk specific gravity, bulk saturated-surface-dry specific gravity, apparent specific gravity, and the absorption are calculated as follows:

where A = weight of oven-dry specimen in air, grams

B = weight of pycnometer filled with water, grams
C = weight of pycnometer with specimen and water to calibration mark, grams

A
bulk specific gravity 
B  500  C
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates

Tests used in the Design of Concrete Mixes (Portland Cement/Bituminous)

ASTM C128
Specific gravity and absorption of fine aggregates
500
bulk saturated-surface-dry specific gravity 
B  500  C

A
apparent specific gravity 
B  AC

500  A
absorption  x100
A
 ASTM Test Specifications for Aggregates

Tests used in the Design of Concrete Mixes (Portland Cement/Bituminous)

ASTM C29
Unit weight of aggregate

Objective: To determine the unit weight of fine, coarse, or mixed aggregate.

Procedure:
 Problems
1. What is the difference between a natural aggregate and a
manufactured aggregate?
2. Aggregates may be classified as fine aggregate or coarse
aggregate; explain the difference.
3. Explain how aggregates are processed for use as a portland
cement concrete ingredient or as a bituminous concrete
ingredient.
4. How does particle shape affect the use of aggregate in base-
course materials? In Portland cement concrete? In bituminous
concrete?
5. Why is gradation important in Portland cement concrete?
6. Review several references and explain why aggregate
beneficiation is necessary. Include in your report the methods
used for aggregate beneficiating.
Basic Aggregate Properties
Basic Aggregate Properties
 Aggregate Properties
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.
 Aggregate Properties

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.
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.
 Aggregate Properties

Toughness, Hardness, and Abrasion Resistance

The Los Angeles abrasion test (ASTM C131, C535)

evaluates the aggregates’ toughness and abrasion
resistance. In this test, aggregates blended to a fixed size
distribution are placed in a large steel drum with standard
sized steel balls that act as an abrasive charge (see Figure
5.8). The drum is rotated, typically for 500 revolutions.
The material is recovered from the machine and passed
through a sieve that retains all of the original material. The
percentage weight loss is the LA abrasion number.
 Aggregate Properties
Toughness, Hardness, and Abrasion Resistance