Aggregates for concrete

Dr Mizan Ahmed
Acknowledgment to Prof. Faiz Shaikh

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 Constituents and concrete:

• Aggregate – coarse and fine

• Cement/ cementitious materials
• Water
• Admixtures

Forms a matrix. Strength is dependent on strength of individual elements and

their interaction.
 Aggregates
• Form up to 80% of volume of concrete
• Can effect
◦Properties of hardened concrete
◦Workability in fluid state

Two types:
• Coarse aggregate (size > 5 mm)
• Fine aggregate (Size < 5mm)
 Aggregate properties
⚫Tests in AS1141
• Grading
• Particle shape and surface texture All affect Hardened concrete
• Density affect Plastic concrete
• Water absorption
• Dimensional stability
• Abrasion Resistance
• Soundness
• Strength and rigidity
• Reactivity
• Thermal expansion
• colour
Requirements of Aggregates
• Grading
• Size & distribution of sizes
• Aggregate grading significantly influences the water demand and
workability of concrete
• Ultimately, it may affect the strength and other properties of hardened
concrete
Sieve analysis
• It provide different grading of aggregates and their fineness modulus.
• Dividing a sample of aggregate into same size portions
• Different sieve sizes nested
• Smallest sieve at bottom
• Mass retained on each sieve represents fraction
• Air dry to avoid lumps of fine particles
• Coarse aggregates > 5mm
• Fine aggregates < 5mm and > 75 m
• Silt < 75 m and > 2 m
• Clay < 2 m
 AS2758.1 standard sieve sizes

⚫Coarse aggregates ⚫Fine aggregates

◦75 mm
◦53 mm ◦9.5 mm
◦37.6 mm ◦4.75 mm
◦26.5 mm ◦2.36 mm
◦19 mm ◦1.18 mm
◦13.2 mm ◦600 m
◦9.5 mm ◦300 m
◦6.7 mm ◦150 m
◦4.75 mm ◦75 m
◦2.36 mm
◦75 m
AS 2758.1 grading requirements
AS 2758.1 grading requirements
Example of Sieve Analysis
Fineness Modulus
⚫Measure of the fineness or coarseness of the
aggregates.
⚫Sum of cumulative percentages retained on standard
sieves divided by 100
◦19mm High value
◦9.5mm From coarser aggregates
◦4.75 mm
◦2.36 mm
◦1.18 mm
◦600  m
◦300  m
◦150  m
 Example of Fineness Modulus

◦Not unique
◦Measures variations
◦Differentiates coarse & fine
 Maximum size and nominal size
• Maximum size
• Smallest sieve opening through which all material will pass
• Nominal size
• Whole number above smallest sieve opening through which nearly all
material will pass
Grading Curves
⚫Graphical presentation of sieve analysis
◦Logarithm of size gives even progression
◦Can readily see whether grading is satisfactory
 Types of grading curves
• Gap grading: One or more intermediate size fractions are omitted.
• On grading curve, the gap grading is represented by a horizontal line
over the range of sizes omitted. These mixes can be prone to
segregation during placement.
• Continuously graded is used to describe the conventional grading used
in concrete.

✓
Grading Curves 2
• Uniform grading:
• Refers to a gradation that contains most of the particles in a very
narrow size range. The curve is steep and only occupies the narrow size
range specified. A particle-size distribution of aggregate in which all
fractions are present without a preponderance of any one size or group
of sizes.

✓
Aggregate Grading
• Influences water demand
• Important for workability
• Affects water/cement ratio – hence strength
• Affects tendency to bleed or segregate
• Continuous, smooth grading curve
• Fewer voids
• Good workability with lower cement content
• Economical mixes
 Ideal Grading Curves
• Coarser grading
• Lower cement content required
• Harsher mix – difficult to place and finish
• Will bleed excessively

• Finer grading
• Larger particle surface area needs extra cement – uneconomical
• Easy to finish but may need too much water to give good strength

• No ideal grading curve

• Many different combinations of grading curves will give excellent
concrete
• Particle shape and surface texture
• Smooth, rounded best workability
• Rough, cubical best strength

• Density
• May be important in some applications.
• Particle density: Mass of a quantity of oven-dried particles divide by
their saturated surface dried volumes.
• Bulk density: Mass of a unit volume of oven-dried aggregates. It can
be determined with aggregate in either its compacted or loos state.
Particle shape:
Classification of shape characteristics:
Three methods are outlined here.
• Angularity number
• The percentage voids ratio of the least angular (most rounded)
aggregate is about 33%. The angularity number is defined as the
amount by which the percentage of voids exceeds 33. The more angular
the aggregate, the higher the angularity number (range 0-12).

• P.D. = particle density

• The number 67 represents the percentage solid volume of the most
rounded gravel (ie: percentage voids is 33)
Flakiness Index
• It is the percentage, by volume or by weight, of flaky particles, whose
least dimension (thickness) is less than 0.6 of its mean dimension. The
mean dimension is defined as the mean of the smallest sieve size through
which the particle passes and the largest sieve on which it is retained.

• The presence of flaky particles in excess of 10-15% of wt. of coarse

aggregates is considered undesirable.
Aschenbrenner and Zingg Classification

Can be used to describe the shape of a

particle. Provides an indication of the
proportion of particles with an undesirable
shape.
a = longest dimension of a particle
b = intermediate dimension
c = shortest dimension
p = c/b = flatness ratio
q = b/a= elongation ratio
• Water absorption
• Water retained in aggregate affects the water required for the
mix
• Affects workability and strength
• In the mix design, the moisture content of the aggregates in
saturated surface dry condition is first determined.
• If the moisture content of the aggregates is less than above,
additional water need to be added to avoid the loss of
workability.
• Dimensional stability
• Swelling or shrinkage in aggregates is bad
• Aggregates that swell or shrink as they take up or loose water contributed to
concrete shrinkage.

• Abrasion resistance
• Resistance to breaking down to fines during handling or mixing
• The Los Angeles test according to AS1141.23 is the most common method of
testing the abrasion resistance of coarse aggregates.
• The higher the Los Angeles value, the more prone the aggregate to degradation
and the less suitable it is to produce highly durable concrete.
• Soundness
• It is the ability of aggregates to withstand the aggressive actions
(freeze and thaw, chemicals, weather, etc.)
• Durability in hardened concrete
• Strength and Rigidity
• Strength of aggregates influence strength of completed concrete
• Aggregates influence the drying shrinkage of the concrete by
restraining the shrinkage of the cement paste.
• The rigidity of the aggregates will influence its restraining effect.
• The higher the modulus of elasticity of aggregates the more effective
it will be in reducing the shrinkage of concrete.
• Reactivity
◦Reactions between aggregate and alkalies from cement or other sources.
◦Expansion leads to cracking, loss of strength
◦Alkali carbonate reaction is between certain dolomitic limestone and alkalies
in the pore solution in the concrete.
◦Alkali silica reaction is between alkalies in the pore solution in the concrete
and aggregates containing certain form of reactive silica
◦Organic matters, e.g.
➢ Decaying vegetables: capable of delaying Setting and
hardening of concrete.
➢ Aggregates dredged from sea may
contain high proportions of chloride ions.
• Thermal Expansion
• Expansion causes differential stresses on curing
• Colour
◦Architectural requirement
◦Important for fines
⚫Mechanics of granular materials
General definitions:
• Density:
• Particle Density (also often referred to as relative density)
• Defined as the mass of a quantity of oven-dried particles divided by
their saturated surface dried volume.
• Measured in kg/m^3 or kg/l

• Bulk density (unit mass)

• Defined as the mass of a unit volume of oven-dried aggregate.

• Depends on how closely packed the solid material is (compaction).

• Can determine loose, insitu or compacted bulk density.
• Measured in kg/m^3 or kg/l
 Compaction:
• Compaction is the process of excluding voids from the material by means of
inducing closer packing of the particles.
• The highest attainable state of compaction in a given volume of material
occurs when the centre of gravity of each particle occupies the lowest
available position.
• Compaction increases the number of contact points between particles and
therefore reduces inter-particle contact forces for a given load applied to the
mass and so increases the load-bearing capacity of the mass.
• Common Aggregate sources
• Natural sands and gravels
• Crushed rock
• Manufactured aggregates
 Natural sands and gravels
• Stream beds
• Best aggregates – rounded clean
• Strong – weak material removed by erosion
• Dunes
• Sorted by wind – single sized
• Alluvial deposits
• Flood plains and river beds
• May contain different sized rocks
• Marine deposits
• Sea and lake beds - chlorides
Crushed rock

• Can produce in any required size and grading

• Igneous rocks – from molten minerals (eg: granite, basalt, diorite)
• Some minerals may be reactive
Crushed rock

• Sedimentary rocks – from cemented soils (eg. limestone or sandstones)

• Check hardness of each rock type

• Metamorphic rocks – pre-existing rocks under heat and pressure

• Flaky particle shapes
• Recycled tyre as aggregates
• Can be used as coarse or fine aggregates
• Sustainable solution to recycle old tyres
• Improves energy absorption capacity of the concrete

Image source: Quan et al [1]

• Applications
• Blast resistance panels
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7PdWJn7e0Q
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFryH8-y_0Q
• Crashworthy roadside barriers
• https://youtu.be/bb39h1P3Mi4

Fig. Crashworthy roadside barriers using recycled tyres developed at Curtin University by Dr Mizan Ahmed
• Recycled aggregates
• Sourced from construction and demolition waste including recycled
concrete, brick and masonry
• An ideal solution to preserve natural aggregate resources, reduce
demand of landfill
• Widely used for path, footpath, parking bay, pavements etc.
• Affect the mechanical properties of concrete

Image source: Boral [2]

• Manufacturing process of recycled aggregates
• Stationary or mobile facilities
• In stationary facility, construction and demolition waste needs to be
transported to the facility and processed.
• In mobile facility, construction and demolition waste can be processed on
site for construction directly.
• Wood chips and saw dust as aggregates

• Can be used as coarse or fine aggregates

• Sustainable solution to recycle wood or timber that goes to landfill
• Affect the mechanical properties of concrete

Image source: Google

Lightweight Aggregate
• has a bulk density lower than that of common construction aggregates
• Manufactured from gasification slag and fly ash
• has high porosity, small apparent density, big water absorption, and low strength.
• often used in applications where weight is a factor.
• can be divided into three types by their sources such as
(a) Industrial waste: processed by industrial wastes, such as fly ash ceramisite, cinder
and light sand, etc.
(b) Natural aggregate: processed by natural porous stone, such as pumice, volcanic
cinder, and light sand, etc.
(c) Artificial lightweight aggregate: made by local materials, such as clay ceramisite,
and expanded perlite, etc.
• References:

[1] Quan, E., Xu, H. and Sun, Z., 2022. Composition Optimization and
Damping Performance Evaluation of Porous Asphalt Mixture Containing
Recycled Crumb Rubber. Sustainability, 14(5), p.2696.
[2] https://www.boral.com.au/products/quarry-materials/recycled/recycled-
aggregates
[3] Mueller, A., Sokolova, S.N. and Vereshagin, V.I., 2008. Characteristics of
lightweight aggregates from primary and recycled raw
materials. Construction and Building Materials, 22(4), pp.703-712.
[4] Wang, B., Yan, L., Fu, Q. and Kasal, B., 2021. A comprehensive review
on recycled aggregate and recycled aggregate concrete. Resources,
Conservation and Recycling, 171, p.105565.