ITEM 311 – PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE PAVEMENT

311.1 Description

This Item shall consist of pavement of Portland Cement Concrete, with or without reinforcement, constructed on the
prepared base in accordance with this Specification and in conformity with lines, grades, thickness and typical crosssection
shown on the Plans.

311.2 Material Requirements

311.2.1 Portland Cement

It shall conform to the applicable requirements of Item 700, Hydraulic Cement. Only Type I Portland Cement shall be used
unless otherwise provided for in the Special Provisions. Different brands or the same brands from different mills shall not
be mixed nor shall they be used alternately unless the mix is approved by the Engineer. However, the use of Portland
Pozzolan Cement Type IP meeting the requirements of AASHTO M 240/ASTM C 695, Specifications for Blended Hydraulic
Cement shall be allowed, provided that trial mixes shall be done and that the mixes meet the concrete strength
requirements, the AASHTO/ASTM provisions pertinent to the use of Portland Pozzolan Type IP shall be adopted.]

Cement which for any reason, has become partially set or which contains lumps of caked cement will be rejected. Cement
salvaged from discarded or used bags shall not be used.

Samples of Cement shall be obtained in accordance with AASHTO T 127.

311.2.2 Fine Aggregate

It shall consist of natural sand, stone screenings or other inert materials with similar characteristics, or combinations
thereof, having hard, strong and durable particles. Fine aggregate from different sources of supply shall not be mixed or
stored in the same pile nor used alternately in the same class of concrete without the approval of the Engineer.

It shall not contain more than three (3) mass percent of material passing the 0.075 mm (No. 200 sieve) by washing nor
more than one (1) mass percent each of clay lumps or shale. The use of beach sand will not be allowed without the
approval of the Engineer.

If the fine aggregate is subjected to five (5) cycles of the sodium sulfate soundness test, the weighted loss shall not exceed
10 mass percent.

The fine aggregate shall be free from injurious amounts of organic impurities. If subjected to the colorimatic test for
organic impurities and a color darker than the standard is produced, it shall be rejected. However, when tested for the
effect of organic impurities of strength of mortar by AASHTO T 71, the fine aggregate may be used if the relative strength
at 7 and 28 days is not less than 95 mass percent.

The fine aggregate shall be well-graded from coarse to fine and shall conform to Table 311.1

311.2.3 Coarse Aggregate

It shall consist of crushed stone, gravel, blast furnace slag, or other approved inert materials of similar characteristics, or
combinations thereof, having hard, strong, durable pieces and free from any adherent coatings.

It shall contain not more than one (1) mass percent of material passing the 0.075 mm (No. 200) sieve, not more than
0.25 mass percent of clay lumps, nor more than 3.5 mass percent of soft fragments.

If the coarse aggregate is subjected to five (5) cycles of the sodium sulfate soundness test, the weighted loss shall not
exceed 12 mass percent.

It shall have a mass percent of wear not exceeding 40 when tested by AASHTO T 96.
If the slag is used, its density shall not be less than 1120 kg/m3 (70 lb./cu. ft.). The gradation of the coarse aggregate
shall conform to Table 311.2. Only one grading specification shall be used from any one source.

311.2.4 Water

Water used in mixing, curing or other designated application shall be reasonably clean and free of oil, salt, acid, alkali,
grass or other substances injurious to the finished product. Water will be tested in accordance with and shall meet the
requirements of Item 714, Water. Water which is drinkable may be used without test. Where the source of water is
shallow, the intake shall be so enclosed as to exclude silt, mud, grass or other foreign materials.

311.2.11 Proportioning, Consistency and Strength of Concrete

The Contractor shall prepare the design mix based on the absolute volume method as outlined in the American Concrete
Institute (ACI) Standard 211.1, “Recommended Practice for Selecting Proportions for Normal and Heavyweight
Concrete”.

It is the intent of this Specification to require at least 364 kg of cement per cubic meter of concrete to meet the
minimum strength requirements. The Engineer shall determine from laboratory tests of the materials to be used, the
cement content and the proportions of aggregate and water that will produce workable concrete having a slump of
between 40 and 75 mm (1-1/2 and 3 inches) if not vibrated or between 10 and 40 mm (1/2 and 1-1/2 inches) if vibrated,
and a flexural strength of not less than 3.8 MPa (550 psi) when tested by the third-point method or 4.5 MPa (650 psi)
when tested by the mid-point method at fourteen (14) days in accordance with AASHTO T97 and T177, respectively; or a
compressive strength of 24.1 MPa (3500 psi) for cores taken at fourteen (14) days and tested in accordance with
AASHTO T24.

Slump shall be determined using AASHTO T 119.

The designer shall consider the use of lean concrete (econocrete) mixtures using local materials or specifically modified
conventional concrete mixes in base course and in the lower course composite, monolithic concrete pavements using a
minimum of 75 mm (3 inches) of conventional concrete as the surface course.

The mix design shall be submitted to the Engineer for approval and shall be accompanied with certified test data from
an approved laboratory demonstrating the adequacy of the mix design. A change in the source of materials during the
progress of work may necessitate a new design mix.

311.3.10 Test Specimens

As work progresses, at least one (1) set consisting of three (3) concrete beam test specimens, 150 mm x 150 mm x 525
mm or 900 mm shall be taken from each 330 m2 of pavement, 230 mm depth, or fraction thereof placed each day. Test
specimens shall be made under the supervision of the Engineer, and the Contractor shall provide all concrete and other
facilities necessary in making the test specimens and shall protect them from damage by construction operations.
Cylinder samples shall not be used as substitute for determining the adequacy of the strength of concrete.

The beams shall be made, cured, and tested in accordance with AASHTO T 23 and T 97.