ARUSHATECHNICALCOLLEGE

CIVIL & TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENTS

CEMENT CONCRETE MIX DESIGN

1 March 4, 2025
 CEMENT CONCRETE MIX DESIGN
2

Concrete mix design is the process of finding the

proportions in which the concrete materials
(cement, water, fine aggregates and course
aggregates) should be combined in order to
provide the required strength, workability, durability
and other specified properties

March 4, 2025
Factors affecting the choice of mix proportions
3

 The various factors which affect mix design are:

 Compressive strength

 Workability

 Durability

 Maximum nominal size of aggregate

 Grading and type of aggregates

March 4, 2025
 Requirements of concrete mix design
4

The requirements which forms the basis of selection and

proportioning of mix ingredients are;
 Minimum compressive strength

 Adequate workability for full compaction

 Maximum water cement ratio to give adequate durability

for particular conditions
 Maximum cement to avoid shrinkage

March 4, 2025
 Methods of Concrete Mix Design
5

Several methods are employed when performing concrete

mix design
• A.C.I.(Absolute Volume) Method.

• British Method (DOE)

• I.S. Method

March 4, 2025
 ACI Method
6

The concrete proportions must be selected to

provide workability, consistency, density,
strength, and durability, for the particular
application
The absolute volume method is used. In order
to use this method, certain physical
properties of the materials need to be
determined in the laboratory before
designing the mix.
March 4, 2025
 ACI Method cont…
7
These are as follows:
 Apparent specific gravity of Portland cement

 Bulk specific gravities and percent of moisture present in the

saturated surface dry (SSD) condition for both the coarse and
fine aggregates
 Rodded unit weight of the course aggregate

 Fineness modulus of fine aggregate

 Free moisture present in both the coarse and the fine

aggregates
March 4, 2025
 ACI Method cont…
8

 Design Data

 The following specifications are required

 Strength of the concrete

 Maximum water cement ratio

 Minimum cement content

 Air content

 Slump (workability)

 Maximum size of aggregate

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design
9
Step 1. Strength of the concrete
The characteristic strength of the concrete is the give strength differ from
the design compressive strength.
Target mean strength of concrete. Is the strength targeted from
the mix design trials.
 Ft = fc + k
 where,
Ft = target mean compressive strength at 28 days,
Fc = Characteristic compressive strength of concrete at 28 days,
k = as per is ACI
7Mpa for Fc<=21Mpa
8.5 Mpa for Fc=21-35Mpa
for Fc>35Mpa Ft = 1.1fc + 5Mpa
Otherwise use table 7
March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design
10

Step 2:Slump.

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design cont..
11

 Step 3: Maximum aggregate size

 The nominal maximum size of aggregates are 10, 20, 25,

30, 40

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design cont..
12

Step 4: Mixing water and air content

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design cont..
13

Step 5: Water cement ratio

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design cont..
14

Step 5: Water cement ratio cont…

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design cont...
15

Step 6: Estimation of cement content

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design cont..
16
Step 7: Coarse aggregate

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design cont..
17
Step 8: Fine aggregate

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design cont..
18

Step 9: Adjustment for moisture in the aggregate

March 4, 2025
 Procedure ACI Mix Design cont..
19

Step 10: Summary of mix design

March 4, 2025
20 March 4, 2025
21 March 4, 2025
22 March 4, 2025
23 March 4, 2025
24 March 4, 2025
25 March 4, 2025
26 March 4, 2025
27 March 4, 2025
Concrete mix design example using ACI method
Mix Component Properties:
Concrete characteristic strength of concrete 25N/mm2

Cement ;Type: 43, Specific Gravity: 3.150

Coarse Aggregate: Nominal Maximum Particle Size:

10 mm, SSD Bulk Specific Gravity: 2.660, %
Absorption Capacity: 3.50%, Dry-Rodded Density:
1.530 Mg/m3

Fine Aggregate; SSD Bulk Specific Gravity: 2.700, %

Absorption Capacity: 1.50%, Fineness Modulus: 2.700

28 March 4, 2025
Desired mix properties
A non-air-entrained concrete with a slump in the 80
to 100 mm range and a water/cement ratio of 0.5 is
required.

29 March 4, 2025
30 March 4, 2025
2. Mass of mixing water in 1m3 ( table 11)
{consider non-air-entrained, Nominal Maximum size =
10mm and slump between 80 & 100 mm}
= 228kg (0.228m3)

3.Volume of air in 1 m3 of mix is 3.0% of 1 m3 or

0.030 m3 (Table 11 for non-air-entrained, Nominal
Maximum size = 10mm)

31 March 4, 2025
4. Cement content
w/c = 0.5, the c = 228/0.5 = 456kg
Volume of cement = 456/3150 = 0.145m3
5. Coarse aggregate content
Volume of dry rodded aggregate = 0.47m3 (table 5 for
nominal max size 10, fineness modulus 2.7)
SSD mass of coarse aggregate = 0.47 m3 x 1530 kg/m3 = 719

kg
SSD volume of coarse aggregate 719kg/2660 kg/m 3 = 0.270

m3
32 March 4, 2025
6. Fine aggregates content
 Sum of known volumes = (0.228 + 0.030 + 0.145 +

0.270) m3 = 0.673 m3
SSD volume of fine aggregate = 1 – 0.673 m 3 =

0.327 m3
SSD mass of fine aggregate = 0.327 m 3 x 2700

kg/m3 = 883 kg

33 March 4, 2025
7. Density of fresh concrete
 Total mass of 1 m3 of mix = (228 + 456 + 719 +

883) kg = 2286 kg/m3

34 March 4, 2025
Adjustments for aggregates moisture

Aggregate weights. Aggregate volumes are

calculated based on oven dry unit weights, but
aggregate is typically batched based on actual
weight. Therefore, any moisture in the aggregate will
increase its weight and stockpiled aggregates almost
always contain some moisture. Without correcting for
this, the batched aggregate volumes will be incorrect

35 March 4, 2025
Amount of mixing water.
If the batched aggregate is anything but saturated
surface dry it will absorb water (if oven dry or air dry)
or give up water (if wet) to the cement paste. This
causes a net change in the amount of water available
in the mix and must be compensated for by adjusting
the amount of mixing water added.

36 March 4, 2025
37 March 4, 2025
Summary of ingredient

Coarse aggregate = 694 kg /2660 = 0.261m 3

Fine aggregate = 870kg/2700 = 0.322m3
Water = 266/1000 = =.266m3
Total = 1m3

Mix ratio: 0.145: 0.322: 0.261

1:1.9:1.54
38 March 4, 2025
 BRITISH METHOD (DOE)
39
This method,the proportional of ingredient is carried out by
mass. In order to use this method, certain physical properties
of the materials need to be determined in the laboratory
before designing the mix for strength and durability. The
laboratory tests are -:
Saturated surface dry Specific gravity of course (SSD)
Sieve analysis of course aggregate for determining the
maximum size of aggregates and percentage passing
on 600µm
Water absorption
Compressive strength
Shape tests (flakiness and Elongation index)

March 4, 2025
 British Method (DOE)
Procedure of DOE mix design

DOE mix design generally involves the following stages:

 Determine the target strength

 Determine the water/cement ratio according to the target

strength, types of cement and aggregate

Determine water content, W, from required workability, size

and type of aggregate

 Determine cement content, C, from water cement ratio and

water content.

40 March 4, 2025
Procedure of DOE mix design cont…

Estimate the density of wet fresh concrete, D, based

on relative density of combined aggregate and water

content.
 Determine the total aggregate content from D, C and

W
Determine the proportion of fine aggregate according

to the fineness of fine aggregate, maximum

aggregate size, slump and W/C
41 March 4, 2025
 Concrete mix design(DOE) cont…
42

Data required for mix design

Characteristic strength of concrete (Fcu/grade of concrete)
Slump required for required structure (mm)
Type of exposure
Degree of site control which are 10%,5%,2.5% or 1%
Choose constant K for degree of control
K=1.28 for 10% degree of control
K=1.64 for 5% degree of control
K=1.96 for 2.5% degree of control
K=2.33 for 1% degree of control
Grade of Cement

March 4, 2025
43

March 4, 2025
 (Doe) Mix design procedure
44

1.0 Determine the target means strength

Fm=Fc +Ks
Fm target mean strength
Fc characteristic strength or concrete strength
K is the constant
S standard deviatiation
S =3.5 for C10 or C15 ,S= 4.0 for C20 or C25
and S=5.0 for C30,C35,C40,C45
If no previous or trial S=8 (fg3)

March 4, 2025
(Doe) Mix design procedure cont…
45

March 4, 2025
 (Doe) Mix design procedure cont…
46

2.0 Choose W/C ratio for required

durability (fig 4)
If maximum w/c ratio is not provided start with
0.5 and minimum w/c ratio obtained fr0m fm.

3.0 Determine water required for

workability (slump table 3)
The water required depends on size of
aggregates and source of production(crushed
or uncrushed)

March 4, 2025
 (Doe) Mix design procedure cont…
47

4. Determine the cement contents for

minimum w/c and maximum w/c
Minimum cement use min W/C and Maximum
cement use min W/C then the greater value
should be taken as cement contents.
5.0 determine the concrete density(fig 5)
By using the value of saturated surface dry
specific gravity of aggregate(SSD) and free
water contents

March 4, 2025
 (Doe) Mix design procedure cont…
48

6. Determine the total aggregate contents

Aggregates (fine and course)
=concrete density-Mass of water-mass of
cement.

7.0 determine the percentage of fine

aggregates (fig 6)
This is obtained by using the % of fine
aggregates passing 600µm,maximum size of
aggregates and slump chosen for workability and the
% of course aggregates can be obtained
March 4, 2025
 (Doe) Mix design procedure cont…
49

8. Determine the mass (kg) for each

ingredient.
Cement
water
fine aggregates
course aggregates
Table and figure for Bs (doe) mix design.pdf

March 4, 2025
 Example 2
50

Design the cement concrete of C30 for the

following data, exposure condition moderate,
slump required 30-40, degree of site control
5%, grade of cement 42.5 SSD of course
aggregate 2.6 and passing on 0.6mm is 65%
and maximum size of aggregate is 20mm.

March 4, 2025
 51

n d “
“ E n d
tt e r a n
r b e u c ti o
Fo on s tr
i x
m y c te m
n o r e
eco n t c o n c
ta n t
e m e m p o r
C n i s i
d es i g

March 4, 2025