Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

Concrete Technology
Module 4

Mix design: Factors in the choice of mix proportions, Durability of concrete, Quality Control
of concrete, Statistical methods, Acceptance criteria, Proportioning of concrete mixes by
various methods, BIS method of mix design.
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

Durability of Concrete
Durability of concrete is determined by its ability to resist weathering action, chemical attack,
abrasion, or any other process of deterioration, and will retain its original form, quality, and
serviceability when exposed to its environment. Durable concrete is a result of proper design,
proportioning, placement, finishing, testing, inspection, and curing.

Concrete will remain durable if:

• The cement paste structure is dense and of low permeability
• Under extreme conditions, it has entrained air to resist the freeze-thaw cycle.
• It is made with graded aggregate that is strong and inert
• The ingredients in the mix contain minimum impurities such as alkalis, Chlorides,
sulphates and silt.

Types of Durability
There are many types but the major ones are:
1. Physical durability of concrete
2. Chemical durability of concrete
Physical Durability
Physical durability is against the following actions
1. Freezing and thawing action
2. Percolation/Permeability of water
3. Temperature stresses i.e. high heat of hydration
Chemical Durability
Chemical durability is against the following actions
1. Alkali Aggregate Reaction
2. Sulphate Attack
3. Chloride Ingress
4. Delay Ettringite Formation
5. Corrosion of reinforcement

Factors affecting the durability of concrete

Durability of Concrete depends upon the following factors:
Cement content
Mix must be designed to ensure cohesion and prevent segregation and bleeding. If cement is
reduced, then at a fixed w/c ratio the workability will be reduced leading to inadequate
compaction. However, if water is added to improve workability, the water/cement ratio
increases and resulting in highly permeable material.
Compaction
The concrete as a whole contains voids that can be caused by inadequate compaction. Usually,
it is governed by the compaction type of equipment used, type of formworks, and density of
the steelwork.
Curing
It is very important to permit proper strength development to aid moisture retention and to
ensure the hydration process occurs completely.
Cover
The thickness of the concrete cover must follow the limits set in the codes.
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

Permeability
It is considered the most important factor for durability. It can be noticed that higher
permeability is usually caused by higher porosity. Therefore, proper curing, sufficient cement,
proper compaction and suitable concrete cover could provide a low-permeability concrete.

Causes for the Lack of Durability in Concrete

External Causes:
1. Extreme Weathering Conditions
2. Extreme Temperature
3. Extreme Humidity
4. Abrasion
5. Attack by natural or industrial liquids or gases

Internal Causes
a) Physical
• Volume change due to difference in thermal properties of aggregates and cement paste
• Frost Action
b) Chemical
• Alkali Aggregate Reactions
i. Alkali-Silica Reaction
ii. Alkali Silicate Reaction
iii. Alkali Carbonate Reaction
• Corrosion of Steel

Strength and Durability Relationship

In the previous paragraphs, we have been discussing all the time that although the strength of
concrete has a direct relationship with durability it does not hold gold in all situations. This
aspect needs a little more discussion.
• Generally, the construction industry needs faster development of strength in concrete
so that the projects can be completed in time or before time. This demand is catered by
high early strength cement, use of very low W/C ratio through the use of increased
cement content and reduced water content. The above steps result in higher thermal
shrinkage, drying shrinkage, modulus of elasticity and lower creep coefficients. With a
higher quantity of cement content, the concrete exhibits greater cracking tendencies
because of increased thermal and drying shrinkage. Therefore, high-early-strength
concrete is more prone to cracking than moderate or low-strength concrete. The
smaller cracks are sufficient to allow oxygen, carbon dioxide, and moisture to get
into the concrete to affect the long-term durability of concrete.

It is interesting to see that the above point of view is not fully convincing when seen from
many other considerations.

• Firstly, the high early strength concrete has high cement content and low water content.
On account of low water content, only surface hydration of cement particles would have
taken place leaving a considerable amount of unhydrated core of cement grains. This
unhydrated core of cement grains has strength in reserve. When micro-cracks have
developed, the unhydrated core gets hydrated, getting moisture through micro cracks.
The hydration products so generated seal the cracks and restore the integrity of concrete
for long-term durability.
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

• Secondly, as per Aiticin, the quality of products of hydration (gel) formed in the case
of a low W/C ratio is superior to the quality of gel formed in the case of a high W/C
ratio. Again as per Aiticin, in low W/C ratio concrete (high early strength concrete) the
weak transition zone between aggregate and hydrated cement paste does not exist at all.
Unhydrated cement particles are also available in such low W/C ratio concrete for any
eventual healing of micro cracks.
• Thirdly, the microstructure of concrete with a very low W/C ratio, is much stronger
and less permeable. The interconnected network of capillaries is so fine that water
cannot flow any more through them. It is reported that when tested for chloride ion
permeability, it showed 10-50 times slower penetration than low strength concrete.

Volume Change in Concrete

It would not be wrong to attribute the lack of durability to the reason for the volume change in
concrete. Volume change in concrete is caused by many factors. The various causes that are
responsible for volume change, fully expose the various factors affecting durability which
encompasses a wide spectrum of concrete technology. If one takes a close look, one comes to
know that, the entire hydration process is nothing but an internal volume change, the effect
of heat of hydration, the pozzolanic action, the sulphate action, the carbonation, moisture
movement, all types of shrinkages, the effect of chlorides, rusting of steel reinforcement and
host of other aspects come under the preview of volume change in concrete.
It can also be viewed that it is the permeability that leads to volume change. The volume
change results in cracks. It is the cracks that promote more permeability and thus it
becomes a cyclic action, till such time that concrete undergoes deterioration, degradation,
disruption and eventual failure.

Permeability
Another important point for consideration is the permeability of concrete. When we talk about
the durability of concrete, generally we start the discussion with the permeability of concrete
as it has much wider and direct repercussions on durability.
For example, microcracks at the transition zone are a consideration for permeability whereas
the W/C ratio may not get involved directly. It may be mentioned that microcracks in the initial
stage are so small that they may not increase the permeability. But propagation of microcracks
with time due to drying shrinkage, thermal shrinkage and externally applied load will increase
the permeability of the system.

Concrete Mix Design

• One of the ultimate aims of studying the various properties of the materials of concrete
(plastic concrete and hardened concrete) is to enable a concrete technologist to design a
concrete mix for a particular strength and durability.
• The design of concrete mix is not a simple task on account of the widely varying properties
of the constituent materials, the conditions that prevail at the site of work, in particular the
exposure condition, and the conditions that are demanded for a particular work for
which the mix is designed.
• In brief, the effort in proportioning is to use a minimum amount of paste (and
therefore cement) that will lubricate the mass while fresh and after hardening will
bind the aggregate particles together and fill the space between them.
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

Mix proportioning of Concrete

Mix proportion denotes the quantity of materials taken to prepare concrete of required strength
relatively (with cement).
Proportioning of concrete is the process of selecting the quantity of cement, sand, coarse
aggregate and water in concrete to obtain the desired strength and quality. The proportions of
coarse aggregate, cement and water should be such that the resulting concrete has the following
properties:
1. When concrete is fresh, it should have enough workability so that it can be placed in
the formwork economically.
2. The concrete must possess maximum density or in other words, it should be strongest
and most water-tight.
3. The cost of materials and labour required to form concrete should be minimal.

Factors affecting the choice of concrete mix design

The various factors affecting the mix design are:
1. Compressive strength
It is one of the most important properties of concrete and influences many other describable
properties of hardened concrete. The mean compressive strength required at a specific age,
usually 28 days, determines the nominal water-cement ratio of the mix. The other factor
affecting the strength of concrete at a given age and cured at a prescribed temperature is the
degree of compaction. According to Abraham’s law, the strength of fully compacted concrete
is inversely proportional to the water-cement ratio.
2. Workability
The degree of workability required depends on three factors. These are the size of the section
to be concreted, the amount of reinforcement, and the method of compaction to be used. For
narrow and complicated sections with numerous corners or inaccessible parts, the concrete
must have high workability so that full compaction can be achieved with a reasonable amount
of effort. This also applies to the embedded steel sections. The desired workability depends on
the compacting equipment available at the site.
3. Durability
The durability of concrete is its resistance to aggressive environmental conditions. High-
strength concrete is generally more durable than low-strength concrete. In situations when high
strength is not necessary but the conditions of exposure are such that high durability is vital,
the durability requirement will determine the water-cement ratio to be used.
4. Maximum nominal size of aggregate
In general, the larger the maximum size of aggregate, the smaller is the cement requirement for
a particular water-cement ratio, because the workability of concrete increases with an increase
in the maximum size of the aggregate. However, the compressive strength tends to increase
with the decrease in the size of the aggregate.
IS 456:2000 and IS 1343:1980 recommend that the nominal size of the aggregate should be as
large as possible.
5. Grading and type of aggregate
The grading of aggregate influences the mix proportions for a specified workability and water-
cement ratio. The coarser the grading leaner will be the mix which can be used. A very lean
mix is not desirable since it does not contain enough finer material to make the concrete
cohesive.
The type of aggregate influences strongly the aggregate-cement ratio for the desired
workability and stipulated water-cement ratio. An important feature of a satisfactory aggregate
is the uniformity of the grading which can be achieved by mixing different size fractions.
6. Quality Control
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

The degree of control can be estimated statistically by the variations in test results. The
variation in strength results from the variations in the properties of the mix ingredients and lack
of control of accuracy in batching, mixing, placing, curing and testing. The lower the difference
between the mean and minimum strengths of the mix, the lower will be the cement content
required. The factor controlling this difference is termed quality control.

Variables in Proportioning
With the given materials, the four variable factors to be considered in connection with
specifying a concrete mix are:
(a) Water-Cement ratio
(b) Cement content or cement-aggregate ratio
(c) Gradation of the aggregates
(d) Consistency.
In general, all four of these interrelated variables cannot be chosen or manipulated arbitrarily.
Usually two or three factors are specified, and the others are adjusted to give minimum
workability and economy.
The water/cement ratio expresses the dilution of the paste.
Cement content varies directly with the amount of paste.
Gradation of aggregate is controlled by varying the amount of given fine and coarse
aggregate.
Consistency is established by practical requirements of placing.
In brief, the effort in proportioning is to use a minimum amount of paste (and therefore cement)
that will lubricate the mass while fresh and after hardening will bind the aggregate particles
together and fill the space between them.
Any excess of paste involves greater cost, greater drying shrinkage, greater susceptibility to
percolation of water and therefore attack by aggressive waters and weathering action. This is
achieved by minimising the voids with good gradation.

Design Mix Methods

The determination of the proportions of cement, aggregates and water to obtain the required
strengths shall be made as follows:
a) By designing the concrete mix, such concrete shall be called design mix concrete, or
b) By adopting nominal mix, such concrete shall be called nominal mix concrete.
There are various methods to determine the proportioning of various materials, such as the
• Arbitrary Method,
• Fineness Modulus Method,
• Minimum Void Method,
• Maximum Density Method, and
• Water - Cement Ratio Method.
• Surface area method
• Indian Road Congress, IRC 44 method
• High strength concrete mix design
• Mix design based on flexural strength
• Road note No. 4 (Grading Curve method)
• ACI Committee 211 method
• DOE method
• Mix design for pumpable concrete
• Indian standard Recommended method IS 10262-82
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

Statistical Quality Control of Concrete

Concrete like most other construction processes, has a certain amount of variability both in
materials as well as in constructional methods. This results in variation of strength from batch
to batch and also within the batch. It becomes very difficult to assess the strength of the final
product.
The aim of quality control is to limit the variability as much as practicable. The statistical
quality control method provides a scientific approach to the concrete designer to understand
the realistic variability of the materials so as to lay down design specifications with proper
tolerance to cater for unavoidable variations. The acceptance criteria are based on statistical
evaluation of the test result of samples taken at random during execution. By devising a proper
sampling plan it is possible to ensure a certain quality at a specified risk. Thus, the method
provides a scientific basis of acceptance which is not only realistic but also restrictive as
required by the design requirements for the concrete construction.

The compressive strength test cubes from random sampling of a mix, exhibit variations, which
are inherent in the various operations involved in the making and testing of concrete. If a
number of cube test results are plotted on a histogram, the results are found to follow a bell-
shaped curve known as the “Normal Distribution Curve”. The results are said to follow a
normal distribution curve if they are equally spaced about the mean value and if the largest
number of the cubes have a strength closer to the mean value, and if very few number of results
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

with much greater or less value than the mean value. However, some divergence from the
smooth curve can be expected, particularly if the number of results available is relatively small.
Figures show the histogram and the normal distribution curve respectively.

Common Terminologies
The common terminologies that are used in the statistical quality control of concrete are
explained below.
Mean strength: This is the average strength obtained by dividing the sum of the strength of
all the cubes by the number of cubes.

Standard deviation: This is the root mean square deviation of all the results. This is denoted
by s or σ. Numerically it can be explained as,

Standard deviation increases with increasing variability. The characteristics of the normal
distribution curve are fixed by the average value and the standard deviation. The spread of the
curve along the horizontal scale is governed by the standard deviation, while the position of
the curve along the vertical scale is fixed by the mean value.

Coefficient of variation: It is an alternative method of expressing the variation of results. It is

a non-dimensional measure of variation obtained by dividing the standard deviation by the
arithmetic mean and is expressed as:
v = (σ/mean)×100
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

Example of Calculation of Standard Deviation

Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

Typical values of the Standard Deviation for Different Conditions of Placing and
Mixing Control

Relationship between Average Design Strength and Specified Minimum Strength

In the design of concrete mixes, the average design strength to be aimed at should be
appreciably higher than the minimum strength stipulated by the structural designer. The value
of the average design strength to be aimed at will depend upon the quality control exercised at
the time of making concrete.
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

The value of standard deviation or coefficient of variation could be used to determine the
average design strength of the mixes.
The following relationship can be used if standard deviation is made use of:

Value for the Factor K Himsworth Constants

If 1% result is allowed to fall below the minimum, the value of K is taken as 2.33). If 5% of
the result is allowed to fall below the minimum, the value of K is taken as 1.64 but it is generally
taken as 1.65.

The use of either the standard deviation or the coefficient of variation is based on the following
argument. If control was perfect, so that the materials and all operations involved in making
concrete including sampling and testing were uniform, then every result would be the same and
would correspond to the mean value. It is impossible for each operation to be perfect. The more
uniform the operations the closer will be the result to the mean value and hence the lower will
be the value of the standard deviation. It follows that if the same degree of control is exercised
on the concrete with a mean strength of 15 MPa, the standard deviation will be the same as for
concrete with a mean strength of 45 MPa. Therefore, the concrete quality can be changed by
standard deviation. In fact, site experience shows that it is more difficult to achieve consistent
results with high-strength concrete and the standard deviation is greater for high-strength
concrete than for concretes of medium or low strength.
It has been suggested that the standard deviation is proportional to the value of mean strength.
In other words,

This, of course, is the coefficient of variation. With a constant coefficient of variation the
standard deviation increases with strength and is larger for higher strength.
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

Methods of Concrete Mix Design

• Concrete mix design is a crucial process that involves several steps, calculations, and
laboratory testing to determine the optimal proportion of ingredients required for a
concrete mix to achieve its desired strength and durability.
• The mix consists of primary components: cement, water, coarse aggregates, fine
aggregates (i.e., sand), which are combined in varying proportions. The proportions of
these components must be determined precisely to ensure that the concrete achieves its
maximum strength.
• The grade of concrete varies substantially depending on the quantity of its constituent
ingredients. IS 456:2000 already specifies the quantity and ratio in which the components
should be mixed together to achieve a specific grade of concrete. Thus, the concrete mix
design IS Code is IS 456:2000.
• The code's restriction is that it specifies the material ratios up to a certain grade which is
M25, beyond which no specific proportion has been industrially approved.
• To calculate or determine the correct amount of cement, sand, and aggregates necessary
in 1 m3 of concrete, one must first understand the different grades of concrete.

Standard Concrete Mix Design

The nominal mixes of fixed cement-aggregate ratio (by volume) mixes vary greatly, resulting
in under or over-rich mixtures. As a result, the minimum compressive strength has been
included in many specifications. These are known as standard mixes. IS 456:2000 categorises
concrete mixes into M10, M15, M20, M25, M30, M35, and M40 grades. The letter M in this
designation refers to the mix and the number to the stipulated 28-day cube strength of the mix
in N/mm2.

Design Concrete Mix Design

For high-rise buildings, a design mix concrete is used. An Engineer determines the concrete
mix design ratios in this kind of mix after analysing the qualities of individual concrete
constituents. For example, cement is tested in the lab for Fineness modulus and Specific gravity
when determining the Design mix ratio. There is no predetermined ratio, and the ingredients
are batched by weight. Concrete grades more than M25 are included in the Design mix. In
simple language, we can say that Design Mix refers to the mix proportion determined by the
designer.

Methods of Concrete Mix Design

Some of the methods used in the mix design of concrete ratio are as follows:-
➢ Arbitrary Properties Method of Concrete Mix Design
The aggregate is proportioned in this method of concrete mix design to have the minimum
voids when mixed. This is possible when the amount of fine aggregate is just enough to fill the
voids in the coarse aggregates and the amount of cement is just enough to fill the voids in the
fine aggregates.
As a result of studies and experience, certain arbitrary ratios of cement, fine aggregate, and
coarse aggregate should be mixed to generate concrete suitable for a specific sort of job.
Cement, sand, and coarse aggregate are used in the ratio of 1:2:4 in general building work
(beams, slabs, columns, etc.) subjected to ordinary stresses. The ratios for heavily stressed
members or water-tight construction may be 1:1:2, 1:1.5:3, or 1:2:3 etc. Ordinary concrete is
the result of these proportions. The quantity of cement is measured by weight when
proportioning concrete using this approach. The amount of fine and coarse aggregates can be
determined either by volume or weight.
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

➢ Maximum Density Method of Concrete Mix Design

This method of concrete mix design is based on the idea that a concrete mix is generated by
proportioning its aggregates in such a way that the heaviest weight for the same volume yields
the densest concrete. As a result, a box is filled with variable amounts of fine and coarse
particles in this process. For the work, the proportion that produces the most weight is used.
Maximum Density Method for concrete mix design can be used by the following equation:-
P= 100 x (d/D) x 0.5
where P = % by weight of matter finer than diameter d.
D = maximum size of aggregate.
➢ Fineness Modulus Method of Concrete Mix Design
The fineness modulus of an aggregate is a term that describes the average particle size in the
aggregate. It is represented numerically as an index number. As a result, the higher the value
of the fineness modulus, the coarser the aggregate and vice versa.
In this approach of concrete mix design, coarse and fine aggregate samples are processed
through a set of nine standard sieves, and the percentage of the sample retained on each sieve
is calculated. The fineness modulus of the sample is calculated as the sum of these percentages
divided by 100. Certain fineness modulus values for mixed aggregates have been
acknowledged as producing the optimum outcomes. Hence, if P is the desired fineness modulus
for a mixture of fine and coarse aggregate, and p1 and p2 are their respective fineness modulus,
the amount of aggregate (w) to be mixed with one part coarse aggregate is given by the
equation:

➢ Surface Area Method of Concrete Mix Design

The Ain-Shams University concrete mix design method is based on the Specific Surface Area
method. The approach makes the following assumptions:-
• At a particular cement content and degree of workability, the compressive strength of
the concrete mix is determined by the specific surface area of the mixed aggregate. The
optimal compressive strength is between 22 and 26 cm2/gm.
• The greater the cement in the mix, the lower the optimum specific surface area.
• At a given cement content and degree of workability, the water content is proportional
to the specific surface area of the combined aggregate.
• Even though the experimental basis of the method was carried out using conventional
Portland cement, it is assumed that the relationship is not affected by the type of cement.
• The method is applicable to any type of coarse or fine aggregates as long as the shape
can be simply computed as the ratio of the percentage of voids in loose and fully
compacted material.
• Workability was characterised in loose terms such as low, medium, and high workability
and was unrelated to any of the conventional tests.
➢ Indian Standard Method of Concrete Mix Design
This concrete mix design method meets all of the standards of IS 456:2000. It is appropriate
for both ordinary and standard grades of concrete, with a compressive strength of 55 MPa (28-
day strength) and a workability slump range of 25 to 125 mm. The basic information required
includes characteristic strength, degree of workability, water-cement ratio, aggregate
characteristics, and minimum cement content. IS 456:2000 defines characteristic strength as
the value below which no more than 5% of test results of the compressive strength test of the
samples are likely to fail. IS 10262:2009 - Concrete Mix Proportioning Guidelines can be used
for fly ash concrete mix proportioning.
➢ American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee Method of Concrete Mix Design
This concrete mix design approach makes the following assumptions:-
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• The mix consistency, as measured by the slump test, Vee-Bee test, or compacting factor
test, is exclusively dependent on the water content, regardless of the mix proportions.
• The optimum ratio of the bulk volume of coarse aggregate per unit volume of concrete
is exclusively dependent on the nominal maximum size of the coarse aggregate and the
grading of the fine aggregate.
• The characteristic strength of the concrete mix can be established using the degree of
control available during concrete manufacturing, the standard deviation, and the
percentage of defects.
• The approach does not distinguish between different types of hydraulic cements or
aggregates.
➢ Road Note Number 4 Method of Concrete Mix Design
The Road Note 4 technique of concrete mix design entails the process of selecting appropriate
concrete materials and determining their relative quantities in order to produce economical
concrete with specific minimum qualities, workability, strength, and durability.
The basics of this method are as follows:-
• The Road Note No.4 is primarily based on Glanville's experimental research.
• This method of concrete mix design deals with the effect of aggregate grading on the
strength and workability of concrete.
• It should be noted that designed concrete must be satisfactory in both the plastic and
hardened states.
• The required water-to-cement ratio to obtain the design characteristic strength is
determined by the cement's properties.
• Conventional Portland, Fast hardening Portland, and High alumina cements, all generate
differing strengths by utilising the same water-to-cement ratio.
• The Road Note No.4 method of concrete mix design displays a series of curves relating
water-to-cement ratio and compressive strength at various ages and for various cement
kinds.
• The accompanying slump and compacting factor of the concrete at the work site provide
an approximate estimate of its degree of workability.
• The ROAD RESEARCH LABORATORY conducted extensive laboratory research to
explore the relationship between numerous parameters such as:-
o Ratio of aggregate to cement
o Ratio of water to cement
o Aggregates grading
o Aggregates shape and size
o Degree of Workability
• Based on the results, Road Note No.4 of concrete mix design presents design tables for
selecting appropriate aggregate/cement ratios for a concrete mix design and filling up
other parameters.
➢ British DOE Method of Concrete Mix Design
It is a procedure of concrete mix design that is established by the Department of Environment
that adheres to British Standards. This method is based on the characteristic value approach for
strength, target mean for cement content and water-cement ratio as well as the target mean for
slump and air. The approach is based on the following assumptions:-
• The volume of freshly mixed concrete equals the sum of the absolute volumes of its
constituent materials, which are cement, water, air content, and aggregates.
• The concrete's compressive strength class is determined by:-
o Coarse aggregate, either crushed or uncrushed.
o The type of cement, whether plain or mixed.
• Concrete consistency is governed by:-
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o Free water content

o Fine aggregate as a percentage of total aggregate.
o The grading of fine aggregate.
o Maximum size of coarse aggregate.
o Fine aggregate type as well as, to a small extent, coarse aggregate type.

Indian Standard Method of Concrete Mix Design

(IS 456:2000 and IS 10262:2009)

Steps to Prepare M30 Concrete Mix Design

The procedure for preparing a concrete mix design of M30 grade involves the following steps:
Step 1 - Data for Mix Proportioning
a) Grade designation: M30
b) Type of cement: OPC 53 grade
c) Type of mineral admixture: None in this case
d) Nominal maximum size of aggregate (crushed subangular aggregate): 20 mm
e) Exposure conditions: Severe, as per Table 3 and Table 5 of IS 456:2000
f) Workability: 25 mm (slump)
g) Minimum cement content: 250 kg/m3 as per Table-5, IS 456:2000
h) Chemical admixture type: Superplasticiser
Step 2 - Test data for materials
a) Cement used : OPC 53
b) Specific gravity of cement : 3.15
c) Superplasticiser (sp. gravity) :1.145
d) Specific gravity of:
o Coarse aggregate : 2.74
o Fine aggregate : 2.74
e) Water absorption:
o Coarse aggregate : 0.5 %
o Fine aggregate :1%
f) Free (surface) moisture:
o Coarse aggregate : Nil
o Fine aggregate : Nil
g) Sieve analysis:
Zone of fine aggregates

• The cumulative percentage by weight of total sample passing each of the sieves, to the
nearest whole number.
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• When the grading falls outside the percentage limits of any particular grading zone
other than 600-micron sieves by a total of not more than 5%, it shall be regarded as
falling within the respective zone. This 5% can be split up, for example, it could be 1%
on one sieve and 2% on another.
• If grading falls outside the percentage limits against each sieve after taking note (i) into
account, sand shall be screened and the test shall be repeated with a new serial number
in the register, action is taken for screening etc.
• Fine aggregate conforming to grading zone -iv shall not be used for RCC, unless tests
have been made to ascertain the suitability of proposed mixed proportion.

Step 3 - Decide the Target Strength for Mix Proportioning

If the target average compressive strength is attained in controlled conditions, achieving a
compressive strength of 30MPa in the field is highly probable.
The average target compressive strength of the concrete mix after 28 days of curing can be
determined using the following formula:
f’ck = fck + 1.65×S
In this formula,
• f’ck = The target average compressive strength at reaching 28 days of curing.
• fck = Characteristic compressive strength at reaching 28 days of curing.
• S = Assumed standard deviation, per Table 1 of IS 10262 – 2009.
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f’ck = 30 + 1.65 × 5 = 38.25 N/mm2

Step 4 - Maintain Water-Cement (w/c) Ratio
In the process of mix proportioning, selecting the correct water-cement ratio is crucial as it
significantly influences the strength, workability, and durability of concrete. The maximum
permissible water-cement ratio should comply with Table 5 of IS 456. Using the same water-
cement ratio for different types of cementitious material and aggregates of different types can
produce concrete of different compressive strengths.

Considering reinforced cement concrete under severe exposure conditions, w/c = 0.45.

Step 5 - Estimate Water Requirement

Factors like the size, shape and texture of aggregates, cement content, supplementary
cementitious materials, admixtures and environmental conditions can impact the required
water content for concrete.
The water demand will be less when:
• The aggregate size is greater,
• The aggregates are rounded,
• There is a reduction in the water-cement ratio, and
• Water-reducing admixtures are added to the mix.
The water demand will be more when:
• There is an increase in the cement content and subsequent water-cement ratio,
• The aggregates are angular, and
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• There is a reduced ratio of coarse to fine aggregates.

➢ From Table 2, IS 10262, water content = 186 kg (for 25- 50 mm slump)

• For the desired workability (other than 25 to 50 mm slump range), the required water
content may be established by trial or an increase by about 3 percent for every additional
25 mm slump
• Water-reducing admixtures or superplasticizing admixtures usually decrease water
content by 5 to 10 percent and 20 percent and above respectively at appropriate dosages.
➢ Considering, superplasticiser is used, the water content may be reduced by 20% while
using 1.0 percent superplasticiser by weight of cement.
Hence, water content = 186 × 0.8 = 148.8 kg

Step 6 - Calculation of Cement Material

The cement requirement can be estimated by considering the water-cement ratio and the water
content.
Cement content = water content/ w-c ratio = 148.8/0.45 = 330.6 kg/m3
After calculating the cement content, it is important to confirm if it complies with the minimum
and maximum criteria based on moderate exposure conditions (Table 5 of IS 456).

For severe exposure condition, minimum cement content = 320 < 330.6 kg/m3 (OK).

Step 7 - Estimate the Requirement for Aggregates

Table 3 of IS 10262-2009 specifies the proportions of coarse and fine aggregates required to
mix concrete. The workability of concrete depends on the coarse aggregates. Further, the
volume of coarse aggregates in a unit volume of concrete depends on the fine aggregates’
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

nominal maximum size and grading zone. In certain cases where the concrete requires greater
workability, the proportion of coarse aggregates may be reduced, provided that the strength of
the concrete conforms to IS 456.

For 20 mm aggregate, and Zone III fine aggregates,

the volume of coarse aggregate = 0.62
the volume of fine aggregate = 1-0.62 = 0.38
Note: The proportion of volume of coarse aggregate is increased at the rate of -/+ 0.01 for
every ± 0.05 change in water-cement ratio.

Step 8 - Mix calculations

The mix calculation for 1 m3 of concrete shall be as follows:
Volume of concrete = 1 m3
Volume of cement = mass of cement/(specific gravity of cement × 1000)
= 330.6/(3.15 × 1000) = 0.104 m3
Volume of water = mass of water/(specific gravity of water × 1000)
= 148.8/(1 × 1000) = 0.148 m3
Volume of chemical admixtures - superplasticisers (@ 1% by mass of cementitious material)
= mass of superplasticisers /(specific gravity of superplasticisers × 1000)
= 3.306/(1.145 × 1000 ) = 0.0028 m3
Volume of all aggregates = 1 - (vol. of cement + water + superplasticisers)
= 1 – (0.104 + 0.148 + 0.0028) = 0.7452 m3
Mass of coarse aggregates = Volume of all aggregates × Volume of coarse aggregates ×
specific gravity of coarse aggregate × 1000
= 0.7452 × 0.62 × 2.74 × 1000 = 1265.9 kg
Mass of fine aggregates = Volume of all aggregates × Volume of fine aggregates × specific
gravity of fine aggregate × 1000
= 0.7452 × 0.38 × 2.74 × 1000 = 775.9 kg
Mix proportions
Cement = 330.6 kg/m3
Water = 148.8 kg/m3
Fine aggregate = 775.9 kg/m3
Coarse aggregate = 1265.9 kg/m3
Chemical admixture = 3.306 kg/m3
Water-cement ratio = 0.45 kg/m3
Module 4 Concrete Technology Dr Suryamani Behera

To check the efficiency of the M30 concrete design mix, it is critical to prepare different trial
mixes. By preparing a series of trial mixes, you can assess the strength and workability of the
concrete mix. If the designed mix does not meet the preferred standards, adjustments can be
made. The water-cement ratio and aggregate quantities can be modified, and another round of
trial mix will help check the feasibility.