CE 161 Exercise 4

Introduction
The fineness modulus (FM) is a factor that indicates how coarse or fine the aggregate is. It is
computed using the formula,
% ( 4 100)
= .
100
The higher the value of FM, the coarser the aggregate, and lower FM indicates finer aggregate. Coarse
sands produce a concrete mixture that is hard to manipulate and process while fine sands will require more
cement paste due to its vulnerability to developing cracks and also due to a high surface area, but it is easier
to finish. FM is very useful in estimating the proportions of coarse and fine aggregates to be used in concrete
mixture (Profesional Building Construction Guide, 2015). For high-strength concrete, recommended FM
values range from 2.3 to 3.1 to attain the best workability and highest compressive strength (Suprenant,
1994).
Materials and Methods
Clean sieves (Figure 4.1) were used and were pre-weighed before arranging them in descending
order. Approximately 500g of aggregates was placed into the sieves and was mechanically shaken using a
mechanical sieve shaker (Figure 4.2) for 3 minutes. The sieves with sieved aggregates (Figure 4.3) were
weighed again and were cleaned afterwards. The FM was computed for the three samples used.

Figure 4.2. Sieves Figure 4.3. Sieves with aggregates

Figure 4.1. Mechanical Sieve Shaker

Results and Discussion

As said earlier, the FM is used to indicate whether an aggregate is coarse or fine. It affects the
workability of concrete thats why it is important to take it into consideration.
Table 4.1. Fineness Modulus of the samples

Sample Fineness Modulus

1 3.06
2 3.18
3 3.26
 Three samples were made and FM obtained were equal to 3.06, 3.18 and 3.26 as shown in Table
4.1. Acceptable or recommended values for FM range from 2.3 to 3.1, and only the first sample falls within
this range which means it will have better workability and higher compressive strength than the other two
samples. The two other samples are still acceptable since they are near the acceptable range. Although same
specimen was used for the sieve test, some errors that can cause the differences of the computed FM could
be the sieves which are not thoroughly cleaned (leaving some aggregates in it which can add up to the
weight) and the loss of some aggregates specially the finer ones which dissipates into the air when the
sieves are detached from each other after shaking (which can lead to a lesser weight than the initial).
Summary and Conclusion

Appendices
Table 1. Sieve Analysis of Fine Aggregates (Sample 1)

Table 2. Sieve Analysis of Fine Aggregates (Sample 2)

 Table 3. Sieve Analysis of Fine Aggregates (Sample 3)

References
Professional Building Construction Guide. (2015). ProBCGuide. Retrieved from Fineness modulus and its
calculation: http://www.probcguide.com/civil-works/fineness-modulus-and-its-calculation/

Suprenant, B. (1994). The Importance of Fineness Modulus. The Aberdeen Group.