EBT 424 – Construction Materials

Prepared by: Dr. Liew Yun Ming

 Amounts of each constituents that
are mixed together to form a unit quantity of
concrete
 Mix design is the process of selecting
proportion of cement, water, fine and coarse
aggregates to produce concrete with required
fresh and hardened properties.

2
e.g.
lower
w/c
ratio if
strength
is too
low
Determine the quantity of materials for trial mix of
0.035m3.
- Characteristic strength: 25 MPa at 28 days

- Proportion Defective: 5%

- Standard deviation: 4 MPa

- Cement Type: OPC

- Aggregate Type: Granite (coarse), River sand (Fine)

- Maximum free w/c ratio: 0.55

- Slump: 60-180 mm

- Maximum aggregates size: 20mm

- Relative Density of Aggregate (SSD): 2.7

- Percentage passing 600μm sieve: 60%

 Insert the characteristic strength & proportion
defective under section 1.1
 From Question,
 Characteristic strength = 25 MPa at 28 days
 Proportion defective = 5%

25 28
5
 Insert value of standard deviation given by question
into Section 1.2
 If the question does not give standard deviation,
use 4, 6 or 8 MPa
From Question:
 Standard deviation = 4 MPa

4
 Refer Table 1, k factors for 5% failures = 1.64
(insert under section 1.3)
 From C1,
margin = k × s = 1.64 × 4 = 6.56 N/mm2

1.64 1.64 4 6.56

 Under column “ref. or calculation”, write ‘Table 1’

Table 1
 Calculate Target mean strength using C1 & insert
into Section 1.4

Target mean strength = 25 + 6.56 = 31.56 N/mm2

25 6.56 31.56
 Circle the cement
type under
section 1.5
 From Question,
cement type =
OPC
 Circle the
aggregate type
under section
1.6
 From Question,
 Coarse
aggregate =
granite
(crushed)
 Fine
aggregate =
river sand
(uncrushed)
 Insert value of
maximum free-
water/cement
ratio = 0.55
(given by
Question)
 If max free
water/cement
ratio is not 0.55
given, use the
value of 0.50
 In Figure 1,
a) draw the vertical
line of max free-w/c
ratio = 0.55.
b) At y-axis, draw
horizontal line of
target mean strength
(31.56 N/mm2)
c) Find the 2 nearest
curved line to the
intersect point.
d) From the nearest
curved line, draw a
vertical line
downwards to get
the free-w/c ratio = 0.55 a
0.58.
 In Figure 1,
a) draw the vertical
line of max free-w/c
ratio = 0.55.
b) At y-axis, draw
horizontal line of
target mean strength
(31.56 N/mm2)
b
c) Find the 2 nearest
curved line to the
intersect point. 31.56 MPa
d) From the nearest
curved line, draw a
vertical line
downwards to get
the free-w/c ratio = 0.55 a
0.58.
 In Figure 1,
a) draw the vertical
line of max free-w/c
ratio = 0.55.
b) At y-axis, draw
horizontal line of
target mean strength c
(31.56 N/mm2) 1 2
b
c) Find the 2 nearest
curved line to the
intersect point. 31.56 MPa
d) From the nearest
curved line, draw a
vertical line
downwards to get
the free-w/c ratio = 0.55 a
0.58.
 In Figure 1,
a) draw the vertical
line of max free-w/c
ratio = 0.55.
b) At y-axis, draw
horizontal line of
target mean strength c
(31.56 N/mm2) 1 2
b
c) Find the 2 nearest
curved line to the
intersect point. 31.56 MPa
d) From the nearest
curved line, draw a
vertical line
downwards to get d
the free-w/c ratio = 0.55
a 0.58
0.58.
 Fig. 1 0.58
0.55
0.55

• Under the column of ‘ref. or calculation’, insert

“Figure 1”.
• Choose lower value of free w/c ratio
 Insert the value of
slump/ Vebe time
under section 2.1 60 - 180
 From Question, 20
it is given that
slump = 60 –
180 mm

 Insert the value of

maximum aggregate
size (given in
Question) under
section 2.2
 Maximum
aggregate size =
20 mm
 Refer Table 3, find the column max aggregate size = 20
mm & slump = 60 – 180 mm, we obtain water content
for:
 Uncrushed (fine aggregate) = 195
 Crushed (coarse aggregate) = 225

Table 3: Workability and approximate free-water content

 Using C2, 2 1
free water content  W1  W2
3 3
2 1
 (195)  (225)  205
3 3

 Under ‘ref or calculation’, insert ‘Table 3 & C2’.

Table 3, (2/3)(195)+(1/3)(225)
C2 205
 Using C3,

 Cement content = 205 ÷ 0.55 = 372.73 kg/m3

 Under ‘ref or calculation’, insert ‘C3’.

C3 205 0.55 372.73

 Section 3.2 – 3.4 ignored. This depends
on customer needs.
 Insert relative density of aggregate (SDD)
under section 4.1
 From Question, SDD = 2.7

2.7

--
 From Figure 2,
 Draw a
vertical line of
free-water
content = 205
(refer section
2.3) to curve of
SDD = 2.7
(refer section
4.1)

205
 From Figure 2,
 Draw a vertical
line of free-water
content = 205
(refer section
2.3) to curve of
SDD = 2.7 (refer
section 4.1)
 Draw a
horizontal line
from the intersect
point to y-axis,
get the value of
density of
concrete

205
2410
 Density of concrete = 2410 kg/m3
 Under ‘ref or calculation’, insert ‘Figure 2’

Fig. 2 2410

--
 Using C4,

Total aggregate content  2410 - 372.73 - 205  1832.27 kg/m 3

2410 372.73 205 1832.27

--
 Insert grading of sand under Section 5.1
 % passing 600μm sieve = 60%

60

--
 From Figure 3,
 Find the graphs
with maximum
aggregate size = 20
mm (refer section
2.2)

0.55
 From Figure 3,
 Find the graphs
with maximum
aggregate size =
20 mm (refer
section 2.2)
 On the graph with
slump = 60 – 180
mm (refer section
2.1), draw a
vertical line with
free w/c ratio =
0.55 (refer
section 1.7 &
1.8) to line
labeled 60% (refer 0.55
section 5.1)
 From Figure 3,
 Find the graphs with
maximum aggregate
size = 20 mm (refer
section 2.2)
 On the graph with
slump = 60 – 180 mm
(refer section 2.1),
draw a vertical line
with free w/c ratio =
0.55 (refer section 1.7
& 1.8) to line labeled
60% (refer section 5.1)
37%
 Draw a horizontal
line to from the
intersect point towards
y-axis, get the value of
proportion of sand
0.55
 Proportion of sand =
37 %
 37

--
 Using C5,

Sand content = % of sand × total aggregate content

(refer section 4.3)
= 37% × 1832.27 = 677.94 kg/m3

Coarse aggregate content = total aggregate content – sand

content
= 1832.27 – 677.94 = 1154.33 kg/m3

Under ‘ref or calculation’, insert ‘C5’.

C5
677.94
--
1154.33
 From all the calculated value, insert into
the column below to the nearest 5kg

370 kg 205 kg 675 kg 1155 kg

Refer Section 5.3 Refer Section 5.4

Refer Section 3.1

Refer Section 2.3

  Last, calculate the weight of raw materials
needed for 0.035 m3 (given by Question)

0.035m3 (370kg/m3) 7.18 kg 40.43 kg

(0.035m3)
=12.95 kg 23.63 kg
1) List the raw materials of OPC
2) List the main phases / composition of OPC.
3) Give the function of the following admixtures:
 Superplasticizer
 Retarder