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Laboratory investigation of different coarse aggregate sizes on the concrete in

compression

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Yahya USEP: Journal of Research Information in Civil Engineering, Vol.14, No.2, 2017
et al.

Laboratory Investigation of Different Coarse

Aggregate Sizes on the Concrete in Compression
I. A. Yahya1, J. A. Tanko2 and B. Hassan3
1,2,3
Department of Civil Engineering,
Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola
P.M.B 2076, Adamawa State, Nigeria
1
ismakola2012@gmail.com

Abstract
This study investigated different sizes of coarse aggregate and their effects on
the compressive strength of concrete. The study was necessitated by various
degrees of failure of concrete structures attributable to poor selection and
handling of coarse aggregate, which constitute the greater percentage of
concrete material. Most builders have no standardized aggregate size for
construction and only utilize any available or cheap coarse aggregate. For
this study, four (4) different sizes of coarse aggregates (28mm, 20mm,
14mm, 10mm) and a control sample consisting of all the aggregates sizes
were used, to prepare concrete samples C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5 respectively,
with Portland cement and natural river sand as fine aggregate. Mix ratio of
1:2:4 with 0.55 water – cement ratio was maintained throughout the
investigation. The slump values of the concretes range from 20mm to 35mm,
which is in agreement with the standard slump value for normal weight
concrete of 20mm – 40mm. C1 and C5 had the highest slump value of 35mm;
while C2 had 20mm. The results of the compressive strength test of the
150x150mm concrete cubes at 28days curing showed that C2 had the highest
compressive strength of 32.58N/mm2, followed by C3 with 29.48N/mm2, C4
gave 27.85N/mm2, C5 had 25.92N/mm2 and C1 was 22.16 N/mm2. These
varied compressive strength characteristic was as a result of change in sizes
of coarse aggregate, hence, the effect of coarse aggregate sizes on the
concrete in compression was established.

Keywords
Coarse Aggregate Size, Characteristic Compressive Strength, Design
Characteristic Strength

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1. Introduction

It is generally recognized that aggregate particles come in various sizes that

are described for engineering identification purposes by separation on square-
opening sieves (Yzenas, 2006). Aggregates in concrete fall into two
categories based on their sizes as coarse aggregates and fine aggregates. Fine
aggregates are particles that are less than 5mm while coarse aggregate are
greater than 5mm. The influence of fine aggregate on concrete strength is
almost exclusively through its shape, texture, and grading effects on mixing
water demand needed for workability (Meininger, 2006).

Coarse aggregates refer to aggregates of particles of size greater than 5mm.

aggregates should consist of particles with adequate strength and resistance
to exposure and should not contain more than a total of 5% by weight of
shale, silt and structurally weal particles. The particle shape affects the
behaviour of water cement ratio; harsh angular aggregates in concrete may
result in high void content giving rise to reduced strength or weak concrete.
The most suitable aggregate is well graded and angular particles with surface
texture that is not too smooth. Fresh water river aggregates are found to be
well graded and more suitable, however, marine or estuarine aggregates are
not suitable because of their salt content (magnesium and sodium chloride)
which when not removed attract moisture because of their deliquescent
nature.

This research work is aimed at investigating the effect of varying the size of
coarse aggregate on the strength development of concrete and to ascertain the
size of coarse aggregate that will give the highest compressive strength.

2. Literature Review

Coarse aggregate is recognized as the strength determinant of concrete, as it

occupies between 50 to 60% of the concrete volume depending of the mix
ratio (Waziri et al., 2011). Research indicates that change in size, content and
type of coarse aggregate can change the strength and fracture properties of
concrete.

Ezeldin and Aitcin (1991) studied the effect of different types of coarse
aggregate on the compressive strength of concrete and observed that higher
strength coarse aggregates yield higher compressive strength while in normal

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et al.

– strength concretes, coarse aggregate strength has little effect on

compressive strength.

Studies on the effect of size of coarse aggregates on some properties of

concrete like fracture energy and compressive strength have been
controversial among researchers. Strange and Bryant (1979) reported that
there is an increase in fracture toughness with an increase in aggregate size.
But the findings of Gettu and Shah (1994) showed that for high – strength
concrete where the coarse aggregates rupture during fracture, the size of
concrete has no effect on the fracture properties of the concrete.

Several researches have been carried out on the influence of various sizes of
aggregates on the strength of structural concrete. Radovani (1990) studied the
effect of aggregate size on the softening branch of concrete by conducting the
uniaxial, bi-axial and tri-axial compression tests and found that the concrete
made with large sized aggregates showed more ductile behaviour.

Walker and Bloem (1960) and Bloem and Gaynor (1963) stated that an
increase in aggregate size results in a decrease in the compressive strength of
concrete. Whereas, Zhou et al. (1995) demonstrated that compressive
strength increases with an increase in coarse aggregate size. Cook (1989)
concluded that for compressive strength in excess of 69 MPa, smaller size
coarse aggregate produces higher strengths for a given water – to – cement
ratio. Ajamu and Ige (2015) concluded in their study that coarse aggregate
size is directly proportional to the slump of a fresh concrete with constant
water ratio and that the compressive strength of a concrete increases with
increase in coarse aggregate size.

There has not been a unanimous agreement on how the size of coarse
aggregate affect the strength development and attainable compressive
strength of concrete. In light of this gap in research study, this study is aimed
at determining the effect of varying the size of coarse aggregate on the
compressive strength property of concrete. The process of achieving this, is
to prepare and test concrete samples of the same mix ratio but with coarse
aggregate of different size. This study will improve the level of
understanding of the role of coarse aggregate and the effect of its size on the
compressive strength development of concrete.

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et al.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1 Materials
The materials used for this study includes: coarse aggregate (sieved into
different sizes), fine aggregate (river sand), cement (Ordinary Portland
Cement), clean water, 150mmx150mm cube moulds, weighing balance, set
of sieve, compressive test machine, shovel, slump cone tray and tamping rod.
The coarse aggregate was sourced from the same quarry site to ensure
uniform properties.

3.2 Methods
The coarse aggregate was sieved to four sizes required for the study
according to BS 812 - 103 (1985) specifications. The mix proportion for the
concrete cubes was by volume in which the volume of each constituent
material was measured in reference to the mix ratio of 1:2:4 for C20/25
concrete grade. The water – cement ratio was maintained at 0.55. The slump
test was carried out to ensure good consistency of mix in accordance to BS
1881 – 102 (1983). Each size of coarse aggregate was represented by a set of
concrete cube of size 150mmx150mm in form of C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5. The
cubes were made from fresh concrete mix in accordance to BS 1881 – 108
(1983). Deep water curing method was used to cure the concrete samples for
7, 14 and 28 days. The concrete samples were crushed after 7, 14 and 28 days
curing for compressive strength values.

3.3 Compressive Strength Test

The compressive tests were carried out on compressive testing machine in
accordance to BS 1881 – 116 (1983). The compressive strength formula is as
given in equation 1. The rate of strength development of concrete samples
was calculated as shown in equation 2 through 4

F
Cube Strength = (1)
A
(Ajamu and Ige, 2015)

Where: F = Crushing Load (N), A = Area of surface of Cube (mm2)

Strength.at.7days.curing
Daily strength (0-7) = (2)
Number.of .days.between .0.and .7

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et al.

Strength.at.14days  strength.at 7days

Daily strength (7-14) = (3)
Number.of .days.between .7and14

Strength.at.28days  strength.at14days
Daily strength (14-28) =
Number.of .days.between .14.and .28
(4)
4. Result and Discussion
4.1 Mix Proportion and Slump Result
The mix proportion for the concrete cubes was maintained at 1:2:4 with
constant water – cement ratio of 0.55. The slump test was carried out to
ensure consistent volume of water for the concrete mix. The effect of varying
the coarse aggregate sizes at a constant water – cement ratio was also
determined through this test. Table 1 in appendix shows the mix proportion
and slump test result obtained. Figure 1 indicates the graphical presentation
of the slump result of concrete of varying size of coarse aggregate. These
results indicate that aggregate size of 28mm and the control aggregate
(mixture of all sizes) give the highest slump value. In the former, it shows
that the bigger the size of coarse aggregate the more pore space that is created
to be filled up by finer materials and the less the amount of water that will be
required in the mix. In the latter, it can be deduced that a well graded
aggregate requires less water because all the pore spaces are already filled
with aggregate of appropriate smaller sizes, hence little water is required. A
well – graded material is the closest to ideal with a representative amount on
each standard sieve size listed in that size specification. The scarcity of a
particular sieve size could result in poor workability and even poor durability
of the concrete (Robin, 2006).

Concrete with aggregate size of 20mm gave the lowest slump value of 20 and
this indicate that the concrete sample require the least compacting effort in
relation to other sample with the given water – cement ratio. Since the same
compacting effort was maintained for the entire samples, the clear
implication of the lowest slump value for concrete C2 is shown in its
compressive strength values in relation to other concrete samples.

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et al.

Figure 1 Variation of Slump with Change in Size of Coarse Aggregate

4.2 Compressive Strength

The compressive strength test result is as shown in table 2 in appendix. The
table shows that concrete with coarse aggregate size of 20mm has the highest
compressive strength at 28 days curing period. The import of this as
graphically presented in figure 2 is that coarse aggregate of size 20mm is
most suitable for normal – strength concrete. It shows that concrete
compressive strength peaked for aggregate size 20mm and start to decline
gradually as coarse aggregate size get reduced. However, there is sharp
decline in compressive strength of concrete as the aggregate size increase
from 20mm to 28mm. This may suggest wider gap in size between coarse
aggregate and fine aggregate in the concrete with 28mm size aggregate than
the concrete with 20mm. According to a tentative interim report on high
strength concrete as reported by Robin, (2006), “A large particle of aggregate
has less area for bonding with the mortar than an equal mass of smaller
aggregate particles, and it is for this reason that it is not possible to obtain
high strengths with large maximum aggregate size”

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et al.

Figure 2 Variation of Compressive Strength with Change in Coarse

Aggregate Size

4.3 Rate of Strength Development

The graphical representation of the result in table 3 of the compressive
strength development of concrete with varied size of coarse aggregates is as
shown in figure 3. The figure shows that the rate of compressive strength
development is affected by the size of coarse aggregate in the concrete, but in
no progressive pattern in relation to the size variation of aggregate.

Figure 3 Rate of Compressive Strength Development

Between 0 and 7 days, 7 and 14 days and 14 – 28 days.

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et al.

5. Conclusion and Recommendation

The effects of coarse aggregate sizes on the compressive strength of concrete

has been determined in this study. The following conclusions are made based
on the findings of this study:

(1) The bigger the size of coarse aggregate beyond certain size (in this case,
20mm), the higher the slump value.
(2) Well – graded aggregate produce concrete of higher slump value than
concrete in which a certain size of aggregate dominates.
(3) Coarse aggregate of size 20mm produce higher compressive strength
value for normal – strength concrete in comparison with other sizes of
aggregate for normal strength concrete.
(4) Change in size of coarse aggregate has no significant effect on the rate
of strength development of concrete.

In view of the above conclusions, the following recommendations are made:

(1) The right size of coarse aggregate for normal – strength concrete is
20mm for concrete grade C20/25.
(2) The choice of well graded aggregate for production of concrete should
be recognized as important to achieve lower water – cement ratio,
which by extension will guarantee concrete of appreciable durability.

6. Reference
Ajamu S. O. and Ige J. A. (2015), Effect of Coarse Aggregate Size on the
Compressive Strength and the Flexural Strength of Concrete Beam,
International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications.
www.ijear.com

BS 1881-102 (1983). Testing Concrete Method for determination of slump,

British Standard Institution, London.

BS 1881-108 (1983). Method for making test cubes from fresh concrete,
British Standards Institution, London.
BS1881-116 (1983), Method for determining compressive strength, British
Standards Institution, London.

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Yahya USEP: Journal of Research Information in Civil Engineering, Vol.14, No.2, 2017
et al.

BS 812-103 (1985), Method for determining sieve analysis, British Standards

Institution, London.

Bloem, D. L. and Gaynor, R. D. (1963), Effects of Aggregate Properties on

Strength of Concrete, ACI Journal, Proceedings 60(10), 1429-1456.

Cook, J. E. (1989), I 0,000 psi Concrete, Concrete International, October, 67-

7 5.

Darwin, D. (1995), The Interfacial Transition Zone: Direct Evidence on

Compressive Response, Material Research Society Syrnposiwn Proceedings,
370, 419-427.

Ezeldin, A. S. and Aitcin, P.-C. (1991), Effect of Coarse Aggregate on the

Behavior of Normal and High-Strength Concretes, Cement, Concrete, and
Aggregates, CCAGDP, 13(20, 121-124.

Gettu, R. and Shah, S. P. (1994), Fracture Mechanics, Chap. 6, High

Performance Concrete: Properties and Applications, Shah, S.P. and Ahmad,
S.H., Great Britian, 193-212.

Meininger R. C. (2006), Degradation Resistance, Strength, and Related

Properties of Aggregates, Significance of Tests and Properties of Concrete
and Concrete Making Materials ASTM STP 169D

Radovani, B. A. (1990), Grain size of adopted aggregate influence on strain-

softening of concrete, Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 35(4), 709-718.

Robin E. G. (2006), Grading, Shape, and Surface Texture, Significance of

Tests and Properties of Concrete and Concrete Making Materials ASTM STP
169D

Strange, P. C. and Bryant, A. H. (1979), The Role of Aggregate in the

Fracture of Concrete, Journal of Materials Science, 14(8), 1863-1868.

Walker, S. and Bloem, D. L. (1960), Effects of Aggregate Size on Properties

of Concrete," ACI Journal, Proceedings, 57(3), September, 283-298

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et al.

Waziri, B.S., Bukar, A.G and Gaji, Y.Z.A. (2011), Applicability of Quarry
Sand as a Fine Aggregate in the Production of Medium Grade Concrete.
Continental J. Engineering Science, 6(2), 1-6.

Yzenas J.J. (2006), Bulk Density, Relative Density (Specific Gravity), Pore
Structure, Absorption, and Surface Moisture, Significance of Tests and
Properties of Concrete and Concrete Making Materials ASTM STP 169D

Zhou, F. P., Barr, B. I. G., and Lydon, F. D. (1995), Fracture Properties of

High Strength Concrete with Varying Silica Fume Content and Aggregates,
Cement and Concrete Research, 25(30, 543-552

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