8-10

Concrete Mixture
Considering the high cost of cement, the objective in
mixing concrete is to use more aggregates and as
little cement as possible, while maintaining the
workability necessary for a successful pouring and
consolidation.

For structural concrete poured in inaccessible small

areas around reinforcing bars, it is necessary to over-fill
the voids or spaces around the aggregate and
reinforcement using a free flowing cement in water
paste form.
On the contrary, pavement where the slab is open
and thin with an access to manipulate the from the
surface, a drier mixture can be poured inside the form
with ease and success. Thus, a higher percentage of
aggregate and a less fluid cement-water paste can
be used.
 On how to reduce the amount of cement-water

paste and the cost of the mixture we have to:

1. Allow the larger size of aggregate that can be
accommodated in the pavement slab.
2. Ascertain the aggregate is uniformly graded from
coarse to fine.
3. Avail of the biggest quantity of coarse aggregate
consistent with proper workability.
4. Adopt the lowest slump consistent with the proper
pouring and finishing.
For concrete pavement, the specified value of slump
is 1-2 or 2-3 inches. The slump test (AASHTO T-119) is the
old traditional and most widely used method on
determining the consistency of concrete.

A truncated cone of metal sheet 12 inches high with

the base and top diameters 8 inches and 4 inches
respectively is filled in 3 layers with fresh concrete.
Each layer is rodded 25 times. Then the cone is lifted
off vertically, allowing the concrete to subside. The
slump is the height in inches that the top of the
specimen falls.
Slump Test (AASHTO T-119)
When the cone is removed, the slump may take one
of the three forms.

In a true slump, the concrete simply subsides, keeping

more or less to shape.
In a shear slump, the top portion of the concrete
shears off and slips sideways.
In a collapse slump, the concrete collapses
completely.

Only a true slump is of any use in the test. If a shear or

collapse slump is achieved, a fresh sample should be
taken and the test repeated. A collapse slump will
generally mean that the mix is too wet.
Another way of testing the consistency of concrete is
by the Kelly Ball method. The apparatus is a metal
cylinder 15 cm diameter and 12 cm high with
hemisphere bottom shaped weighing 14 kilograms.

A graduated handle rising from the top of ball passes

through a metal frame that is 30 cm apart. The ball is
placed on the surface of the fresh concrete. Its
penetration is measured by comparing its position with
that of the frame.
Kelly Ball Apparatus
The advantage of Kelly Ball method is that reading
could be taken immediately on he concrete being
poured on the roadway. On the contrary, the slump
test requires more time but could be conducted only
on selected samples.

Concrete mixture is determined by the trial batch

method, until after the desired mixture is obtained as
final proportion for the succeeding mixture.