1.

AGGREGATES FOR MORTAR AND CONCRETE {I}:There has been a long standing demand from certain sections in the

concrete construction industry regarding publishing a series of articles which could be useful to young practising engineers and supervisors. Starting with this article, we are typing to fulfil this demand. These articles, which are mainly addressed to young practising engineers, fresh engineering graduates and supervisors, will be published in the coming issues of the journal. Concrete or mortar is made up of cement, water and aggregates (stone chips and sand) and at times chemical additives. The aggregate, fine (sand) and coarse (stone chips or gravel) make up about 75 percent of the total volume of concrete. It is therefore important to obtain the rigid type of quality aggregates at site. This article discusses some of the typical characteristics of the aggregates required for making quality concrete. The aggregates from the main matrix of the concrete or mortar. The aggregate particles are held together by the cement matrix, formed out the paste of cement. While the coarse aggregates from the main matrix, the fine aggregates from the filler matrix between the coarse aggregates. With cement and water the entire matrix binds together into a solid mass called concrete.

Unlike cement, aggregates are not branded in India and hence the suppiiers and manufacturers are not so cautious in supplying the aggregates of required quality or specifications. It is, therefore the responsibility of the site engineers and

supervisors to clean and / or reprocess the aggregates so that they comply with the quality standards and specifications. Aggregates influence the properties of concrete/ mortar water requirement, cohesiveness and workability of the concrete in plastic stage, and strength, density, durability, permeability^ surface finish and colour in the hardened stage.

2. The

TYPES OF AGGREGATES :aggregates are generally classified into two types-natural and

manufactured / processed. Natural gravel aggregates are either excavated from a pit or dredged from a river or creek, figl. Processed crushed rock aggregates are obtained by quarrying solid rock and then crushing it to a suitable size and grading , fig2.

Aggregates obtained from: the pits or dredged from the river, creek or sea are most often not clean enough or well graded to suit the quality requirement. They therefore, require sieving figs3 and 4 and washing, figs 5 and 6 and before they can be used in concrete. Natural aggregates are produced by the forces of nature. They may be water worn, resulting in rounded shape or may be crushed from massive boulders and hence angular in shape. The density of the aggregates varies depending on the porosity and type of parent material. The aggregates may be igneous (granite or basalt) the aggregates mentary (limestone, etc.) rock. Geologically the aggregates available in India could be classified as basalt, granite, limestone, quartzite, gabbro or schist, etc. Generally all these aggregate type are suitable for concrete, depending on their degree of weathering, density and shape.

3.

CHOICE OF AGGREGATES :-

The aggregate choice may depend on several factors. The first and the most important factor is their availability. Often, the site engineers have to produce concrete from the aggregates available nearest to their site, for obvious reasons. However, if availability is not a problem, the choice then depending on the following factors which, in turn, influence the performance.

Sr. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Factors

Influence on concrete propery Strength/ absorption Durability Bond grip Water demand (strength) Water demand (strength) cohesion, bleeding and segregation Strength and water demand Water demand (strength), bond, cohesion and durability.

Specific gravity/ porosity Chemical stability Surface texture Shape Gradation or particle size distribution

6. 7.

Maximum size Deleterious materials

4.

UAL1T Y0F

The presence of clay, dust, silt or mud in aggregates beyond the permissible limits is harmful, because it results in production of lower strength concrete. Crushed aggregates will generally contain smaller amount of clay, silt or mud, but may contain a relatively larger percentages of dust or grit. This dust, if present as a coating around the aggregate, will result in reducing the strength of concrete. Similarly grit and dust portions of the aggregate will cause an increase in water demand and subsequent drop in concrete strengths. It is therefore important that when crushed aggregates are used, suitable adjustments need to be made in the concrete mix design for stone dust and chips, so as to prevent unexpected drop in concrete strengths, If there is a substantial variation in the amount of dust between different deliveries of aggregates or within the pile for different loads, it is likely that water

demand will also vary substantially, thereby producing concrete of varying strengths. The dust coated crushed aggregates may tend to accumulate towards the bottom of the heap, specially during the rainy season. The rain water along with dust forms a coating on the aggregates, mainly at the bottom of the heap. As stated earlier, these dust coated aggregates can cause considerable reduction in concrete strengths. It is therefore suggested that the bottom most layers in an aggregate stockpile should not be used unless it is cleaned and washed thoroughly. Coarse gravel aggregates, often contain clay and silt owing to inadequate washing and improper dredging. Clay lumps or clay coating on gravel will result in low concrete strengths. Clay in the form of a coating on the aggregate particles needs to be carefully washed as even a small portion, even within the limits set by the Bureau of Indian Standards, will reduce the concrete strengths considerably.

Table 1 :Limits of deleterious materials ( Clause 3.21 of IS :383 -970)

Sr. No. Deleterious Method Fine aggregate, percentage by weight, max
Uncrusged

Coarse aggregate, percentage by weight, max

Crushed Uncrusged Crushed

substances of test

(i) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

(ii) Coal and lignite Clay lumps Materials finer than

(iii) IS: 2386 (PartII) -1963 IS: 2386(PartII)-1963 IS: 2386(PartII)-1963

(iv) 1.00 1.00 3.00 1.00 5.00

(v) 1.00 1.00 15.00 2.00

(vi) 1.00 1.00 3.00 3.00 5.00

(vii) 1.00 1.00 3.00 5.00

75 micron Is sieve Soft fragments IS. 2386(PartII)-1963 Shale IS: 2386(PartII)-1963 Total performance of all deleterious (except including

materials mica)

Sr.no. 1 to 5 for col. (iv), (vi) and(vii) & sr.no. 1 & 2 for col. (v) only Notes:1. The presence of mica in the fine aggregate has been found to reduce considerably the durability and compressive strength of concrete and further investigations are underway to determine the extent of the deleterious effect of mica. It is advisable, therefore, to investigate the mica content of fine aggregate and make suitable allowances for the reduction in the strength of concrete or mortar.

2.

The aggregate shall not contain harmful organic impurities ( tested in accordance with IS: 2386(PartII)-1963) in sufficient quantities to affect adversely the strength or durability of concrete. A fine aggregate which fails in the test of organic impurities may be used, provided that, when tested for the effect of organic impurities on the strength of mortar, the relative strength at 7 and 28 days, reported in according with clause 7 of IS: 2386(PartII)-1963, is not less than 95 percent.

The maximum quantity of deleterious materials in the coarse and fine aggregates ( crushed or natural) shall not exceed the limits as specified in Table 1. However, the site in the concrete mix design to avoid strength or durability problems. 5. TEXTURE OF AGGREGATE :-

The surface texture influences the bond between the aggregate and cement. Smooth surface such as that found on gravels will have a relatively poor bond. Crushed aggregate have a rough and gives a good mechanical bond with cement. If the crushing valve of the aggregate is high, the compressive strength will depend on the bond between the cement paste and the aggregates. However, gravel or rounded aggregates have been used for high strength concrete without any serious problem of poor bond. If the gravel is clean and properly washed the chances of obtaining poor bond are considerably reduced.

6-

SHAPE OF AGGREGATES :-

Aggregates, both natural and crushed, are available in all shapes. One can seldom find two aggregates which are identical to each other in shape and size. The aggregate shapes, can be broadly classified as follows in order of desirability :i) ii) Rounded Irregular rounded

iii) Cubical iv) Flaky angular v) Elongated

vi) Flaky elongated.

As compared to other shapes, the rounded shape has minimum surface area for the same mass and therefore requires minimum cement paste for coating the aggregate. Hence, rounded aggregate to cement ratio, in a concrete mix, for the same workability will be higher than any other aggregate ( shape) to cement ratio. Flaky and elongated shapes have surface area for the same mass as compared to rounded or cubical shapes. The cement paste required to coat the surface and hence the water demand is higher for the flaky and elongated aggregates. These shapes are therefore generally not preferred in the concrete mixes. Concrete produced using flaky and elongated aggregates will be prone to segregation, have poor surface texture and high cement and sand demand.

Generally rounded, irregulair rounded, and cubical shapes are preferred concrete mixes.

7.

DEFINITION OF AGGREGATE :-

Flaky aggregate is that whose least dimension is less than 3/ 5th of its mean dimension. Clear explanation of the above definition is described below in the form of an example.

The mean dimention of an aggregate passing through 40 mm and retained on 20 mm sieve is 40 + 20 = 30 mm 2 Now if the least dimention is less than 3 x 30 =18mm, the aggregate is flaky. 5 Flakiness index is the percentage by weight of flaky particles.

8.

DEFINITION OF AN ELONGATED AGGREGATE :-

Elongated aggregates are those aggregates whose length is 1.80 times its mean dimension. If the mean simention as shown above is say, 30 mm for a length above 54 mm ( 18 x 30 mm), the aggregate will be classified as elongated. Elongation index is the percentage by weight of elongated particles.

9.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY :-

Specific gravity of the aggregate generally is indicative of its quality. A low specific gravity may indicate high porosity and therefore poor durability and low strength. It is very important that the aggregates have high specific gravity. The concrete density will greatly depend on the specific gravity. The range of specific gravity for aggregates is generally between 2.4 and 2.90.

10. SURFACE MOISTURE CONTENT, ADSORPTION AND POROSITY :Natural aggregates generally contain moisture. Moisture conditions are more meaningful in concrete mix design. However, adsorption tendency and porosity are equally important from the point of view of both quality of the aggregate as well as the quality of concrete in which the aggregates are used. Generally, moisture is present in the following forms : i) ii) Moist or surface wet Surface dry but saturated

iii) air dry iv) Oven dry. The moisture on the free water which is to be considered while measuring the water to cement ratio. The absorbed water within the aggregate is not considered while measuring the water cement ratio. Porous aggregates will absorb more moisture or water than dense aggregate. If the aggregate absorb more water, the concrete will lose its workability at a much faster rate. As a precaution, it is also better to do concrete trial with satured

surface dry aggregates so that free water requirement for the required workability is easily determined.

Absorption can occur in both natural as well as crushed aggregates. It is generally observed that, except in rainy season, natural aggregates which are dredged from the river or creeks or dug from pits, contain surface moisture. 11. GRADING OF AGGREGATES :Grading of aggregates, fig 7, is important as they can influence various properties of concrete such as cohesion, water demand workability and strength. Aggregates should be well demand, workability and strength. Aggregates should be well graded and should be consistent in their grading.

Fig. 7 Grading and analysis of Coarse Aggregate

Table 2:Grading limits for fine aggregates (IS : 383 1970) IS sieve Equivalent BS sieve Percentages passing for Zone1 10 mm 4.75 mm 1.18 mm 600 micron 300 micron 150 micron 3/8 inch 3/16 inch No. 14 No. 25 No. 52 No. 100 100 90-100 30-70 15-34 5-20 0-10 Zone2 100 90-100 55-90 35-59 8-30 0-10 Zone3 100 90-100 75-100 60-79 12-40 0-10 Zone4 100 95-100 90-100 80-100 15-50 0-15

It is extremely important that fine aggregates are well graded as they generally serve as void fillers between the coarse aggregates. The fine aggregates comprise of various size, ranging from 4.75 mm to 150 micron. The portion of the aggregates below 600 micron size is much finer and they greatly influence the cohesiveness, water demand, workability and permeability as their specific surface per unit volume is much greater. As the finer fraction content increases the specific surface greatly, cement paste required to coat these fines is more. Thus, both cement and water requirements will be more, if the finer fractions are more.

IS : 383 specifies four ranges or zones for fine aggregate grading. Table 2 gives the range of percentage passing for each zone as given in the IS:383. The table also gives the equivalent BS sieve size.

A close look at the various ranges for each size shows that zone 1 sand is the coarsest and zone 4 sand is finest whereas sand in zones 2 and 3 moderate. If the sand is coarse, the water requirement will be less and if the sand is fine, the water requirement will be more to achieve the same workability. Coarse sand will not impart cohesiveness to the mix which in turn would cause segregation and bleeding. It will not give good finish and therefore the mix must have additional sand than normally necessary. Fine sand fig. 11 will impart good cohesiveness but would need more water for workability purpose. It will also give good finish if the mix is workable and compactable. If a particular sieve size is not present in aggregates they are called gap graded. Sand which has gap grading is generally not preferred to the sand which is uniformly graded. Gap grading can created deficiency in cohesiveness, in permeability and surface finish.

12. OTHER IMPURITIES :Organic :Organic matter in fine aggregates ( sand) is usually found due to the presence of vegetable matter. Even a very small fraction of organic matter will delay or prevent the hardening of concrete. Chloride :Chloride, if present, in fine aggregate will not be harmful to concrete or mortar but will be harmful to the reinforcement or other steel embedments in concrete or

mortar. Chlorides attack steel, fig 8 and the presence of oxygen and water accelerates the process of corrosion of reinforcement. Sand dredged from creeks usually contains considerable amount of chlorides and sulphates and therefore needs to be washed before use in reinforced concrete structures.

Chlorides may also present in cement, water and concrete additives. The total chloride content for long span bridges and prestressed structures must be limited to 0.10 percent by weight of cement and for reinforced concrete structures it must be limited to 0.15 percent by weight of cement. Alkali Reactivity :It is important to know if the aggregates proposed to be used are alkali reactive before venturing to use them in concrete. If the aggregates are in use for several years without any problem, detailed testing for alkali reactivity may not be necessary.

If historically it is established that the aggregates proposed to be used are alkali reactive then the presence of alkali oxides ( Na2O + 0.658 K2O) in cement have to be carefully examined. Alkali oxides in cement should not be beyond permissible limits, that is, more than 0.6 percent. Alkali oxides released from the cement will react with reactive form of silica present in alkali - reactive aggregates. The reaction results in formation of alkali silika gel and involves expensive which in turn cause cracking and disintegration of concrete. However, such reactions generally take place after a considerable lapse of time.

13. INSPECTION OF DELIVERIES :It is always better to visually inspect each load delivered at site before it is unloaded. If in doubt, detailed testing can be done by unloading the suspected material away from the tested stock piles. It is always preferable to reject the truck load of unwanted bad material before it is unloaded to avoid chances of being used at a later date due to oversight or any other reasons. Inspection of aggregates is very important as there are good chances that each delivery will differ from the other when it arrives at site. Depending on the various parameters and controls at the quarry or at the crusher, each truck load will show variation in grading, variations in fine (dust) content and variation in shape (cubical, angular or flaky). If fine aggregate (sand) is available from the natural source, it is extremely important to check whether the aggregate are clean or not. Sand can be collected from various depth in the trunk. In case of doubt, rub some sand

between the hands. If the sand leaves stains it may be too dirty to use and must be given further test. If claylumps are observed it should be rejected as it is virtually not possible to remove clay lumps by any manual process.

If silt content by volume is to be examined testing can be done at site. Instead of washing for 2 to 3 hours for silt to settle it is recommended that a correlation be developed and the silt content after 10 minuts can be established and then followed so that trucks are not detained at site for a longer period. This methode has been sucessfully operated on large projects where in the trucks ar allowed to enter the gate only after they pass the required criteria set for the project. This causes minimum detention period and also removed chances of any rejected material from entering the site. Samples of aggregates passed and cleared for use can be kept handy for visual comparison for further deliveries and can be particularly useful for checking the grading and the particle shape visually. For gravel and natural sand, visual inspection is necessary for detecting the presence of clay lumps, clay coating, silt, grading and shape, while for crushed aggregates and sand inspection is necessary to detect stone dust, flaky shape and grading. It will be difficult to check gradinf of graded aggregate if delivered at site as visual examination may not reveal variations in grading. Large variations cannot be ruled out such cases while designing the concrete mixes.

14. STORAGE OF AGGREGATES :-

Aggregates need to be stored carefully, making sure that they do not get contaminated with dust, mud and soil due to poor storage at site. Aggregates must be stored on hard surface so that they do not get mixed with soft materials at the base. If hard surface is not available, a 100 mm unloading the aggregates. If hard layers is not put at the bottom, nearly 300 mm thick aggregate h base will be washed or will have be washed and cleaned before use in mortar or concrete. Aggregates of different grading need to be stored in seprate well partitioned bins (high and long enough), so that inter - mixing does not take place in the storages area. Do not unloaded any aggregate outside the hard base as it may result in contamination of the entire strock. In case of star - bin batching plant hard base is very essential as it is difficult for the drag line to avoid scraping in some mud or dust from the soft stack base. It is also important to ensure that the partitions are well designed to take full pressure from either side in case one sides is fully empty. It is essential to wash and clean the dead stock in batching plant stack occasionally so that the silt, dust and dirt which settles at the bottom of the stack does not flow into the mixture skip while the aggregates are being loaded.

Generally workers feel comfortable to relax on sand stacks hence care should be taken to see that the stack is not contaminated with waste (paper, cigarette butts, tea leaves, sugar etc. Aggregate strockpile should also be kept free from leaves, polythene sheets, waste paper etc.

15. PRECAUTIONS IN EXTREME WEATHER :Cold Weather ;In extreme winter (below 0C) it is essential to cover the aggregate strockpiles with proper covers to prevent snow and ice from contaminating it. If strockpiles are kept exposed, the aggregates will stick to each other ( bound by ice) and will not flow into mixture skip easily from the batching plant bin. As a matter of precaution, it is also essential that no snow or ice should be present within the concrete at the time of placing fig 16. Hence, ii aggregates are kept covered it will not only help in smoother concreting operation but will also prevent quality problems. Warm Weather :In warm weather it is preferable to spray cold water on the stack and cool the aggregates before mixing it with other materials. In large or massive pours, chilling of aggregate may also be necessary. It is necessary in warm weather to spray water on aggregates to avoid rapid drop in workability due to absorption of water by hot dry aggregates.

16. AGGREGATES FOR MORTAR AND CONCRETE [II] :Certain simple field tests are necessary to determine the quality and proportions of aggregates in the concrete mixes. It is important to collect a proper representative sample of the aggregate before the tests are performed to avoid wrong results. The minimum quantities required to be sent to a laboratory are generally as follows : Fine aggregates ( sand) : Coarse aggregates i) ii) maximum size 20min minimum size 40mm : : 25 kg 60 kg 13 kg

However, this quantity is not generally sufficient for designing trial mixes.

17. SAMPLING ;The aggregate samples have to be obtained using the following steps. i) Scoop out some aggregates at a number of places from different heights in the stock pile. Care should be taken not to scoop out segregated

materials from near the bottom or the top of the stack. If large variations are observed in the stack, more scoops will have to be taken from different locations. ii) Mix the scooped samples well and form a conical heap on a clean, hard surface. iii) The heap must then be flattened and divided into four equal quarters,

iv) v)

Throw away the opposite quarters and mix the other two. Again divide the mixed aggregates and continue quantity needed for various tests is obtained. quartering till the

Quartering is not necessary if riffle box is available, as it has a number of compartments and chutes which split the samples uniformly, as required.

18. SURFACE MOISTURE CONTENT OF AGGREGATES :It is impossible to know the surface of all aggregates so that the total water content in the mix can be controlled and kept responsibly constant. The moisture content of natural river sand can vary from load to load. However, crushed sand and coarse aggregates may not have surface moisture except during the monsoon. Generally, they are received at site in a dry form. It is also necessary to determine the absorption capacity of the aggregates, as the water in the concrete or mortar mix will get absorbed into the aggregates and show a rapid drop in the workability ( slump), thereby creating difficulties during the operations of placing and comparing. It then becomes essential to proportionately increase the water content in the concrete mix. It must be noted that surface influences the water cement ratio, strength and durability of the mix.

A simple method to determine the surface moisture of wet aggregates is given below. I Frying pan method :-

The apparatus required for this test include a frying pan or metal try, gas stove or an electric hair dryer, a metal or glass stirring rod and weighing scales. A 2 kg sample of coarse aggregate and 0.5 kg sample of fine aggregate are adequate for the test. The moist sample is weighed accurately. The wet weight (W) is noted. The aggregate is then gently heated on the frying pan and stirred with the glass or metallic rod to maintain a uniform distribution of heat. The coarse aggregates can be said to be surface dry when the sheen disappears from the surface while the fine aggregates start showing free flowing characteristics when they become surface dry. The aggregate is then cooled and reweighed. The surface dry aggregate weight (W) is noted. The surface is then calculated using the formula, W-W Surface moisture present = Wbd X 100

Overheating must be avoided as it will not give the correct surface moisture. If heating is continued till the aggregate is bone dry water absorption capacity of the aggregates can be determined. The bone aggregates weight (Wbd) is noted after continuous heating. The absorption absorbed water content) is then calculated as follows :

Wsd - Wbd Wbd Absorption present = Wbd Similarly, if dry aggregates are received on site and absorption capacity is to be determined, the aggregates are first soaked in water and then the above methods are deployed. ii) Automatic measuring of surface moisture content :In modern batching plants, measurement of surface moisture in aggregates and adjustment of water to be added to the concrete mix are fully automatic. Such a recording and corrective system has a tolerance of less than 0.6 percent. In ready mixed concrete (RMC) plants, it is achieved by a rod neutron probe, double rod resistance probe or with a microprocessor controlled MFM 85 litronic moisture recorder. Some systems reportedly operate to an accuracy of as mud as 99.80 percent and they also simultaneously keep the consistency or slump o the concrete mix under control. 19. SILT TEST FOR SAND :The permissible silt content in sand (fine aggregate) is specified by weight by the Bureau of Indian Standards. However, silt content determination by volume is generally much simpler and at the same time, gives a fairly good indication of the proportion of silt in fine aggregates. However, this method can only be used for natural sand and not for crushed rock sand. x 100

Only a 250 ml glass measuring cylinder is required for carrying out this test. The test is done in the manner given below. i) The measuring cylinder is filled with salt water solution (a teaspoon of common salt for every 570 ml of water) upto the.50 ml mark, ii) iii) iv) v) Add sand until the level of the sand is upto the 100ml mark, Add further salt water solution, upto the 150 ml mark, Place the palm on the mouth of the glass cylinder and shake it vigorously. Place the cylinder on a hard levelled surface and tap it all round that sand is levelled. vi) vii) Wait for three hours for the silt to settle on top of the sand,fig 9. Measure the thickness of the silt layer and the height of the sand. The silt content is calculated as follows : thickness of silt layer Silt, percentage, by volume = height of sand The silt content should not exceed 8 percent. If the silt content exceeds the limit, the percentage of silt by weight should be determined in the laboratory and if exceeds 3 percent washing of sand is necessary. After a few tests are done a correlation can be developed for silt layer thickness at various intervals of time. The silt content at 10 minutes can be fixed as an inspection criteria. x 100

20. SIEVE ANALYSIS :The proportions the various particle sizes of the aggregates are determined by sieving. Fine aggregates have to be dried prior to sieving as a dried sample gives a more accurate analysis. Coarse aggregates are sieved through sieve size of 40, 20, 10 and 4.75 mm. Fine aggregates are sieved through sieves of 10, 4.75, 2.36, 1.18mm, 600,300 and 150 micron. This test is done initially for concrete mix design and later conducted periodically for mix proportion adjustments if it is suspected that the grading of aggregates have changed considerably. The size of samples taken for sieving is dependent on the maximum aggregate size and are suggested below.

Maximum aggregates size, mm 40 20 20 4.75

Maximum weight of sample 15 2 1 0.5

Each sieve is shaken separately for a period not less than 2 minutes or until no further material passes through it. Care should be taken to see that sieve nets

are not ruptured or damaged. Sieves should have square shaped openings. The sieves should be clean so that particles do not block the sieve net. Necessary precautions should be taken so that sieves do not get overloaded and materials should not overflow while sieving. The fineness modulus is the cumulative percentage retained on each of the sieves stated above. Sand ( fine aggregate) can b< classified according to its

fineness modulus (FM) as below : Type of sand Very fine Fine Medium Coarse Very coarse FM Below 2.2 Between 2.2 to 2.6 Between 2.6 to 2.9 Between 2.9 to 3.2 Above 3.2

Only sand with Fm of 2.6 to 2.9 is considered suitable for nominal mix proportion. However, at various sites, the sand is utilised in nominal mix proportion without adjustment of FM adding fine sand or removing excess fine ( or coarse particles), if any. The other alternative is increase the quantity of sand and decrease the coarse aggregates if sand has a FM greater than 2.9 or decreasing the quantity of sand and increasing the coarse aggregates if sand has FM less than 2.6.

In some regions of our country, natural sand has coarser particles and a considerable part is observed to be retained on 4.75 mm sieve. Any material which retained on 4.75 mm sieve cannot be considered as sand, but as coarse aggregate. If this is not done the concrete mix will be undersanded, causing poor finish, segregation and honeycombing. This reduces the concrete strength and durability considerably. 21. BULKAGE OF SAND :When sand is damp, the water coating on the surface of each sand particle causes separation of particles from one another due to surface tension. This causes sand to bulk. Bulked sand occupies more volume and hence if, volumetric measuring is done while proportioning bulkage correction becomes necessary. The bulkage test is done as follows: i) ii) The sand is filled in loose condition, in a box measured height (H cm) The box is then flooded with water and the sand is made to settle and consolidate. Care should be taken that sand dose not overflow during the flooding and compaction. iii) iv) It is then levelled in the box and the drop in height is measured (h cm), Bulkage is calculated as follows : h Bulkage, present = H Dry sand occupies the same volume as fully saturated sand. The bulkage will vary from load to load and day to day depending on the fineness of sand and x 100

surface moisture content.

It is therefore essential to make bulkage corrections

by checking the actual bulkage of sand proposed to be used by volumetric batching for mortar or concrete. Heaping of farinas (boxes) at random is not a correct method to make allowance for bulkage. Bulkage of sand should be correctly measured and adjustments made by using farmas of the right size depending on the bulkage observed.

21. CONCLUSION :Aggregates vary in quality, type and grading from place to place. However, the site engineer has to first make sure user of the aggregates available in vicinity for reasons of economy. If the aggregates available near site are not suitable, it is only then that the engineer has to look further away to get the most economically and technically suitable aggregates. It is observed that in particular areas there is an unnecessary reluctance to change from say, natural sand to crushed sand or vice - versa. It is best for the engineer to take trials of concrete mixes prior to full scale use, if such changes are necessary. However, if the trials are successful there is absolutely no harm in changing. A large number of projects have been executed either with gravel or with crushed coarse aggregates. Similarly, it is true for naturalxas well as crushed sand. The engineer has to understand that if the parent material, that is, basalt or granite is the same then there is absolutely no harm in using it either in natural or crushed form, so lonu as it is free from deleterious materials.

22. 1.

References The Indian Concrete Journal June 1996