What’s in The Mix

What’s in the Mix

The aim of this lecture is not to teach you how to perform a mix design but hopefully to help you understand the mix and how it is designed.

Aim of this presentation

• Basic principles of mix design
• Overview of constituents
• Cement
• Aggregates
• Coarse
• Fine
• Water
• SCM’s
Mix Design Principles
.

Mix design principles encompass

all kinds of mixes:
Shotcrete
Self Compacting Concrete
High strength / Ultra high strength
Low strength concrete
High density
No fines concrete …………………….. etc

BUT THEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN

REQUIREMENTS
Mix Design Principles
.

ACI Defines concrete as

“mixture of hydraulic cement,

aggregates, and water, with or
without admixtures, fibers, or
other cementitious materials. “
 Mix Design Principles
.

ACI Defines concrete as

“mixture of hydraulic cement,

aggregates, and water, with or
without admixtures, fibers, or
other cementitious materials. “

Really good concrete or really bad concrete and all qualities

of concrete in between are made with the same material
Mix Design Books
Mix Design Methodologies
• Minimum voids Method
• Fullers maximum density Method
• Talbot-Richardt Method
• Fineness modulus method
• Design of low and medium strength according to Road Note no 4
• Mix design based on American Concrete Institute Standards
• Mix Design according to British Standards
• Mix Design according to Indian Standards
• BRE Method
• PCA design and control of concrete mixes
• Weight, Absolute volume ………………………… etc.
• Copy the plant down the road method.
 Aim of a Mix Design / Mix proportioning
Mix Design is a “Scientific Art” – the goals of which are

• Determine the most practical and economical

combination, of readily available materials to produce
a concrete that satisfies the required performance
under the particular conditions of use.
 Typical M 3 of Shotcrete

Weight (Kg) % By Weight % By Volume

Cement 400 16 13

Aggregate 1820 77 69

Water 180 7 18
Aggregates = Coarse Aggregates and Fine Aggregates
Coarse aggregates ≥ 4.75mm. Fine Aggregates < 4.75mm
Introduction to Mix design
Majority of Batch plants in
Australia use batch weighing
Mix design is quoted in Kg’s
Material is Weighed in Kg’s
BUT
Concrete is always sold by Volume
M3 or Cubic Metre
1000 litres = 1M3
PRINCIPLE 1: 1M3 Must = 1 Cubic Metre
All changes need to be compensated for
Factors needing consideration
•Maximum aggregate size

•Grading of aggregate

•shape and surface texture of

aggregate

•Aggregate absorption

•Relative density of aggregate

•Type of cement
Mix designs are site specific
•Dependant on available
materials and site requirements

•Mix proportioning is dependant

upon Specific Gravity (SG) &
Particle distribution

•Cheap is not always cost

effective

•Always consider placed cost.

Cement
• Use General Purpose Cement
(Type GP)

Composition of GP Cement
92.5 – 100 % Portland Cement
0 - 7.5 % Fly Ash, Slag or limestone
0 – 5% Minor additional constituents
Cement
• Use General Purpose Cement
(Type GP)

Composition of GP Cement
92.5 – 100 % Portland Cement
0 - 7.5 % Fly Ash, Slag or limestone
0 – 5% Minor additional constituents
Mix Design Methodology
• Determination of Water Content: • Crushed aggregate max size
10mm with high slump will
require approx. 250l water
Aggregate size and type (crushed or natural) and required slump will determine • SP can be used to reduce
effective water requirement. effective water requirement

• Determination of Cement Content:

fcm = fck + 2S Compressive strength 40Mpa = Characteristic Strength of 48MPa
Cement content is determined by Cement / Water = Afcm+ 0.5 (A is a constant
related to cement class and aggregate type)
Volume of Aggregate
• Determination of Total Volume of Aggregates
Vwater (l/m3) = Water (kg/m3)/1
Vcement (l/m3) = Cement (Kg/m3)/3.15

Vsolids = 1025-Vwater (common assumption in mix design that 1m3 of concrete = 1025 litres)
Vaggregates = 1025- Vwater - Vcement (if Cement = 400kg and water = 180 litres)

Vaggregates = 1025 – ((400/3.15)+180) = 1025 –(127+180)= 718 litres

Proportioning of Aggregates
The aim is to pack as much
aggregate as possible into a M3

To Achieve this you need to have

an idea of the different sizes of
your materials so you can Pack
them properly.
Material Grading (Sieve Analysis)
Shotcrete Mix Design
• Natural Stickiness Essential part of a
100
shotcrete design
Cumulative % Passing 25% below 0.3mm
80

60

40

20

0
19 13.2 9.5 4.75 2.36 1.18 0.6 0.3 0.15 0.075

Sieve Size (mm)

---------------- Max Limit

Min. Limit Max. Limit Actual Grading
---------------Min Limit
-------------- -Actual grading
Reduction of Voids
•
A look at voids in concrete aggregates
• 1 empty cubic meter
box
Voids in box = 1000
litres
A look at voids in concrete aggregates

1 cubic meter box filled with

1000L of 10mm aggregate
Void % in aggregate = 40%
Voids in box = 40% of 1000 L
= 400 L
A look at voids in concrete aggregates

1 cubic meter box filled with

1000L of 20mm agg & filled
with 400L of sand
Void % in sand = 40%
Voids in box = 40% of 400L
= 160 litres
The voids in the sand is filled
with cement and water.
A look at voids in concrete aggregates

Learnings
More sand = more water & more
cement (for the same strength)
More sand = less coarse agg &
more shrinkage
Poor shaped aggregate = more
sand required to fill voids
In the real world
 Aggregates
Aggregate occupies ~70-75% of
volume of concrete, so its quality
is of great importance.

Aggregates may affect the

following properties of concrete:
Strength
Durability
Structural Performance
Economy
Properties of Aggregate
• Bonding capability
• Bonding Capability – how well does
• Strength aggregate bond to cement paste.
• Deleterious substances • Strength – UCS of Concrete can be
limited by the UCS of the aggregate
• Soundness • Deleterious substances – Organic
• Alkali Silica and Alkali carbonate reactions impurities, clay , salt contamination
and unsound particles
• Thermal properties • Soundness – ability of aggregate to
• Particle Shape and texture resist excessive changes in volume as a
result of changes in physical conditions
• Specific Gravity • Alkali Silica and Alkali carbonate
reactions- these are reactions
• Bulk density between the cement paste and active
• Porosity and Absorption silica or carbonates found in some
aggregates.
• Moisture content • Thermal properties – problematic if
• Bulking thermal expansion of aggregate differs
by a great deal to that of the cement
• Sieve Analysis paste.
Particle shape and texture
Relative Density
Porosity and Absorption
 Aggregates
•
Water
Water Quality is important
Standard - Potable
Potable not always available
If water >2000 ppm of dissolved solids you
should have is tested for its effects on
strength and setting time.
ASTM C1602 is a useful document for
performance requirements, testing and
chemical limits of questionable water
sources.
Water
1. Total water ( Tw)
= All water in the mix from all sources.

2. Free water (Fw)

= all water in mix that is available to act
with the cement

3. Absorbed water is water unavailable

as it is absorbed by aggregate (Aw)

4. Fw = Tw- Aw
Mix design & Water
• Mix designs are based on assumption that only free water will react
with the cement.
• Free water will also determine the workability (pre admixtures)
• Free water is that water which is outside of the saturated surface dry
condition (SSD)
• Beware, There might be free water in the aggregate stockpile………..
• Beware, The aggregate might be dry so water requirement might
exceed that stipulated on mix design.
• Optimal W/C ratio range 0.43 – 0.5, Ideal 0.45 (For Shotcrete)
When Batching you need to know
• Absorption rate of all Aggregates
• Moisture content of stock piles
• Water requirement for mix
• Make allowances for moisture in
aggregate (reduce added water
and increase aggregate by same
amount)
Batching
• Concrete bowl should not be filled
more than 65% of volume
• Concrete should be mixed until it is
uniform in appearance and all the
ingredients are evenly distributed.
• Mix as per bowl manufacture's
recommendations If the blades of
the mixer become worn or coated
with hardened concrete, the
mixing action will be less efficient.
Batching
• Typical Mixing guidelines
50 to 100 revolutions of the drum at the rate
of rotation designated by the manufacturer as
mixing speed typically 10 – 18 revolutions per
minute
• Transporting
Agitating speed is usually about 2 revolutions
per minute
• Bowl should not turn more than a total of 300
revolutions from start of mix to discharge.

• Australian Standards state that bowl

manufacturer should specify mixing required
by their bowl to get a consistent mix
Thank You
Presented By

Des Vlietstra
Australian
Shotcrete Society