RECORD BOOK

CE 3410 - Construction Materials Laboratory

(Experiments on Aggregates)

Student’s Name UTKARSH GUPTA

Student’s Roll Number CE17B134

Building Technology & Construction Management Division Dept. of

Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Chennai 600 036, India

July - November 2019

 1. AIM

i) To determine the specific gravity of coarse aggregate.

ii) To determine the specific gravity of fine aggregate.
iii) To determine bulk density (by compacted weight) and void content (%) of fine aggregates.
iv) To determine bulk density (by compacted weight) and void content (%) of coarse aggregates.
v) To determine the impact value of coarse aggregate.
vi) To determine the abrasion value of coarse aggregate by the use of Los Angeles Machine.
vii) To determine the crushing value of coarse aggregate.
viii) To classify the grain size distribution of fine aggregate (sand) by sieve analysis.

2. REFERENCE CODES

a) IS 2386–1963; Methods of test for aggregates for concrete; Part I: Particle size and shape
b) IS 2386–1963 Methods of test for aggregates for concrete; Part III: Methods of test for aggregates for concrete
c) IS 2386–1963; Methods of test for aggregates for concrete; Part IV: Mechanical properties
d) IS 383–1970; Specification for coarse and fine aggregates from natural sources for concrete

3. PROCEDURE

3.1. Specific gravity test for coarse aggregates

 Take the dry weight of only coarse aggregates (about 2.2 kg).
 Take the submerged weight of wired container, after removing air bubbles by agitating it 25 times in water.
 Take the submerged weight of wired container and coarse aggregate. Use formula prescribed by IS 2386 to calcite
specific gravity.

3.2. Specific gravity test for fine aggregates

 Take the empty weight of pycnometer (WA) and the weight of pycnometer completely filled with water (WB).
 Now fill the empty pycnometer with fine aggregate by around 40% volume and take the weight (WC).
 Now fill the water in the remaining part of pycnometer and take weight (WD).

3.3. Bulk density and void content tests of coarse aggregates

 Take the empty weight if cylinder (15 litres) with an accuracy of 100 grams.
 Fill the coarse aggregate in the compacting cylinder without compaction and take the weight.
 Now, fill the aggregates in three layers by compacting each layer by 25 blows of tamping rod and take the weight.

3.4. Bulk density and void content tests of coarse aggregates

 Take the empty weight if cylinder (3 litres) with an accuracy of 1 gram.
 Fill the fine aggregate in the compacting cylinder without compaction and take the weight.
 Now, fill the aggregates in three layers by compacting each layer by 15 blows of tamping rod and take the weight.

3.5. Aggregate Impact Value for coarse aggregates

 300 g (WA) of coarse aggregate with size 10-12.5 mm are filled into impact cup up to the brim in three layers
each, tamped with 25 blows of tamping rod.
 The cup is positioned on the base of the machine and the hammer shall be raised up by 380 mm above the upper
surface of the cup and dropped freely 15 times on the aggregates.
 The crushed aggregate is then sieved on the 2.36 mm IS Sieve and the fraction passing through the sieve is
weighed (WB).
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3.6. Aggregate Abrasion Value for coarse aggregates
 2.5 kg each of 10-12.5 mm and 12.5-20mm coarse aggregates of grade B (W1=5kg) are placed inside the Los
Angles abrasion testing machine with 11 steel balls (Ø48mm), and the machine is set to 500 revolutions at 30-33
rev/min.
 After completion, the discharged material is sieved on the 1.70 mm IS Sieve and the material retained on the sieve
is weighed (W2).

3.7. Crushing Value of Coarse Aggregate for coarse aggregates

 Around 3 kg of coarse aggregate of size 12.5-20 mm are filled in 15 cm cylinder in 3 layers, each layer tamped 25
times with the tamping rod.
 The cylinder is positioned in base plate of compression testing machine and a load rate of 4 tons/min is applied
for 10 minutes to reach a value of 40 tons total load.
 After completion of test, the material is sieved on the 3.35 mm IS Sieve and the fraction passing the sieve shall be
weighed (WB).

3.8. Grain Size Distribution of fine aggregates

 Around 700 g of fine aggregate is placed on the 4.75 mm sieve of sieve analysis equipment and the lid is closed.
 The instrument is continuously shaken for 10 minutes and the weight of aggregate on each sieve and pan is
recorded. Based on the data, a plot of % finer and sieve size is plotted.

4. OBSERVATIONS AND CALCULATIONS

4.1. Specific gravity test for coarse aggregates

Parameter Coarse aggregate

Weight of coarse aggregates taken (A) 2.458 kg
Buoyant weight of wired container (B) 1.312 kg
Buoyant weight of container with aggregates (C) 2.886 kg
Buoyant weight of aggregates (D = C-B) 1.574 kg
Weight of water displaced (A-D) 0.884 kg
Specific gravity of coarse aggregates; S.G. = [A/(A-D)]
2.78

4.2. Specific gravity test for fine aggregates

Parameter Fine aggregate

Dry weight of fine aggregate (WA) 500 g
Weight of pycnometer with water (WB) 1508 g
Weight of the pycnometer with aggregate and water as filled (WC) 1825 g
Submerged weight of fine aggregate (WC –WB) 317 g
Weight of water displaced = [WA – (Wc – WB)] 183 g
Volume of water displaced = [WA – (Wc – WB)] / (1 g/mL)
183 mL

Actual Specific gravity of the fine aggregate; S.G. = WA / [WA – (Wc – WB)] 2.73

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4.3. Bulk density and void content tests of coarse and fine aggregates

Parameter Fine aggregate Coarse aggregate

Weight of empty vessel (A) 2.616 kg 10.4 kg
Weight of vessel with aggregate -- non compacted (B) 7.378 kg 30.6 kg
Weight of vessel with aggregate -- compacted (B’) 7.640 kg 33.3 kg
Volume of the vessel (C) 3L 15 L
Weight of aggregate sample non compacted (B-A) (kg) 4.762 kg 20.2 kg
Weight of aggregate sample non compacted (B’-A) (kg) 5.024 kg 22.9
Bulk Density before compaction (kg/m3) = (B-A)/C 1590 kg/m3 1350 kg/m3
Bulk Density after compaction (kg/m3) = (B-A)/C 1670 kg/m3 1530 kg/m3
Percentage of voids before compaction (%) = (SG – Bulk density)/ SG 0.418 0.514
Percentage of voids after compaction (%) = (SG – Bulk density)/ SG 0.388 0.450
Compaction factor (B-A) / (B’-A) 0.95 0.88

4.4. Aggregate Impact Value for coarse aggregates

Weight of fraction passing through IS sieve Weight of oven dried Aggregate Impact Value
2.36 mm in grams (B) sample in grams (A)
(B/A)x100%
70 g 300 g 23.3%

4.5. Aggregate Abrasion Value for coarse aggregates

Weight of the sample in grams W1 = 4.672 kg
Weight of the sample retained on the appropriate sieve in grams W2 = 3.981 kg
Aggregate abrasion Value %= 14.8%

4.6. Crushing Value of Coarse Aggregate for coarse aggregates

Weight of fraction passing the Weight of surface- dry Crushing Value of Aggregate
appropriate sieve in grams(B) sample in grams(A)
736 3000 24.5%

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4.7. Grain Size Distribution of fine aggregates

Sieve Size (in mm) Weight of sample retained (in g) % retained Cumulative% % Finer
4.75 18 2.29% 2.29 97.71%
2.36 120 15.31% 17.60 82.40%
1.18 192 24.49% 42.09 57.91%
0.60 200 25.51% 67.60 32.80%
0.30 172 21.94% 89.54 10.46%
0.15 80 10.20% 99.74 0.26%
0.075 2 0.26% 100.0 0%
Pan 0 0% 100.0 0%
Total 784 100% 318.86

Fineness Modulus, FM = 318.86/100 = 3.19

i.e. the average size of aggregate is in between 0.60 mm and 1.18 mm.

100.00%
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
% Finer

50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
0.01 0.1 1 10
Seive size in mm (log scale)

Sieve size through which 10% material passes, D10 = 0.30 mm

Sieve size through which 10% material passes, D30 = 0.55 mm
Sieve size through which 10% material passes, D60 = 1.40 mm
Hence, coefficient of uniformity, CU = D60 / D10 = 4.67
and; coefficient of curvature, CC =( D30 )2 / (D60 × D10 ) = 0.72

 Based on the classification of fine aggregates as per IS 383:1970; the given fine aggregate belongs to
Grading zone II .

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