Aggregates

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 Aggregates
• Inert materials mixed with a binding material (cement,
lime, mud) for preparation of mortar or concrete.
• Depending on the particle size, aggregates are classified
as
– Fine aggregates: size 0.15 mm to 4.75 mm, sand, crushed stone,
ash, cinder, surkhi.
– Coarse aggregates: size 4.75 mm to 7.5 cm.

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Open Pit Aggregate Quarry

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Margalla quarries

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Sieve Gradation

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Commercial Sieves

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 Quarries in Punjab and KPK

Quarry name in Quarry name in

Province Punjab Province KPK
Chiniot Takial
Margalla Khairabad
Sikhanwali

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 Fine aggregates
• Particle size 0.15 mm to 4.75 mm
• Sand – small grains of silica from weathering,
disintegration of rocks
– Pit or quarry sand – sharp and angular grains found as
deposits in soil. Free from organic matter and clay and is
of good quality
– River sand – banks and beds of rivers. Needs washing to
get rid of clay
– Sea sand – fine rounded brown grains at sea beaches.
Contains salts so needs washing

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 Fine aggregates
• Crushed stone – waste stone crushed to sand
particle size gives excellent fine aggregate
• Ash or Cinder – fine nodules from steam
locomotives and furnaces. Cheap and strong black
mortar obtained with lime
• Surkhi – well ground, powdered broken brick used
as fine aggregate in lime mortar.

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 Qualities of good sand
• Coarse and angular grains of pure silica
• Hard, strong and durable grains
• Free from silt, clay and salts that may hamper
setting or attack reinforcement
• Free from organic matter
• Well graded – suitable proportions of various
particle sizes
• Free from hygroscopic moisture

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Types of Sand

California Black

Baja Mexico

Huahini, Tahiti

Maui, Hawaii

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Types of Sand

California Black
after magnet

Oahu, Hawaii

Guam, Green

St Martin,
Caribbean

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Types of Sand

Lake Powell,
Utah
Lake Powell,
Utah

Lumberyard

Mt St Helena

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Lawrencepur sand deposits

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 Fine aggregates - Sand
• Functions of sand in mortar
– As an adulterant to increase volume of mortar
– To reduces shrinkage and cracking of mortar
– Helps pure lime to set by allowing air penetration
providing carbon dioxide for carbonization and setting
of lime
• Bulking of sand – increase in volume due to
wetness of sand (20-30 % volume increase by 5-8
% moisture content)

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Bulking of sand

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 Fine aggregates - Sand
• Sand tests
– Rub a little sand between fingers. Clay impurities will
leave stains on fingers
– Salts may found out by tasting by tongue
– Vigorously shake sand sample in water and let it settle.
Clay or silt present will settle on top of sand
– Stir sample of sand in 3% solution of caustic soda and
let it stay sealed for 24 hrs. organic matter will turn the
liquid color to brown
• Function of surkhi – an adultrant which imparts
strength and hydraulic properties to mortar
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 Coarse aggregate
• Size from 4.75 mm to 7.5 mm
• Stone ballast – quarried granite, sandstone and
limestone broken and sieved to required size.
Should be free from organic matter. Stone should
not be soft, laminated. Excess clay washed off.
• Gravel or shingle – obtained from river beds,
quarries or sea shores. Hard and durable. Clay and
salts should be washed off.

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 Coarse aggregate
• Brick ballast – broken brick used where natural aggregate
is expensive or not available. Well burnt good bricks are
used. Should be free from dust. Used where lower
strength is required. Ballast thoroughly saturated before
use in concrete.
• Breeze and clinker – by products of coal burning provides
cheap and light aggregate for internal concrete blocks
and non load bearing partition walls. Not good for RCC
because of excessive sulphur which corrodes steel. Used
for internal concrete blocks and partitions not carrying
loads

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Stone ballast

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Coarse aggregate

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Coarse aggregate (pebbles & shingles)

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 Aggregates in concrete
• In Portland cement concrete, 60-75% of volume
and 79-85% of the weight is made up of
aggregates.
• Aggregates have greater volume stability than
cement paste.
• Therefore, maximizing the amount of aggregate,
to a certain extent, improves the quality and
economy of the mix.

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 Aggregate properties
• Aggregates’ properties are defined by
characteristics of both the individual particles and
the characteristics of the combined material.
• These properties can be described by their
physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics

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 Particle shape and surface texture
• The shape of the individual aggregate determines how the
material will pack into a dense configuration and also
determines the mobility of stones in a mix.
• There are two considerations in shape: angularity and
flakiness
• Crushing rocks produce angular particles with sharp
corners.
• Due to weathering, corners break down, creating
subangular particles.
• Water transported particles are rounded.

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