MIX PROPORTIONING OF CONCRETE

(USING GGBS AS PART REPLACEMENT OF OPC)

1 STIPULATIONS FOR PROPORTIONING

a) Grade designation : M40
b) Type of cement : OPC 43 grade conforming to IS 269
c) Type of mineral admixture : GGBS conforming to IS 16714
d) Maximum nominal size of aggregate : 20mm
e) Minimum cement content and maximum
water-cement ratio to be adopted and/or
Exposure condition as per Table 3 and Table 5
of IS 456 : Severe (for reinforced concrete)
f) Workability : 120 mm (slump)
g) Method of concrete placing : Pumping
h) Degree of supervision : Good
j) Type of aggregate : Crushed stone angular aggregate
k) Maximum cement (OPC content) : As per IS 456
m) Chemical admixture type : Super plasticizer- normal
2 TEST DATA FOR MATERIALS
a) Cement used : OPC 43 grade conforming to IS 269
b) Specific gravity of cement : 3.15
c) GGBS : Conforming to IS 16714
d) Specific gravity of GGBS : 3
e) Chemical admixture : Super plasticizer conforming to IS 9103
f) Specific gravity (at SSD condition) of
1) Coarse aggregate : 2.74 (based on saturated surface dry condition)
2) Fine aggregate : 2.65 (based on saturated surface dry condition)
3) Chemical Admixture : 1.145
g) Water absorption
1) Coarse aggregate : 0.5 percent
2) Fine aggregate : 1.0 percent
h) Moisture content of aggregate [As per
IS 2386(Part 3)]
1) Coarse aggregate : Nil
2) Fine aggregate : Nil
j) Sieve analysis
1) Coarse aggregate:
IS Sieve Sizes Analysis of Coarse Aggregate Percentage of Different Fractions Remarks
mm Fraction

I II I II 100
(20-10 mm) (10 - 4.75 mm) 60 percent 40 percent percent
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
20 100 100 60 40 100 Conforming
10 Nil 71.20 Nil 28.5 28.5 to Table 7 of
4.75 Nil 9.40 Nil 3.7 3.7 IS 383
2.36 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
2) Fine aggregate : Conforming to grading Zone II of Table 9 of IS 383
3 TARGET STRENGTH FOR MIXPROPORTIONING
f’ck = fck + 1.65 S
or
f’ck = fck + X
whichever is higherwhere
f’ck = target average compressive strength at28 days,
fck = characteristic compressive strength at 28 days,
S = deviation, and
from Table 2, standard deviation S = 5 N/mm2From Table 1, X = 6.5.
Therefore, target strength using both equations, that is,
a) f’ck = fck +1.65 S
= 40 + 1.65 x 5 = 48.25 N/mm2
b) f’ck = fck + 6.5
= 40 + 6.5 = 46.5 N/mm2
The higher value is to be adopted. Therefore, targetstrength will be 48.25 N/mm2 as 48.25 N/mm2 >
46.5 N/mm2.

4 APPROXIMATE AIR CONTENT:

From Table 3, the approximate amount of entrapped air to be expected in normal (non-air-entrained) concrete is 1.0
percent for 20 mm nominal maximum size of aggregate.

5 SELECTION OF WATER-CEMENT RATIO:

From Fig. 1 the free water-cement ratio required for the target strength of 48.25 N/mm2 is 0.36 for OPC 43grade curve.
This is lower than the maximum value of
0.45 prescribed for ‘severe’ exposure for reinforced concrete as per Table 5 of IS 456.
0.36 < 0.45, hence O.K.

6 SELECTION OF WATER CONTENT:

From Table 4, water content
= 186 kg (for 50 mm slump) for 20 mm aggregate.
Estimated water content for 120 mm slump (increasingat the rate of 3 percent for every 25 mm slump)
84
= 186 + X186
100
= 201.62 kg
As super plasticizer is used, the water content may be reduced.
Based on trial data, the water content reduction of 23
To proportion a mix containing GGBS the following steps are suggested:
a) Decide the percentage of GGBS to be used based on project requirement and quality of GGBS.
b) In certain situations increase in cementitiousmaterial content may be warranted. The decision on increase
in cementitious materialcontent and its percentage may be based on experience and trials.
GGBS @ 40 percent of total cementitious material content
= 431 × 40 percent
= 172.4 ≈ 172 kg/m3
Cement (OPC) = 431 – 172 = 259 kg/m3
Hence the arrived water content.
 = 201.62 × 0.77 = 155.25kg ≈ 155 kg
7 CALCULATION OF CEMENT CONTENT
Water-cement ratio = 0.36 Cement content = 155/0.36
= 430.55 kg/m3 ≈ 431 kg/m3
From Table 5 of IS 456, minimum cement content for ‘severe’ exposure condition
= 320 kg/m3
431 kg/m > 320 kg/m3, hence O.K.
3

percent is considered while using super plasticizer at the rate of 1.0 percent by weight of cement.

8 PROPORTION OF VOLUME OF COARSEAGGREGATE AND FINE AGGREGATE CONTENT

From Table 5, volume of coarse aggregate correspondingto 20 mm size aggregate and fine aggregate (Zone II) for
water-cement ratio of 0.50 = 0.62.
In the present case water-cementitious ratio is 0.36. Therefore, volume of coarse aggregate is required to be
increased to decrease the fine aggregate content. Asthe water-cement ratio is lower by 0.14, the proportion of volume
of coarse aggregate is increased by 0.028
(at the rate of ∓ 0.01m3 for every ± 0.05 change in water-cement ratio). Therefore, corrected volume of
coarse aggregate for the water-cementitious ratio of 0.36 = 0.62 + 0.028 = 0.648 m3.
For pumpable concrete these values may be reduced by up to 10 percent. (see 5.5.2). Here, 10 percent reduction is
considered.
Therefore, volume of coarse aggregate
= 0. 648 × 0.9
= 0.583 2 say 0.58 m
Volume of fine aggregate content
= 1 – 0.58 = 0.42 m3

9 MIX CALCULATION:
The mix calculation per unit volume of concrete shallbe as follows:
a) Total Volume = 1 m3
b) Volume of entrapped air in wet concrete
= 0.01 m3
c) Volume of cement
Mass of cement 1
= X
Specific gravity of cement 1 000
259 1
= 3.15 X1 000
= 0.082 2 m3
d) Volume of GGBS
Mass of GGBS 1
= X
Specific gravity of GGBS 1 000

172 1
= 3 X1 000
= 0.057 3 m3
e) Volume of water
Mass of water 1
= 
Specific gravity of water 1 000

155 1
= 1 X1 000
= 0.155 m3
 f) Volume of chemical admixture (super plasticizer) @1.0 percent by mass of cementitious material)
Mass of chemical admixture 1
= X
Specific gravity of admixture 1 000

4.31 1
= X
1.145 1 000
= 0.003 8 m3

g) Volume of total aggregate

= [(a-b)-(c+d+e+f)]
= (1-0.01) - (0.0 822+0.0 573+0.155+0.0 038)
= 0.691 7 m3
h) Mass of coarse aggregate
= g × Volume of coarse aggregate × Specificgravity of coarse aggregate × 1 000
= 0.6 917 × 0.58 × 2.74 × 1 000
= 1 099 kg
j) Mass of fine aggregate
= g × Volume of fine aggregate × Specificgravity of fine aggregate × 1 000
= 0.6 971 × 0.42 × 2.65 × 1 000
= 769.86 ≈770 kg

10 MIX PROPORTIONS FOR TRIAL NUMBER 1:

Cement = 259 kg/m3
GGBS = 172 kg/m3 Water (Net mixing) = 155 kg/m3 Fine aggregate (SSD)
= 770 kg/m3 Coarse aggregate (SSD) = 1 099 kg/m3Chemical admixture
= 4.31 kg/m3 Free water-cementitious material ratio
= 0.36
NOTE — Aggregates shall be used in saturated surface dry condition. If otherwise, when computing the
requirement of mixing water, allowance shall be made for the free (surface) moisture contributed by the fine
and coarse aggregates. On the other hand, if the aggregates are dry, the amount of mixing water shall be
increased by an amount equal to the moisture likely to be absorbed by the aggregates. Necessary adjustments
are also required to be made in mass of aggregates. The surface water and percent water absorption of aggregates
shall be determined according to IS 2386 (Part 3).

11 ADJUSTMENT ON WATER, FINE AGGREGATE AND COARSE AGGREGATE (IF THE

COARSE AND FINE AGGREGATE IS IN DRY CONDITION)
As the coarse and fine aggregates are in dry condition,adjustment of water, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate .
a) Fine Aggregate (Dry)
Mass of fine aggregate in SSD condition = 648
1+Water absorption/100 1+(1/100)
= 641.58 kg/m3   kg/m3
b) Coarse Aggregate (Dry)

Mass of coarse aggregate in SSD condition 1234

=
1+Water absorption/100 1+ (0.5 /100)
= 1 227.86 kg/m3  1 228 kg/m3
The extra water to be added for absorption by coarseand fine aggregate,
1) For coarse aggregate
= Mass of coarse aggregate in SSD condition –mass of coarse aggregate in dry condition
= 1 234 – 1 228 = 6 kg
2) For fine aggregate
= Mass of fine aggregate in SSD condition –mass of fine aggregate in dry condition
= 648 – 642 = 6 kg
The estimated requirement for added water, therefore, becomes
= 148 + 6 + 6 = 160 kg/m3

12 MIX PROPORTIONS AFTER ADUSTMENTFOR DRY AGGREGATES

Cement = 412 kg/m3

Water (to be added) = 160 kg/m3

Fine aggregate (Dry) = 642 kg/m3

Coarse aggregate (Dry) = 1 228 kg/m3

Chemical admixture = 4.12 kg/m3

Free water-cement ratio = 0.36