Wollo University: Kombolcha Institute of Technology
Wollo University: Kombolcha Institute of Technology
Wollo University
Kombolcha Institute of Technology
Department of Construction Technology and Management
Construction Materials - II
(CoTM 2062)
Lecture-1
Water Cementitious
Materials
Hardened concrete
(retains shape, develops
strength)
Requirements of Concrete Making Materials
Water:
Water fit for drinking is generally suitable
for making concrete.
Water used in concrete mixes has two
functions:
The first is to react chemically with the
cement, which will finally set and harden,
The second function is to lubricate all other
materials and make the concrete workable.
Cont’d…
The total amount of water required per unit volume
of fresh concrete depends on the following factors.
1. The desired consistency of the concrete,
which may be expressed, as will be seen
by the slump or ball penetration test.
2. The maximum size, particle shape and
grading of the aggregate.
3. Water reducing or air entraining
admixtures.
Cont’d…
Cement:
Usually, Portland cement is
specified for general concrete
construction work and should
confirm to standard specifications.
AGGREGATE
1. Fine Aggregate(Sand):
In general the maximum size of the inert
particles(sand) in mortar is less than 5mm.
Sand is a natural product which is obtained as
river sand, sea sand and pit sand.
Sand may be obtained artificially by crushing
hard stones to get jelly (coarse aggregate).
Cont’d…
However sea sand should not be used for the
following reasons:
1. It contains salt and hence structure will
remain damp. The mortar is affected by
efflorescence and blisters appear.
2. It contains shells and other organic matter,
which decompose after some time, reducing
the life and binding capacity of the mortar.
Purpose of sand
Sand is used in mortar and concrete for the following
purpose:
1. It adds to the density of the mortar and prevents the
shrinkage of the cementing material.
2. It fills up the gap between the building blocks and
spreads the binding material.
3. It allows carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to reach
some depth and thereby improve setting power.
4. The cost of cementing material per unit volume is reduced
as this low cost material increases the volume of mortar.
The properties of good sand are:
1. It should be chemically inert.
2. It should be free from organic or vegetable
matter.
3. It should be free from salt.
4. It should contain sharp, angular and coarse
grains.
5. It should be well graded.
6. It should be hard.
Cont’d…
The presence of dust, loam, clay, and vegetable
materials is objectionable because they prevent
adhesion, thereby reducing the strength of the
mortar and increasing its porosity.
Therefore; Silt test could be made at the
Construction site using an ordinary clear glass
bottle or fruit jar
Procedure:
1. Fill the jar to a depth of 5 cm with a
representative sample of the sand to be
tested.
2. Add water until the jar or the bottle is about
three fourth full.
3. shake vigorously for one minute, the last
few shakes being in a sidewise direction to
level off the sand.
4. Allow the jar to stand for an hour during
which time any silt will be deposited in a
Cont’d…
5) If this layer is more than 3 mm thick that in terms of
percentage 3/50 = 6%, the sand of which this sample
representative is unsuitable for mortar work unless the
excess silt is removed by washing.
Cont’d…
The Sand that containing silt or organic matter should be
washed. A simple washing device is shown below. While the
sand is gently stirred, a stream of water is run through. The
water will overflow at the lower end carrying away the particles
or dirt, and the sand will remain in the through.
Water for mortar mix should be clean, free from industrial
wastes.
Batching
Materials used for making mortar should be
accurately measured.
Cement is usually measured by weight in
cement bags whereas (wet) slaked lime and
sand are measured by volume.
Each cement bag, as delivered by the factories, contains a
net weight of 50kg which corresponds to about 35 liter
loose volumes.
Cont’d…
For convenience, the other materials can be measured by using
a measuring box made to hold quantities in multiples of 35 liter
would be 40cm long, 35cm wide and 25cm deep internally.
V= L*W* H
= 40 * 35 *25
= 35000cc = 35L
Wollo University
Kombolcha Institute of Technology
Department of Construction Technology and Management
Construction Materials - II
(CoTM 2)
Lecture -2
Based on Weight
• Heavy weight aggregates: includes hematite, barite,
limonite, magnetite, and iron and steel-punching (weight
from 2800 to 6400Kg/m3) concrete .
• Normal weight aggregates: includes sand, gravel,
crushed stone, and air cooled blast furnace (weight from
2160 to 2560 Kg/m3)
• Lightweight aggregates: (Weight from 1360 kg/m3 to
1840Kg/m3) for structural concrete, expanded clay, shale,
slate, and slag are used whereas for insulating concrete
pumice, scoria, perlite, vermiculite, and diatomite are used.
CONT’D…
Based on size
It is widely used method of classification.
• Coarse aggregates: aggregate predominantly retained
on the No.4 (4.75mm) sieve. (Bigger than 4.75mm)
*Intermediate sieves.
#
Sum doesn’t include intermediate sieves.
Cont’d…
Solution:
Fineness modulus = 707.08 =7.07
100
For Commonly use:
FM for F.A= 2.0- 3.5
FM for C.A= 5.5-8.0
Very fine sand and very coarse sand are objectionable, fine
sand is uneconomical and coarse sand gives harsh
unworkable mixes.
Cont’d…
The use of grading aggregates is:
So as to have different sizes of particles, from
the required largest size to the very fine. This
results can:
improved workability of the concrete and
economy of the cement since such aggregate
has a decreased amount of voids.
It is important to have a well-graded coarse
and fine aggregate with maximum possible
size.
Grading Charts
The results obtained as percent passing or percent
coarser can be shown graphically in aggregate grading
charts.
• On the horizontal axis the sieve openings are read with
arithmetic or logarithmic scale. They are arranged with
increasing sieve-opening sizes from left to right.
• On the vertical axis on the left side of the chart the total
percentage coarser are indicated as 0 to 100, from
bottom to top. The corresponding values for the
percentage passing are read on the right side of the chart.
2. Shape and Surface Texture
The particle shape and the surface texture of aggregates
influence the properties of fresh concrete more than those of
hardened concrete.
Particle shape: is classified as rounded, irregular, angular,
flaky, elongated, flaky and elongated.
R I El
F
An
R
Fl
&E
l
Cont’d…
Rounded : fully water worn or completely shaped
Irregular: naturally irregular
Flaky: materials of which thickness is smaller than the
other dimensions (t<< L and B)
Angular: possessing well defined edges.
Elongated: materials having length is considerably
larger than (L>> t or B)
Flaky and Elongated: L>>B>>t
Cont’d…
surface texture and Bonding: is assessed as glassy,
smooth, granular, rough, crystalline or honeycombed.