CHAPTER II

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND & REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE

This literature review focuses on the related key aspects of concrete mixing
development and performance of concrete in terms of its compressive strength. Topics of
interest for this research were a previous concrete mixing design study using the natural
stones, crushed stone and any other aggregates. Also, this literature review is made to
understand the previous efforts, which include the review of journals, seminars, conference
and research papers textbooks, periodicals and academic.

2.1 TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

The process of determining required and specifiable characteristics of a
concrete mixture is called mix design. Characteristics can include: (1) fresh concrete
properties; (2) required mechanical properties of hardened concrete such as strength
and durability requirements; and (3) the inclusion, exclusion, or limits on specific
ingredients. Mix design leads to the development of a concrete specification. Mixture
proportioning refers to the process of determining the quantities of concrete
ingredients, using local materials, to achieve the specified characteristics of the
concrete. A properly proportioned concrete mix should possess these qualities:
Acceptable workability of the freshly mixed concrete, then durability, strength and
uniform appearance of the hardened concrete. Lastly is economy.
Understanding the basic principles of mixture design is as important as the
actual calculations used to establish mix proportions. Only with proper selection of
materials and mixture characteristics can the above qualities be obtained in concrete
construction (Abrams 1918, Hover 1998, and Shilstone 1990).