EXPERIMENT- DETERMINATION OF PARTICAL

SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF COARSE AGGREGATE

OBJECTIVE:
To determine the particle size distribution, fineness
modulus, grading curve for Coarse Aggregate.
APPARTUS:
Balance, set of standard sieves in following size:
For Fine aggregates:
80mm, 63mm, 50mm, 40mm, 25mm, 16mm, 12.5mm, 10mm,
6.3mm, and 4.75mm
PROCEDURE:
1. Take 20kg of fine aggregate.
2. Arrange the sieve in descending order with largest
size on top.
3. Sieve the material passing through the sieve and
note the weight of sample on the sieve.
4. Sieve the material passing through previous sieves
by using the next lower size of the sieve and not the
weight as in step 3.
5. Repeat steps 3 through 4 until you have used all
sieves.
OBSERVATION AND CALCULATION:
Table-1
Weight of coarse aggregate taken =20 kg
i.s. sieve Weight Cumulative Cumulative % Passing
size retained weight % retained
retained
(mm)
(kg)
40 Nil 0 0 100
31.5 Nil 0 0 100
25 0.250 0.250 1.25 98.75
20 14.8 15.05 75.25 24.75
16 4.8 19.85 99.25 0.75
EXPERIMENT- DETERMINATION OF PARTICAL
SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF COARSE AGGREGATE

12.5 0.1 19.95 99.75 0.25

10 0.05 20.00 100 0
Table-2
Weight of coarse aggregate taken = 10kg
i.s. sieve Weight Cumulative Cumulative % Passing
size retained weight % retained
retained
(mm)
(kg)
12.5

10
6.3
4.75

2.6

CLASSIFICATION OF AGGREGATES
➢ According to Source:
1. Natural aggregate: Native deposits with no change in
their natural state other than washing, crushing &
grading. (sand, gravel, crush stone)
2. Artificial aggregates: They are obtained either as a
by-product or by a special manufacturing process
such as heating. (blast furnace slag, expanded
perlite)
➢ According to Unit Weight:
1. Heavy weight agg.: Hematite, Magnetite Specific
Gravity, Gs > 2.8
EXPERIMENT- DETERMINATION OF PARTICAL
SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF COARSE AGGREGATE

2. Normal weight agg.:Gravel, sand, crushed stone 2.8

< Gs < 2.4
3. Light weight agg.:Expanded perlite, burned clay Gs <
2.4
➢ According to Size:
1. Fine aggregate: d ≤ 5 mm
2. Coarse aggregate: d > 5 mm

Aggregates have 3 main functions in concrete:

1) To provide a mass of particles which are suitable to
resist the action of applied loads & show better
durability then cement paste alone.
2) To provide a relatively cheap filler for the cementing
material.
To reduce volume changes resulting from setting & hardening
process & from moisture changes during drying.

Need and Scope:

The grain size analysis is widely used in classification of soils.
The data obtained from grain size distribution curves is used in
the design of filters for earth dams and to determine suitability
of soil for road construction, air field etc. Information obtained
from grain size analysis can be used to predict soil water
movement although permeability tests are more generally
used.
EXPERIMENT- DETERMINATION OF PARTICAL
SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF COARSE AGGREGATE

Sieve

Grading of Aggregates
Grading is the particle-size distribution of an aggregate as
determined by a sieve analysis using wire mesh sieves with
square openings.
Fine aggregate―7 standard sieves with openings from 150 μm
to 9.5 mm
Coarse aggregate―13 sieves with openings from 1.18 mm to
100 mm

Factors Affecting a Desired Grading

1) Surface area of the Aggregate
The lower the surface area, the lesser is the paste requirement.
2) Relative Volume of Agg. in Concrete
EXPERIMENT- DETERMINATION OF PARTICAL
SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF COARSE AGGREGATE

Limitations of sieve analysis:

Sieve analysis has, in general, been used for decades to

monitor material quality based on particle size. For coarse
material, sizes that range down to #100 mesh (150μm), a sieve
analysis and particle size distribution is accurate and
consistent.
However, for material that is finer than 100 mesh, dry sieving
can be significantly less accurate. This is because the
mechanical energy required to make particles pass through an
opening and the surface attraction effects between the
particles themselves and between particles and the screen
increase as the particle size decreases. Wet sieve analysis can
be utilized where the material analyzed is not affected by the
liquid - except to disperse it. Suspending the particles in a
suitable liquid transports fine material through the sieve much
more efficiently than shaking the dry material.
EXPERIMENT- DETERMINATION OF PARTICAL
SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF COARSE AGGREGATE

Sieve analysis assumes that all particle will be round (spherical)

or nearly so and will pass through the square openings when
the particle diameter is less than the size of the square opening
in the screen. For elongated and flat particles a sieve analysis
will not yield reliable mass-based results, as the particle size
reported will assume that the particles are spherical, where in
fact an elongated particle might pass through the screen end-
on, but would be prevented from doing so if it presented itself
side-on.
Engineering applications
Gradation is usually specified for each engineering application
it is used for. For example, foundations might only call for
coarse aggregates, and therefore an open gradation is needed.
Gradation is primarily a concern in pavement mix
design. Concrete could call for both coarse and fine particles
and a dense graded aggregate would be
needed. Asphalt design also calls for a dense graded
aggregate. Gradation also applies to subgrades in paving,
which is the material that a road is paved on. Gradation, in this
case, depends on the type of road (i.e. highway, rural,
suburban) that is being paved.