CONCRETE STRENGTH CASES

Strength Type MPa psi

Low < 20 < 3000
Normal 20 – 40 3000 – 6000
High Strength > 40 > 6000

DESIGN OF CONCRETE MIX (Concrete Mix Proportioning)

 Intelligent guess of optimum combination based on previous experiences or relationships
previously derived. The process to obtain a satisfactory mix is as follows:
Preliminary Computations --- Trial Mix --- Checking --- Adjustments --- Trial Mix
 External factors such as moisture condition of aggregates, place where mixing is to be done
(field or laboratory), handling, placing, transporting, and weather conditions affect fresh
and hardened properties of designed mix.

METHOD 1: ACI METHOD

Steps:
1. Determine water-cement ration from Table 3
2. Determine water requirement from Table 4
3. Determine % of entrapped air from Table 4
4. Determine volume of coarse aggregate from Table 5
5. Determine number of bags of cement = water requirement / W-C ratio
6. Determine Absolute Volume of Cement = (Weight of Cement * number of bags) / (Sp.G *
γH2O)
7. Determine Absolute Volume of Water = Water Requirement / Sp.G * γH2O
8. Determine Absolute Volume of Air = Abs. Vol. of Concrete (1m3) * % of entrapped air
9. Determine Absolute Volume of Cement Paste = Cement + Water + Air
10. Determine Absolute Volume of Solid Aggregate = Abs. Vol. of Concrete – Abs. Vol. of
Cement paste
11. Determine Absolute Volume of Gravel = (Vol. of Coarse Aggregate (Table 5) * Dry
Rodded Wt.) * (Sp.G* γH2O)
12. Determine Absolute Volume of sand = Absolute Volume of Solid Aggregate – Volume of
Gravel
13. Tabulate:
Material Abs. Vol. Specific Gravity H2O Uncorrected Weight Corrected Weight
14. Determine the weight for each material for the specimen
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑
𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 = ∗ 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑡. 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙
𝐴𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑒
Sample Problem: Design a concrete mix using the ACI method based on Type I, non-air entrained
concrete with max compressive strength (f’c = 30 MPa). Determine the quantity of cement, sand,
gravel and water required to fill up 3 cylindrical molds (dia = 0.15m; ht = 0.30m) after making the
necessary corrections.
Design mix per bag of Cement:
1. Determine Absolute Volume of Concrete = (1 / Cement Factor, CF)
2. Determine Absolute Volume of Cement = Wt. of Cement / (Sp.G* γH2O)
3. Determine Absolute Volume of Water = Corrected Net Water Content / (CF * γH2O)
Corrected net water content = NWC (Table 2) ± Correction
4. Determine Absolute Volume of Total Aggregate = Abs. vol. of concrete – (abs. vol. of
Cement and Water)
5. Correction for % sand
W – C ratio = Corrected NWC / (CF * wt. of cement)
Fineness Modulus = (Given FM – Required FM)
Corrected % sand = % sand of total aggregate (Table 2) + Total Correction
6. Determine Absolute Volume of Sand = abs. vol.of total aggregate * % correction of sand
7. Determine Absolute Volume of Gravel = abs. vol. of total aggregate – abs. vol. of sand
8. Tabulate:
Material Abs. Vol. Specific Gravity H2O Uncorrected Weight Corrected Weight
9. Determine weight of each material for the specimen
Remarks/ Recommendations:
Certified Correct: ___________________________
(Signature, Designation and Office)
The proportions are for starting mix only. In the course of mixing operations, the quality of
concrete should be periodically checked as to the following: workability, net water content and
cement as per yield test. If found not meeting the requirements in the Materials Manual, necessary
adjustments should be made before proceeding further to ensure uniform quality of concrete
throughout the structure.

Sample Problem: Design a concrete mix per bag of cement using the approximate sand and water
content method given the following data:
Material Sand Gravel Spec. Req’d
Fineness Modulus 2.65 Cement Factor, CF = 8 bags/m3
Sp. G (SSD) 2.60 2.70 Max. Size of Aggregate = 38mm
Moisture Content 6.5 3.5 γH2O = 1000 kg/m3
Absorption 2.5 2.5 Wt. of Cement = 40 kg/bag
Type Natural Angular Sp. G of Cement = 3.15
Slump = 100 mm