How does the particle size affects the size of portland cement concrete?

The size of a cement particle has an important effect on the rate at which it will hydrate when
exposed to water. As it reacts, a layer of hydration product forms around the outside of the
particle, separating the unreacted core of the particle from the surrounding water. As this layer
grows thicker, the rate of hydration slows down. Therefore, a small particle will react much
more quickly than a large particle. A particle that has a diameter of 1 µm will react completely
in about 1 day, whereas a particle with a diameter of 10 µm will react completely in about 1
month. Particles larger than about 50 µm will probably never become fully reacted, even if
there is a sufficient source of water. Clearly, the particle size distribution is critical for
controlling the rate at which a cement sets and gains strength. There must be a certain amount of
small particles to ensure that the cement sets in a reasonable amount of time, but if there are too
many small particles the cement will set too quickly, leaving no time for mixing and placing.
Fortunately, the grinding process has a natural tendency to produce a wide range of particle
sizes, so this is not a problem.

shows the particle size distribution for a typical portland cement. About 10 wt% of the cement is
made of particles larger than 50 µm, and only a few wt% is particles larger than 90 µm. On the
fine end, less than 10% of the cement is particles smaller than 2 µm. Such a distribution is
traditionally measured by a sedimentation process, in which the size of the particles is
determined from the rate at which they sink in a column of liquid. A faster and more precise
method is laser particle analysis. A small amount of powder is dispersed in a solvent such as
methanol and then pumped through a clear tube in front of a laser. The particle size distribution
is calculated from the diffraction pattern generated by the scattering of the laser light off of the
particles.

The particle size distribution of a typical portland cement. Left: the cumulative distribution,
where the y axis value is the wt% of the particles that are smaller than the x-axis value. Right: a
histogram showing the wt% of particles in different size ranges.

The average particle size, defined as the size for which 50 wt% of the cement consists of
larger particles, is sometimes used to characterize the overall fineness of the cement (in Figure 3-
8 the average particle size is ). However, this is only one aspect of the particle size distribution,
the other being its breadth. If two cements have the same average particle size but different
distributions, the cement with the broader distribution will have more fine particles and thus will
exhibit a faster rate of early hydration.

A better parameter for describing the fineness of the cement (at least in terms of knowing how
reactive it will be at early times) is the specific surface area, because most of the surface area
comes from the smallest particles. The most common method for characterizing the surface area
of a cement is the Blaine air permeability test, which is described by an ASTM standard [13] .
This test is based on the fact that the rate at which air can pass through a porous bed of particles
under a given pressure gradient is a function of the surface area of the powder. A chamber of
known cross sectional area and volume is filled with a known mass of cement, and then the time
required to pass a known volume of air through the powder is measured. While the surface area
can in theory be calculated explicitly from this data, in practice the surface area is determined
through an empirical equation developed by measuring powders of a known surface area using
the same instrument. The resulting value, called the Blaine fineness, is today expressed in units
of m2/kg, although in previous times it was expressed in cm2/g. The Blaine fineness of OPC
usually ranges from 300 – 500 m2/kg (3000 – 5000 cm2/g).

It should be noted that the specific surface area is a notoriously difficult parameter to pin
down because most materials have features at many different length scales, so that the more
sensitive the measurement, the more surface area will be found. Thus different measuring
techniques give different values. When the surface area of a cement is measured using gas
sorption, a technique that measures how many gas molecules can fit on the surface of a solid, the
resulting value is 2-3 times higher than the Blaine value [2] . This occurs because the cement
particles have a rough, irregular surface with internal cracks and pores.

The specific surface area of a hydrated cement paste is much higher than that of the dry
cement powder, because the main hydration product, the C-S-H gel, has a system of very small
internal pores. This extremely important aspect of the microstructure of cement paste will be
discussed in detail in Chapter 7. As a final note, the specific surface area of a cement powder
tells little about the size of the largest particles or the breadth of the particle size distribution.
These parameters affect the workability of the cement at a given water/cement ratio and the
degree of hydration and strength development over long periods of time, among other factors.
No single parameter can substitute for a full particle size distribution.

How does the particle size affects the size of Base course materials?

Grain-size distribution of a granular system was within the defined limits, and the percentage of
fine particles (<0.02 mm in diameter) ranged from 0 to 10% by mass. Two types of fine particles
were tested, those of stone and clay origin. The specimens were compacted using five energy
levels. Used lab. equipment was in compliance with the requirements of German (DIN) and
Swiss (SNV) standards. - bearing capacity (CBR test0 at optimum moisture content and after one
freezing/thawing cycle - permeability (coefficient of permeability k). The obtained results were
statistically analyzed and graphically presented. The most important outputs are: (a) Bearing
capacity - within the research limits of 0 to 10% by mass, fine stone particles have positive effect
and the bearing capacity increases, - fine clay particles content not higher than 5% by mass is
acceptable; for higher percentages, the bearing capacity decreases. (b) Permeability - for fine
stone particles content below 5% by mass permeability is still satisfactory; however, even a very
small percentage of fine clay particles has an adverse impact on permeability. The conclusions
are related to the tested materials and should be used as starting point for further investigation.
How does the particle size affects the size of Bituminous concrete?

RESEARCH ON BITUMINOUS CONCRETE PROPERTIES WITH LARGE-SIZED AGGREGATES

OF DIFFERENT PARTICLE SHAPE
A TEST METHOD WAS DEVELOPED TO EVALUATE BITUMINOUS MIXTURES WITH LARGE-
SIZED AGGREGATES. THE TRIAXIAL METHOD OF TEST USED BY THE TEXAS HIGHWAY
DEPARTMENT FOR SOIL- AGGREGATE COMBINATIONS, AS WELL AS FOR DENSE-GRADED
AGGREGATES, WAS ADOPTED WITH SOME MODIFICATION. THE BASIC CHANGE WAS
CLOSE CONTROL OF TEMPERATURE DURING MIXING, COMPACTION, AND TESTING.
CONCLUSIONS OF THE RESEARCH INTO THE MERITS OF DIFFERENT AGGREGATES IN
HOT-MIXED, HOT-LAID ASPHALTIC CONCRETE ARE: (1) A SMALL VARIATION IN THE
ASPHALT CONTENT OF MIXTURES WITH LARGE-SIZED CRUSHED STONE AGGREGATE
DOES NOT DETRIMENTALLY AFFECT THE STRENGTH, (2) EQUALLLY STABLE MIXES
WITH LESS ASPHALT CAN BE PREPARED AS THE AGGREGATE SIZE IS INCREASED, (3)
CRUSHED STONE ASPHALTIC CONCRETE MIXTURES, WHEN TESTED AT 140 F AND
LOWER LATERAL PRESSURES, ARE ALMOST TWICE AS STRONG AS THOSE PREPARED
WITH NATURAL MATERIALS, BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS NOT AS GREAT AT HIGHER
CONFINING PRESSURES OR LOWER TEMPERATURES, (4) ALTHOUGH TESTING AT 140 F
MAY NOT BE JUSTIFIED FOR BASE COURSE MIXES, TESTS AT SOME INTERMEDIATE
TEMPERATURE, SUCH AS 100 TO 110 F, SHOULD PROVIDE AN INDICATION OF THE
BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF THE CRUSHED STONE AGGREGATES, AND (5) ANGULAR
AGGREGATES CONTRIBUTE TO THE STRENGTH PROPERTIES OF ASPHALTIC CONCRETE
EITHER IN THE COARSE OR FINE PORTION OF THE MIX. THE BEST RESULTS WERE
ACHIEVED WITH CRUSHED AGGREGATE THROUGHOUT THE MIX.

What is aggregate blending? Give a detailed procedure on how to produce a "well-graded

aggregate.

Aggregate blending is a process that blends available aggregates to create a blend that meets gradation
specifications while minimizing the unit cost of the blend. Today’s aggregate blending process is a
multiobjective optimization problem that involves not only minimizing cost but also satisfying other
specifications of the blend, such as fineness modulus, plasticity index, and specific gravity. Gradation limits
are usually expressed in terms of the range of the percentage passing each sieve. In the traditional approach,
rigid values are used for the gradation limits, and as a result, gradation and other specifications are
frequently met at the limits during optimization, which is not particularly desirable. This paper proposes an
approach for aggregate blending using fuzzy optimization method. The approach selects the best mix of
aggregates such that not only are the individual gradation specifications met within the specification limits,
but also their desirability within each range is satisfied as much as possible. In the proposed model, functions
that represent the decision maker’s satisfaction with respect to the blend’s unit cost and physical properties
are introduced. The proposed model is compared with two traditional optimization models using the
example data found in two previous models. The results show that the proposed approach is useful for real-
world application as it is robust in terms of its ability to deal with many constraints and objectives, the
practitioner’s uncertainty about the limits of the specification ranges, and the desire to achieve different
objectives.