Engineering Technical College – Baghdad

Building & Construction Technology Engineering

Second Year- Concrete Technology

GAP- GRADED AGGREGATES:

It refers to a gradation that contains only a small percentage of aggregate particles
in the mid-size range. The curve is flat in the mid-size range. Some PCC mix designs
use gap graded aggregate to provide a more economical mix since less sand can be
used for a given workability.
 Missing middle sizes
 No grain-to-grain contact
 Moderate void content
 Moderate permeability
 Low stability
 Easy to compact
OVERSIZE AND UNDERSIZE:
 The undersize material is brought by breakage during handling. While the
oversize one is brought by wearing screens in the quarry or at the crusher.
 The quantity of aggregate smaller than the undersize or larger than the
oversize is generally severely limited.
 According to BS 882, the value of oversize for coarse aggregate between (5-
10) % is permitted. While for fine aggregate, it allows 11%.
ALL- IN AGGREGATES:
It refers to aggregate containing a mixture of coarse and fine aggregates. This type
of aggregate is not used except for small and unimportant jobs, mainly because it is
difficult to avoid segregation in stockpiling.
 

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Instructor: Zainab M. Mohsin
Engineering Technical College – Baghdad

Building & Construction Technology Engineering

Second Year- Concrete Technology

BULKING OF SAND:
 It is the increase in the volume of a given mass of sand because of adding
some water to it.
 The mix will be affected if it depends on volume rather than on mass.
 The extent of bulking depends on the percentage of moisture present in the
sand and on its fineness.
 Crushed fine aggregate bulks even more than natural sand.
 Fine sand bulks more and very fine sand may bulk even up to 38-40%.
 The increase in volume relative to that occupied by a saturated and surface-
dry sand increases with an increase in the moisture content of the sand up to
a value of some (5 - 8) %, when the bulking of (20 - 30) % occurs.
SOUNDNESS OF AGGREGATES:
 This is the term used to describe the ability of aggregate to resist excessive
changes in volume as a result of changes in physical conditions.
 The physical causes of large or permanent volume changes of aggregate are
freezing and thawing, thermal changes at temperatures above freezing, and
alternating wetting and drying.
 Aggregate is said to be unsound when volume changes, induced by the
mentioned causes result in deterioration of the concrete.
HANDLING AND STORING AGGREGATES:
 Coarse aggregate should be separated into size fractions approximately 5 to
10, 10 to 20, 20 to 40 mm. These fractions should be handled and stockpiled
one by one and remixed only when being fed into the concrete mixer in the
desired proportions.

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Instructor: Zainab M. Mohsin
Engineering Technical College – Baghdad

Building & Construction Technology Engineering

Second Year- Concrete Technology

 Care is necessary to avoid breakage of the aggregate. Particles greater than 40

mm (or 1 ½ in.) should be lowered into bins by means of rock ladders and not
dropped from a height.
 On large and important jobs, the results of segregation and breakage in
handling (i.e. excess of undersize particles) are eliminated by ‘finish
rescreening’ immediately prior to feeding into the batching bins over the
mixer.
 Improper handling of aggregates can result in contamination by other
aggregate or by deleterious material.
 Protection from the weather can prevent wide variation in moisture content.
DELETERIOUS SUBSTANCES:
There are three broad categories of deleterious substances that may be found in
aggregates:
 Impurities: interfering with the processes of hydration of cement,
 Coatings: preventing the development of good bond between aggregate and
the hydrated cement paste, and
 Certain individual particles which are weak or unsound in themselves.
ORGANIC IMPURITIES:
 The organic matter found in aggregate consists usually of products of decay
of vegetable matter and appears in the form of humus or organic loam.
 Such materials are more likely to be present in sand than in coarse aggregate,
which is easily washed.
 They may delay setting and hardening of concrete, may reduce strength gain,
and in unusual cases may cause deterioration

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Instructor: Zainab M. Mohsin
Engineering Technical College – Baghdad

Building & Construction Technology Engineering

Second Year- Concrete Technology

ALKALI- AGGREGATES REACTION:

Aggregates containing certain constituents can react with alkali hydroxides in
concrete. The reactivity is potentially harmful only when it produces significant
expansion. This alkali-aggregate reactivity (AAR) has two forms:
 Alkali-silica reaction (ASR), and
 Alkali-carbonate reaction (ACR).
ASR is of more concern than ACR because the occurrence of aggregates containing
reactive silica minerals is more common. Alkali-reactive carbonate aggregates have
a specific composition that is not very common. Alkali-silica reactivity has been
recognized as a potential source of distress in concrete. This problem can be
eliminated by following:
 Low alkali cement is used.
 Ground pozzolana is added to the cement because it reacts with the alkalies
before they attack the aggregate.   
 
ALKALI- CARBONATE REACTION:
 It is the reaction between some dolomitic limestone aggregates and the alkalis
in cement forming the gel which is swelling like the swelling of the clay.
 This gel tends to increase in volume in a humid condition.
 Typically, reaction zones up to 2 mm (or 0.1 in.) are formed around the active
aggregate particles.
 Cracking develops within these rims and leads to a network of cracks, and a
loss of bond between the aggregate and the cement paste.

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Instructor: Zainab M. Mohsin
Engineering Technical College – Baghdad

Building & Construction Technology Engineering

Second Year- Concrete Technology

THERMAL PROPERTIES OF AGGREGATES:

There are three thermal properties of aggregate that may be significant in the
performance of concrete:
 Coefficient of thermal expansion: it influences the value of such a
coefficient of concrete containing the given aggregate; the higher the
coefficient of the aggregate the higher the coefficient of the concrete, but the
latter depends also on the aggregate content in the mix and on the mix
proportions in general. If the coefficients of thermal expansion of the coarse
aggregate and of the hydrated cement paste differ too much, a large change in
temperature may introduce differential movement and a break in the bond
between the aggregate particles and the surrounding paste. When the two
coefficients differ by more than 5.5 × 10–6 per °C (3 × 10–6 per °F), the
durability of concrete subjected to freezing and thawing may be affected.
 Specific heat, and conductivity: these two are of importance in mass
concrete or where insulation is required, but not in ordinary structural work.

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Instructor: Zainab M. Mohsin