SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

ECVL 210– Engineered Materials

Preparing and Testing Concrete Mix

LAB 7

NAME ID Contribution
Bahaaeldin Abdelmohsen 1707031019 Structure and
Presentation; Materials
and Apparatus; Data
Marwan Elkashif 1907033223 Abstract and
Introduction;
Procedures; Conclusion
Ali Khamees 1907033225 Data Analysis and Error
Analysis

TO:
DR. Ahmed Badr Mabrouk
Table of Contents
Table of Tables ................................................................................................................. 2
Abstract............................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 3
Materials .......................................................................................................................... 3
Equipment ....................................................................................................................... 3
Procedures ....................................................................................................................... 4
Data Analysis ................................................................................................................... 9
Error Analysis ................................................................................................................ 13
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 14

Table of Tables
Table 1 Properties of Aggregates Available for Competition _________________________ 5
Table 2 Target 28-day mixture design strength to account for mixture ________________ 6
Table 3 Maximum water cement ratio for various exposure conditions. _______________ 7
Table 4 Maximum allowable w/c ratios for concrete exposed to water _________________ 7
Table 5 Recommended maximum aggregate size for different _______________________ 7
Table 6 Recommended Slumps for various types of construction _____________________ 8
Table 7 Recommended total air content for different maximum ______________________ 8
Table 8 Mixing water required for different slumps _______________________________ 8
Table 9 Volume of Coarse Aggregate per Unit Volume of Concrete ___________________ 9
Abstract
Testing the strength of any cement mix is crucial before proceeding to build any
structure. In this experiment, students will be handed in the specifications for the Portland
concrete cement mix to construct a trial mix and then test it according to specified
requirements. There are two methods of testing a design mix's compressive strength:
nondestructive methods and destructive methods. The nondestructive methods include the
ultrasonic pulse velocity test (UPV) and the rebound hammer test. The destructive methods
include the compressive strength test. UPV testing aims to judge the quality of concrete by
measuring the time needed for an ultrasonic pulse to pass through the design mix which is
being tested. The higher the velocity obtained from the test, the better the concrete in terms of
uniformity, density, and homogeneity. The rebound hammer test measures the compressive
strength of concrete using a spring-controlled mass that slides on a plunger within a tubular
housing. The extent of rebound of the mass after impact is called the rebound index. The
higher the rebound index, the stronger the concrete and the stiffer it is. The compressive
strength test is a destructive test that exposes the concrete to its yield stress or the maximum
load it can handle before fracture. This procedure aims to analyze and explore the cost of the
PCC mixture and discover the different factors that might affect the strength and durability of
the mixture. The experiment will also reveal various ways of testing fresh PCC and hardened
PCC.

Introduction
The properties of the Portland cement concrete (PCC) mixture, such as strength,
durability, and workability, are dependent on the proportions and properties of multiple
elements in the mixture. For those properties to meet specified requirements, different factors
must be utilized to construct a proper mixture design. Those factors will be illustrated and
explained throughout the concrete mix design process in the procedure of the laboratory
experiment. Since the process of constructing a PCC mixture is centralized around the
concept of trial and error, any finished trial mixture in this experiment will be tested
according to the strength and durability requirements. If the previously mentioned properties'
standards are not met, the initial mix has to be adjusted, or other mixes have to be prepared.
No air entertainment additives or pozzolanic elements will be used to make the mixture since
this experiment's goal is to fabricate an economical mixture that will withstand a compressive
strength of 4000 psi according to the standard specified for application within Dubai.

Materials
Concrete mix- the components water fine and coarse aggregates and cement; forming cubes
and cylinders from them

Equipment
1. Concrete mixing pan for concrete mix and slump cone test.
2. Large pointed 10 or 11 with blunted points for mixing concrete
 3. 25 ml cylinder for measuring air entraining agent
4. Four different plastic pails for sand, coarse aggregate, cement and water
5. Ten 3 in diameter by 6 in high plastic cylindrical molds
6. Concrete air meter
7. Balance with enough capacity to measure aggregate, cement, and water sensitive to
0.01lb
8. 3/8 in diameter steel tamping rod for consolidating the fresh concrete

Procedures
Procedure for Part I – ACI Volumetric Mix Design
1- Before proceeding to start the mixture design process, follow the following steps:
a-Make sure that the aggregate, Portland cement, and the mixing water must meet respective
specification criteria.
b- Check and analyze the aggregate's physical properties so that the dry-rodded unit weight
of the coarse aggregate and the bulk specific gravity would be included. The saturated surface
dry moisture content of both the sand and coarse aggregate and the stockpile moisture of the
aggregates must also be included.
c-Be aware of concrete's service requirements, including strength, durability, consistency,
and workability considerations.
2-Specify the 28-day target strength of the concrete mixture.
3-Use the minimum allowable w/c ratio based on both strength and durability requirements.
4-Select the maximum aggregate size based on the usage of the concrete structure and its
future purpose. In this experiment, the aggregate sizes are given, but groups must determine
the amounts of each aggregate.
5-Do not use any air entertainment additives for this experiment and avoid performing
slumps.
6- Determine the amount of water required in the mix based on the maximum aggregate size,
the assumed target slump, and the presence of entrained air.
7- Calculate the amount of cement-based on the w/c ratio.
8-Determine the amount of coarse aggregate per unit volume of concrete needed based on its
dry-rodded unit weight using the given empirical guidelines
9- Calculate the amount of sand required per unit volume of concrete.
10- Adjust the case and the batch weights, taking either excess water in the aggregate or
water absorbed by the aggregate into consideration because the previously calculated
volumes are based on the assumption that the aggregate is in the saturated surface dry
condition.
11-Blend the dry ingredients first, and then add the water to the mixture until the desired
slump is obtained.
Table 1 Properties of Aggregates Available for Competition

Procedure for mixing

1- Acquire four small plastic pail and prepare them for the pre weighing of the sand, coarse
aggregate, cement, and water. Use the fifth container to mix a portion of water with the air-
entraining agent.
2-based on your trial mix design, use a balance to weigh the amount of sand, coarse
aggregate, and cement. Place the pail first on the scale before adding the quantity required to
it.
3- use one of the plastic pails to measure the weight of the water specified by your design
mix.
4-Add the air-entraining agent to one-third of the water which was in the pail into an empty
pail. Then mix thoroughly
5- Put one of the concrete mixing pans on top of the stainless-steel bench and moisten the pan
to modify it to be in a saturated surface dry condition
6- Add sand and cement to the pan and mix thoroughly until you acquire a uniform mixture.
7. Add the coarse aggregate and mix until thoroughly mixed
8-Using the blended dry ingredients, form a shallow mold in the pan. Add the mixing water
containing the air-entraining agent material, and then add approximately one-half of the water
remaining in the other pail. Mix the dry materials with water by using the trowel to fold the
dry ingredients from the outside and over the top of the water.
9-Vigorously mix the water and dry ingredients thoroughly using the trowel to generate the
entraining air. Add water until the concrete slump appears to be at the lower limit of the
target range based on the trial mix design.
10-Either in the pan used or a separate pan, perform a slump test. Place the pan where the
slump test is conducted on the floor. With both feet, stand on the slump cone's tabs and fill
the cone in three lifts of equal volume, rodding each lift 25 times with the steel tamping rod.
11-At the last lift, use the concrete in the slum cone to fill the cone. Level the top of the
concrete using the trowel after the last lift has been rodded.
12-In the vertical direction, gradually extract the slump cone. The lifting process should take
around 5 to 17 seconds. Upturn the cone next to the slumped concrete. Then place the
tamping rod across the upturned surface. Then calculate from the lower end of the tamping
rod to the center of the slumped concrete. The difference between the underside of the
tamping rod and the top surface of the concrete is the slump.
13-Keep adding water to the concreted until a specified slump is acquired.
14-After the mixing is complete measure, the remaining leftover water's weight to calculate
the amount of water used for the mixture.
15-Fill the volume meter container to conduct a unit weight and an air content test, after
taring the volume meter container. Using the top of the container strikes the surface of the
concrete flush and weighs the filled container to determine the unit weight. Enter the data into
Datasheets 2 and 3.
16-Place the top on the volume meter and determine the air content.
17-Place the concrete in the plastic molds in three layers of approximately equal volume.
Distribute the strokes uniformly over the mold's cross-section for each upper layer allowing
the rod to penetrate approximately 0.5 in the underlying layer after rodding the bottom layer
throughout its depth. Tap the external sides of the molds 10 to 15 times with a mallet to fill
up any holes left by rodding and to release large entrapped air bubbles after each layer is
rodded.
18-Using the trowel finish the surface of the concrete flush with the top of the mold. Using
plastic caps or wraps, cover the molds' tops and set them aside on the laboratory floor. Using
the convention in table 9, mark the cylinder molds. Transfer these numbers to the concrete
when the specimens are stripped. Unmarked specimens may be discarded.
19-After one day, strip the molds as instructed by the instructor. Place the stripped
cylinders in the curing tank until they are tested for strength at 7 and 21 days
or as otherwise instructed.
Table 2 Target 28-day mixture design strength to account for mixture
Table 3 Maximum water cement ratio for various exposure conditions.

Table 4 Maximum allowable w/c ratios for concrete exposed to water

Table 5 Recommended maximum aggregate size for different

Table 6 Recommended Slumps for various types of construction

Table 7 Recommended total air content for different maximum

Table 8 Mixing water required for different slumps

Table 9 Volume of Coarse Aggregate per Unit Volume of Concrete

Data Analysis
Concrete mix is very important when building structures as it is the major part to give
the building its strength and durability. All the components of the mix starting from cement to
fine and coarse aggregates as well as admixtures affect significantly the mix strength,
workability, and durability. Moreover, the method of batching and curing affect the concrete
mix final quality. Finally, testing the mortar cubes or cylinders gives an overview if the mix
meets the desired specifications or needs adjustments.
The first part in preparing the concrete mix is to gather information about the required
volumes of aggregates, cement, water, and any admixtures, if it will be used. This
information will be gathered using the environment conditions and the required function of
the structure where the mix will be placed. The followed guidelines are the ACI design
procedure which is the absolute volume method that consists of ten consecutive steps to reach
the final mix proportions. The results of the method are shown in Table 1. The environment
conditions, such as exposure to freezing-thawing or sulfate content should be considered
wisely as they place limits on the water-cement ration and minimum concrete strength. For
example, as the sulfate content in water (particles per meter) increase, the maximum water-
cement ratio decrease. decreasing the water-cement ratio improves the resistance of the mix
to the sulfate attack. If no resistance happens and the exposure continues, it will decrease the
strength of the concrete. Another important detail is to choose cement content wisely as it is
the most expensive component of the mix. Though as cement content increases, strength and
durability increase but also having it above the required cause the mix to be brittle as the
cement particle will not transform normal contact forces easily. Having excess cement also
leads to an increase in the cracking density. So, calculating the required amount of cement is
highly important from an economical and functional perspective. The water content highly
affects the final mix quality as water is the major component of the hydration process where
the cement concrete mix gains strength. having much less water will make the mix dry and
not gain its required strength. on the other hand, having much more water will make the mix
weaker and so workable in very liquid form. The aggregates surface affects the concrete in
which smooth surface of round and smooth aggregates is more workable, while the rough
surface of angular and elongated aggregates creates stronger bond between the paste and
aggregates leading to higher strength. increasing coarse aggregates maximum size leads to
reduced surface area, and so reduced water demand while making the paste harder. On the
other hand, increasing the fine aggregates will make surface smooth a lot and thus paste will
be so workable, which is not desired as it loses the mix strength. The shape of coarse
aggregates, either flat angular or round, affect the ratio of coarse to fine aggregates in the
mix. The round aggregates offer less interlock among the particles and thus higher
workability and easier compaction is achieved. On the other hand, flat and elongated will
break during compaction leading to lower strength. the round aggregates have lower surface-
to-volume ratio, and so less mortar is required for the bond between the cement paste and the
structure. When you test aggregates for SSD condition, so the aggregates should have
reached their absorption percentage where no more water is released nor absorbed. Mostly,
after soaking the aggregates in water they will reach moisture condition and then adjustments
are done to mix to reach the absorption percentage of the aggregates. This is the case as long
as the characteristics of absorption of the aggregates is higher than the moisture percentage.
Instead, when the moisture is higher than absorption, water should be decreased, rather than
adding more water. This extra water if added will actually have a negative effect as the
aggregates will absorb more water than need and have free moisture percentage. The type of
structure determines the range of slump; then, if the focus is to have the maximum strength of
the mix so the smallest slump range is used as it will be less workable, and if the focus is
having highest workability so the maximum slump is used as the mix will be more of a liquid
form and so workable to do on it deign while finishing.
Table 1 - Summary of Batch Weight

Weight added to Weights corrected for

Ingredient
mix, lbs. absorption, lbs.
Cement, lbs. 5.65 5.65

Water, lbs. 2.82 3.11

Sand, lbs. 11.99 12.02

Coarse aggregate 15.37 15.39

Totals 35.83 36.17

Air entraining agent, ml 2

For fresh concrete, slump test can be made to measure the workability. The mix is
filled in a cone in layers and rodded 25 times each layer. After the cone is lifted, the distance
that the mix slumps is measured from the original height. The slump equipment should be
cleaned and have no impurities to reach accurate results. Also, the base plate on which the
test is performed should be straight and smooth. It should also include bolt-on clamps to hold
the cone steadily and the area free of vibrations. An important factor is to do the test within 2
minutes after sampling. The slump will be measured by ruler in millimeters and will have one
of the four shapes (Figure 1). Another test while the concrete mix is still fresh is to measure
the air content in the concrete. These tests include pressure method that is based on Boyle’s
law or volumetric method to be applied on concrete made of any type of aggregates. When
adding air entrainer admixture, voids are created to give volume for water particle to freeze
and thaw when temperature changes. The dosage could change between lab and field if
sudden temperature changes happen, the type of cement does not accurately match the same
specification as required. The method of adding the air entrainer should be done after filling
one third of the water amount to avoid higher amount of unnecessary air voids in the final
mix. While transporting the mix in the truck, if the mixer takes longer time to reach or the
speed and number of revolutions are not enough, this will lead to lower air content and air
entrainer might be used in the jobsite to compensate. The air entraining agent is added to
water to have effect on the plastic state of concrete such as increasing its workability,
segregation, and finishing. It will also increase the frost resistance and permeability on the
hardened concrete at the end. The process of thorough mixing is essential to create uniform
and high-quality concrete. It ensures that the cement paste covered all aggregates and the air
entraining agent took effect in all the water amount which will be part of the hydration
process with cement particles.

Figure 1 - Slump test shapes

Considering another trial is made to create a new mix proportions, the components
ratio will change. For example, if the amount of water changed, so as a consequence the
cement content will change to maintain the required water-cement ratio. To keep the ratio, for
instance, at 0.4 so if the water content increased by 20%, the cement content is increased by
the same percentage since both are directly proportional as the shown (Equation 1).

Equation 1 - Water and Cement Content Formula

For safety regulations, wearing the rubber gloves while testing and contacting fresh
concrete is essential to avoid skin-related issues. These would include burns developing to
scars. This is due to the caustic and abrasive features of the wet Portland cement as well as
the trace amounts on hexavalent chromium, which is a toxin harmful to skin. The cement is
considered an alkali which is irritating to skin.
Testing the concrete cubes and cylinders should be made to confirm if the required
minimum compressive strength has been reached and what can be done to increase the
strength and durability. The first type of testing is non-destructive tests which include the
rebound (Schmidt) hammer test or ultrasonic pulse velocity. The second type where the
sample is destroyed is compressive strength test. The two tests are done on the seventh and
twenty-eighth day after the samples have been made. The rebound hammer test depends on
the amount of the rebound of the mass when the spring hits the surface of the concrete. Using
graphs, there is a relation between the amount of rebound and the strength. Thus, the larger
the rebound, the harder the concrete surface and as a result a higher strength. The ultrasonic
pulse velocity test measures the velocity of the ultrasonic wave that passes through the
concrete. It is more used to detect cracks or discontinuities as when the wave moves faster so
more dense concrete, but if cracks are there so the wave’s velocity will be slower. The
specified strength is 3000 psi (20.7 MPa) and since no standard deviation is given so the
required average strength is 4200 psi (29.0 Mpa) (Table 2). The rebound hammer test showed
strength of 16 MPa after just 7 days. The approximate strength after 7 days is approximately
65% of the one at 28 days which will be 18.9 considering the minimum required on day 28 is
29.0 MPa. This is relatively close as the rebound hammer test is not the most accurate and
requires many readings to be more precise. Using the ultrasonic pulse velocity test, the result
is 21.8 MPa which is higher than the expected value after 7 days. This could be due the
inaccuracy of the test as it is used more to detect cracks. There is no good correlation found
between the pulse velocity and the strength as velocity is affected by many factors including
aggregates’ type, moisture condition, and ratio of aggregates to cement. The destructive
compressive strength after 7 days gave value of 25.38 MPa which is relatively very high
compared to the numbers of the other two non-destructive test. This is due to higher accuracy
of the test, and even the most commonly performed. The better the specimen have been
molded, such as the preparation of three equal layers and rodded 25 times each, and cured in
saturated-lime water or moist cabinet with the best humidity and temperature conditions. The
curing affects the hydration process so to keep it going the mix should be hydrated to gain
more strength with time. Also, the number would be large because the value of strength is
calculated by dividing the maximum load by the cross-sectional area. The machine considers
the area as a constant value all the time, thus leading to larger value of strength than reality.
Another reason is the volume of the specimen is already small so stronger values will be
achieved as there will be fewer defects in the specimen. Smaller specimen is more used
because of the ease of handling and less space needed for curing and storage; however, the
large specimen would be more accurate and representative of the concrete mix strength.

Table 2 - Target 28-day mixture design strength to account for mixture variability.

Case 1: Standard deviation known from experience, largest of below:

f’c’ = f’c + 1.34 s or f’c’ = f’c + 2.33 s - 500

Case 2: standard deviation unknown

Specified strength, f’c psi Required average mixture strength, f’ c, psi

<3,000 f’c + 1000

3,000 to 5,000 f’c + 1200

>5,000 f’c + 1400

Table 3 – Results of Non-destructive and Destructive Tests.

Compressive
Compressive strength Rebound hammer Ultrasonic
strength @ 14 days,
@ 7 days, Mpa test, Mpa test, Mpa
Mpa
25.38 16 21.8 32.45

Doing the compressive strength test on the specimens after 14 days gave value of
32.45 MPa. Usually, the value of day 14 is 90% of the strength on day 28. The minimum
required on day 28 is 29.0 MPa so 90% of this value is 26.1 MPa. The shown value is 32.45
MPa which is significantly higher than the minimum, and thus leading to a safe concrete mix
that meets the requirements. Approximating the value on day 28, the strength will be about
36.06 MPa using the percent of part to whole formula (Equation 2). The whole which is the
strength on day 28 is strength on day 14 divided by 0.9, which gives 32.35/0.9 = 36.05. Using
the value of compressive strength on day 7 which is 25.38 and the same formula leads to
25.38/0.65 = 39.05 MPa. So, approximately the value of compressive strength on day 28
should be between 36 and 40 MPa. This is a very great value as the typical compressive
strength of concrete mix is between 20 to 40 MPa.

Equation 2 – Percent of part to whole equation

Testing the concrete mix, generally, is done on cubic or cylindrical specimen
following the ASTM guidelines for dimensions. For cylinder is 6in for diameter and 12in for
height, or other ratio of 2 between height and diameter. It is considered that the strength of
the cylinder is equal to 0.8 times the strength of the cubes but in reality, there is no definite
relation between the strengths of the specimens of these two shapes. The advantages of the
cylinder are less end restraint and a more uniform distribution of stress over the cross section.
The cube height is less than that of cylinder, leading to friction causing more lateral restrains
on the contact surface. This restraint increases the compressive strength. The actual concrete
compressive strength depends upon so many factors, such as water cement ratio, cement
content, and aggregates quality.

Error Analysis
While doing the mix and even after batching and while testing, errors related to the
processing methods or environment interference might affect the accuracy and reliability of
the results. While preparing the mix, if the aggregates used are not well-graded and meeting
the requirement of maximum sieve seize, it affects the final quality of the concrete mix. The
aggregates form a major component as they form the bond between the paste and the form
when the mix is poured. Characteristics such as moisture content or absorption might affect
the result if water content and the necessary adjustment is not taken fully into consideration.
When aggregates have absorption percentage much higher than moisture content, they will
absorb much water and thus more water is needed, which leads to a little weaker concrete
mix since water increases workability and decrease strength. A given solution is to use water-
reducer admixture, or even superplasticizer if high workability is needed while keeping water
content low. During batching and forming the specimen in the molds, the layering should be
done on three layers while rodding each 25 times following the ACI pattern. The more
precise the tampering is done, the more accurate results will be as the voids of entrapped air
will be filled leading to the precise strength. The curing process is sensitive to environment
conditions including humidity, temperature, and method of curing. So, slight changes while
curing might affect the actual strength of the mix as these changes affect the hydration
process, which is the main part of concrete gaining its strength.
The non-destructive test of rebound hammer needs high precision in performing it to
reach representative results. The hammer must be perpendicular to clean, smooth concrete
surface. Moreover, local vibrations and existence of coarse aggregates or voids near the
surface affect the results. Thus, 10 to 12 reading should be done at different points in the test
area. The compressive strength test should be perfectly capped between the two bases to
ensure parallel surfaces. The rate of loading until failure should be following the guidelines
of ASTM to reach reliable compressive strength. It is preferred that the height to diameter
ratio should be two to eliminate the end effect due to the friction between loading heads and
specimen; therefore, it produces a zone of uniaxial compression within the specimen. If the
ratio is not 2, a correction factor can be applied. So, placing the specimen accurately,
specimen size and condition, and loading rate all affect the final compressive strength result.

Conclusion
After calculating the required proportions for the concrete mix design to make
concrete cubes and cylinders, the structure's strength development was analyzed using the 7 -
day strengths based on the rebound number and ultrasonic testing. With the results of the
strength development of the 7-day, 14- day and 21-day breaks, this lab report focuses on
performance prediction. It can be concluded that various factors contribute to the strength,
durability, and workability of PCC. Variables such as water, cement, coarse aggregates, fine
aggregates, and temperature play a huge role in the state PCC will be in at its final form. The
batching and tampering of the concrete must be done very precisely to get the most accurate
results. Tests like UPV, the rebound hammer test, and the compressive strength test show that
concrete gains strength over time as it is shown in the data analysis that the cubes and
cylinders reached their maximum strength by day 28, which was around 36.5 Mpa.