College of Engineering Concrete Tech.

/Practical
Civil department 2018-2019
Concrete Lab. 2nd year

__________________________________________________________________________________
Test#6 Standard test methods for

Specific Gravity and Absorption of Fine and Coarse Aggregates

1-1 References:
1. ASTM C127-07, ASTM C128-07a
2. ASTM D75-92
3. BS EN 1097-3:1998.

1-2 Purpose:
To determine the bulk and apparent specific gravities of fine and coarse aggregates so they
can be used for calculation of the volume occupied by the aggregate in various mixtures
containing aggregate, absorption, computation of voids in aggregate.

1-3 Materials:
1. Fine aggregate (all particles passing No.4 (4.75 mm) sieve)
2. Coarse aggregate (the nominal maximum size is 37.5mm or less and all materials are
retained on No.4 sieves)

1-4 Tools and Equipment:

1. Balance,
2. Pycnometer: a flask or any other suitable container into which the fine aggregate test
sample can be readily introduced.
3. Mold: a metal mold in the form of a frustum of a cone.
4. Tamper: a metal tamper weighing 340±15 gm. and having a flat circular tamping face
of 25±3 mm in diameter.
5. Scoop,
6. Large absorbent clothe.
7. Water tank and water container.

1-5 Reducing Field Sample of aggregate to lab sample according to (ASTM C702):

Sampling of aggregate for concrete is usually based on random selection with each part
of the stockpile (from the top third, at the midpoint, and from bottom third of the volume of
the stockpile and at least from 10 points around the stockpile) having an equal chance for
being sampled. The size of the sample depends up on the type of aggregate and it maximum
size as shown in (table-1) of ASTM D75.
College of Engineering Concrete Tech. /Practical
Civil department 2018-2019
Concrete Lab. 2nd year

__________________________________________________________________________________

In laboratory, the sample is reduced to an appropriate size using a riffle box or quartering
board as per ASTM C702:

A- Mechanical Splitter:
1. pour the field sample evenly and uniformly over the chutes of splitter,
2. The sample will be divided between the buckets under the chutes, pour the portion in
one of the buckets again into the splitter while rejecting the other portion,
3. Repeat step 2 until the required sample size specified for the intended test is obtained.
B- Quartering:
1. Obtain a sample of aggregate from the pile,
2. Place the field sample on a hard, clean level surface,
3. Mix the materials thoroughly by turning the entire sample three times,
4. Shovel the entire sample into a conical pile,
5. Carefully flatten the conical to a uniformly thickness or diameter by pressing down
the apex with a shovel. (the diameter should be approximately four to eight times the
thickness),
6. Divide the flattened mass into four equal quarters with a shovel,
7. Remove two diagonal opposite quarters, brush the cleared spaces clean,
8. Mix the remained quarters and repeat the procedure (4 to 8) until the sample is
reduced to the desired size.
College of Engineering Concrete Tech. /Practical
Civil department 2018-2019
Concrete Lab. 2nd year

__________________________________________________________________________________
College of Engineering Concrete Tech. /Practical
Civil department 2018-2019
Concrete Lab. 2nd year

__________________________________________________________________________________
1-6 Procedure:
A-Fine Aggregate:

1. Obtain by sample splitting or quartering 3 kg of aggregate, including equal quantities

of all fractions.
2. Dry to a constant weight at a temperature of 100 to 110 oC.
3. Allow to cool and cover with water for about 30 minutes.
4. Remove excess water and spread on a flat surface. Expose to a gentle moving flame
(or any source of heat to remove excess moisture) until test sample approaches a free-
flowing condition.
5. Place a portion of the fine aggregate sample loosely into the mold. Tamp lightly 25
times and lift the mold vertically. If the surface moisture is presented, the fine
aggregate will maintain its molded shape. Continue drying and testing until upon the
removal of the mold, the aggregate slumps slightly. This indicates that the saturated
surface and surface-dry (SSD) condition has been reached.
6. Immediately introduce into the Pycnometer a sample of fine aggregate (A)gm.,
7. Fill the Pycnometer with water and weight it (B),
8. Pour a part of water and then put the prepared sample of sand within the Pycnometer
almost to capacity and eliminate the air bubbles by agitation. Refill with water to the
same point. Determine the total weight of the flask, including the sample, and the
water (C),
9. Carefully remove the fine aggregate and dry to a constant weight of 100 to 110 oC and
cool for at least 30 minutes and weigh (D).
10. Computations:
𝐷
𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑘 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑦) =
𝐵 − (𝐶 − 𝐴)
𝐴
𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑘 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑆𝑆𝐷) =
𝐵 − (𝐶 − 𝐴)
𝐷
𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑦) =
𝐵 − (𝐶 − 𝐷)
(𝐴 − 𝐷)
% 𝐴𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = × 100
𝐷
B-Coarse Aggregate:

1. Select by quartering or use of a sample splitter approximately 5 kg of aggregate.

Reject all materials passing No.4 sieve.
2. Thoroughly wash the sample to remove all dust or other coatings from the particles.
3. Dry the sample to a constant weight at a temperature of 100 to 110 oC. Cool at room
temperature for about 15 minutes and then immerse in water at room temperature for
approximately 30 minutes.
College of Engineering Concrete Tech. /Practical
Civil department 2018-2019
Concrete Lab. 2nd year

__________________________________________________________________________________
4. Remove sample from water and wipe the particles until all surface films are removed
then weigh a sample of SSD to nearest 0.5gm (A)
5. Immediately after weighing, use the same procedure for fine aggregate in order to
obtain the weights (B, C and D).
6. Computations: use the same equations for fine aggregate to determine the specific
gravities, and absorption.

1-7 Notes:
 Apparent specific gravity ranges from 2.6-2.7 for normal aggregates.
 Absorption = (3-5) % for fine aggregate.
 Absorption = (1-2) % for coarse aggregate.

1-8 Questions:
1. What does it mean by specific gravity?
2. How many types of specific gravy are there for an aggregate? And how do they differ
from each other?
3. What are the factors that affect the test results?
4. Does the moisture content of aggregate have any effect to its apparent specific
gravity? Explain how?