Influence of Microfine Aggregate Characteristics on Concrete Performance
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 19, Issue 11
Abstract
ASTM C 33 limits the amount of aggregate smaller than m (No. 200 sieve) to be used in concrete. There is considerable interest in altering ASTM C 33 to allow a higher percentage of these microfine aggregates, particularly in the case of manufactured aggregates. However, before this can be done, the positive and negative effects of microfine aggregates on concrete performance must be fully investigated. Previous research has indicated that there is not a strong correlation between standard aggregate characterization tests and concrete performance when microfines are present. In this study, several methods of characterizing microfine aggregates were investigated. The intent was to identify the characteristics of microfines that govern their effects on concrete performance. A second goal was to identify easy-to-use test methods that could be used to simply and inexpensively identify good and poor performing microfine aggregates. Three easy-to-use tests were identified that correlated well with concrete performance: the methylene blue test, a particle packing assessment by the weight of microfine aggregates adhering to a single drop of water, and the loose packing tests described in ASTM C 1252.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
Funding for this project was provided by the International Center for Aggregates Research (ICAR) through Project No. UNSPECIFIED107 “Correlating minus #200 fine aggregate characteristics to field performance in concrete.” The writers would like to thank Barry Hudson, Robin Graves, Chuck Sanders, Nancy Whiting, Steve Ragan, Chetana Rao, and Cheryl Richter for their guidance and help obtaining aggregates. Many thanks as well go to Clarissa Ferraris for help with laser particle size analysis; Eyad Masad for image analysis; Yangming Sun for scanning electron microscopy; and Steve Swinnea for X-ray diffraction.
References
AASHTO. (2000). “Standard test method for methylene blue value of clays mineral fillers, and fines.” AASHTO standards TP57-99, Washington, D.C.
Ahn, N. (2000). “An experimental study on the guidelines for using higher contents of aggregate microfines in portland cement concrete.” Ph.D. dissertation, The Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.
Ahn, N., and Fowler, D. W. (2001). “An experimental study on the guidelines for using higher contents of aggregate microfines in portland cement concrete.” Rep. No. 102-1F, International Center for Aggregates Research, Austin, Tex.
ASTM. (2005a). “Standard specification for abrasion resistance of concrete or mortar surfaces by the rotating-cutter method.” Annual book of ASTM standards C 944-99, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005b). “Standard specification for compressive strength of cylindrical concrete specimens.” Annual book of ASTM standards C 39-04, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005c). “Standard specification for compressive strength of hydraulic cement mortars (using 2-in. cube specimens).” Annual book of ASTM standards C 109-02, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005d). “Standard specification for concrete aggregates.” Annual book of ASTM standards C 33-03, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005e). “Standard specification for drying shrinkage of mortar containing hydraulic cement.” Annual book of ASTM standards C 596-01, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005f). “Standard specification for electrical indication of concrete’s ability to resist chloride ion penetration.” Annual book of ASTM standards C 1202-97, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005g). “Standard specification for flexural strength of concrete (using simple beam with third-point loading).” Annual book of ASTM standards C 78-02, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005h). “Standard specification for flow of hydraulic cement mortar.” Annual book of ASTM standards C 1437-01, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005i). “Standard specification for particle size analysis of soils.” Annual Book of ASTM Standards D 422-02, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005j). “Standard specification for slump of hydraulic-cement concrete.” Annual book of ASTM standards C 143-05, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005k). “Standard specification for uncompacted void content of fine aggregate (as influenced by particle shape, surface texture, and grading).” Annual book of ASTM standards C 1252-03, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2005l). “Standard test method for fineness of hydraulic cement by air-permeability apparatus.” Annual book of ASTM standards C 204-00, West Conshohocken, Pa.
Bigas, J. P., and Gallias, J. L. (2002). “Effect of fine mineral additions on granular packing of cement mixtures.” Mag. Concrete Res., 54 (3), 155–164.
Erdoğan, S. (2005). “Determination of aggregate shape properties using X-ray tomographic methods and the effect of shape on concrete rheology.” Ph.D. dissertation, The Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.
Ferraris, C. F., Hackley, V. A., Aviles, A. I., and Buchanan, Jr.C. E. (2002). “Analysis of the ASTM round-robin test on particle size distribution of portland cement: Phase I.” NISTIR 6883, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Md.
Hudson, B. (2002). “Discovering the lost aggregate opportunity.” Pit and Quarry, 95(6), 42–46.
Masad, E., Saadeh, S., Al-Rousan, T., Garboczi, E., and Little, D. (2005). “Computations of particle surface characteristics using optical and X-ray CT images.” J. Comp. Mat. Sci., 34(4), 406–424.
Quiroga, P. (2003). “The effect of the aggregate characteristics on the performance of portland cement concrete.” Ph.D. dissertation, The Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.
Sokal, R. R., and Rohlf, F. J. (1981). Biometry: The principles and practice of statistics in biological research, 2nd Ed., W. H. Freeman, New York.
Sukumaran, B., and Ashmawy, A. K. (2001). “Quantitative characterization of the geometry of discrete particles.” Geotechnique, 51(7), 619–627.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 22, 2006
Accepted: Mar 19, 2007
Published online: Nov 1, 2007
Published in print: Nov 2007
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Shin-Che Huang
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.