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.
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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.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 19 • Issue 11 • November 2007
Pages: 957 - 964
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
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