Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering

This paper presents an extensive experimental study to develop a high-performance self-consolidating concrete containing high volumes of supplementary cementitious materials. A total of 20 concrete mixtures were developed and tested. Mixtures were designed to have up to 70% of portland cement replaced by cementitious materials such as class C and class F fly ash, slag, and silica fume. The properties of fresh concrete mixtures such as flowability, deformability, filling capacity, air content, and resistance to segregation were evaluated. Other properties such as permeability, unrestrained shrinkage, tensile strength, and compressive strength at various ages were also investigated. A critical analysis of the results obtained shows that a high-performance self-consolidating concrete can be developed using binary, ternary, or quaternary binders with up to 70% of cement replaced by fly ash, slag, and/or silica fume. Properties of such concrete mixtures are similar and sometimes superior to those of the control mixture made with 100% portland cement.

Salt scaling is one of the major damage problems for cementitious materials in cold environments. One of the main objectives of this work is to determine effects of air void and a new composite portland cement containing volcanic ash (tuff) and limestone on deicer scaling resistance of concrete. Another objective is to investigate the effects of compressive strength, tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and water penetration on the freeze-thaw deicer salt scaling. The specimens were tested for salt scaling resistance in accordance with standard test methods. The scanner method is used to quantify air void characteristics. In the scanner method, the polished surface is scanned twice on a high-resolution flatbed scanner. The polished surface of concrete sample is scanned in two different conditions; its natural and contrast-enhanced condition. Then the captured images are analyzed by a Visual Basic script. Tensile and surface strengths of concrete play an important role on salt scaling resistance. There is no appropriate relationship between compressive strength and salt scaling resistance, when concrete mixtures are made with various cementitious materials. Results reveal that the mixture containing composite cement with entrained air has the best performance in salt scaling.

Production and disposal of sewage sludge have raised increasing concerns due to their poor mechanical properties and negative environmental effect. Cement-based solidification/stabilization can improve the properties of sewage sludge so that it can be used either as an earth-construction material or landfills. To achieve this goal, a large amount of cement should be used, thus increasing the treatment cost and ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ emission arising from cement production. To reduce cement usage, three inorganic additives (e.g., calcium-bentonite, fly ash, and kaolinite) were used and investigated in this study to improve the effectiveness of solidification/stabilization of sewage sludge with cement. The benefits of these additives to the treated sewage sludge were evaluated in terms of unconfined compressive strength and leaching of pollutants including alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and heavy metals (e.g., copper, lead, and zinc). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) were conducted to examine the mechanisms associated with the behavior of the treated sludge resulting from these additives. The test results show that calcium-bentonite was a favorable additive to improve the effectiveness of cement to solidify/stabilize the sewage sludge. As the ratio of sewage sludge, and cement, to calcium-bentonite by weight reached 1:0.2:0.2, the unconfined compressive strength of the treated sewage sludge could meet the requirement for landfilling at seven days and that of a construction material at 28 days.

The brittleness and the sensitivity to shrinkage cracking of cementitious materials are real handicaps that can limit their durability performance. Enhancing the cracking resistance and strain capacity of cement-based materials is the challenge of broad ongoing research programs. In this regard, the present paper focuses on the design of a mortar exhibiting a high straining capacity before macrocracking localization. It was assumed that the incorporation of aggregates with high deformability could be a solution. Two types of plastic wastes (PET and PC) available in large quantities were used as a partial replacement for natural aggregates in mortar. The experimental results showed that the incorporation of plastic aggregates in cementitious material is a suitable solution to limit its brittleness. Despite the decrease in mechanical strength and the increase of free shrinkage length change, these composites exhibited a considerable improvement of strain capacity and cracking resistance. The plastic aggregates delay shrinkage cracking and cause multiple cracking with smaller crack widths. In addition, mortars containing plastics offer an opportunity to recycle nonbiodegradable wastes.

Use of industrial by-products as raw materials in concrete is becoming necessary to address the sustainability of both the concrete and the industrial growth. The present study assesses the potential of imperial smelting furnace (ISF) slag as in concrete, considering the presence of toxic elements (lead and zinc) and their detrimental effects on the early hydration of cement. Equivalent volume of sand was replaced by ISF slag in different percentages. Concrete specimens were prepared at different water-to-cement ratios. Compressive, flexural, and pull-off strength, along with abrasion resistance, were examined. Leaching potentials of toxic lead, zinc, and cadmium from ISF slag concrete mixtures were also analyzed to evaluate environmental viability. Results are encouraging because sign of delay in setting was not observed. Improvement in compressive and pull-off strength, comparable flexural strength and abrasion resistance, and leaching of toxic elements within safe limits assures the potential of future use of ISF slag as sand in concrete.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the rheological properties and chemical bonding of nano-modified asphalt binders blended with nanosilica. In this study, the nanosilica was added to the control asphalt at contents of 4% and 6% based on the weight of asphalt binders. Superpave binder and mixture tests were utilized in this study to estimate the characteristics of the nano-modifed asphalt binder and mixture. The rotational viscosity (RV), dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), bending beam rhometer (BBR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), asphalt pavement analyzer (APA), dynamic modulus (DM) and flow number (FN) tests were used to analyze rheological properties and chemical bonding changes of the nano-modified asphalt binder and the performance of the nano-modified asphalt mixture. In addition, the performance of nano-modified asphalt after rolling thin-film oven (RTFO) short-term and pressure-aging vessel (PAV) long-term aging was assessed as well. The dissipated work per load cycle for the asphalt binder was used to evaluate the rheological properties of the nano-modified asphalt binder. Based on the binder test results, it was found that the additional nanosilica in the control asphalt binder slightly decreased the viscosity of the control asphalt binder, maintained low dissipated work per load cycle, held a similar low-temperature performance to the control asphalt, and had a positive effect on antioxidation. From the mixture test results, the dynamic modulus and flow number of nano-modified asphalt mixtures improved, and the rutting susceptibility of nano-modified asphalt mixtures was reduced compared to the control asphalt mixture. In general, the findings from this study show that the antiaging property and rutting and fatigue cracking performance of nanosilica modified asphalt binders are enhanced, and the addition of nanosilica in the control asphalt mixture significantly improves the dynamic modulus, flow number, and rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures.

To date, a significant portion of research investigating the fracture characteristics of asphalt concrete has consisted of calculating a single number. This number includes values such as the stress intensity factor, fracture energy, or the J-integral. Unfortunately, by using only a single number, it can be confounding to differentiate between different types of asphalt concrete mixtures, especially at different testing temperatures. This research used a common fracture analysis technique, called resistance curves, or R-curves, to construct fracture resistance curves that include fracture characteristics of asphalt concrete at multiple testing temperatures. Sets of R-curves were collected at three testing temperatures and joined together to form a single R-curve, encompassing fracture characteristics across a temperature range, similar to the concept of constructing master curves collected for dynamic modulus testing. The technique was developed using data collected from the disk-shaped compact tension testing geometry. The effect of polymer modification type, air voids, aggregate type, and asphalt cement content were analyzed. Using R-curves instead of a single number allowed for a deeper understanding of the fracture characteristics of asphalt concrete. Unlike previous research, it was found that the effect and type of polymer modification can be better understood using R-curves, 4% air voids have a higher cracking resistance versus 7% air voids, and energy specific turning points were found that can influence the choice of asphalt concrete material components by local and federal agencies. Although this study is a preliminary analysis of the use of fracture R-curves for the analysis of the cracking resistance of asphalt concrete, it does identify the potential power of this method.

One by-product of the brewing process is a waste containing spent grains (barley malt and maize grits). In the brewing process, this cake is composed mainly of organic matter containing high fiber content, provided by the separation of suspended particles through wort filtration. The study presented here was carried out to assess if the spent brewery grains could be recycled through their incorporation in a paste used in the manufacture of ceramic bricks, and how such incorporation affects some of the physical properties, namely mechanical strength, porosity, and thermal conductivity of the ceramic material. The main objective of the study was to decrease the thermal conductivity of the ceramic paste without significant losses of the mechanical strength of the final product. Spent brewery grains (SBG) characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, and heat of combustion were used as an additive (pore-forming agent) to a brick paste, characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, particle-size analysis, mechanical strength, plasticity index, and thermal conductivity determinations. Powder mixtures obtained by addition of 5, 10, and 15% by weight of dry SBG to brick raw material (SBG-to-brick paste weight) were assembled. The powder mixtures were extruded and the green probes were dried (105°C) before slow firing at 900, 950, and 1,000°C. Drying and firing shrinkages and mechanical bending strengths were investigated in addition to bulk density, open porosity, water absorption, and thermal conductivity of the fired samples. The mixture of ceramic paste with SBG fired up to 900°C with an incorporation of SBG of 5% by weight was found to reach a compromise between the highest mechanical bending strength (15 MPa) and the lowest thermal conductivity ($0.46\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{m}}^{-1}{\mathrm{K}}^{-1}$). When compared with the ceramic paste without SBG incorporation, a diminution of 12 and 28% of the values of these properties, respectively, was obtained.

Strain rate can significantly affect the strength of materials. The split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) was initially utilized to study the effects of high-strain rate ($\sim {10}^3\text{-}1/\mathrm{s}$) on the behavior of metals. Subsequent modifications to the original technique allowed the study of brittle materials such as ceramics, concrete, and rock. Although material properties of wood for static and creep strain rates are readily available, data on the dynamic properties of wood are limited. Previous work using the SHPB technique with wood has considered only a few conditions, and tests to prove the applicability of the SHPB on wood have not been performed. In this study, tests were conducted using a large diameter [75-mm (3.0-in.)] SHPB. Hard maple specimens, consisting of sugar maple (Acer saccharum), black maple (Acer nigrum), and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) specimens were utilized to represent a dense hardwood and a low-density soft wood. Specimens were machined to diameters of 63.5 and 75-mm (2.5 and 3.0-in.) and an assortment of lengths were tested to determine the appropriate specimen dimensions. Stress/strain curves were generated from the SHPB data and validated with 6061-T6 aluminum and wood specimens. Stress was indirectly corroborated with gauged aluminum specimens. Specimen strain was assessed with strain gauges, digital image analysis, and measurement of residual strain to confirm the strain calculated from SHPB data. The SHPB was found to be a useful tool in assessing the material properties of wood subjected to compression for high strain rates ($70–340\text{-}1/\mathrm{s}$) and short load durations (70–150-μs). Specimens loaded in the longitudinal direction of 38-mm (1.5-in.) length and specimens loaded in the radial and tangential directions of 13-mm (0.5-in.) length were found to be most applicable to SHPB testing. The data resulting from this study show that the short duration region of the Madison curve is reasonable for high strain rate compression of wood over the range of specific gravities considered.

The consolidation effects of portlandite ${(\mathrm{CaOH})}_2$ nanoparticles have been determined in carbonate stones (dolostone), typically used in historical buildings from Madrid, Spain, just after 20 days consolidation at 20°C under a dry [33% relative humidity (RH)] and a humid environment (75% RH) and after 18 months under room temperature and humidity conditions ($20°\mathrm{C}\pm 5$ and $50\pm 10\%$ RH). The improvement of the physical and hydric properties, from short to longer term, of this dolostone is shown through the combination of nondestructive techniques (environmental scanning electron microscopy, spectrophotometry, water absorption under vacuum and capillarity, ultrasonic velocity, and optical surface roughness analyses) together with destructive techniques (mercury intrusion porosimetry and microdriling resistance measurement) also necessary for a better accuracy determination of pore structure and resistance modifications. Consolidation process under both humid and dry environment gives rise to an improvement of the petrophysical properties of dolostone specimens. However, a humid environment and a higher and larger porosity of the stone favor the consolidation with time, being these conditions are necessary to take into account when ${\mathrm{Ca}(\mathrm{OH})}_2$ nanoparticles are used to consolidate carbonate stones.

Granite and marble dust from the stone industry and fly ash from thermal power plants are waste products that are produced in large quantities in India. The physical properties of these materials meet the requirements laid for fillers in Indian specifications. This study explores the possible use of these three industrial wastes, along with hydrated lime and conventional stone dust from quartzite, as filler in bituminous construction. Different test procedures are used to examine the void and clay content in the five fillers. Bituminous concrete (BC) mixes were designed according to the Marshall method at four different percentages of the five types of fillers. The performance of bituminous concrete mixes is studied through moisture susceptibility, static creep, flexural fatigue, and wheel-tracking tests. The results suggest that marble dust, granite dust, and fly ash have good potential for their use as filler in bituminous mixes. Among the three industrial wastes, marble dust is the most promising filler and will prove to be very economical also, as mixes with marble dust have the lowest optimum binder content (OBC).

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) material in new paving projects is increasing in popularity, with research showing that RAP blended with aggregate will increase the resilient modulus of subgrade material. These studies have focused on the effects of RAP on the resilient modulus of the base layer without in-depth observation into the factors affecting permanent deformation. The objective of this research is to examine the early and long-term development of cumulative strain in RAP blends under combinations of moisture content, content of fines, and stress levels. Single stage testing is conducted in the laboratory for sample materials containing aggregate and RAP material. Cumulative strain percentage is the quantity of comparison between materials and testing results. Blends of 50% RAP and 50% Class 5 mixed at optimum moisture content (OMC) yield the lowest strain rates in the early testing stages and the lowest long-term accumulated strain. Blends tested with 10% fines yield comparable results to all OMC blends. Blends with $\mathrm{OMC}+2\%$ accumulate more strain than Class 5 blends, whereas mixes with high content of fines and $\mathrm{OMC}+2\%$ are the most susceptible to developing strain. Accumulated strain per cycle has the highest rate in the preliminary stages of testing. Over 90% of the 20,000 cycle accumulated strain occurs at 3,000 to 5,000 cycles for high moisture blends. RAP reduces the effect of strain rate sensitivity and yields a more resilient response capability than Class 5 material.

An extensive suite of geotechnical laboratory tests were undertaken on wastewater biosolids to evaluate their sustainable usage as a fill material in road embankments. Geotechnical tests undertaken include particle size distribution, specific gravity, Atterberg limits, compaction, consolidation, hydraulic conductivity, California bearing ratio (CBR), field vane shear, direct shear, and triaxial shear. The geotechnical tests indicated that biosolids are equivalent to organic fine-grained soils of medium to high plasticity with high moisture content and liquid limit values. Consolidation tests indicate that biosolids have similar consolidation characteristics to that of organic soils. Shear strength tests on compacted biosolids samples indicated relatively high internal friction angles, comparable to that of inorganic silts. Compacted biosolids samples exhibit a modest cohesion comparable to organic clays. CBR tests results indicate high deformation potential of biosolids. Chemical and environmental assessment tests indicated that heavy metals, dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and organochlorine pesticides concentration along with pathogens (bacteria, viruses, or parasites) results were within acceptable limits for usage in geotechnical applications. With regards to contaminants containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and total organic carbon, the biosolids were found to require special protection in the event there is potential leaching/flow to adjoining water bodies. The geotechnical testing results indicate that untreated biosolids have insufficient bearing capacity to enable its usage as a fill material. The biosolids will have to be stabilized with an additive or blended with a high-quality material to enhance its geotechnical properties to enable it to be considered as an engineering fill material.

A novel approach is introduced for investigating the relationships between the electrical resistivity characteristics, $E_r$, and the volumetric properties of asphalt mixtures, i.e., bulk specific gravity, $G_{mb}$, air voids in mixture, $V_{bm}$, and voids in mineral aggregates, $V_{ma}$. It is well known the volumetric properties of asphalt mixtures are controlled by several variables, i.e., aggregate gradation, aggregate type, filler type, bitumen type, and bitumen content. In this study, the effects of both variables of aggregate gradation and bitumen content are investigated on the electrical resistivity of asphalt mixtures and some correlations are developed between the electrical resistivity and the volumetric properties of laboratory compacted asphalt mixture specimens. For this purpose, 455 Marshall specimens containing calcareous type crushed stone aggregate with $60/70$ penetration asphalt binder were fabricated and tested at five different aggregate gradations and seven varied bitumen contents with 13 replicate specimens for each experimental combination. Statistical ANOVA and significance tests were conducted on the test data and the effects of electrical resistivity on the volumetric properties were evaluated. Finally, some simple correlations were formed between the two data sets by using regression analysis.

Agricultural residue ash is known to be a very reactive source of supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for use in concrete. The influence of thermochemical pretreatments on the reactivity of agricultural residue ash (ARA) was studied for its use as an SCM. It was shown that pretreatments are effective in the partial removal of alkali metals and other impurities out of both wheat straw and rice straw, leading to ARA with lower loss on ignition (LOI), higher internal surface area, and higher amorphous silica content than unpretreated ARA. It was shown that the alkali content correlated with the LOI and amorphous silica content of the ash. When used at a cement replacement rate of 20% by mass, pretreated ARA accelerated the hydration of cement paste samples, whereas unpretreated ARA retarded the cement hydration. Pretreatments were found to increase ARA reactivity, as measured by calcium hydroxide content reduction with time. ARA increased the compressive strength of mortar samples by 25% when used as 20% replacement of cement in the samples. The calcium hydroxide content of paste samples and mortar compressive strength was found to correlate to the amorphous silica content of the ash.

During the 2011 construction season, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) completed a major pavement recycling project that marked the first time full-depth reclamation (FDR), cold in-place recycling (CIR), and cold central-plant recycling (CCPR) were used together on a single project on the US interstate system. The CIR and CCPR mixtures were produced by using foamed asphalt and hydraulic cement as the stabilizing agents. After completing the pavement rehabilitation project, engineering properties of the CIR and CCPR mixtures were determined in the laboratory from field-cored specimens. VDOT conducted this study because the agency was considering using a single set of construction specifications for both CIR and CCPR materials if the engineering properties of the two processes were found to be similar. This project offered a unique opportunity to evaluate the two recycling methods by using materials from the same location. Laboratory tests included gradation, binder content, density measurements, indirect tensile strength (ITS) measurements, and resilient modulus ($M_R$) testing. ITS and $M_R$ were selected because ITS has traditionally been used for the design and acceptance of recycled mixtures, whereas $M_R$ testing offers a step toward mechanistic pavement design in its use in Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide/DARWin-ME software. The results demonstrated that differences in the engineering properties of the recycled materials, as produced by CIR and CCPR, are not statistically significant. Previously, information was limited in the literature to support designs using pavement recycling, or using CCPR in particular, as another option for highway agencies seeking to use a more environmentally friendly option to rehabilitate pavements. The results presented in this study will also help pavement engineers to better recognize the range of material properties possible with recycled mixtures.

A considerable number of investigations have been conducted on the mechanical and material properties of concrete made with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), as these properties can often be different than those of conventional concrete. However, relatively little attention has been directed at studying the performance of concrete made with RCA at elevated temperatures. This is despite the fact that coarse aggregates play an important role in the behavior of concrete under fire exposure. To address the lack of knowledge, an experimental program was conducted in which six different concrete mixes were prepared with different combinations of coarse aggregates made from recycled concrete aggregate, river gravel, and crushed limestone aggregates. A total of 204 concrete cylinders ($100\times 200\mathrm{mm}$) were cast and heated under four different temperatures: 20°C (ambient temperature), 250, 500, and 750°C. The residual compressive and tensile strengths, moduli of elasticity, and damage and failure patterns of the concretes were observed and analyzed. The results indicate that concrete with aggregate both fully and partially replaced with RCA exhibits good performance under elevated temperatures and it can be considered comparable to conventional concrete. No concrete disintegration was observed when RCA concrete was heated up to 750°C. The results of tests of residual mechanical properties show some variation among concretes made with different replacement percentages of RCA.

The general swelling model has recently been updated in Israel by applying the Excel-solver command (ESC) analysis to new local test results from 897 undisturbed specimens. In this analysis, the goodness-of-fit statistics obtained classify the category of their associated regression only as fair. Thus, it seems necessary to explore the possibility of enhancing the outputs of this regression analysis by applying the artificial neural networks (ANN) methodology to the same 897 undisturbed specimens. However, it is shown that the use of the ANN outputs should be accompanied by an additional check to ensure that they follow the expected physical swelling behavior, as characterized by the index properties of the soil. The ANN methodology applied in this paper is similar to previous studies in geotechnical engineering. Different models were tested using the same database (i.e., the same 897 undisturbed specimens). The statistical fit of the ANN models were clearly found to be superior to the ESC models. However, in the sense of the required physical behavior, as characterized by the index properties of the soil, the ANN models did not predict swelling values as well as ESC models did, in particular values ranging near (or outside) the data set boundaries. Thus, the former ESC models still remain preferable.

In order to study the feasibility of the rehabilitation of the building of the Palace of Riva Herrera (sixteenth century), in Santander, Spain, four types of natural stone found in the building have been characterized. The chemical, microstructural, physical, and mechanical properties have been obtained. Also, in order to evaluate the durability of the stones, a program of freeze-thaw aging has been completed. In parallel, the effect of four commercial water repellents and consolidants was analyzed by means of capillary absorption tests. The results showed relations between the durability and the open porosity of the different stones. The capillarity absorption coefficient can be applied as an indicator of durability. Also, all of the waterproofing treatments were shown to be effective, reducing the capillary absorption of the treated stones with respect to the stones not subjected to protective treatments by virtue of a delay in the capillarity process, this effect being greater in more porous material.

The flexural behavior of concrete is often different from its behavior under direct tension. This paper presents an experimental program aimed at the testing method and strain rate effects on the tensile behavior of concrete. Concrete specimens were tested with different testing methods (direct tension and four-point loading) and four strain rates (${10}^{-6}$, ${10}^{–5}$, ${10}^{–4}$, and ${10}^{-3}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$). The results show that the peak stresses increase with an increase in the strain rate; the strain rate dependence of the peak stress is stronger for direct tensile specimens than for four-point loading specimens. The dynamic increase factor is expressed as a function of the strain rate and highly stressed volume method. The continuous damage model is also used to predict the strain rate effects on the ascending stress-strain behavior of concrete. Using the model parameters for the stress-strain curve of concrete at a static strain rate, the stress-strain curves of concrete for dynamic strain rates in four-point loading and direct tension are satisfactorily predicted.

In this paper the physical and dynamic mechanical property tests of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) are reported. Two kinds of MREs with different matrices, about 12 samples in total, are fabricated by mixing carbonyl iron powder and additives, and cured by using a constant magnetic field. The physical and dynamic viscoelastic properties of these MRE specimens are evaluated with respect to different magnetic fields, displacement amplitudes, and frequencies. The experimental results demonstrate that MREs have variable stiffness and the loss factor of the samples with bromobutyl rubber is high, which shows a good damping property. The proposed magnetoviscoelasticity parameter model is then verified by comparing the experimental and numerical results, which demonstrate that the magnetoviscoelasticity parameter model can describe the MRE performance well.

Tepetate is a common material in central Mexico, which is frequently used in the construction industry. It is extracted from natural sites and commercialized without alteration. In general, it is used to construct backfills. However, there is a lack of information regarding this material for the construction industry. In this research, the properties of tepetate as a material for construction (plasticity, permeability, and strength under compaction conditions) were obtained. According to the studies of tepetate, it exhibits a wide range of values for these properties, thus making it less reliable as a homogeneous material for construction. Additionally, it has very low strength as a construction material. It is recommended as a standard practice to perform studies on the material before its use in construction.

Aggregate gradations have significant effects on concrete properties because approximately 70% of the volume of concrete is occupied by aggregates. Various researchers, specifications, and codes have suggested different types of aggregate gradations for concrete mixtures. This paper presents a comparative analysis among available aggregate gradation methodologies and analyzes different aspects of two proposed band gradations through laboratory experiments. The overall research was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, concrete mixes were prepared using different aggregate gradation methodologies to find out the comparatively better aggregate gradation methodology in terms of concrete properties. Analyzing the results of this phase, the newly proposed 5-10-14-18 and 5-10-18-22 band gradations were found to give better concrete properties compared to other aggregate gradation methodologies with respect to concrete workability and compressive strength. The objective of the next stage was to assess different practical and theoretical aspects of these selected band gradations. In addition, a brief analysis is given on the possible application of the fineness modulus (FM) and fine aggregate to total aggregate (FA/TA) ratio chart to obtain an optimum aggregate gradation.