CONCRETE MIX DESIGN

Design of concrete may be defined as process of selecting suitable

ingredients of concrete and determining their relative quantities with the
object of producing as economically as possible concrete of certain
minimum properties, notably consistency, strength and durability. This
definition stresses two points:

1. The concrete is to have certain specified minimum properties.

2. It is to be produced as economically as possible a most common

requirement in engineering.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE CHOICE OF MIX

PROPERTIES

The fundamental requirement of a concrete mix is that it should be

satisfactory both in the fresh as well as in the hardened state, possessing
certain minimum desirable properties like workability, strength and
durability. Besides, these requirements it is essential that the concrete mix is
prepared as economically as possible by using the least possible amount of
cement content per unit volume of concrete, with due regard to the strength
and durability requirements [1].
The following parameters control the proportions of ingredients in the mix:

1. Compressive Strength:

The usual primary requirement of good concrete is a satisfactory

compressive strength in its hardened state. Many of the desirable properties
like durability, impermeability, abrasion resistance are highly influenced by
the strength of concrete. The strength of concrete depends upon the type of
cement used and the method of curing employed, since the rate of hardening
of cements of different types vary considerably. Factors that affect the
concrete mix design strengths are:

A. Water/cement ratio
Water to cement ratio (W/C ratio) is the single most important
factor governing the strength and durability of concrete. Strength
of concrete depends upon W/C ratio rather than the cement
content. Abrams law states that higher the water/cement ratio,
lower is the strength of concrete. As a thumb rule every 1%
increase in quantity of water added, reduces the strength of
concrete by 5%. A water/cement ratio of only 0.38is required for
complete hydration of cement. (Although this is the theoretical
limit, water cement ratio lower than 0.38 will also increase the
strength, since all the cement that is added, does not hydrate)
Water added for workability over and above this water/cement
ratio of 0.38, evaporates leaving cavities in the concrete. These
cavities are in the form of thin capillaries. They reduce the strength
 and durability of concrete. Hence, it is very important to control
the water/cement ratio on site. Every extra liter of water will
approx. reduce the strength of concrete by 2 to 3 N/mm2and
increase the workability by 25 mm. As stated earlier, the
water/cement ratio strongly influences the permeability of concrete
and durability of concrete.
B. Cement content
Cement is the core material in concrete, which acts as a binding
agent and imparts strength to the concrete. From durability
considerations cement content should not be reduced below
300Kg/m3 for RCC. IS 456 2000 recommends higher cement
contents for more severe conditions of exposure of weathering
agents to the concrete. It is not necessary that higher cement
content would result in higher strength. In fact latest findings show
that for the same water/cement ratio, a leaner mix will give better
strength. However, this does not mean that we can achieve higher
grades of concrete by just lowering the water/cement ratio. This is
because lower water/cement ratios will mean lower water contents
and result in lower workability. In fact for achieving a given
workability, a certain quantity of water will be required. If lower
water/cement ratio is to be achieved without disturbing the
workability, cement content will have to be increased. Higher
cement content helps us in getting the desired workability at a
lower water/cement ratio.
C. Relative proportion of fine & coarse aggregates
D. Use of admixtures
 2. Workability:

The workability of concrete mix is mainly determined to suite the type of

construction, placing conditions and the means of compaction available at
site. The properties of fresh concrete, amount and condition of reinforcement
and the shape and size of the mould are important factors which control
workability. The main factor affecting workability is the water content in the
mix. Other parameters influencing workability are the maximum size of
aggregate, its grading, texture and shape and the mix proportions [3].

3. Type, Size and Grading of Aggregate:

Good concrete can be made by using different types of aggregates like

rounded and irregular gravel and crushed rock which is mostly angular in
shape. The maximum nominal size of the aggregate to be selected for a
particular job depends upon the width of the section and the spacing of the
reinforcement. The grading of aggregate is a major factor, influencing the
workability of a concrete mix. The grading of the aggregate should be such
as to ensure that the voids between the larger aggregates are filled with the
smaller fractions and mortar so as to achieve maximum density and strength.

4. Aggregate/Cement Ratio:

The various factors involved in selecting the aggregate/cement ratio of a mix

are, the desired workability, size, shape, texture and overall grading of the
aggregates. The aggregate/cement ratio affects the strength of concrete in the
high strength range to a significant degree and this is one of the reasons for
considering the design of high strength concrete separately [1].

5. Durability:
For pavements, durability is almost certainly a more important issue than
strength. Pavements are exposed outside, often in harsh environments. In
areas such as the authors home in Northeast Ohio, pavements, bridges, and
other infrastructure are routinely bathed in harsh deicing materials during the
winter. There are very few civil engineering materials that have their
properties improved by repeated treatments of brine, particularly during
repeated cycles of freezing and thawing. Freeze-thaw cycles and chlorides
present significant challenges for pavement durability. In addition to using
durable aggregates, a low w/c or w/cm ratio should be used. This ratio may
be lower than that required for strength [3] .

6. Quality Control:

The degree of control can be estimated statistically by the variations in test

results. The variation in strength results from the variations in the properties
of the mix ingredients and lack of control of accuracy in batching, mixing,
placing, curing and testing. The lower the difference between the mean and
minimum strengths of the mix lower will be the cement-content required.
The factor controlling this difference is termed as quality control.
 7. Economy:

The primary reason for systematically determining mixture proportions is

economy. The maximum economy can be achieved by minimizing the
amount of cement used and where appropriate, by replacing portland cement
with usually less expensive pozzolana or GGBF slag. Economy is also
improved by using the largest nominal maximum size aggregate consistent
with the dimensional requirements of the structures on the project, and
available to the project.

8. Shrinkage and Thermal Deformation:

The contraction and expansion of concrete pavement slabs due to shrinkage

and thermal effects are important for performance. Both the absolute
deformation and the relative deformation between the top and the bottom of
the slab are important. The absolute deformation, due to uniform strain
through the thickness of the slab, determines how much joints open and
close, and restrained contraction due to friction between the slab and
subbase or subgrade causes tensile stress in the slab. Strain gradients due to
temperature are called curling, and those due to moisture are called warping.
These cause cupping upward or downward of the slab [3].
 MIX DESIGN ON THE BASIS OF TENSILE STRENGTH

In the case of road, it appears probable that the flexural strength of

the concrete is equally important to the compressive strength and
indeed the specification for road and bridge works requires that
the concrete mix is designed for an indirect tensile strength of not
less than 2.3 MPa at 28 days.

Another interesting point is that for mixes of very low workability,

as it usual with road, the required water/cement ratio may extend
over a far great range as the type of aggregate is varied if the mix
is designed on the basis of tensile strength instead of compressive
strength.

The specification for road and bridge works requires that the free
water/ cement ratio shall not exceed 0.55 by mass and that
sufficient air entraining agent shall be used in the top 50mm of the
paving to entrain 4.51.5 percent of air by volume in the mix.

Fine aggregate containing more than 25 percent of calcium

carbonate may not be used in the top 50mm of a pavement but
limestone coarse aggregate may be used if it complies with an
accelerated wear test. It is specified that the average tensile
strength at 28 days of 30 results shall be at least 1.80 MPa plus
1.82 times the standard deviation. The values of standard deviation
applicable for designing for tensile strength are 0.6 N/mm2 when
less than 40 results are available and 0.3 N/mm2 or the calculated
test value, if above this, when 40 or more previous test results are
available.

The mix design proportions are always designed in terms of the

weight or volume of surface dry aggregates and during mixing
operations adjustments have to be made for the amount of water
contained in the aggregate. In the case of batching, it is merely a
case of increasing the weight of aggregate to allow for the weight
of free water it contains and also reducing the amount of water
added [4].

Service Life Design of Concrete Structures

The generally accepted aim of a design is "to achieve an acceptable

probability that the structure being designed will perform satisfactorily
during its intended life". When designing a structure today the designer first
defines the loads to be resisted. As these loads usually vary, he applies some
safety factors to be on the safe side. These factored loads must then be
resisted by the structure through selecting a combination of structural
systems, element geometry, material types and material's strengths. As it is
difficult to predict the precise properties of the materials, the geometry and
the qualities, which are achieved in the structure, safety factors are applied
to account for this by limiting the maximum allowable stresses.
Mathematical equations are then used to verify that the probabilities of the
loads, which exceed the resistances, are maintained at an acceptable low
level. When it comes to durability design to verify that the intended life can
be achieved with an acceptable level of reliability, the situation is entirely
different. It seems to be acceptable without question to use a grossly over-
simplistic approach. The codes provide only qualitative definitions of
exposure and they fail to define the design life in relation to durability,
(Bamforth,1998). In particular, they fail to quantify the durability limit states
that must be exceeded for the design life to be ended [2].

The traditional design follows a deem-to-satisfy approach. This means to

specify requirements to substitute parameters such as the cement type and
quantity, concrete mix, maximum water/cement ratio, minimum air content,
concrete cover, type of curing, control of early age cracking, limitation of
crack widths. The values chosen depend on the assumed aggressivity of the
environment but have been chosen based on engineering judgment without
any factual calculation to verify the consequences.

Previous approaches fail to recognize that, in relation to durability, it is not

the properties of the materials or components alone that define performance,
but the condition of the structure in its environment as a whole, and its need
for maintenance. This performance can be defined by functional
requirements such as fitness-for-purpose, which includes issues such as
deflections, cracks and spalling, vibrations, aesthetics and structural
integrity[3].
When it comes to residual service life assessment of existing structures the
same situation of using over-simplistic procedures prevail as for service life
design of new structures. This is in spite of the fact that once the structure is
a reality a large part of the inherent uncertainties associated with new
designs, can be eliminated or limited to required levels through appropriately
planned inspections, measurements and testing. The longer the structure has
served, and the longer it has interacted with the environment the more
reliable could the residual service life forecast be. This is the condition,
which shall be kept in mind when performing assessment and residual
service life evaluation.

Durability and service life design

The operational way of designing for durability is to define durability as a

service life requirement. In this way the non-factual and rather subjective
concept of "durability" is transformed into a factual requirement of the
"number of years" during which the structure shall perform satisfactorily
without unforeseen high costs for maintenance [3].

Designing for a specified service life requires knowledge of the parameters

determining the ageing and deterioration of concrete structures. Hence, the
pre-condition is to have scientifically sound mathematical modelling
available of the:

Environmental loadings

Materials and structural resistances.

This is the only rational way of performing a quantified service life design
for new concrete structures - and a residual service life design for existing
structures. The materials and structural resistances include transport
mechanisms for substance into and within concrete, and deterioration
mechanisms of concrete and reinforcement.

Environmental loading

With respect to service life design one of the most important decisions to be
taken by the designer is the determination of the exposure conditions for
which each member of a structure shall be designed, as the structure itself
has decisive influence on the future micro-climate to be expected. The
exposure shall be related to the type and severity of deterioration that may
result from the exposure. In this respect a differentiation is needed between
mechanisms deteriorating concrete and mechanisms leading to
reinforcement corrosion. Different parts of a structure may therefore be in
different exposure conditions. Obvious examples are the submerged, the
tidal, the splash and the atmospheric zones of a marine structure, but also
different geographic orientations (north/south/east/west, or
seaward/landward orientation) may be in different exposure classes. Even
very local differences can be taken into account such as vertical faces,
horizontal surfaces facing upward (risk of ponding) or facing downward.

Materials and structural resistance

Having identified the environmental aggressivity the next step of the

durability design is to identify the relevant degradation mechanisms.
Mathematical models describing the time dependent degradation processes
and the material resistances represent the big step forward towards
performance related durability design. Among the main deterioration
mechanisms relevant for concrete structures chloride induced reinforcement
corrosion is by far the most serious.

REFERENCES:-

1. Raju, N. Krishna: Design of Concrete Mixes 4th Edition, CBS

Publishers, New Delhi, 2002.

2. Aziz, M. A.: Engineering Materials 1st Edition, Hafiz Book Centre,

Dhaka, 1973.

3. Neville, A. M.: Properties of Concrete 4th Edition, Pearson

Education, Inc., India, 2006.

4. Orchard, Dennis Frank, A. Curran, and R. Hearne. CONCRETE

TECHNOLOGY-VOLUME 1-PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS. No.
Monograph. 1979.