Lesson 5: Cont’n.

of Aggrega te Properti es - Specific Gravity, Volume, Water Absorption, Moisture Content

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 Specific gravity (relative density)

 Definition
The specific gravity of an aggregate is the mass of the aggregate in air divided by the mass of an equal volume of water.
Because the aggregate mass varies with its moisture content, specific gravity is determined at fixed moisture content.

Four moisture conditions are defined for aggregates depending on the amount of water held in the pores or on the surface
of the particles. These conditions are shown in Fig. 1 and described as follows:

Figure 1: Moisture conditions of Aggregates

1. Damp/moist or wet—Aggregate in which the pores connected to the surface are filled with water and with free water also
on the surface.
2. Saturated surface-dry (SSD) —Aggregate in which the pores connected to the surface are filled with water but with no free
water on the surface.
3. Air-dry—Aggregate that has a dry surface but contains some water in the pores.
4. Oven-dry(OD)—Aggregate that contains no water in the pores or on the surface, other; also known as bone dry.

NOTE:
The volume of the aggregate particle is usually assumed to be the volume of solid matter and internal pores. Two different
values of specific gravity may be calculated depending on whether the mass used is an oven-dry or a saturated surface dry
mass.

Bulk specific gravity is the oven-dry mass divided by the mass of a volume of water equal to the SSD aggregate volume;
while SSD bulk specific gravity is the saturated surface-dry mass divided by the mass of a volume of water equal to the SSD
aggregate volume.

 Determination of specific gravity

Test methods for finding specific gravity of aggregates are described in ASTM C 127, “Specific gravity and Absorption of
Coarse Aggregate,” and ASTM C 128, “Specific Gravity and Absorption of Fine Aggregate.”

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The bulk specific gravity and bulk specific gravity SSD of coarse aggregates are calculated as follows.

𝐴
Bulk specific gravity =
𝐵−𝐶

𝐵
Bulk specific gravity SSD =
𝐵−𝐶

where A = the mass of oven-dry sample in air;

B = the mass of saturated surface-dry sample in air; and
C = the apparent mass of saturated sample immersed in water.

Practice Problem #1: Specific gravity calculation for coarse aggregate

Given:
Oven-dry mass in air = 3168.5 g
Saturated surface-dry mass in air = 3190.0 g
Saturated mass in water = 1972.0 g

Solution/Answer:

The bulk specific gravity and bulk specific gravity SSD of fine aggregates are calculated as follows.

𝐴
𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑘 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 =
𝑆+𝐵−𝐶

𝑆
𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑘 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 =
𝑆+𝐵−𝐶

where A = the mass of oven-dry sample in air;

S = the mass of saturated surface-dry sample in air;
B = the mass of flask filled with water; and
C = the mass of flask with specimen and water to the calibration or filling mark.

Practice Problem #2: Calculate specific gravity for fine aggregate

Given:
Oven-dry mass in air = 490.7 g
Saturated surface-dry mass in air = 501.4 g
Mass of flask with specimen and water to fill mark = 953.5 g
Mass of flask with water to fill mark = 647.2 g
Solution/Answer:

 Significance of specific gravity

The specific gravity of an aggregate is used in mixture proportioning calculations to find the absolute volume that a
given mass of material will occupy in the mixture. Absolute volume of an aggregate refers to the space occupied by
the aggregate particles alone; that is, the volume of solid matter and internal aggregate pores, excluding the voids
between particles.

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 (a) In a given concrete mixture, substituting one aggregate with another of a different specific gravity will cause the
volume of concrete (yield) to change for the same batch mass. Because concrete is often sold by volume, this change
means either that the purchaser is receiving less concrete than ordered or the producer is supplying more concrete
than purchased.
(b) Changes in the aggregate specific gravity also cause the concrete density to change. This is undesirable if a minimum
density is specified, for example, in heavyweight concrete for nuclear-radiation shielding.
(c) While the specific gravity of an aggregate is not a measure of aggregate quality, a variation in the specific gravity
may indicate a change in the aggregate characteristics.

 Absolute volume calculations

To calculate the absolute volume an aggregate occupies in concrete, the mass of aggregate is divided by the absolute
density (previously termed absolute or solid unit weight), which is the specific gravity multiplied by the density of
water. If the mass is in kg, the specific gravity is multiplied by the density of water, 1000 kg/m3 (62.4 lb/ft3 if the
mass is in lb).

Practice Problem #3: Calculation of absolute volume of an aggregate

A sample of oven-dry aggregate has a mass of 47.7 kg (105.0 lb). The bulk specific gravity is 2.60. Calculate the absolute
volume of the aggregate.

Solution:

NOTE:
In a batch of concrete, the sum of the absolute volumes of cementitious materials, admixtures, aggregate, and water, plus the
volume of air, gives the volume of concrete produced per batch. (to be discussed next topic: Calculation of volumes of a batch
of concrete and water-cementitious material ratio)

 Absorption and total moisture content

To calculate the mixing water content of concrete, the absorption of the aggregates and their total moisture contents
must be known. Absorption is computed as a percentage by subtracting the oven-dry mass from the saturated
surface-dry mass, dividing by the oven-dry mass, and multiplying by 100. In concrete technology, aggregate
moisture is expressed as a percent of the dry weight of the aggregate.

𝑊𝑆𝑆𝐷 − 𝑊𝑂𝐷
𝐴𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 , % = 𝑥 100
𝑊𝑂𝐷

Absorption is a measure of the total pore volume accessible to water, and is usually calculated using the results from
a specific gravity determination (ASTM C 127 and C 128).

Practice Problem #4: Calculation of aggregate absorption

Given:
Mass of saturated surface-dry aggregate in air = 501.4 g
Mass of oven-dry aggregate in air = 490.7 g

Solution/Answer:

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Total moisture content is measured in accordance with ASTM C 566, “Total Moisture Content of Aggregate by Drying,” by
measuring the mass of a sample of the aggregate representative of the moisture content in the supply being tested, drying
the sample, and obtaining the mass again.
𝑊 − 𝑊𝑂𝐷
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 , % = 𝑥 100
𝑊𝑂𝐷
where
W = the mass of the original sample and
WOD = the mass of the dried sample

 Surface moisture content

Surface or free moisture content of an aggregate can be determined by subtracting the absorption from the total moisture
content.

If an aggregate is air-dry (surface is dry but pores are partially filled with water), the total moisture content is less than the
absorption and the surface moisture content has a negative value. This means that the aggregate will absorb water when
mixed in concrete. This can cause unexpectedly rapid slump loss in the concrete if a significant amount of water is absorbed
into the aggregate. For aggregates with unusually high absorption that are batched in an unusually dry state, water equal to
the amount absorbed should be added to maintain the intended w/cm and consistency. It is difficult to determine precisely
how much water will be absorbed while the concrete is still in a plastic state, however, because absorption is calculated after
a 24-hour soaking period, although concrete typically sets sooner than this period.

Practice Example #5: Calculation of total moisture and surface moisture

An aggregate sample has an absorption of 1.2% and a mass of 847.3 g when wet. After oven drying, it has a mass of 792.7 g.
Calculate the total moisture content and surface moisture content.
Solution:

 Alternate definition of surface moisture

Some specifying agencies require proportions in terms of saturated surface-dry aggregate masses prefer to define surface
moisture as a percentage of the saturated surface-dry mass. If surface moisture is given in terms of the saturated surface-
dry mass, there is no need to convert saturated surface-dry aggregate masses to oven-dry masses before calculating batch
masses.

where WS = the original mass of the sample (usually a wet or damp mass) and WSSD = the saturated surface-dry mass of the
sample.

A method for determining the surface moisture in fine aggregate is described in ASTM C 70. To use this method, the bulk
specific gravity SSD of the aggregate must be known. The mass of a sample to be tested for surface moisture is obtained and
the amount of water displaced by the sample is determined using a pycnometer, a volumetric flask, a graduated volumetric
flask, or other suitable measuring device.

The mass and volume of the wet sample is then used to determine the mass of surface water as a percentage of the saturated
surface-dry mass. The formula is as follows.

where P = the surface moisture in terms of saturated surface dry fine aggregate, percent;
Wd = the mass of water displaced (determined either by a mass determination or by a volumetric
method);
Vd = the mass of the sample divided by the bulk specific gravity SSD; and
WS = the mass of the sample

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The Chapman flask is a commonly used graduated volumetric flask for calculating the surface moisture content of aggregate.
It is filled to the 200 mL mark with water and a sample of previously weighed wet or damp aggregate is added to the flask.
After agitating to free any entrapped air bubbles, the combined volume of water and aggregate is read off a scale on the
upper neck of the flask.

The mass of water displaced can also be determined by using a volumetric flask and a mass determination method similar
to that used to obtain the specific gravity of fine aggregate.

Practice Problem 6: Calculation of surface moisture content (SSD basis), volumetric method

In a laboratory, the following were measured. Compute the surface moisture.

Mass of wet aggregate 500.0 g

Original flask reading 200 mL
Final flask reading 403 mL
Bulk specific gravity SSD of aggregate 2.60

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