Mix designs for concrete block

Proportioning using the fineness modulus method

By Neal Jablonski

roportioning the mix should be used. sieve sizes.

P components for a con-

crete masonry unit
(CMU) is an important
step in producing high-quality
units. A well-proportioned mix can
Following are the six steps in-
volved in designing a mix using the
FM method:

Step 1: Determine the FM of each

1b. Starting with the largest sieve,
add the percent retained on each
successive sieve to arrive at the cu-
mulative percent retained up to and
including that sieve.
improve a unit’s physical properties aggregate. 1c. Add the cumulative percent
(compressive strength, unit weight, To determine the FM of a single retained on each sieve and divide
absorption) so they meet or exceed aggregate, follow the procedure the sum by 100. Don’t include the
ASTM C 90 Standard Specification outlined in ASTM C 136, “Standard pan in the sum. This will give you
for Load-Bearing Concrete Masonry Test Method for Sieve Analysis of the fineness modulus. [See the ex-
Units. Additionally, the right mix Fine and Coarse Aggregates.” The ample below.]
proportions can improve CMU steps are as follows:
durability and appearance. 1a. Sieve approximately 500 Step 2: Proportion aggregates for
This article gives general guide- grams of oven-dry aggregate proper FM.
lines for designing a concrete mix through 3⁄8 inch, No. 4, No. 8, No. Aggregates are blended to ob-
with locally available aggregates, 16, No. 30, No. 50, and No. 100 tain the desired FM for a specific
and focuses on determining aggre-
gate fineness modulus, proportion-
ing aggregates, and choosing a ce- Sieve analysis and
ment-aggregate ratio. calculating fineness modulus
The fineness modulus method Using the sieve analysis result below, the fineness modulus can be cal-
The most commonly used culated. The fineness modulus is the sum of the total percentage retained
method for designing mixes for on each of a specified series of sieves divided by 100.
concrete masonry is called the FM A sample of fine aggregate weighing 508.5 grams is passed over the
method. FM stands for fineness sieves shown below and the weights retained on each sieve are as shown.
modulus, an index number roughly
proportional to the average size of Sieve Weight Individual Cumulative
the particles in a given aggregate. retained, grams % retained % retained
The coarser the aggregate, the
3
higher the FM. ⁄ inch
8 0 0 0
While all block mixes require at No. 4 9.2 2 2
least one aggregate, a producer, for No. 8 67.6 13 15
a variety of reasons, might decide No. 16 101.2 20 35
to use as many as four aggregates
No. 30 104.2 20 55
in a mix. Such reasons include lack
of well-graded aggregates nearby No. 50 122.5 24 79
(and increased cost to obtain such No. 100 95.3 19 98
aggregates) and the desire to pro- Pan 8.5 2 (100)*
duce a unit with better physical and
aesthetic properties. Total 508.5 100 Sum = 284
However, because two-aggregate 284
mixes are the most common, that Fineness Modulus = --------- = 2.84
100
combination is covered in this arti-
cle. Manually calculating three- and *Pan not included in fineness modulus
four-aggregate blends is laborious,
therefore spreadsheet software
class of unit. The industry-recom-
mended FMs for various types of
units and aggregates are: normal-
weight CMU, 3.70; medium-weight
CMU, 3.67; and lightweight CMU,
3.84. (Grading charts are shown in
Figure 1.)
Aggregate blends shouldn’t con-
tain excess fines or coarse particles.
Blends with excess fines require
more cement to coat the added sur-
face area, while mixes with excess
coarse aggregate will contain large
interconnecting voids and be harsh.
Calculate the proportion of fine
and coarse aggregate for the de-
sired unit using the following
equation:
X=
(_____
A-B
A - C)
100
Y = 100 - X
where
X = percent of fine aggregate
Y = percent of coarse aggregate
A = FM of coarse aggregate
(determined per step 1)
B = FM of desired blended
aggregate for block class
C = FM of fine aggregate
(determined per step 1)
Step 3: Determine aggregate batch
proportions.
Calculate the batch weight of
each aggregate by multiplying the
total design batch weight (usually
dictated by mixer size) by the per-
cent of fine and coarse aggregate
(per Step 2) in the mix.
Step 4: Determine moisture content
in aggregate.
Most aggregate contains moisture
when it’s batched. Because design
weights are for dry aggregate, batch
weights must be increased to main-
tain the same dry cement-to-aggre-
gate ratio. If aggregate batch weights
aren’t adjusted to account for the
moisture, you’ll get a lower yield
(fewer units per pound of cement)
and thus a less economical mix. To
adjust aggregate batch weights, the
moisture content of each aggregate
must first be determined.
4a. Weigh a representative sam-
ple of each aggregate (500 to 2,000
grams, depending on particle size)
and record the initial weights.
4b. Oven dry each sample to re-
move the moisture, then re-weigh
and record this final weight.
4c. Determine the moisture con-
tent of each aggregate. Subtract the
final (dry) weight of the aggregate

Designing a block mix

Following the steps outlined in the article, let’s de-
sign a two-aggregate, normal-weight block mix with
an industry-recommended FM of 3.70. The mixer can
handle a total dry aggregate batch weight of 4,500
pounds.
Step 4: Moisture content. Moisture content of the
sand is 5% and the gravel 2%. We determine the ad-
justed batch weights per Step 4d as follows:
(for sand) 2,430 lbs. 1.05 = 2,552 lbs.
(for gravel) 2,070 lbs. 1.02 = 2,111 lbs.

Step 1: Aggregate FMs. As indicated in the table be- Step 5: Cement content. We desire a moderate ce-
low, our coarse aggregate (gravel) has an FM of 4.82 ment-to-aggregate ratio of 1:10 (per ratio listings on
and our fine aggregate (sand) has an FM of 2.75. page 368). For the required aggregate design batch
weight of 4,500 pounds the required cement is:
1 = 450 lbs.
___
Percentage retained on each sieve cement weight = 4,500
10
3
Material 8⁄ 4 8 16 30 50 100 Pan FM Step 6: Water content. Our experience in produc-
ing similar units indicates that a good total water con-
Fine —- 1 10 15 27 32 14 1 2.75
tent to start with is about 5.5% of total batch weight
Coarse —- 24 48 21 3 2 1 1 4.82 (4,500 pounds of aggregate + 450 pounds of cement)
or in this case 272 pounds of water. We know, per
Step 2: Aggregate proportioning. Knowing the FMs Step 4c, that the sand contains 5% moisture (122
we can calculate the aggregate proportions for the mix: pounds) and the gravel contains 2% moisture (41
4.82 - 3.70 1.12 pounds). This 163 pounds of water already contained
X = __________ (100) = _____ (100) = 54% in the aggregate is subtracted from the required
4.82 - 2.75 2.07
amount of water (272 pounds), leaving 109 pounds of
X = 54% fine aggregate water to be batched. Since water weighs 8.34 pounds
Y = 46% coarse aggregate per gallon, about 13 gallons of water will be used in
the first trial batch.
Step 3: Batch proportions. Our dry aggregate de- Total initial batch weights are as follows:
sign batch weight is 4,500 pounds, so we calculate: Cement 450 lbs.
4,500 54% = 2,430 lbs. of fine aggregate Sand (5% moisture) 2,552 lbs.
4,500 46% = --------
2,070 lbs. of coarse aggregate Gravel (2% moisture) 2,111 lbs.
4,500 total design batch weight Added water 109 lbs. (about 13 gallons)
of aggregate
from the initial (wet) weight, and
divide it by the final weight. This is
the moisture correction factor.
4d. Adjust the batch weight of
each aggregate to maintain the
proper mix proportions. Multiply
the design batch weight for each
aggregate (3a) by the moisture cor-
rection factor (4c) and add this
weight to the original design batch
weight. Or simply multiply the de-
sign batch weight for each aggre-
gate by one plus the moisture cor-
rection factor (found in 4c).
Step 5: Determine cement content.
Cement is the final component
needed to produce a high-quality
CMU. Cement binds aggregate par-
ticles and partially fills spaces be-
tween them.
5a. Choose the cement-to-aggre-
gate ratio that will achieve the nec-
essary CMU properties with aggre-
gates being used in the mix. Below
are ranges of cement-to-aggregate
ratios that can be used for various

Figure 1. Aggregate gradation for concrete masonry units

Normal-weight
Sieve size Min. Max. Ideal
3
⁄"
8 0 5 0
4 20 30 25
8 10 23 15
16 10 20 15
30 10 20 15
50 10 20 15
100 0.5 15 10
Pan 0.2 10 5
FM = 3.7

Medium-weight
Sieve size Min. Max. Ideal
3
⁄"
8 0 0.3 0
4 12 22 17
8 18 27.5 23
16 16 25 20
30 11 19 15
50 5 13 9
100 5 11 7
Pan 7 13 9
FM = 3.67

Lightweight
Sieve size Min. Max. Ideal
3
⁄"
8 0.5 5 0.5
4 17 28 21
8 21 30 25.5
16 13 21 17
30 7.5 15.8 11.5
50 5 13 9
100 5.3 10.5 6.5
Pan 0.7 13.1 9
FM = 3.84

Source: Besser Co., “Concrete Masonry Technology Blockmakers Workshop Series”

types of aggregates. All of the ratios when designing lightweight and
are based on dry weight. medium-weight mixes. If a calculat-
ed blend contains too much or too
Type of Range of ratios little lightweight or medium-weight
aggregate (cement:aggregate) aggregate, the desired density
Sand and gravel 1:8 to 1:12 might not be achieved.
Limestone 1:7 to 1:12 A well-designed mix helps pro-
Pumice 1:4 to 1:6 ducers meet the increasing demand
Cinders 1:6 to 1:8 for high-quality low-cost CMUs.
Slag (expanded) 1:5 to 1:7 The fineness modulus method pro-
Slag (air cooled) 1:8 to 1:12 vides a good starting point when
Clay (expanded) 1:6 to 1:9 designing a mix for any type of
unit. However, whether producers
5b. Determine the required total use the fineness modulus method
aggregate design batch weight by or any other, they need to know
adding the design batch weight of that choosing the best mix design
the fine and coarse aggregate as usually requires a trial-and-error
found in Step 3. approach in which mixes are tested
5c. Determine how much cement and adjusted until a desired result
is required in the mix. Multiply the is attained. ✥
weight determined in 5b by the de-
sired cement-to-aggregate ratio. Neal Jablonski is a technical service spe-
Aggregate design batch weight cialist for Grace Construction Products
cement-to-aggregate ratio = cement in Milwaukee.
(in lbs.)
For example: References:
1. Grant, William, Manufacturer
1 of Concrete Masonry Units, sec-
4,500 lbs. —— = 450 lbs.
10 ond edition, Concrete Publishing
Corp., 1959
Step 6: Determine water content. 2. Besser Co., Concrete Masonry
The total amount of mixing water Technology Blockmakers Work-
needed to make a high-quality unit shop Series
will vary depending upon the type 3. Standard Test Method for
of aggregate used, cement content, Sieve Analysis of Fine and
and desired appearance. The pro- Coarse Aggregates, ASTM C
ducer is left to determine this 136-95, 1995
amount through trial batches.

Just a start
The mix design techniques de-
scribed above can be used to de-
sign mixes for normal-weight, PUBLICATION #J960363
medium-weight, and lightweight Copyright © 1996, The Aberdeen Group
units. Extra care should be taken All rights reserved