CEE‐3369B Materials for Civil 

Engineering
A.M. Soliman, PhD, 
Lecturer
Designing and Proportioning  Normal 
Concrete Mixtures
Factors in the Proportioning of
Quality Concrete Mixtures

Workability
Economy

Strength Appearance

Durability Sustainability
 Materials

Cement Fibers

Supplementary 
Cementing 
Materials Aggregate

Admixture
Water
Trial batching verifies that a concrete
mixture meets design requirements prior to
use in construction
What should I be looking for when I 
design concrete mixture?
 Mix Characteristics

Compressive Strength
150-200 MPa

 Strength
60-100 MPa
25-35 MPa

NC HPC UHPC

Water-cementing
materials ratio
 Concrete Workability
Designed Strength

Strength

Workability

Water‐cement ratio
 Slump and workability
 Water 
Strength Workability
Content
 Cementing materials
content and type
Type I Normal

Type II Moderate Sulfate Resistance

Type III High Early Strength

Type IV Low Heat of Hydration

Type V High Sulfate Resistance

Sulfate attack
Ettringite 

Ettringite

Cracks
Ettringite
 Type II & V
Elements exposed to high‐sulphate soils

Slab-on-ground

Poor Concrete

Sewer concrete pipe

Concrete post

Using adequate cement type + Good concrete mixture
Good Concrete
= Achieve the desired performance
 Aggregate size and volume
  Admixtures
Air Entrainment

Air bubbles  formation

Air content

Freezing‐Thawing Cycles
Freezing‐Thawing Cycles
De‐icing salts
Used because they reduce the melting temperature of ice and snow
De‐icing Salt    =   Chlorides
 Steel Corrosion
•Corrosion‐induced cracking and spalling, and delamination
(reduces effective cross‐section of concrete member and affects
structural capacity of the member).

•Fine cracks followed by brown rust stains reflecting the pattern

of underlying reinforcement

•Visible rust staining, not always visible at the surface

How can I start ?
 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength

Concrete strength (f’c)

Required average Concrete strength (f’cr)
 Do you have strength test Data from 
previous project?

Yes

Select the greater of :
Available Data Less Than 30 test?
a. Compressive strength (f’c) ≤ 35 MPa
Yes NO

b. Compressive strength (f’c) > 35 MPa

OR
Required average Concrete strength (f’cr)

Check

Durability
Requirements for Exposure Conditions

Water‐cement  Minimum 
ratio Strength
Requirement for Concrete Exposed to
Sulfates

Water‐cement  Minimum  Type of

ratio Strength Cement
 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
 Compressive Strength Vs. W/C-Ratio

Water-cementitious materials ratio

by mass
Compressive Non-air-
strength at 28 entrained Air-entrained
days, MPa concrete concrete
45 0.38 0.30
40 0.42 0.34
35 0.47 0.39
30 0.54 0.45
25 0.61 0.52
20 0.69 0.60 • Strength is based on cylinders
moist-cured 28 days in accordance
15 0.79 0.70 with ASTM C 31.
Requirements for Exposure Conditions

Water‐cement  Minimum 
ratio Strength
Requirement for Concrete Exposed to
Sulfates

Water‐cement  Minimum  Type of

ratio Strength Cement
 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
 Required air content 
Exposure Condition Aggregate Size
 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
 Slump Test
Slump test for
consistency of
concrete.

A lower slump A higher slump

 Recommended Slump Ranges

Slump, mm (in.)
Concrete construction
Maximum Minimum
Reinforced foundation walls and
75 (3) 25 (1)
footings
Plain footings, caissons, and
75 (3) 25 (1)
substructure walls
Beams and reinforced walls 100 (4) 25 (1)
Building columns 100 (4) 25 (1)
Pavements and slabs 75 (3) 25 (1)
Mass concrete 75 (3) 25 (1)

Maximum slump may be increased by 25 mm (1 in.) for consolidation by hand

methods, such as rodding and spading. Superplasticizers can safely provide
higher slumps and higher slumps can be used provided no bleeding or
segregation. (ACI 211.1).
 Slump value 

Specified Range Recommended 
Slump is usually indicated in the job
specification as a range, such as 50
to 100 mm ( 2 to 4 in)

If the specified Slump:

80 mm or less: Allowable variation ± 20 mm

80 to 170 mm: Allowable variation ± 30 mm

180 or greater: Allowable variation ± 40 mm

 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
 Required Water content 
Slump range Concrete type Aggregate Size

For Rounded gravel: Water content should reduced by 25 kg/m3
Using water reducer admixture will reduce water content  by 10‐30%
 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
 Cement content 

Water Cement  Water 
Ratio Content

Water 

=
Cement  Content
content  Water‐Cement Ratio
Water Cement 
Ratio
Example: Air‐entrained concrete, 25‐mm max. size aggregate, 
75‐mm slump, w/c=0.53. Determine the cement content. 
Required Cement Content 

Check

Application
Durability

Blended Cement
 Minimum Cementing Materials Content
for Flatwork
Minimum requirements of cementing materials for concrete used in flatwork.

Nominal maximum size of Cementing materials,

aggregate, mm (in.) kg/m3 (lb/yd3)
37.5 (1½) 280 (470)
25 (1) 310 (520)
19 (¾) 320 (540)
12.5 (½) 350 (590)
9.5 (3/8) 360 (610)

Cementing materials quantities may need to be greater for severe exposure.

For example, for deicer exposures, concrete should contain at least 335
kg/m3 (564 lb/yd3) of cementing materials. (ACI 302)
 Cementitious Materials Requirements for
Concrete Exposed to Deicing Chemicals
Maximum of cementitious
Cementitious materials materials, %
Fly ash and natural pozzolans 25
Slag 50
Silica fume 10
Total of fly ash, slag, silica fume and
50
natural pozzolans
Total of natural pozzolans and silica
35
fume

•Includes portion of supplementary cementing materials in blended cements.

•Total cementitious materials include the summation of portland cements, blended
cements, fly ash, slag, silica fume and other pozzolans.
•Silica fume should not constitute more than 10% of total cementitious materials and fly ash
or other pozzolans shall not constitute more than 25% of cementitious materials. ( ACI 318)
 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
 Coarse Aggregate content
Nominal maximum size Fineness Modulus
 Coarse Aggregate content
Nominal maximum size Fineness Modulus
 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
 Admixture content
=
Used or Recommended dosage


Cement Content
 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
 Cement content OK


Water content OK


Admixture content OK


OK
Course aggregate content

Fine aggregate content ?

Concrete
 Absolute Vol. Cement content OK


Absolute Vol. Water content OK


Absolute Vol. Admixture content OK


OK
Absolute Vol. Course aggregate content

Absolute Vol. Fine aggregate content ?

Absolute vol. of 1 m3
Concrete
 Absolute Vol. Cement content OK


Absolute Vol. Water content OK


Absolute Vol. Admixture content OK


OK
Absolute Vol. Course aggregate content
‐
Absolute vol. of 1 m3
Concrete

Absolute Vol. Fine aggregate content OK
What is Absolute volume ?
 Two Types of Volume
Material 
Volume
Apparent
volume
=  Absolute
=
Material 
volume Volume
Voids 
Volume

Absolute volume
Apparent volume Voids

Apparent volume > Absolute volume
 Absolute Volume

Absolute volume
Apparent volume

Given:
Coarse aggregate weight = 715.5 kg, water density = 1000 kg/m3, Relative
density = 2.65

Absolute volume = 715.5/(2.65 • 1000) = 0.27 m3

 Designing Concrete Mixtures Steps
1. Selection required average concrete compressive strength.

2. Select the water cement ratio.
3. Select the required air content.
4. Identify the slump value.
5. Determine water content.
6. Determine Cement Content. 
7. Estimate Coarse Aggregate content

8. Determine admixture content
9. Determine fine aggregate content
10. Adjustment of moisture content
 Water  + Effective materials

Used to modify the properties of concrete by affecting its 
workability , set time, shrinkage 

Mixing Water  Water from 

Water  = content
‐ Admixtures
 Adjustment of moisture content
• To compensate for moisture in and on aggregates

State:

Total moisture:

Adjusting
batch water: 

Dry aggregate: Increase mixing water  
Net value
Wet aggregate: Reduce mixing water
 Adjustment of moisture content
• To adjust the aggregate weight based on its 
moisture content (MC)

Dry aggregate weight < Moist aggregate weight

Adjusted Aggregate weight 
= Aggregate weight x (1+ MC)
Water from  Aggregate 
aggregate = weight X (Moisture content – absorption)
Mixing Water  Water from coarse  Water from fine 
Water  = content
‐ aggregate
‐ aggregate
Example Mix Design: Absolute Volume Method Using Multiple 
Cementing Materials and Admixtures

Conditions and Specifications:

Concrete with a structural design strength of 40 MPa is required for a
bridge to be exposed to freezing and thawing, deicers, and very
severe sulfate soils. A coulomb value not exceeding 1500 is required
to minimize permeability to chlorides. Water reducers, air-entrainers,
and plasticizers are allowed. A shrinkage reducer is requested to
keep shrinkage under 300 millionths. Some structural elements
exceed a thickness of 1 meter, requiring control of heat development.
The concrete producer has a standard deviation of 2 MPa for similar
mixes to that required here. Slump should be 50 mm, however, due
to difficult placement areas, the slump was increased to 200 mm to
250 mm using admixtures. The following materials are available:
Cement: Type HS, silica fume modified portland cement, ASTM C
1157. Relative density of 3.14. Silica fume content of 5%.

Fly ash: Class F, ASTM C 618 (AASHTO M295). Relative density of 2.60.

Slag: Grade 120, ASTM C 989 (AASHTO M 302). Relative density of 2.90.

Coarse aggregate: Well-graded 19-mm nominal maximum-size crushed rock

(ASTM C 33 or AASHTO M 80) with an oven-dry relative density of 2.68,
absorption of 0.5%, and oven-dry density of 1600 kg/m3. The laboratory
sample has a moisture content of 2.0%.
This aggregate has a history of alkali-silica reactivity in the field.

Fine aggregate: Natural sand with some crushed particles (ASTM C 33 or

AASHTOM 6) with an oven-dry relative density of 2.64 and an absorption of
0.7%. The laboratory sample has a moisture content of 6%.
The fineness modulus is 2.80.
Air entrainer:: Synthetic, ASTM C 260 (AASHTO M 154).

Retarding water reducer: Type D, ASTM C 494 (AASHTO M reducer: 194).

Dosage of 3 g per kg of cementing materials.

Plasticizer: Type 1, ASTM C 1017. Dosage of 30 g per kg of cementing materials.

Shrinkage reducer: Dosage of 15 g per kg of cementing materials.

Temperature: 22 °C