SAND QUALITY ON COMPRESSIVE DURABILITY OF CONCRETE

MIXTURE: AN ANALYSIS

BY:

DE OCAMPO MARIA KATRINA D.

MANALO AXELL-ALLEN P.

SANDRO NEIL PATRICK D.

SURMIEDA ANGELO JAMES M.

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY OF BATANGAS

MAY 2017

Campuses: Hilltop | MH del Pilar | Pallocan East | Pallocan West | Lipa

Telephone Numbers: +63 43 723 1446 | 980 0041
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Concrete is the most commonly used building material due to its versatile and

durable characteristics. It is fire resistant, requires less maintenance and can withstand

the structure for a long life span that’s why it is used in building houses, high rise

buildings, roads and other structures.

The fine aggregates, coarse aggregates and water are the major influence for

concrete making. These aggregates generally occupy 60%-75% of the concrete volume

and are a great factor in the concrete’s properties, proportion and economy. Coarse

aggregates are composed of one or combination of gravel or crushed stones with

particles primarily larger than 5mm. Fine aggregates are composed of natural sand or

crushed stones smaller than 5mm.

Sand, one of the important components in a concrete mixture, provides bulk,

strength, and other properties of construction materials like asphalt and concrete. Sand

quality is perceived to control compressive strength. Based on this observation, the

difference in the type of sand may be a factor in obtaining a more durable concrete

mixture.

Campuses: Hilltop | MH del Pilar | Pallocan East | Pallocan West | Lipa

Telephone Numbers: +63 43 723 1446 | 980 0041
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
Objective

The objectives of this study are:

 Analyze the sands available in Batangas City through compressive strength test

of concrete.

 Determine the sand’s compressive strength value and compare them to each

other to give other people insights on what kind of sand they will use.

 Determine the most suitable sand to be used to provide the most durable

concrete that can be used in building structures.

 Differentiate the particle distribution size of the sand.

Scope and Delimitations

This study is to determine the type of sand with the highest value of compressive

strength used in a concrete mixture and will be the basis for choosing the type of sand

that will be used on buildings and concrete structures.

This study will be focused on testing the sand using compressive strength test of

concrete. With the results of test, the type of sand with highest value and the type of

sand that people might possibly choose for their buildings and structures will be

determined.

Campuses: Hilltop | MH del Pilar | Pallocan East | Pallocan West | Lipa

Telephone Numbers: +63 43 723 1446 | 980 0041
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
Significance of the study

The main purpose of this study is to analyze and determine the best type of sand

that is available in Batangas City using the Compressive Strength Test of concrete to

give people insights on what type of sand they will choose.

This study will benefit the residents of Batangas City, to give them insights on

which sand is most suitable to use to provide durable concrete.

This study can also be used by future researchers as their reference.

Campuses: Hilltop | MH del Pilar | Pallocan East | Pallocan West | Lipa

Telephone Numbers: +63 43 723 1446 | 980 0041
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter contains literature and studies which are related to the present

study. It will help the researchers to explain further the main point of their study.

Related Studies

In 1959, Kaplan studied the effects of the properties of 13 coarse aggregates on

the flexural and compressive strength of high-strength and normal strength concrete. At

all ages, flexural strengths for basalt mixes was also higher than limestone mixes;

however, the difference in strength was less notable in concrete of higher strength. The

flexural strength-to-compressive strength ratios for both basalt and limestone mixes

ranged from 9 to 12 percent. Kaplan also observed that concrete with 91-day strengths

in excess of 69 MPa (10,000 psi) yielded lower flexural strengths than mortar of same

mix proportions; however, concretes below 69 MPa (10,000 psi) yielded similar flexural

strengths to mortar of the same mix proportions. Kaplan also observed, contrary to most

result mortar of the same mix proportions. Kaplan also observed, contrary to most

results, that concrete with compressive strengths greater than 69 MPa (10,000 psi) was

generally greater than mortar of the same mix proportions, indicating that at very high

Campuses: Hilltop | MH del Pilar | Pallocan East | Pallocan West | Lipa

Telephone Numbers: +63 43 723 1446 | 980 0041
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
strengths, the presence of coarse aggregate contributed to the ultimate compressive

strength of concrete.

In 1960, Walker and Bloem studied the effects of coarse aggregate size on the

properties of normal-strength concrete. Their work demonstrates that an increase in

aggregate size from I 0 to 64 mm (%to 2Y. in.) results in a decrease in the compressive

strength of concrete, by as much as I 0 percent; however, aggregate size seems to

have negligible effects on flexural strength. The study also shows that the flexural-to

compressive strength ratio remains at approximately 12 percent for concrete with

compressive strengths between 35 MPa (5,100 psi) and 46 MPa (6,700 psi).

In 1963, Bloem and Gaynor studied the effects of size and other coarse

aggregate properties on the water requirements and strength of concrete. Their results

confirm that increasing the maximum aggregate size reduces the total surface area of

the aggregate, thus reducing the mixing water requirements; however, even with the

reduction in water, a larger size aggregate still produces lower compressive strengths in

concrete compared to concretes containing smaller aggregate. Generally, in lower

strength concretes, the reduction in mixing water is sufficient to offset the detrimental

effects of aggregate size. However, in high-strength concretes, the effect of size

dominates, and the smaller sizes produce higher strengths.

In 1963, Cordon and Gillespie also reported changes in concrete strength for

mixes made with various water-to-cement ratios and aggregate sizes. They found that,

at water-to-cement ratios from 0.40 to 0.70, an increase in maximum aggregate size

Campuses: Hilltop | MH del Pilar | Pallocan East | Pallocan West | Lipa

Telephone Numbers: +63 43 723 1446 | 980 0041
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
from 19 mm (%in.) to 38 mm (I Y. in.) decreases the compressive strength by about 30

percent. They also concluded that, in normal-strength concrete, failure typically occurs

at the matrix-aggregate interface and that the stresses at the interface which cause

failure can be reduced by increasing the surface area of the aggregate (decreasing the

aggregate size). If the strength of the concrete is sufficiently high, such as with

highstrength concrete, failure of the specimen is usually accompanied by the fracture of

5 aggregate particles; therefore, in high-strength concrete, compressive strength

depends on aggregate strength, not necessarily aggregate size.

Perdikaris and Romeo (1995) investigated the effect of aggregate size, and

compressive strength on the fracture energy of plain concrete. Concretes with cylinder

compressive strengths of 28 MPa (4000psi) and 55 MPa (8000psi) and maximum

aggregate sizes of 6 mrn (Y.in) and 25 mrn (1in) were tested. The results indicate that

aggregate size has a considerable influence on fracture energy. For both the normal

and the high-strength concretes with 25 mrn (1in) aggregate, fracture energy was about

twice the fracture energy of the concretes containing 6mrn (Y.in) aggregate. They

concluded that, for concrete with the larger aggregate, there is a higher degree of

matrix-aggregate interlock, resulting in an increase in the energy required for crack

propagation

Campuses: Hilltop | MH del Pilar | Pallocan East | Pallocan West | Lipa

Telephone Numbers: +63 43 723 1446 | 980 0041
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Structures are most commonly made of concrete. In building one, materials has

always been a factor in the durability of it. With numerous types of sand present in the

market now a days, it is not easy to determine which is the optimum sand to use

whether it is for a high rise building or not. With this study, the most efficient sand to use

can be determined.

The researchers will use experimental method on this study to evaluate the

durability of a concrete with different types of sand by means of compressive strength

test.

Compressive strength test of concrete is the most common performance

measured used by the engineer in designing structures. It is measured by breaking

cylindrical concrete specimens in a compression-testing machine. It is the ratio of the

maximum load and cross sectional area of the sample (N/mm 2). Compressive strength

can vary from 2,500 psi – 10,000 psi with respect to the structure that is being built.

Three types of sand within Batangas City will be analysed by the researchers

namely Calatagan S1 Sand, Calatagan Black Sand, and Pampanga Sand. The particle

distribution size of each sand will be determined by carrying out laboratory tests, to

further know how these will affect the strength of the concrete mixture. While, the

Campuses: Hilltop | MH del Pilar | Pallocan East | Pallocan West | Lipa

Telephone Numbers: +63 43 723 1446 | 980 0041
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
cement and gravel will be the same. The researchers will use class “A” mixture for the

concrete mixing.

The researchers will be producing six cylindrical concrete specimens, two for

each kind of sand. The form that the researchers will use to make samples is a cylinder

mould of 150mm in diameter and 300mm in height. The samples will undergo curing

method for 28 days.

PLANNING AND BACKGROUND AND REVIEW OF RELATED

DECISION MAKING DATA GATHERING LITERATURE

CURING FOR 28 DAYS

MIXING AND CASTING COLLECTION OF RAW
OF CONCRETE MATERIALS

TESTING OF SAMPLES COMPUTATIONS AND CONCLUSION

RESULT

Figure 1

Campuses: Hilltop | MH del Pilar | Pallocan East | Pallocan West | Lipa

Telephone Numbers: +63 43 723 1446 | 980 0041
Website: www.ub.edu.ph