TECHNO- FINANCIAL STUDY

ROUNDED RIVER GRAVEL

VERSUS

CRUSHED STONE AGGREGATE

IN CONCRETE WORKS

Ram Kumar
Advisor (Engg.)
State Planning Commission, Uttarakhand
1
 COARSE AGRREGAE IN
CEMENT CONCRETE
• Aggregate is a important constituent of cement
concrete.
• Volume of coarse aggregate is about 70 to 85 % of
volume of concrete.
• Any of the following type of aggregate can be used:
(a) Rounded river Gravel – Coarse aggregate resulting from
natural disintegration by weathering of rock.
(b) Crushed stone

2
 Myth about coarse aggregate
Crushed stone aggregate is better than rounded river
gravel in concrete works.
 This is unfounded and is not based on technical
considerations.
 This has resulted mushrooming of crushers even in far
flung area of Uttarakhand.
 Crushers create pollution and is the cause of resentment in
the area.
 Crushed stone aggregate is being used even if rounded
river gravel is available in abundance at cheaper rates than
crushed aggregate .
On the contrary use of rounded river gravel is more
suitable technically and economically.
3
 Use of rounded river gravel in
concrete works
 Volume of coarse aggregate is about 70 to 85% of
volume of concrete.
 Cost of coarse aggregate affects the cost of concrete
considerably.
 Cost of rounded gravel is at about 56% lesser than
crushed stone in Dehradun and likewise in other area of
the state.
 Cement consumption in concrete is reduced by the use
of rounded river gravel .
 Rounded river gravel is available in abundance around
Dehradun town and other similar area of the state .
 As a result thereof cost of concrete work can be
reduced about 17 % by use of rounded gravel in
Dehradun town and other similar area. 4
 Recommendation in I S codes and by
Iconic Academics
Use of rounded river gravel has been
recommended in following codes/Manual/book
 IS 456: 2000
 IS 383:1970
 SP 23:1982
 Plain and Reinforced Concrete by Professor
Jai Krishna and Professor O.P. Jain of
University of Roorkee.
5
 Technical Aspects

Rounded gravel require lesser water and

lesser paste volume for a given
workability, resulting in saving of
cement content in concrete.

6
 Durability of Concrete
 Crushed stone aggregate of 20 mm maximum size
consists of about 27% aggregate voids.
 Rounded river gravel of 20 mm maximum size consists of
about 22% aggregate voids.
 Cement content of 8 bags of cement and W/C ratio 0.45
produces about 0.3 cum of paste. It would over fill the
voids in 1 cum of crushed stone aggregate .
 Cement content of 6 bags of cement and water cement
ratio of 0.5 will result in 25% paste volume. It would over
fill the voids in 1 cum of rounded river gravel aggregate.
 Thus cement consumption in rounded river gravel
aggregate is lesser than crushed stone aggregate.
7
 Demerits of using crushed aggregate
• The angular shape of crusher aggregate has gaps and voids
which are required to be filled by adding finer aggregate.
• The rough surfaces of crusher aggregate are found coated with
silt and dust which in turn tends to weaken the life of concrete
and advantage of bonding with cement paste may be reduced.
 Crusher material is not properly graded and gap grading is
found. Hence aggregates of crusher are required to be blended.
 There is tendency to crush soft stones at crusher to avoid wear
and tear of the plant and to lower the production cost.
 The crushers are installed out side the town to keep it free from
pollution. It entails extra expenditure on cost of the item.

8
• Crusher material is costlier due to
following reasons:
High establishment cost of crusher.
Transportation charges of crusher aggregates
from crusher to various sites.
Extra labour in grading of crusher material at
site.

9
 Pollution

 Crushers generate lot of air pollution in the

area where these are installed and these are
harmful to workers of the crusher and people
living around it or passing through the
crusher areas.

10
 Conclusion
 Concrete with rounded river gravel has been used extensively in
most of the important hydroelectric projects like power house,
spillways, barrages and power channels etc. in the state of
Uttarakhand.
 Various Indian Standards, Manuals, researches done at CBRI
Roorkee, and those by eminent Professors of University of
Roorkee, have suggested the use of uncrushed rounded river
gravel in respect of cost effectiveness and technical suitability for
concrete works.
 In general, M-20, M-25 and M-30 grade of concrete is used. Such
medium strength concrete does not justify the use of crushed
aggregate.
 Cost of concrete work can be reduced considerably by the use
of rounded river gravel as coarse aggregate due to lesser
cement consumption and lesser cost of coarse aggregate. 11
• The economic implication of reduction
in cement content and reduction of the
cost of aggregate can be enormous in
the projects requiring large amount of
concrete.

12
 Recommendations
 Installation of batching plants and screeners
should be encouraged wherever feasible. It would
reduce the cost of concrete works considerably and
would provide employment to local population.
 Quarry sites may be auctioned to the prospective
batching and screener plant owners on line of coal
block auction by introducing threshold amount.
It would go a long way in curbing the menace
of illegal quarrying and would benefit the state
exchequer.
13
Thank You

14