Source: Roberto Leon, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Concrete is one of the most common construction materials and consists of two phases: the mortar phase, comprised of concrete, water and air, and the aggregate phase, comprised of coarse and fine aggregates. There are two key considerations when designing a concrete mix. First, the concrete must be workable and easy to cast in the forms in its fresh condition, even when the forms are packed with steel reinforcement. In this condition, it is the rheology of concrete that is important. Second, the mix must produce a hardened concrete of specified strength at 28 days (or similar specified time) that is durable and provides good serviceability.

In this laboratory exercise, a method of concrete mixture proportioning, named the trial batch method, will be explored. The concrete produced will be used in conducting typical tests to determine the principal characteristics of fresh concrete, including slump, flowability, air content, and density. The trial batch method is a simple, empirical approach to mixture design.

The objectives of this experiment are fourfold: (1) to use the trial batch mix method to determine optimum proportions of aggregates, cement, and water for concrete to meet specified slump requirements, (2) to learn concrete mixing practice in a laboratory environment, (3) to observe the characteristic properties of fresh concrete, and (4) to prepare 4"x8" concrete cylinders for subsequent evaluation.