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CE315 Civil Engineering Materials Lab, Fall 2018
Lab #1 – Aggregate Testing: Specific Gravity, Unit Weight (Bulk Density), and Absorption
Objective:
A contractor has supplied you with samples of coarse and fine aggregate for possible use in a
concrete mix. The objective is to determine the necessary parameters for concrete mix design.
Apparatus Required:
Scale
Wire basket
Water tank
Rigid metal container
Tamping rod
Cone mold
Pycnometer
Scoop
General Test procedure:
C.
1. Specific Gravity and Absorption of Coarse Aggregate
a. Mix aggregate and sample (you need about 8 lb) [note that we will not follow the
ASTM standard for sampling, but will assume it is representative.]
b. Immerse aggregate in water for 15 to 19 hours [note that this has been completed]
Remove the specimen from the water and roll it in a large absorbent cloth until all
visible films of water are removed. Wipe the larger particles individually.
d. Weigh the test sample in saturated surface-dry (SSD) condition. Record this SSD
weight (B) to nearest 1.0 g.
e. Immediately place the SSD sample in the wire basket and determine its weight in
water at 23 + 1.7 °C. Take care to remove all entrapped air before weighing it by
shaking the container while immersed. Record this submerged weight (C).
f. Dry the test sample to a constant weight at a temperature of 110 + 5°C, and weigh
it at room temperature, and record this dry weight (A). Note: you will place the
sample in the oven and return the next day to determine the dry weight.
a.
2. Specific Gravity and Absorption of Fine Aggregate (Sand)
Fill the pycnometer with water to the mark, and measure the weight (B).
b. Place 1 kg sand sample in a pan, cover with water, and soak for 15-19 hours [note
that this has been completed]
c. Spread the sample in a pan, and expose it to a gently moving current of warm air
by dryer. Stir the sample frequently to obtain uniform drying.
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d. Place the cone mold in a pan and fill with the partially dried sand. Tamp the
surface using the tamper for 25 times. Allow the tamper to fall freely each time
0.2" above the top of sample.
e. Remove the cone and slowly lift the cone vertically. If the sand just collapses, it
means that the sample reaches SSD condition. If not, add water or continue drying
until SSD condition occurs.
f. If in SSD condition, immediately weigh out around 500 g of SSD sample, record
this SSD weight (S), and introduce into the pycnometer.
g. Partially fill the flask with water. Roll and agitate the flask to eliminate air
bubbles. It normally takes about 15 minutes.
h. Fill the pycnometer with water to the level, and measure this weight (C).
i. Carefully pour all sample and water into a pan. Rinse any residue. Oven dry the
sample. Weigh and record as dry weight (A). Note: you will place the sample in
the oven and return the next day to determine the dry weight.
3. Bulk Unit Weight and Voids in Aggregate
a. Calibrate the bucket
i. Fill the bucket with water at room temperature and cover a piece of plate
glass to eliminate bubbles and excess water.
ii. Determine the mass of the water in the bucket
111. Measure the temperature of the water and determine the density as shown
below
Temperature Density
°C °F
kg/m lb/ft?
15.6 60 999.01 62.366
18.3 65 998.54 62.336
21.1 70 997.97 62.301
23.9 75
997.32
62.261
26.7 80 996.59 62.216
29.4 85 995.83 62.166
iv. Calculate the volume of the bucket by dividing the mass by the density
b. Use rodding procedure:
i. Fill the bucket 1/3 full and level the surface with fingers. Rod the layer of
aggregate with 25 strokes of the tamping rod evenly distributed over the
surface.
Fill the bucket 2/3 full and again level and rod as above.
iii. Finally, fill the bucket to overflowing and rod again as above.
c. Level the surface of the aggregate with the rod and determine the net weight of
the aggregate.
11.
Deliverables:
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1. Individual calculation sheets including data and the following (make sure it is organized
and legible):
a. Specific Gravity and Absorption of Coarse Aggregate
i. Bulk specific gravity, dry
ii. Bulk specific gravity, SSD
ii. Apparent specific gravity
iv. Absorption
b. Specific Gravity and Absorption of Fine Aggregate
i. Bulk specific gravity, dry
ii. Bulk specific gravity, SSD
ii. Apparent specific gravity
iv. Absorption
C. Bulk Unit Weight and Voids in Aggregate
i. Bulk unit weight
ii. Void content
Individual Report:
Due at the beginning of your lab session next week. Upload it as a word file, named “last name,
first time” in the “Lab 1" folder at drop box at USAOnline, and also submit a hardcopy.
References:
1. ASTM/AASHTO Standards posted to USAOnline
2. Textbook Appendix Experiment No.8, No.9, and No.10.
You may use the following tables to record your data during the lab:
1. Specific Gravity and Absorption for Coarse Aggregate
A: Dry weight
B: SSD weight
C: Submerged weight
3479.4 g
3182
1909 g
2. Specific Gravity and Absorption for Fine Aggregate
A: dry weight
B. weight of pycnometer filled with water
C: weight of pycnometer filled with aggregate and water
S: SSD weight
441.4
$99.3 319
975.5
446.4g
3. Unit Weight for Coarse Aggregate
Weight of the bucket
Temperature of water
Volume of bucket
Weight of aggregate plus the bucket
7.24 16
3500
22.92 in3
29.3.6 16
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CE 315: Civil Engineering Materials Lab
Formal Report Evaluation
Name:
Group Number and Day: :
The report will be evaluated for technical correctness, clarity of explanation, grammar, and
spelling
Maximum Points
Score
Cover Sheet
2
Table of Contents
2
Letter of Transmittal
5
Abstract
8
Introduction
8
Literature Survey
8
Procedural Outline
7
Results and Discussion
15
Conclusions
10
Citations and References
5
Technical Writing (grammar, paragraph and
sentence structure, technical language, etc.)
25
Appendices
5
Subtotal (100 possible)
Grading rubric attached and filled out
-5
Submitted on USA Online and paper copy
-10
Evaluation date
Total
C-3
Civil Engineering Materials Laboratory Reports
Technical reports are often written to enable executives, project engineers, or supervisors to
make decisions regarding a technical investigation, experiment, or design. The reports required
for the Civil Engineering Materials Courses should be neat, orderly, and produced individually,
unless otherwise instructed.
In general, all text should be 12-point font Times New Roman. Please single space the lines (or
use 1.15 as done here) and put an extra space between paragraphs. All paragraphs should be
"justified” (i.e. not left aligned). Tables and figures should be just large enough to read and
should be properly referenced in the text. Captions should be placed below all figures and above
all tables (ex: Table 1: description of Table 1). Remember that someone should be able to read
your report and be able to understand what you did, how you did it, and the results of your
testing.
All reports must be submitted electronically through USA Online and submitted in paper form.
Failure to submit the lab in both locations will result in a lower lab grade.
Individual Memo Report
These reports are designed to provide important information from a laboratory test or
experimentation in a brief setting to convey conclusions to decision-makers on a project. The
report should be one to two pages long and should be written as if you worked for a company
and were asked to do an experiment/test. In other words, it should be short and complete letting
your supervisor know what you did, when you did it, how you did it, and what your results were.
Also, make sure you include the names all teammates that worked on the experiment. Short
tables or graphs may be included in the body of the memo, but are often attached and properly
referenced in the text. Appendix A includes an example of the format of the Memo Report, an
example memo report, and a copy of the grading sheet.
Group Reports
The group reports are designed to be somewhat longer than the memo reports and provide more
information. The lead author is responsible for putting all of the parts of the report together,
making sure the language is consistent, and submitting the report. They essentially act as the
project manager for that lab. Both team members are responsible for working on individual
sections, data analysis, proof reading, etc. Each team will need to decide how to divide the work
for each group report; however, a sheet with the percent of each task completed by each team
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