CONCRETE MIX DESIGN ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURES

Because of some of the data and questions received in this Office, it is apparent that there is
some confusion about the procedures for making adjustments to ODOT PCC Concrete mixes.
Recent changes in the specifications have most likely and unknowingly increased the number of
improper adjustments. Procedures that were correct in the past now need to be changed; and
procedures that were incorrect in the past are still incorrect. Some of the confusion may be due
to lack of communication from this office, but hopefully this message will be helpful in clearing
up any problems that may exist.

FACTORS THAT MAY BE CAUSING CONFUSION

I. Dry weights -vs- SSD weights. The use of Dry weights have been the standard with
ODOT for many years. SSD weights started being used in the High Performance
Concrete mixes, and more recently all of the mixes in the 2002 spec book. This affects
how adjustments are made in two ways:

1. Which Specific Gravity to use when making the adjustment.

a. Bulk Dry Specific Gravity

b. Bulk SSD Specific Gravity

2. How the moisture adjustments are made.

a. When using DRY weights

b. When using SSD weights

c. Adjustments to the mix water

d. Automated plant adjustments

e. Reporting on a TE-45

II. JMFs - There are PCC Job Mix Formulas for each class and each aggregate combination
of concrete. An updated list of the JMFs can be found on the website under OMM’s
information list.

1. How to determine the JMF Number

2. What weights are represented on the JMF

3. What specific Gravities are on the JMF.

CLARIFICATION OF THE PROCEDURES
In order to remedy confusion when making adjustments, please take the following into
consideration:

I. Mix Designs:

1. There are two different specific gravities reported by the Aggregate section, DRY
and SSD. The specific gravity should match the design weights as follows:

a. Bulk Dry Specific Gravity should be used when making adjustments to

mix designs using DRY weights. This consists of concrete mix design
weights from the 1997 Construction and Materials Specifications book, as
well as the Supplemental Specification 847 and 848.

b. Bulk SSD Specific Gravity should be used when making adjustments to

mix designs using SSD weights. This consists of mix design weights from
the 2002 Construction and Materials Specifications book and
Supplemental Specification 844.

2. Eventhough the actual design weight and design specific gravity values have not
changed from the 1997 specifications, they need to be handled differently as
follows:

a. Use the appropriate specific gravity when adjusting the mix. This will
change the theoretical adjusted design weight, but the batch weights
should be the same after making the moisture adjustment.

i. The Specific Gravity List 2002 for specific gravities and

absorptions is on the ODOT website, on the Office of Materials
Management page, under Information list. This list contains both
the Bulk Dry and Bulk SSD specific gravities. Make sure that you
chose the correct one.

b. The moisture adjustments to the aggregate batch weights are done

differently when using SSD weights than when using DRY weights. The
differences are:
i Dry weights - multiply the adjusted (for sp.gr.) DRY design
weights by the total moisture correction factor to determine the
batch weight.
ii SSD weights - The adjusted (for sp.gr.) SSD design weight needs
to be taken back to the theoretical adjusted dry condition by
dividing by the absorption correction factor; then multiplied by the
total moisture correction factor in order to determine the batch
weight.
 iii Correction Factor - this is a way of making adjustments for
moisture or absorption. In order to determine the correction factor,
divide the value(%) by 100 then add 1.

1 + (x% / 100)
Example: The coarse aggregate in a class C - limestone mix has a design weight of 1630
lbs/yd3 which is based on a specific gravity of 2.65. Moisture tests show that the stone
has a moisture content of 2.5%. The aggregate source has the following information:

DRY Specific Gravity: 2.594

SSD Specific Gravity: 2.640
Absorption: 1.77%

Determine the batch weight:

USING 1997 PROCEDURES USING 2002 PROCEDURES

- CORRECT - - CORRECT -
1630 x 2.594/2.65 = 1596 (adj. DRY wt.) 1630 x 2.640/2.65 = 1624 (adj. SSD wt.)
1596 x 1.025 = 1636 (batch wt) 1624 x (1.025/1.0177) = 1636 (batch wt)

Working this correctly either way will result in the same answer. But, if the wrong specific
gravity is used or the wrong or the moisture calculations are not done correctly, the following can
be the result:

1997 PROCEDURE USING SSD SP. GR. 2002 PROCEDURE USING DRY WEIGHT
MOISTURE ADJUSTM ENT PROCEDU RE
- INCOR RECT - - INCOR RECT -
1630 x 2.64/2.65 = 1624 1630 x 2.64/2.65 = 1624
1624 x 1.025 = 1664 (batch weight) 1624 x 1.025 = 1664 (batch weight)

This illustrates that using the correct adjustment procedure with the correct material values will
result in the same batch design regardless of whether DRY or SSD designs are used. It also
illustrates that using the wrong specific gravity or method of determining the moisture
adjustment can result in a significant error for the batch weights.

c. Next, an adjustment to the water added to the mixer needs to be made. This is
done in two different ways depending on whether the DRY or SSD methods were
used.

i. Dry method: Determine the total moisture in the aggregate; determine the
amount of water that is absorbed; subtract the absorbed moisture from the
total moisture to find the adjustment needed to mix water.

Total Moisture 1630 x 0.025 = 41 lbs of water

- Absorbed Moisture 1630 x 0.0177 = -29 lbs of water
Free Moisture 12 lbs of water
 ii. SSD method: Subtract the Design weight from the Batch weight of the
aggregate.

Batch weight 1636 lbs of water

- Design weight 1624 lbs of water
Free Moisture 12 lbs of water

iii. For both methods, the Free Moisture value was a positive value. This
means that there is free moisture on the surface of the aggregate and that
water is being added to the mix from the aggregate. Water, therefore,
needs to be taken out of the Mix Water in order to maintain the desired
water/cement ratio. If on the other hand the value were negative, the
aggregates would be dry and would be absorbing some of the mix water.
In that case, water would have to be added to the Mix Water in order to
maintain the desired water/cement ratio.

d. The weights used by the producer will depend on how automated the plant is.
Typically, fully automated plants use SSD weights. If the producer has moisture
probes and is allowed to use them, then the weights used (programmed into the
computer) by the producer should be the adjusted design weight. Heed the
following precautions if the producer has an automated plant:

i. Do not make the moisture adjustments of the sand if the moisture probes
are turned on.

ii If the computer automatically makes adjustments for moisture content

manually entered into the computer, again, just provide adjusted SSD
design weights.

iii If your district allows the use of moisture probes, make sure that they are
calibrated regularly to assure accuracy. If they haven’t been calibrated or
you don’t allow their use, make sure they are turned off when the concrete
is being batched. Otherwise there will be double adjustments being made.

iv If the computer makes batch adjustments based on a aggregate moisture

manually entered into the program, make sure that the actual moisture
contents are determined regularly and are accurate for that particular days
mixing.

v. If the plant computer has “ODOT mix designs” stored, make sure the
correct weights and absorptions are in the system. The correct weights are
not necessarily the weights that are in the spec book. Those weights need
to be manually adjusted for specific gravities prior to entering in the
system
 e. A new TE-45 form is available on the Intranet on the OMM page, under TE
FORMS. There is a TE-45 and a TE-45 REV form. The TE-45 REV is the new
form and is designed for using the SSD weights. Step by step instructions are also
provided in another attachment. The next Manual of Procedures for Concrete
will have those instructions. The TE-45 form is still the old one

II. JMF consistency.

1. The JMF number can be determined by going to the OMM page on the website
under Information List, and Concrete JMFs
a. Make sure that you have the right sources for the aggregates
b. Search by:
S Material Code - for the class of concrete
S Sand source
S Coarse aggregate source
c. Can then look JMF up on CMS if needed.
d. If a JMF number is not available for the combination of aggregates that
you have, contact Klaire Mason @ (614) 275-1326 or by e-mail.

2. Weights on the JMFs are the design weights specified in the Spec Book,
Supplemental Spec, Proposal Note or Plan Note. Adjustments are not made for
variances from the design specific gravities of the aggregates.

a. Exceptions to the to this are mix designs such as MS or FS designs that are
developed by the Ready Mix Concrete Producer.

b. In the future, QC/QA mix designs will be developed by the ready mix
producer and will be plant specific and will therefore be unique designs
that are not in any ODOT tables.

3. What is not consistent is how the specific gravities and absorptions are reported
on the PC CONCRETE JMF screen in CMS. The values are reported in the
following manner:

a. All class C, F, S, MSC and SDC report the design specific gravity values
from which the weights are based. For instance, 2.62 for all natural sands
and gravels and 2.65 for limestone. The absorptions have a value of 0.01
simply because the CMS fields require a number.

b. All Option and HPC mixes have specific gravity and absorption values
that are source specific. The weights however remain the design weights
from the tables in the specifications. The specific gravity values are SSD
specific gravities so if those values are used for adjustments, they will only
be accurate using the SSD and 2002 procedures shown above. They will
 not work properly when using DRY weights and procedures

S We may be taking the source specific gravities and absorptions out

of the JMFs in the future. In the mean time, If you notice that the
specific gravities do not match the design specific gravities, verify
the value and that you are using the right specific gravity (bulk dry
or bulk SSD).

c. The weights have not been adjusted for the indicated specific gravity.

d. If there is a question as to whether the specific gravity is the design or the

actual specific gravity, look at the absorption value. If it has a number
other than 0.01, it is the actual number for that source.

e Double check any specific gravity or absorption values in the JMF. Those
were the value at the time that the JMF was created. Those numbers may
have changed. The updated values for specific gravities and absorption
can be found on the OMM web page under Information List - Specific
Gravities List for 2002

f. The JMFs that are on the web site are ”state general” mixes. In other
words, the combination of aggregates are not specific to any one producer
and therefor competing companies can have identical JMF numbers.

g. There are, however, JMFs that are not “state general” that are plant
specific that can only be found on CMS. Those are basically mix designs
that the plant developed, and are therefore proprietary mixes.

Misc. The “state general” JMFs do not list the cement, flyash, GGBF slag source on the JMF.
Properly fill in that information when a sample ID is made.