Evaluation of Natural Aggregate Performance for Strength-Optimized Concrete without Chemical Admixtures

Bunyamin Bunyamin; Heru Pramanda; Muhajjir Muhajjir

doi:10.70028/sgm.v3i1.122

Authors

Bunyamin Bunyamin Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Iskandar Muda, 23234, Banda Aceh, Indonesia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7158-8548
Heru Pramanda Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Iskandar Muda, 23234, Banda Aceh, Indonesia Author
Muhajjir Muhajjir Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Iskandar Muda, 23234, Banda Aceh, Indonesia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70028/sgm.v3i1.122

Keywords:

Natural Aggregate, Concrete, Compressive Strength, Water Cement Ratio, Workability

Abstract

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials due to the availability of its constituent materials and its ability to withstand structural loads. Aggregate characteristics play a crucial role in determining concrete performance, and natural aggregates continue to be the primary source of aggregate in concrete production. However, their capability to achieve the desired compressive strength without the use of chemical admixtures requires further investigation. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of natural aggregates to produce concrete with target compressive strengths of 17, 20, 23, and 26 MPa and to examine changes in the water–cement ratio (W/C) resulting from additional mixing water. The target compressive strengths were selected to represent commonly used normal-strength concrete grades for general construction. An experimental program was conducted using concrete mixtures designed for specified compressive strengths of 24, 27, 30, and 33 MPa. The target slump was set at 75–100 mm without incorporating chemical admixtures; therefore, workability was adjusted by increasing the mixing water content by approximately 7–13% of the initial design requirement. Five specimens were prepared and tested for each concrete mixture to evaluate compressive strength. The results showed that the achieved slump values ranged from 75 to 80 mm, while the corresponding compressive strengths reached 19.85, 22.74, 25.16, and 28.74 MPa, respectively. The addition of water increased the W/C ratio from 0.62 to 0.69, from 0.58 to 0.65, from 0.54 to 0.61, and from 0.49 to 0.56, representing increases of approximately 10.14–12.50%. Despite the increase in W/C ratio, the compressive strengths obtained exceeded the target values in all mixture variations. These findings indicate that natural aggregates possess sufficient quality to produce concrete with compressive strengths surpassing the specified targets, even without the use of chemical admixtures. The natural aggregates used in this study were natural river aggregates obtained from Jantho, Aceh Besar Regency, Indonesia. The investigation covered normal-strength concrete with target compressive strengths of 17, 20, 23, and 26 MPa. Statistical significance testing was not performed; however, all measured compressive strengths consistently exceeded the specified target strengths and remained within the expected acceptance margin of the adopted mix-design approach.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

M. O. Kim and M. K. Lee, “Strength and Microstructural Changes in Cementitious Composites Containing Waste Oyster Shell Powder,” Buildings, vol. 13, no. 12, p. 3078, 2023, doi: 10.3390/buildings13123078.

M. H. R. Sobuz et al., “High-strength self-compacting concrete production incorporating supplementary cementitious materials: experimental evaluations and machine learning modelling,” International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 67, 2024.

J. Tiegoum Wembe et al., “Physical, mechanical properties and microstructure of concretes made with natural and crushed aggregates: Application in building construction,” Cleaner Materials, vol. 7, pp. 100173–100189, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.clema.2023.100173.

M. Haque, S. Ray, A. F. Mita, S. Bhattacharjee, and M. J. Bin Shams, “Prediction and optimization of the fresh and hardened properties of concrete containing rice hush ash and glass fiber using response surface methodology,” Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 14, p. e00505, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.cscm.2021.e00505.

P. N. Reddy and J. A. Naqash, “Strength prediction of high early strength concrete by artificial intelligence,” International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 330–334, 2019.

J. Wang, Z. Che, K. Zhang, Y. Fan, D. Niu, and X. Guan, “Performance of recycled aggregate concrete with supplementary cementitious materials (fly ash, GBFS, silica fume, and metakaolin): Mechanical properties, pore structure, and water absorption,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 368, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.130455.

K. Strukar, T. Kalman Šipoš, I. Miličević, and R. Bušić, “Potential use of rubber as aggregate in structural reinforced concrete element – A review,” Engineering Structures, vol. 188, pp. 452–468, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.03.031.

J. Kong et al., “Recycling of waste oyster shell and recycled aggregate in the porous ecological concrete used for artificial reefs,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 323, p. 126447, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.126447.

K. Kosim and J. Fikri, “Superplasticizer and hydrated lime for high-strength concrete,” Teknika: Jurnal Sains dan Teknologi, vol. 19, no. 1, p. 62, 2023, doi: 10.36055/tjst.v19i1.16446.

M. Bediako, “Superplasticized vs. conventional concrete: A comparative review,” Materials Sciences and Applications, vol. 15, no. 9, pp. 271–284, 2024.

A. Hussain, S. Anwar, M. U. K. Afridi, and Z. Ullah, “Plasticizers and Superplasticizers in Concrete Technology: Technical Performance, Market Dynamics and Sustainability Pathways in a Developing Construction Economy,” Applied Sciences and Smart Technologies, vol. 5, no. 01, pp. 2923–2947, 2026.

S. H. Abdelgader, M. Kurpinska, H. S. Abdelgader, F. Omidi Moaf, and M. Amran, “Study the impact of design method preference on the usefulness of concrete and on CO2 emissions,” International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 804–825, 2025, doi: 10.1108/IJBPA-12-2023-0185.

S. Kim, J. Kim, J. Shin, and Y. Kim, “Study on the applicability of regression models and machine learning models for predicting concrete compressive strength,” Structural Engineering and Mechanics, vol. 91, no. 6, pp. 583–589, 2024, doi: 10.12989/sem.2024.91.6.583.

X. Ren et al., “3D mesoscale study on the effect of ITZ and aggregate properties on the fracture behaviors of concrete based on discrete element method,” Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 83, p. 108450, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2024.108450.

Y. Tu, H. Yu, H. Ma, J. Liu, L. Li, and W. Han, “Long-term study on the mechanical properties of the ITZ in coral aggregate concrete and its impact on material durability,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 449, p. 138255, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.138255.

S. A. Ayanlere, S. O. Ajamu, S. O. Odeyemi, O. E. Ajayi, and M. A. Kareem, “Effects of water-cement ratio on bond strength of concrete,” Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 86, pp. 134–139, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2023.04.686.

B. Bunyamin, R. P. Munirwan, M. Ridha, and N. Hendrifa, “Utilization of wood processing dust as a substitute for a part of cement in concrete,” in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2021, vol. 1087, no. 1, p. 012004. doi: 10.1088/1757-899x/1087/1/012004.

B. Bunyamin, A. Mahasin, T. Djafar, S. Sulaiman, and R. P. Jaya, “The effect of Cymbopogon nardus leaf ash on the setting time of cement paste,” Next Materials, vol. 11, p. 101657, 2026, doi: 10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.101657.

N. Permatasari, B. Bunyamin, M. Hady, D. A. Hafiz, N. Lathifah, and M. H. Auliyah, “Utilization of Rice Field Conch Shells as a partial substitution of Cement and Fine Aggregate for Split Tensile Strength of Concrete,” in E3S Web of Conferences, 2024, vol. 476, p. 1018. doi: 10.1051/e3sconf/202447601018.

B. Bunyamin, T. Saidi, S. Sugiarto, and M. Hasan, “Calcination Analysis of CaCO3 from Waste Oyster Shells for Partial Cement Replacement,” Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 1089–1109, 2025, doi: 10.32604/sdhm.2025.066887.

B. Bunyamin, M. Hady, R. P. Munirwan, and R. Putra Jaya, “Cymbopogon nardus Leaf Ash as an Alternative Material for Enhancing Concrete Strength,” Advances in Civil Engineering, vol. 2024, pp. 1–15, 2024, doi: 10.1155/2024/4997651.

ASTM C29/C29M, Standard Test Method for Bulk Density (“Unit Weight”) and Voids in Aggregate, ASTM C29/C29M, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2010.

ASTM C127-88, Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density (Specific Gravity), and Absorption of Coarse Aggregate, ASTM C127, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2001.

ASTM C136/C136M, Standard Test Method for Sieve Analysis of Fine and Coarse Aggregates, ASTM C136/C136M-19, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2019, doi: 10.1520/C0136_C0136M-19.

S. Subash, L. Parida, and S. Moharana, “Study on the Impact of Aggregate Size Gradation on Concrete: Mechanical, Durability and Microstructure Study,” Int. J. Concr. Struct. Mater., vol. 19, no. 1, p. 114, 2025, doi: 10.1186/s40069-025-00863-4.

ACI 214R-11, Guide to Evaluation of Strength Test Results of Concrete, ACI 214R-11, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, USA, 2011.

ACI 318-19, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-19) and Commentary, ACI 318-19, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, USA, 2019.

S. J. Bailey and N. C. Baldini, Annual Book of ASTM Standards 2008, Section 4: Construction, Volume 04.02: Concrete and Aggregates. West Conshohocken, PA, USA: ASTM International, 2008.

ACI standard/practice, Selecting Proportions for Normal-Density and High-Density Concrete—Guide, ACI PRC-211.1-22, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, USA, 2022.

S. H. Park, H. S. Ryu, and W. J. Park, “Influence of unit water content control on concrete performance in the ready-mixed concrete production process,” Materials, vol. 17, no. 4, Art. no. 834, 2024, doi: 10.3390/ma17040834.

X. Gu, X. Jin, and Y. Zhou, Basic Principles of Concrete Structures. Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2016, doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-48565-1.

ASTM C143/C143M, Standard Test Method for Slump of Hydraulic-Cement Concrete, ASTM C143/C143M, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, USA.

Q. Chen et al., “Compressive strength prediction of high-performance concrete: Integrating multi-ingredient influences and mix proportion insights,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 451, Art. no. 138791, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.138791.

Y. Sakamoto, T. Fukuyama, T. Kobayashi, and Y. Kawasaki, “Influence of flocculation with dry-mixing on slump flow of high-strength concrete,” Frontiers in Built Environment, vol. 10, Art. no. 1380103, 2024, doi: 10.3389/fbuil.2024.1380103.

J. B. Robertson, M. T. Ley, and M. D. Cook, “Measuring the change in water-to-cement ratio in fresh and hardened concrete,” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, vol. 34, no. 4, Art. no. 04022016, 2022, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0004153.

C. Sánchez-Mendieta, J. J. Galán-Díaz, and I. Martínez-Lage, “Relationships between density, porosity, compressive strength and permeability in porous concretes: Optimization of properties through control of the water-cement ratio and aggregate type,” Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 97, Art. no. 110858, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2024.110858.

Y. Huang, X. He, H. Sun, Y. Sun, and Q. Wang, “Effects of coral, recycled and natural coarse aggregates on the mechanical properties of concrete,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 192, pp. 330–347, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.10.111.

E. E. Ikponmwosa, K. A. Olonade, A. O. Sulaiman, E. O. Akintunde, N. O. Enikanologbon, and O. A. Kehinde, “Mix design optimization of high-performance concrete using local materials,” Nigerian Journal of Technology, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 167–174, 2023, doi: 10.4314/njt.v42i2.2.