material properties and application to concrete mixes · apparent conditions . particle density is...

CQT/NS/FS Report www.cqt.net.au of 46

Material Properties and Application to Concrete Mixes

Figure 1. Newcastle Sand - Fine Sand

Client: Williamtown Sand Syndicate Pty Ltd ATF The Newcastle Sand Unit Trust

Project: Fine Sand Properties and Applications

Document Reference: CQT-NS-FSReport-R01.A Date: 22/04/2020


Table of Contents 1. Background ................................................................................................................................. 3

1.1. Resource Description .................................................................................................................. 4

2. Fine Aggregate Properties and Specification Compliance......................................................... 4

2.1. Aggregate Properties (AS2758.1:2014) ..................................................................................... 4

2.1.1. Particle Density and Water Absorption (AS1141.5) ........................................................... 4

2.1.2. Bulk Density (AS1141.4) ..................................................................................................... 5

2.1.3. Particle Size Distribution (AS1141.11.1) ............................................................................. 6

2.1.4. Material Finer than 75µm (AS1141.12) .............................................................................. 7

2.1.5. Organics Other Than Sugar (AS1141.34) ............................................................................ 7

2.1.6. Sodium Sulphate Soundness (AS1141.24) .......................................................................... 8

2.1.7. Sugar (AS1141.35) .............................................................................................................. 8

2.1.8. Soluble Salts (AS1012.20.1) ................................................................................................ 8

2.1.8.1. Chlorides ......................................................................................................................... 8

2.1.8.2. Sulfates ........................................................................................................................... 8

2.1.9. Alkali Reactive Materials .................................................................................................... 8

2.1.9.1. Petrographic Examination .............................................................................................. 8

2.1.9.2. X -Ray Fluorescence ........................................................................................................ 8

3. Newcastle Sands – Fine Sand Compliance Regime .................................................................... 9

3.1. Grading Envelope ....................................................................................................................... 9

3.2. Testing Frequency .................................................................................................................... 11

4. Newcastle Sands - Fine Aggregate in a Hypothetical Mix Design ...........................................12

4.1. CQT Hypothetical Mix Designs ................................................................................................ 12

4.1.1. CQT 25MPa ....................................................................................................................... 13

4.1.2. CQT 32MPa ....................................................................................................................... 13

4.1.3. CQT 40MPa ....................................................................................................................... 14

5. Conclusions ...............................................................................................................................14

APPENDIX A – CQT Analysis of Mix Designs ........................................................................................16

APPENDIX B – Qualtest Resource Report March 2018 ........................................................................19


1. Background Newcastle Sand Pty Ltd (NS) is the operator of the recently approved sand resource located at 282 Cabbage Tree Road Williamtown, NSW, www.newcastlesand.com.au.

Newcastle Sand produces fine sand for a range of various applications including Screened Sand, Concrete and Asphalt Sand and Landscape Sand.

Figure 2. Newcastle Sand Location-c/o Google Earth

CQT Services Pty Ltd (CQT) was engaged to provide an independent technical review of the Newcastle Sand’s products, from the available material information, with the investigation including:

• Review of material test results to confirm product properties and application • The use of NS- Fine Sand in Concrete product mix designs • The Benefits of blending NS - Fine Sand with hard rock quarry manufactured sand • Recommendation of a process to certify stockpiled materials

http://www.newcastlesand.com.au/


1.1. Resource Description Reference to the State-wide Geology GIS data base and the Port Stephens 1:100,000 Geology sheet 9232, copyright to the Department of Industry and Investment (Minerals and Petroleum), indicates that the site is situated within the Tea Gardens and Shoal Bay aeolian sand landscapes associated with the Coastal Back Barrier System consisting of the following geological units either present on or near the site.

• Pleistocene Beach –(Qpbw) Comprising of Beach ridge swale and dune – deflation hollow: consisting of Marine Sand and indurated sand, shown as sub-cropping within the main deposit.

• Pleistocene Dune –(Qpbd) – Comprising of Marine sand, and indurated sand. Shown as sub-cropping over the remainder of the site.

Note: These are the same geological units are found nearby at Tanilba Bay, NSW, where Sibelco Australia are currently producing from.

Topographically, the site and adjacent surrounding area comprise sand sheets and low undulating sand dunes on the coastal plain. The areas planned for extraction generally comprise of low undulating sand dunes.

This sand resource is typical of the fine sand currently extracted within the Newcastle, Stockton Bight, region with an average thickness of extraction of 8.0m over the resource limits and a maximum extraction thickness of 18.0m.

2. Fine Aggregate Properties and Specification Compliance The nationally recognised specification for fine aggregate properties is Australian Standard AS2758.1:2014 – Concrete Aggregates, which is used here as a comparative tool to describe the Newcastle Sand products.

For the purpose of this report, reference is also made to Transport NSW Road and Maritime Services (RMS) specification requirements, due to the locality of the quarry and the tendency of local councils to use the RMS methods in their works contracts and specification(s). This does not limit the use of this fine sand in other regions, states or export opportunities overseas, but to give a qualitative review for the properties of the fine aggregate.

2.1. Aggregate Properties (AS2758.1:2014) 2.1.1. Particle Density and Water Absorption (AS1141.5) The particle density of an aggregate indicates how the rocks will sit in a quarry bench, as a solid cubic metre, and is used to design concrete to ensure mix yield is optimised. The Fine Sand has an average particle density of 2.62t/m3 (SSD), which is typical of other coastal fine sands.

Water absorption is the quantity of water which would be absorbed into an aggregate between Saturated Surface Dry (SSD) conditions and oven dry conditions. See Figure 3 below.


Figure 3. Aggregate Moisture Conditions

The NS Fine Sand material has a low water absorption of 0.1% to 0.5%, (average 0.3%) which means it is not sensitive to water and is likely to provide a reduction in concrete drying shrinkage if all else remained the same. Low water absorption also means slump loss during concrete production will be reduced, and the water demand for a given concrete mix is likely to also be reduced if batched below SSD. This may provide an increase in compressive strength for concrete using Fine Sand as a sand replacement where plastic fines may be replaced with NS Fine Sand. See Figure 4.

The Particle Density of an aggregate material is tested in its Saturated Surface Dry (SSD), Dry or Apparent conditions. Particle density is used in concrete mix design to determine the theoretical yield of a mix (1m3) and can vary depending on the aggregate being used.

Particle Densities (Dry):

• Heavy weight aggregates > 3.2T/m3 • Normal weight aggregates > 2.1T/m3 and < 3.2t/m3 • Lightweight aggregates > 0.5T/m3 and < 2.1T/m3 • Ultra-lightweight aggregates < 0.5T/m3

As can be seen from Figure 4, The NS Fine Sand is within the Normal Weight Particle density range.

This material complies with specification requirements as per Figure 9

2.1.2. Bulk Density (AS1141.4) The Bulk density of an aggregate material often indicates how it will sit, both loose and compacted, in a stockpile, truck or rail carriage. The NS – Fine Sand with a Bulk Density (Av) = 1.52t/m3 (loose), 1.65t/m3 (compacted) is typical of natural fine sands and with a Bulk density of 1.65T/m3 (compacted) confirms the NS Fine Sand is not a lightweight aggregate. See Figure 4.



Figure 4. Newcastle Sand- Material Property Summary- Qualtest Report

2.1.3. Particle Size Distribution (AS1141.11.1) Particle Size distribution is commonly referred to as ‘grading’ and represents the range of specific sizes within an aggregate sample. As can be seen from Figures 5 and 6, Newcastle Sand’s – Fine Sand has a grading typical of coastal fine sands used in Australia.

This is beneficial where the gradings of other aggregates are combined for an overall improved grading, as NS – Fine Sand could be used as a direct replacement of the existing coastal fine sand without any detrimental or significant changes in the performance of the manufactured product.

Figure 5. Aggregate Particle Size Distribution Analysis

S01 S02 S03 S04

Site Location-> CTR Front DuneCTR Front

surfaceCTR Back

Minus 0.5mTB South Pit

Natural Fine Aggs1.18 mm 100 100 100 100 100 30 to 100 Y0.6 mm 99 99 98 99 99 15 to 100 Y

0.425 mm 90 89 77 92 87 - -0.3 mm 33 43 23 43 36 5 to 50 Y

0.15 mm 1 0 0 2 1 0 to 20 Y0.075mm 0 0 0 0 0 0 to 5 Y

AS1141.12 <75um - - - 0 0 <5% YBulk Density (Uncompacted) (T/m3) - 1.54 - 1.49 1.52 - -Bulk Density (Compacted) (T/m3) - 1.65 - 1.64 1.65 >1.2T/m3 Normal weight YParticle Density Apparent (T/m3) - 2.63 - 2.64 2.64Particle Density (Dry) (T/m3) - 2.62 - 2.61 2.62Particle Density (SSD) (T/m3) - 2.62 - 2.62 2.62Water Absorption (%) - 0.1 - 0.5 0.3 ~2% natural aggs Low

AS1141.33 Clay/Silt (%) 5 1 2 1 2.3 - Low

Complies Y/N

Normal Weight

Newcastle Sand- Material Property Summary

Normal Weight < 3.2 and >2.1

AS2758.1

Sieve Size (mm)

Average

% Passing

AS1141.4

AS1141.5

AS1141.11.1

Test Method


Figure 6. Aggregate Particle Size Distribution Summary – Qualtest Report

2.1.4. Material Finer than 75µm (AS1141.12) Material finer than 75 micron represents the volume of fines within an aggregate sample. In some deposits this may include expansive clays that can increase drying shrinkage, water demand and reduce concrete compressive strength. In this case the Newcastle Sand’s – Fine Sand is clean and has almost nil material passing the 75micron (Typically <1.0%). This is beneficial, when used in concrete, as it is unlikely to contribute significantly to shrinkage or subsequent strength loss.


2.1.5. Organics Other Than Sugar (AS1141.34) The organics other than sugar test uses a reference colour slide or solution to compare the presence of organics other than sugar within a fine aggregate sample. Organics can be brought to the surface of concrete by bleed water and cause localised staining of the upper surface(s). Organics can also affect the efficiency of admixtures within concrete such as setting times, reduce compressive strength and other hardened properties.

Organics Other than Sugar test results for NS – Fine Sand were not provided and as such could not be assessed; however, being from the same Stockton Bight region adjacent to similar operating deposits of fine sand this is not expected to be an issue.


2.1.6. Sodium Sulphate Soundness (AS1141.24) The sodium sulphate soundness test was designed to determine the loss an aggregate may exhibit when exposed to wet and dry cycles within a rich sodium sulphate solution (like seawater). Typically, coastal fine sands exhibit extremely low loss and would remain stable when exposed to seawater applications.

Sodium Sulphate test results for NS – Fine Sand were not provided and as such could not be assessed; however, being from the same Stockton Bight region adjacent to similar operating deposits of fine sand, from the experience of the report writer this is not expected to be an issue.

2.1.7. Sugar (AS1141.35) The presence of sugar in aggregates can lead to the retardation of cementitious binders and the effectiveness of admixtures in concrete. Nil sugar should be present to comply with AS2758.1- Concrete Aggregates.

Sugar test results for NS – Fine Sand were not provided and as such could not be assessed; however, being from the same Stockton Bight region adjacent to similar operating deposits of fine sand, from the experience of the report writer this is not expected to be an issue.

2.1.8. Soluble Salts (AS1012.20.1) 2.1.8.1. Chlorides The Chloride content within the NS- Fine Sand was not provided and as such could not be assessed; however, being from the same Stockton Bight region adjacent to similar operating deposits of fine sand, from the experience of the report writer this is not expected to be an issue.

2.1.8.2. Sulfates The Sulfate content within the NS- Fine Sand was not provided and as such could not be assessed; however, being from the same Stockton Bight region adjacent to similar operating deposits of fine sand, from the experience of the report writer this is not expected to be an issue.

2.1.9. Alkali Reactive Materials 2.1.9.1. Petrographic Examination The NS – Fine Sand has the following properties based upon the provided test information:

• Fine to Medium quartz Sand • Free silica/quartz content (Si02) (97%- high and beneficial for concrete) • Physically suitable for use as a concrete sand • Predicted potential for mild or slow deleterious alkali- silica reactivity in concrete

2.1.9.2. X -Ray Fluorescence The NS – Fine Sand has the following properties based upon the provided test information:

• Free silica/quartz content (Si02) (>98%- high and beneficial for concrete)


Note: Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) Testing of concrete using the NS-Fine Sand is expected to require the use of flyash to mitigate ASR. The percentage of Flyash required will depend on the testing undertaken. CQT can provide further information as required.

3. Newcastle Sands – Fine Sand Compliance Regime 3.1. Grading Envelope Further analysis of the provided gradings and variations allows a proposed production grading envelope i.e. variation from the mean, to be estimated. See Figures 7 and 8.

Figure 7. Newcastle Sands – Fine Sand Target Envelope- Extract from Qualtest Report.

Figure 8. Newcastle Sands – Fine Sand Target Envelope.

Producing sand within this grading envelope would be more stringent than most specification requirements and would require a higher level of production process control and as such customer confidence should be high on the consistency and quality of the NS – Fine Sand.

It should be noted that the grading of an individual aggregate component may not be critical to the performance of the final concrete product, but once the blend of all the aggregate ingredients is established, the consistency of each individual aggregate component is essential to the production of a consistent final product.

A comparison of required specifications for Fine Sand material confirm that the NS -Fine sand is in general compliance with the major specifications, some additional testing is expected to demonstrate further compliance with specified properties. See Figure 9.


Figure 9. Physical Properties of Fine Aggregate vs Specification Requirements

3.2. Testing Frequency

Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia (CCAA) provides a Code of Practice for the extractive industry on “Testing Frequency” and it is recommended for a producer to have an industry standard on a testing regime for material control and conformance of products produced.

Extracts from the Code of Practice for testing frequency is shown below in Figures 10 and 11.

Figure 10. CCAA Extract: Operational Testing Levels.


Figure 11. CCAA Extract: Testing Frequency Criteria

4. Newcastle Sands - Fine Aggregate in a Hypothetical Mix Design In order to understand the effect of Newcastle Sand’s – Fine Sand as a replacement of an existing fine sand within a product, an analysis was undertaken of theoretical concrete mix designs of various grades to see the changes within the combined aggregate gradings.

Typical mix designs were established for 25MPa, 32MPa and 40MPa. A typical coastal fine dune sand from Stockton Bight was used as a base for comparative purposes. Particle size distributions and particle density details were obtained from test results or industry typical values from the report authors experience.

4.1. CQT Hypothetical Mix Designs The proposed hypothetical mix designs were selected as; N25MPa, 32MPa and 40MPa mixes with 20/14mm, 10/7mm, Manufactured Sands and Fine Sand aggregate at a nominal 80+15mm slump mix as these concretes are commonly used in the local area in significant volume.

The hypothetical concrete mix designs would contain binder systems with Cement (75%) and Fly ash (25%), 20/14mm, 10/7mm, Manufactured Sand and Fine Sand aggregates. A neutral set water reducer is also nominated to establish a set mix water cut (350mls/100kg cementitious). These hypothetical mix designs would be expected to meet the minimum requirements of AS1379 for target strength while producing workable concrete suitable for being placed by pump, compacted, finished and cured using industry best construction practices.

A full copy of the hypothetical mix designs is provided in APPENDIX A – CQT Analysis of Mix Designs.


4.1.1. CQT 25MPa Comparison of combined aggregate analysis between typical Stockton bight fine sand and Newcastle Sand – Fine Sand for 25MPa concrete hypothetical mix design is shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12. CQT Combined Grading – 25MPa/20mm/80mm






In summary, a direct (1 to 1) replacement of the NS – Fine Sand for a typical fine coastal sand of a similar grading is expected to provide similar mix performance based on the available test information.

5. ConclusionsAfter a review of the available test information and extensive experience from the report writer, using similar locally supplied sand products, the Newcastle Sand’s – Fine Sand in its current form is expected to be a direct replacement for a similar coastal fine sand with similar performance expected in concrete, all else being equal.

With the adoption of a suitable testing frequency regime and a stringent production target grading envelope, The Newcastle Sand's - Fine Sand is expected to provide a consistent high-quality product for use in the local concrete market or further afield with suitable logistics considerations.

Newcastle Sand's – Fine Sand provides a new fine aggregate product for use in concrete, pavement and asphalt applications within the Newcastle and broader construction markets when incorporated in well-designed mixes.


We trust this information will be of use to future projects.

Yours faithfully,

Michael van Koeverden

B.E.(Civil), F.I.E. AUST, CPEng, NER, IntPE(Aus), RPEQ Concrete Institute of Australia Past National President Engineers Australia Past President – Newcastle Division RMS B80 Grey Card Trainer - Bridgeworks and Pavements CQT Services Pty Ltd - Director

APPENDIX A – CQT Analysis of Mix Designs APPENDIX B – Qualtest Resource Report March 2018

Document Control: CQT-Georgiou-BH-NCR14-L01

Revision Date Description/Comment Prepared by Reviewed by

A 22/04/2020 CQT-NS-FSReport-R01.A C Mols, MvK MvK

Disclaimer:

Any reports, results or presentations produced or provided by C.Q.T Services Pty Ltd are based on the information, drawings, samples and tests provided at the time and referred to. C.Q.T Services Pty Ltd, it’s consultants and agents accept no liability for any damages, charges, costs or expenses in respect of or in relation to any loss whatsoever arising either directly or indirectly from the use of reports, results or presentations, the carrying out of recommendations in the afore mentioned or the use of any goods or materials referred to.


APPENDIX A – CQT Analysis of Mix Designs


Contacts Michael van Koeverden Date 13/04/2020Mob: 0431 400 933

CONCRETE ANALYSIS REPORTClient Mix N32MPa/20mm/80mm Slump

TBC

Cement Flyash 20/14mm Agg 10mm Agg Man Sand Agg Fine Sands Fine sandCombined Combined

Newcastle Stockton Aggregate MatsGP/SL Fine Grade Sands Bight Total Total Water Air

kg/m3 260 90 750 250 250 0 560 0 1810 2160 180 1.80%.

% Binder74.3% 25.7% 0.0%

Slump Intial=>

Slump Final=>

%Agg 0.00 41.44 13.81 0.00 13.81 0.00 30.94 0.00 100.00 Yield = 100.1%Density 3150 2140 2860 2600 2700 2700 2650 2650 2650 2620 2650 - - 1000 0

0% 75% 25%0% 100% 0%

100% 0%0% 31% 0% 69% 0%

Combined Fine

Combined Sieve Size Min1 Max 2

Grading mm MIN MAX100 100 100 100 100 100 100.0 26.595 100 100 100 100 100 97.9 1958 100 100 100 100 100 82.6 13.220 90 100 100 100 100 65.5 9.512 41 100 100 100 100 55.4 6.75 20 98 97 100 100 49.3 4.753 5 75 74 100 100 43.2 2.361 3 45 32 100 100 38.0 1.181 1 35 8 98 100 35.7 0.6001 1 20 4 85 89 29.6 0.425

20 2 35 31 13.6 0.30015 1 3 1 3.0 0.150

2 2 9 1 2 0 3.0 0.075Props

Water 180 Binder 350 W/Binder ratio 0.514 Yield = 100.1% Cagg/Binder= 2.857 Fagg/Binder= 2.314 Agg/Binder 5.171

Type Admixture Dose (ml/m3) FactorDose mls/100kg

cementitious

Note: WR Neutral Set 1225 3.5 350.0SIKA WRAc

AEAReAc

NO Trial mix has been conducted so compliance with all specified properties cannot be guaranteed.

Newcastle Sands - Fine Sand

Binders Coarse Agg Component Coarse Sand Blend -Component Fine Aggregate Blend Combinations

OtherItem

80+15mm

Ratios

Coarse Agg Specification.Coarse SandFine SandFine Agg

Combined Coarse 55% 31% 45%

Com

bine

d G

radi

ng

Sieve Size

2.361.180.6000.425

mm

26.519

13.29.56.7

4.75

0.3000.1500.075

Admixture Updated Name Comments

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

0.01 0.1 1 10 100

% P

assi

ng

Size (mm)

N32MPa/20mm/80mm Slump

Newcastle SandsCombined Grading

Typical CombinedGrading


Contacts Michael van Koeverden Date 13/04/2020Mob: 0431 400 933

CONCRETE ANALYSIS REPORTClient Mix N40MPa/20mm/80mm Slump

TBC

Cement Flyash 20/14mm Agg 10mm Agg Man Sand Agg Fine Sands Fine sandCombined Combined

Newcastle Stockton Aggregate MatsGP/SL Fine Grade Sands Bight Total Total Water Air

kg/m3 305 100 780 250 230 0 485 0 1745 2150 185 1.80%.

% Binder75.3% 24.7% 0.0%

Slump Intial=>

Slump Final=>

%Agg 0.00 44.70 14.33 0.00 13.18 0.00 27.79 0.00 100.00 Yield = 100.0%Density 3150 2140 2860 2600 2700 2700 2650 2650 2650 2620 2650 - - 1000 0

0% 76% 24%0% 100% 0%

100% 0%0% 32% 0% 68% 0%

Combined Fine

Combined Sieve Size Min1 Max 2

Grading mm MIN MAX100 100 100 100 100 100 100.0 26.595 100 100 100 100 100 97.8 1958 100 100 100 100 100 81.2 13.220 90 100 100 100 100 62.8 9.512 41 100 100 100 100 52.2 6.75 20 98 97 100 100 45.8 4.753 5 75 74 100 100 39.7 2.361 3 45 32 100 100 34.6 1.181 1 35 8 98 100 32.4 0.6001 1 20 4 85 89 26.9 0.425

20 2 35 31 12.4 0.30015 1 3 1 2.8 0.150

2 2 9 1 2 0 2.9 0.075Props

Water 185 Binder 405 W/Binder ratio 0.457 Yield = 100.0% Cagg/Binder= 2.543 Fagg/Binder= 1.765 Agg/Binder 4.309

Type Admixture Dose (ml/m3) FactorDose mls/100kg

cementitious

Note: WR Neutral Set 1418 4.05 350.0SIKA WRAc

AEAReAc

NO Trial mix has been conducted so compliance with all specified properties cannot be guaranteed.

Newcastle Sands - Fine Sand

Binders Coarse Agg Component Coarse Sand Blend -Component Fine Aggregate Blend Combinations

OtherItem

80+15mm

Ratios

Coarse Agg Specification.Coarse SandFine SandFine Agg

Combined Coarse 59% 32% 41%

Com

bine

d G

radi

ng

Sieve Size

2.361.180.6000.425

mm

26.519

13.29.56.7

4.75

0.3000.1500.075

Admixture Updated Name Comments

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

0.01 0.1 1 10 100

% P

assi

ng

Size (mm)

N40MPa/20mm/80mm Slump

Newcastle SandsCombined Grading

Typical CombinedGrading


APPENDIX B – Qualtest Resource Report March 2018

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