Experimental Investigation on Grades of Cement in the Nominal and Design Concrete Mixes

In India, the experience in the use of concrete in housing is more than seven decades old. Concrete mix is a combination of cement, water and aggregates of sand and stone. The relative merits of using 33, 43 & 53 grades of cement in the nominal and design concrete mixes are studied, by testing to destruction hundreds of cubes, cylinders and prisms made using these three grades of cement, the concrete mix having been designed as per the relevant Indian Standard code of practice. The objective of this paper is to make awareness among researchers, engineers and the public about the latest scientific and technical developments in cement, and how to achieve economy in concrete. The foremost objective of concrete mix design is to hand-pick the optimum proportions of various ingredients of the concrete to satisfy the required properties in its fresh and hardened state. As per the investigation, if concrete mixes are designed for different grades adopting separately 33, 43, & 53 grades of cements, grade 53 gives the highest 28 days cube strength, whereas 33 grade cement gives the lowest value. The relative cost of using these three grades is also discussed in the paper.