Hydrostatic Buoyant Weighing Suspension Balance
Top-pan balance with under-hook suspension weighing wire basket submerged in water to 0.1 g.
Civil Engineering / Coarse Aggregate Absorption
FREE TO EXPLORELABORATORY 06 · CIVIL ENGINEERING
Specific Gravity & Water Absorption of Coarse Aggregate by Wire Basket Pycnometer
Determine the bulk specific gravity (oven-dry and saturated surface-dry), apparent specific gravity, and water absorption percentage of coarse aggregate according to ASTM C127 / BS EN 1097-6. Explore interactive structural mechanics, materials simulation, and civil engineering telemetry.
STRUCTURAL MATERIALS · MECHANICS · GEOTECHNICAL · HYDRAULICS · HIGHWAYS · SURVEYING
Your virtual civil engineering laboratory.
SATURATED SURFACE-DRY MASS M_SSD—
CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE TELEMETRY
Ready to sample with Dry Mass = 2000.0 g.
Adjust Dry Mass, then execute civil engineering measurement.
Civil engineering telemetry is evaluated rigorously using 64-bit IEEE 754 precision. Residuals reflect ordinary least-squares regression across successive observations. Continuous data structures support high-fidelity structural mechanics and geotechnical continuum modeling.
Civil engineering assumptions and boundary condition limits
The civil engineering physical models apply within the specified calibrated operational window (1000.0 to 3000.0 g). Crushed limestone coarse aggregate (10 to 20 mm nominal size). Water absorption capacity = 1.85% of dry mass. Linearized regression relates M_ssd directly to M_dry with slope 1.0185.
Laboratory apparatus & testing equipment.
Stainless Steel Wire Mesh Sample Basket
Perforated 3.35 mm wire mesh basket (200 mm diameter by 200 mm height) for water submersion.
Thermostatically Controlled Water Immersion Tank
Maintains constant water level with overflow tube at 23.0 ± 2.0 °C to stabilize liquid density.
Thermostatically Controlled Drying Oven
Maintains 110 ± 5 °C for 24 hours to achieve bone-dry aggregate state.
Heavy-Duty Absorbent Towels & Drying Cloths
Used to rapidly roll aggregate particles to achieve the precise Saturated Surface-Dry (SSD) state.
Perforated Sample Drying Trays
Permits uniform air circulation during oven and cooling cycles.
FOLLOW THE METHOD
A reason behind every step.
Determine the bulk specific gravity (oven-dry and saturated surface-dry), apparent specific gravity, and water absorption percentage of coarse aggregate according to ASTM C127 / BS EN 1097-6. Standardized parameter settings: 1000.0, 1400.0, 1800.0, 2200.0, 2600.0, 3000.0 g.
01
Sample Washing & Immersion Saturation
Wash approximately 3 kg of 20 mm aggregate to remove surface dust; immerse completely in water at 23.0 ± 2.0 °C for 24 ± 4 hours to saturate internal pores.
02
Submerged Buoyant Mass Determination
Transfer saturated aggregate into the wire basket; immerse into the water tank; shake gently to release air bubbles, and record submerged mass C to 0.1 g.
03
Saturated Surface-Dry (SSD) Conditioning
Remove aggregate from basket; roll in a large absorbent cloth until all visible surface water films are removed while particles retain damp interior; immediately record SSD mass B.
04
Oven Drying to Constant Mass
Transfer SSD aggregate to a shallow tray; dry in oven at 110 ± 5 °C for 24 hours; cool in a desiccator to room temperature.
05
Oven-Dry Mass Measurement
Weigh the bone-dry aggregate and record dry mass A to 0.1 g.
06
Specific Gravity & Absorption Calculation
Compute Bulk Specific Gravity (Dry) = A / (B - C), Bulk Specific Gravity (SSD) = B / (B - C), Apparent Specific Gravity = A / (A - C), and Absorption = [(B - A) / A] x 100%.
YOUR NOTEBOOK · 0 OBSERVATIONS
Turn measurements into civil engineering insight.
Points are your recorded observations. The solid regression line validates Coarse Aggregate Absorption mathematical scaling.
LINEAR REGRESSION FIT · y = mx + b
M_ssd = 1.0185 · M_dry
| # | Oven-Dry Aggregate Mass M_dry (g) | Saturated Surface-Dry Mass M_ssd (g) | Oven-dry mass M_dry (g) | Saturated surface-dry mass M_ssd (g) | Remove |
|---|
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CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Explain what the civil engineering metrics mean.
The formula for calculating coarse aggregate water absorption percentage according to ASTM C127 is:
In the ASTM C127 specific gravity equations, the quantity (B - C) represents:
Which specific gravity value will always be numerically highest for a given porous aggregate?
Standard immersion duration to ensure internal pore saturation in ASTM C127 is:
THEORY AND STRUCTURAL CONTEXT
Civil engineering background & physical principles.
Specific gravity and water absorption are fundamental physical properties of coarse aggregates directly governing concrete mix proportioning, yield calculations, and batch water corrections. Coarse aggregates possess permeable internal pores (voids accessible to water) and impermeable sealed pores. When aggregate is immersed in water for 24 ± 4 hours, capillary action saturates the accessible pore system. In the Saturated Surface-Dry (SSD) condition, all internal permeable pores are filled with water while the external particle surface is completely dry. If aggregate is batched into a mixer in a dry state, it absorbs water from the cement paste, drastically reducing fresh workability and effective water-cement ratio; conversely, wet aggregate with free surface moisture contributes excess water, lowering hardened compressive strength. Under ASTM C127, aggregate mass is weighed in three distinct moisture states: oven-dry mass A, saturated surface-dry mass B, and submerged buoyant mass C using a wire basket suspended in a water tank. In this laboratory experiment, coarse limestone aggregate is tested across sample sizes from 1000 to 3000 g to determine specific gravity metrics and quantify the water absorption coefficient.
M_ssd = 1.0185 · M_dry
Crushed limestone coarse aggregate (10 to 20 mm nominal size). Water absorption capacity = 1.85% of dry mass. Linearized regression relates M_ssd directly to M_dry with slope 1.0185.