| Absolute Volume | (Concrete Engineering) The volume of an ingredient in its solid state, without voids between individual pieces or particles, in the case of fluids, the cubic content occupied. In concrete, the actual volume occupied by the different ingredients determined by dividing the weight of each ingredient pounds, by ifs specific gravity, times the weight of one cubic foot of water in pounds. Example: Absolute Volume of one sack of cement equals: 94 ๗ (3.15X62.4) = 0.478 cubic feet |
| Air Content | (Concrete Engineering) The amount of entrained or entrapped air in concrete or mortar, exclusive of pore space in aggregate particles, usually expressed as a percentage of total volume of concrete or mortar. |
| Dispersing Agent | (Concrete Engineering) An admixture capable of increasing the fluidity of pastes, mortars, or concretes by reduction of interparticle attraction. |
| Maximum Size Aggregate | (Concrete Engineering) Aggregate whose largest particle size is present in sufficient quantity to affect the physical properties of concrete; generally designated by the sieve size on which the maximum amount permitted to be retained is 5 or 10 percent by weight. |
| Ottawa Sand | (Concrete Engineering) A sand used as a standard in testing hydraulic cements by means of mortar test specimens. Sand is produced by processing silica rock particles obtained by hydraulic mining of the orthoquartzite situated in open-pit deposits near Ottawa, Illinois; naturally rounded grains of nearly pure quartz. |
| Particle-Size Distribution | (Concrete Engineering) Particle distribution of granular materials among various sizes; for concrete material normally designated as gradation. Usually expressed in terms of cumulative percentages smaller or larger than each of a series of sieve openings or percentages between certain ranges of sieve openings. |