is there any possibility to obtain m-50 result by hand mixing

amd007

Elite Member
There is every possibility of achieving M50 result by hand mixing.

Step 1: Mix design for the said grade to be prepared

Step 2: Hand mixing involving turning over the dry mixture from one end of the mixing tray or platform to the other end completely so as to get the uniform mixing of the concrete ingredients.

Step 3: Adding water as per the design mix part by part to this dry mixed concrete again starting from one end of the tray to the other end, this process to be repeated for at least 4 to 5 times for best results till you see a homogenous concrete mix.

Step 4: Proper mixing of the concrete from one end of the tray to the other end is the most critical part of any hand mixing process.Adequate strength requirement is one of the major properties of concrete and this strength depends on the consistency of the mixing.

It is important to know the minimum number of times required in turning concrete over from one end of the mixing tray to the other, in order to produce concrete uniform in composition and of satisfactory strength.

It is very necessary to have a good understanding of the relationship between the degree of mixing by hand and the compressive strengths of concrete.

Most literature recommends mixing the concrete until the mixture is consistent and uniform in nature based on physical observation.

This recommendation may not be completely a good measure of proper mixing since observers have different views on when concrete is consistent and uniform in nature.

Hope that I have given justice to your question.

I have obtained desired strength of M:40 grade while doing mix design trial mixes, hence am able to say with confidence, however would suggest you to first carry out trial mix before venturing out on the production. Thanks....
 

Dnyan Deshmukh

Staff member
I completely agree with @amd007

I would like to add few more lines to it.

We can produce any grade of concrete by doing hand mix.

As you go for higher grades of concrete mixing efforts required are much more higher due to more fine material and low water cement ratio.

When it comes to large quantity of concrete, hand mixing may not produce uniform cohesive mix every time due to fatigue and labour tendency to take short cuts which makes it difficult to ensure Quality of concrete uniform throughout the large quantity produced.

For large concrete quantity, machine mixing is preferred as it always produces same results when we input same mix everytime.

Machine mixing may lead to failure of concrete, when its blades got wear and tear which does not mix concrete correctly.

When doing machine mixing, we should always check the condition of mixer blades to ensure uniform mixing.