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SUMMARY
Last episode, Dr. Jon Belkowitz walked through how to build a concrete mix design on paper.
This episode picks up where that left off.
Because a design mix is not the same thing as a batch mix.
Dr. Jon breaks down the final adjustments that have to happen before that mix can actually be used in production, including moisture corrections, free water, and admixture dosages.
If you have ever wondered how a mix goes from a neat set of numbers on paper to something a plant can actually batch, this episode clears it up.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Why a design mix is not the same as a batch mix
How aggregate moisture changes your sand and rock weights
What “free water” really means and why it matters
How moisture in the aggregates affects water-cement ratio
How to calculate the water coming from sand and stone
How admixture dosage is calculated from cement content
Why admixtures also add water to the mix
How to calculate final batch water
What the final adjusted batch mix looks like
Why contractors and engineers should understand this math even if the plant computer does it for them

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Intro and how to support the show
02:15 - Why people are actually using the podcast on the job
02:36 - Concrete Logic Academy and PDHs
03:36 - Picking up where the last mix design episode ended
04:22 - What has to change to move from design mix to batch mix
05:44 - The project assumptions for this slab mix
06:28 - Where moisture content and absorption values come from
08:13 - Adjusting sand weight for moisture
10:54 - Adjusting rock weight for moisture
12:05 - What free water is and why it affects your mix
13:24 - Calculating free water from the sand
14:33 - Calculating free water from the rock
15:24 - Admixture dosage explained
16:16 - Calculating admixture ounces per cubic yard
17:28 - Calculating how much water the admixture brings
18:47 - Final batch water calculation
19:34 - Final adjusted batch mix
20:38 - What happens next at the plant
21:03 - Why admixtures are mostly water
24:51 - Withholding water and adjusting slump at the plant
26:53 - How admixture dispensing systems work
29:25 - Wrap-up and what to cover next time

GUEST INFO
Dr. Jon Belkowitz
Intelligent Concrete
Website: https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/intelligent-concrete

CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY

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Bring it to the Concrete Logic Academy.

Ask questions. Share what you’re seeing. Get real answers you can use on the next pour.

Simple as that.

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST

If this episode helped you...
If you learned something...
If it made you think differently...

Support the show here:
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Give whatever you think the episode was worth.

PARTNERS

KUIU (performance gear Seth actually uses):
https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/kuiu

Interested in advertising or working with us?
Email: seth@concretelogicpodcast.com

CREDITS

Producers: Joseph Swann, Jodi Tandett & Concrete Logic Media

Music by Mike Dunton:
https://www.mdunton.com/

WHERE TO FIND CONCRETE LOGIC

Website: https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@concretelogicpodcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethtandett/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/concretelogicpodcast/

EP #153: Your Concrete Mix Design Still Isn’t Ready… Until You Do This