GATE 2019 CE (CE1) – Question 48

Construction Materials · Concrete: constituents, mix design, short-term and long-term properties · 2 marks · Numerical answer

A 50 cm × 50 cm × 50 cm box is filled to the top with 187.5 kg of coarse aggregate. Aggregate water absorption is 0.5% and specific gravity 2.5. Find maximum water mass required to fill the box completely (kg), to two decimal places.

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Correct answer: 50.50 to 51.20

Explanation

Box volume is $0.5^3=0.125$ m³. Aggregate volume is $187.5/2500=0.075$ m³, leaving 0.050 m³ voids holding 50 kg water. Absorption requires another $0.005(187.5)=0.9375$ kg. Total is **50.94 kg** after rounding.