TESTS ON CEMENT

FINENESS
AIM
To determine the fineness of cement by dry sieving as per IS: 4031 (Part 1) - 1996.

PRINCIPLE
The fineness of cement is measured by sieving it through a standard sieve. The proportion of
cement, the grain sizes of which, is larger than the specified mesh size is thus determined.

APPARATUS
i) 90m IS Sieve
ii) Balance capable of weighing 10g to the nearest 10mg
iii) A nylon or pure bristle brush, preferably with 25 to 40mm bristle, for cleaning the sieve.


PROCEDURE
i) Weigh approximately 10g of cement to the nearest 0.01g and place it on the sieve.
ii) Agitate the sieve by swirling, planetary and linear movements, until no more fine material
passes through it.
iii) Weigh the residue and express its mass as a percentage R1, of the quantity first placed on the
sieve to the nearest 0.1 percent.
iv) Gently brush all the fine material off the base of the sieve.
v) Repeat the whole procedure using a fresh 10g sample to obtain R2. Then calculate R as the
mean of R1 and R2 as a percentage, expressed to the nearest 0.1 percent. When the results differ
by more than 1 percent absolute, carry out a third sieving and calculate the mean of the three
values.


OBSERVATIONS:
Brand of Cement:
Trail No. 1 2
______________________________________________________
Weight of Cement(gm)
Weight of residue in I.S. Sieve No. 9
Quantity of Cement Retained(%)

RESULT:
Fineness of the given cement:


REPORTING OF RESULTS
Report the value of R, to the nearest 0.1 percent, as the residue
on the 90m s
CONSISTENCY
AIM
To determine the quantity of water required to produce a cement paste of standard consistency as per
IS: 4031 (Part 4) - 1988.

PRINCIPLE
The standard consistency of a cement paste is defined as that consistency which will permit the Vicat
plunger to penetrate to a point 5 to 7mm from the bottom of the Vicat mould.

APPARATUS
i) Vicat apparatus conforming to IS: 5513 - 1976
ii) Balance, whose permissible variation at a load of 1000g should be +1.0g
iii) Gauging trowel conforming to IS: 10086 1982

PROCEDURE
i) Weigh approximately 400g of cement and mix it with a weighed quantity of water. The time of
gauging should be between 3 to 5 minutes.
ii) Fill the Vicat mould with paste and level it with a trowel.
iii) Lower the plunger gently till it touches the cement surface.
iv) Release the plunger allowing it to sink into the paste.
v) Note the reading on the gauge.
vi) Repeat the above procedure taking fresh samples of cement and different quantities of water
until the reading on the gauge is 5 to 7mm.

Observations And Calculations
% Of Water Initial Reading Final Reading Height Of penetration
from bottom (mm)




REPORTING OF RESULTS
Express the amount of water as a percentage of the weight of dry cement to the first place of
decimal.











INITIAL AND FINAL SETTING TIME

AIM
To determine the initial and the final setting time of cement as per IS: 4031 (Part 5) - 1988.

APPARATUS
i) Vicat apparatus conforming to IS: 5513 - 1976
ii) Balance, whose permissible variation at a load of 1000g should be +1.0g
iii) Gauging trowel conforming to IS: 10086 1982.

PROCEDURE
i) Prepare a cement paste by gauging the cement with 0.85 times the water required to give a
paste of standard consistency (see Para 1.2).
ii) Start a stop-watch, the moment water is added to the cement.
iii) Fill the Vicat mould completely with the cement paste gauged as above, the mould resting on
a non-porous plate and smooth off the surface of the paste making it level with the top of the
mould. The cement block thus prepared in the mould is the test block.
A) INITIAL SETTING TIME
Place the test block under the rod bearing the needle. Lower the needle gently in order to make
contact with the surface of the cement paste and release quickly, allowing it to penetrate the test
block. Repeat the procedure till the needle fails to pierce the test block to a point 5.0 0.5mm
measured from the bottom of the mould.
The time period elapsing between the time, water is added to the cement and the time, the needle
fails to pierce the test block by 5.0 0.5mm measured from the bottom of the mould, is the
initial setting time.

B) FINAL SETTING TIME
Replace the above needle by the one with an annular attachment. The cement should be
considered as finally set when, upon applying the needle gently to the surface of the test block,
the needle makes an impression therein, while the attachment fails to do so. The period elapsing
between the time, water is added to the cement and the time, the needle makes an impression on
the surface of the test block, while
the attachment fails to do so, is the final setting time.

Observations And Calculations:
Weight of cement taken = 400g.
Weight of water taken = 0.85P400 =..ml
REPORTING OF RESULTS
The results of the initial and the final setting time should be reported to the nearest five minutes.







SOUNDNESS

AIM
To determine the soundness of cement by Le-Chatelier method as per IS: 4031 (Part 3) - 1988.

APPARATUS
i) The apparatus for conducting the Le-Chatelier test should conform to IS: 5514 - 1969
ii) Balance, whose pemissible variation at a load of 1000g should be +1.0g
iii) Water bath

PROCEDURE
i) Place the mould on a glass sheet and fill it with the cement paste formed by gauging cement
with 0.78 times the water required to give a paste of standard consistency
ii) Cover the mould with another piece of glass sheet, place a small weight on this covering glass
sheet and immediately submerge the whole assembly in water at a temperature of 27 2oC and
keep it there for 24hrs.
iii) Measure the distance separating the indicator points to the nearest 0.5mm (say d l ).
iv) Submerge the mould again in water at the temperature prescribed above. Bring the water to
boiling point in 25 to 30 minutes and keep it boiling for 3hrs.
v) Remove the mould from the water, allow it to cool and measure the distance between the
indicator points (say d 2 ).
vi) (d 2 d l) represents the expansion of cement.

OBSERVATIONS:
Type of cement:
Normal Consistency: P= %
Water required for soundness test=0.78 X P
Initial distance = .mm
Final distance =. mm
Expansion of cement= .mm
REPORTING OFRESULTS
Calculate the mean of the two values to the nearest 0.5mm to represent the expansion of cement.














COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF CEMENT


AIM:
This method of test covers the procedure for determining the compressive strength tests on
mortar cubes compacted by means of a standard vibration machine.
STANDARD SAND:
The standard sand to be used in the test shall conform to IS: 650-1966 (specification for standard
sand for testing of cement)
VIBRATION MACHINE:
The Vibration machine consists of a frame mounted on a coil spring to carry the cube mould, and
a revolving shaft provided with an eccentric. By means of a balance weight beneath the base
plate attached \rigidly to the frame, the center of the gravity of the whole machine, including the
cube and mould, is brought either to the center of the eccentric shaft, or with in a distance of
25mm below it. In consequence of this, the revolving eccentric imparts and equal circular motion
to all parts of the machine and mould, the motion being equivalent to equal vertical and
horizontal simple harmonic motions 90 degrees out of phase. The minimum running speed of the
machine is well above its natural frequency on its supporting springs, so that the amplitude of the
vibrating is independent of the speed. The mortar should preferably be of the synchronous type
and the drive should be by means of the endless belt running on a crowned pulley on the motor
and a crowned pulley on the vibration
machine.
The machine shall be constructed to comply with the following essential
requirements.
Weight of machine on its supporting springs (excluding weight of solid eccentric, but including
weight of mould and mould clamp, Hopper and cement cube) = 30 + or-1kg.
Out n-of-balance moment of eccentric shaft kg m = 0.00161297
Normal running speed of eccentric shaft. in rpm = 12000 400

POKING ROD
The poking rod shall be made of non-absorptive, non abrasive no brittle material, such, As rubber
compound having shore A durometer hardness hardness of 80 10, or seasoned teak wood rendered
non absorptive by immersion for 15min in paraffin at approximately 200 C, or ebonite fiber. The
poking rod shall be 150 to 175mm long and shall have cross section of 12X25mm with tamping face
in the form of a blunt torpedo

PREPARATIION OF TEST SPECIMENS
SIZES OF SPECIMEN
The test specimens shall be in the form of cubes having area per face equal to 50 sq.cm.

CUBE MOULDS
Moulds for the cube specimens of 50-cm2 face area shall be metal not attacked by cement
mortar, and there shall be sufficient material in the sides of the mould to prevent spreading
warping. The moulds are rigidly constructed in such manner as to facilitate the removal of the
moulded specimen without damage. The mould shall be machined so that when assembled ready
for use, the dimensions and internal faces shall be accurate to the following limits. The height of
the moulds and the distance between the opposite faces shall be 70.60mm + 0.15 mm. The angel
between adjacent interior faces and between interior faces and top and bottom planes of the
mould shall be 900.5 degrees. The interior faces of the moulds shall be provided with a base
plate having a plane surface machines to a tolerance 0.15 mm and made of non-absorbent
material preferably metalnot attacked by cement mortar. The base plate shall be of such
dimensions as to support the mould during the filling without leakage. The weight of cube mould
shall be such be such that the total weight of machine and cube mould does not vary from the
total approximate weight of 30kg. The parts of the mould when assembled shall be positively
held together, and suitable methods of ensuring this, both during the filling and on a subsequent
removal of the filled mould from the vibration machine shall be provided in order to prevent the
moulded specimen from damage.

MIX PROPERTIONS AND MIXING

Clean appliances shall be used for mixing and the temperature of the water and that of the test
room at the time when the above operation are being performed shall be 27 2 C. Place on
nonporous plate a mixture of cement and standard sand the proportion of 1:3 by weight. Mix it
dry with a trowel for one minute and then with water until the mixture is of uniform color. The
time of mixture shall in any event be not loess than 3 minutes and should the time taken the to
obtain a uniform color exceed 4 minutes, the m mixture shall be rejected and operation repeated
with a fresh quantity of cement, sand and water. The material for each cube shall be mixed
separately and the quantity of cement, standard sand and water shall be as follows:
Cement 200gms,
Standard sand 600g.
Water (P/4) +3.0percentage of combined weight of cement and sand, where P is the
percentage of water with required to produce a paste of standard consistency.
Note: owing to certain practical difficulties during the transition period, the sectional committee
has decided to permit the use of single sized Ennore sand as an alternative to the use of regarded
Ennore sand conforming to IS: 650-1966 for assessing the quality of cement in term of its
compressive strength. When the cement is to be tested for its compressive strength with single
graded sand, the following modification may be made in the test procedure.
a) The sand for test shall confirm to IS: 650-1966 except that it shall pass through 850 microns
IS Sieve and not more than 10% by weight shall pass through 600-microns OS sieve.
b) The material for each cube shall be mixed separately and the quantities of the cement, sand
shall be as follows:
Cement 185g
Standard sand 555
P
Water ---- + 3.5 percentage of combined weight of cement and sand, 4.0
Where P is the percentage of water with required to produce a paste of standard consistency
determined as described in 6. In assembling the moulds ready for use, cover the joints between
the halves of the mould with a thin film of petroleum jelly any apply a similar coating of
petroleum jelly between the contact surfaces of the bottom of the mould and its base plate in
order to ensure that no water escapes during vibration. Treat the interior face of the mould with a
thin coating of mould oil.
Place the assembled mould on the table of the vibration machine and firmly holds it in position
by means of a suitable clamp. Securely attach a hopper of suitable size and shape at the top of the
mould to facilitate filling and this hopper shall not removed until completion of the vibration
period.
Immediately after mixing the mortar place the mortar in the cube mould and prod with the rod.
The mortar shall be prodded 20 times in about 8 seconds to ensure elimination of entrained air
and honey combing. Place the remaining quantity of mortar in the hopper of the cube mould and
prod again as specified for the first layer and then compact the mortar by vibration At the end of
the vibration, remove the mould together with the base plate from the machine and finish the top
surface of the cube in the mould by smoothing the surface with the blade of a travel.

CURING SPECIMEN:
Keep the filled moulds at a temperature of 270 C + or 20C in an atmosphere at least 90%
relative humidity for 24 hours after completion of vibration. At the end that period remove them
from the mould and immediately submerge in clean fresh water and keep there until taken out
just prior to breaking. The water in which the cubes are submerge shall be renewed every 7 days
and shall be maintained at a temperature of 270 + or 2C. After they have been taken out and
until they are broken the cubes shall not be allowed to become dry.
Test three cubes for compressive strength at the periods mentioned under the relevant
specifications for different hydraulic cements, the periods being reckoned from the completion of
vibration. The compressive strength shall be average of the strengths of the three cubes for each
period of curing.
The cubes shall be tested on their sides without any packing between the cubes and the steel
platens of the testing machine. One of the platens shall be carried on the base and shall be self-
adjusting, and the load shall be steadily and uniformly applied, starting from zero at a rate if
350kg/sq. cm / min.

CALCULATIONS:
Calculate the compressive strength from the crushing load and the average area over which the
load is applied. Express the result in kg/sq,cm to the nearest 5kg.

RESULT:
Compressive strength of given cement sample:











SLUMP CONE TEST

AIM:
To assess the workability of given concrete mix by slump test.

BACK GROUND INFORMATION:
Workability of fresh concert is an important characteristic of concrete. It can be defined as the case
with which the concrete can be worked. Working includes mixing placing, compacting and finishing.
Actually it is a complete theological property of fresh concrete consisting broadly of its stability
compatibility and mobility. These can be assessed by slump compaction factor and vee bee time tests
respectively. Vertical settlement of a standard cone of fresh concrete (actually frustum of a cone)
under it is own weight is called slump. The cone of concrete in a slump test may some times fail it in
shear thus casting doubt on the stability of the concrete system. Lack of stability is termed as
segregation.

PRACTICAL RELEVANCE:
An increase in the amount of (mixing) water used in making concrete increases its workability but
reduces its strength because of increase in W/C ratio. Thus workability is the cost predominant factor
determine the practicable lower bound of the water/ cement ratio, which can be used implying at that
it governs the maximum obtainable strength under the given conditions of placing and compaction
factor. For concrete design is required strength of workability to reborn specifications were flow of
concrete instead of its strength of the only or dominant criterion such as in situations where concrete
is to be pumped to grater distances, the workability of concrete should be very high.
The typical values of workability of fresh concrete to be used in different situations are
shown in Table1.

4. APPARTUS:
Slum cone, Compaction factor apparatus, Graduated cylinder, Balance, Vibrator, Vee bee apparatus,
stop watch, spatula, Trowel, Tamping rod etc.

5. PROCEDURE:
1. Place the fresh concrete mix in the clean slump cone in four equal layers, tamping each layer 25
times with the tamping rod in a uniform manner the cross section. For the 2nd and subsequent layers
the rod should penetrate into the under lying layers during such tamping. 3
2. Strike - off the top of concrete flush with the mould with a trowel so that it is exactly filled.
3. Remove the metallic cone by raising it slowly and carefully in a vertical direction.
4. As soon as the concrete settlement stop measure the subsidence of concrete
in mm. This substance is slump.










TABLE 1
Sl no Degree of
Workability
Slump (mm) Compaction
Factor
Situation
1. Very Low 0-25 0.78 Roads vibrated by power operated machines
Concrete may be compacted with hand
Operated machine for more workable
mixes.
2. Low 25-50 0.85 Road vibrated by hand operated machine
For more workability mix concrete may be
manually compacted in road using rounded
Or irregular shapes. Mass concrete
Foundations without vibration or lightly
Reinforced sections with vibrations.
3. Medium 50-100 0.95 For less workable concretes, manually
Compacted flat slabs using crushed
Aggregate. Normal reinforced concrete
Manually compacted and highly reinforced
Section with vibration.
4. High 100-175 0.95 For section with congested reinforcement.
Not normally suitable for vibration.

RESULT: Slump = mm