CEMENT TESTING

Cement is tested to fulfil the following objectives:

1. Provide information relative to target cement properties;
2. Give chemical and physical test results on cement to permit comparison with Australian Standards and/or
previous test results for historical evaluation; and
3. Provide guidelines (eg concrete results) for field utilisation of products.
INTRODUCTION
Cement is usually tested on a composite sample basis.
This is particularly true for the high consumption types.
The test results are therefore an average of weekly
production. The test results for the lower consumption
cements (eg Types HE, LH, SR and SL) more
commonly represent the average of one production
batch (ie a silo). Samples are taken during the quality
control testing operations. A composite sample is
prepared from these, weighted according to the
production rates of the different production lines.
The testing of cement falls into two main areas:
1. Chemical tests; and
2. Physical tests.
It is the intention of this paper to provide a brief guide
to the evaluation and interpretation of the results of
chemical tests commonly carried out on cement, and to
give a brief description of the more common physical
tests carried out on cement. To many users of cement
its physical properties, particularly concrete strength,
slump, strength development and setting time are more
significant than its chemical composition.
Most of the tests commonly carried out on cement are
described in the following Australian Standards:
AS 2350 Methods of Testing Portland and Blended
Cements:
AS 2350.2 Chemical Composition of Portland
Cement;
AS 2350.3 Normal Consistency of Portland and
Blended Cements;
AS 2350.4 Setting Time of Portland and Blended
Cements;
AS 2350.5 Determination of Soundness of
Portland and Blended Cements;
AS 2350.8 Fineness Index of Portland Cement
by Air Permeability;
AS 2350.10 Calcium Oxide Content of Blended
Cement;

QCL Group Technical Note

Cement Testing

AS 2350.11 Compressive Strength of Portland

and Blended Cements; and
AS 1012 Methods of Testing Concrete.
CHEMICAL TESTS
Table 1 shows the chemical requirements of Portland
and blended cements in accordance with AS 3972
Portland and Blended Cements.
Some common
additional tests are also described.
Loss on Ignition (AS 2350.2)
This test determines the loss in weight of cement
when heated to approximately 1,000C. The loss in
weight occurs due to the liberation of absorbed
moisture and carbon dioxide. All cements exhibit a
loss on ignition (due to their gypsum content) so it
is the relative value of the loss and its variability
which should be noted. The accuracy of this test is
0.1%
Sulphuric Anhydride, SO3 (AS 2350.2)
This test measures the amount of sulphate present in
cement, which is indicative of the gypsum content.
Gypsum is added to cement primarily to control its
setting time. The accuracy of this test is 0.1%.
Magnesia, MgO (AS2350.2)
This test measures the amount of magnesium oxide
present in cement. It provides an estimate of the
potential quantity of periclase which when present
in substantial quantities can cause expansion of
cement related products. The accuracy of this test is
0.1%.

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Hypothetical Compound Composition

Alkalis are usually determined

photometric or XRF methods.

Compound
Abbreviation

Compound
Formula

Compound
Name

Mineral
Name

C4AF
C3A

4CaO.Al2O3.
Fe2O3
3CaO.Al2O3

C2S

2CaO.SiO2

"Ferrite"
phase
"Aluminate"
phase
Belite

C3S

3CaO.SiO2

Tetracalciumalumino ferrite
Tricalcium
aluminate
Dicalcium
silicate
Tricalcium
silicate

Alite

The hypothetical compound composition of a

cement is calculated from its chemical analysis
using the following formulae, which are contained
in AS 2350.2:
% C4 AF = 3. 04 % Fe2O3
% C3A = 2. 65 % Al2O3 1. 69 % Fe2O3
% C 3 A = 4. 07 % CaO 7. 60 % SiO 2
6. 72 % Al 2 O 3 1. 43 % Fe 2 O 3
2. 85 % SO 3
% C 2S = 2. 87 % SiO 2 0. 754 % C 3S ( Calculated )
The mineralogy of a cement determines its
performance, that is, strength development, setting
action and durability.
Chemical analysis is normally done by XRF (x-ray
fluorescence).
The reporting accuracy of the
calculated hypothetical compound composition is:
1% for C4AF
0.5% for C3A
1% for C2S
1% for C3S
Free Lime
This test determines the quantity of uncombined
lime (CaO) present in a cement which can be a
measure of sintering efficiency and/or premature
hydration of the cement. However, the test as such
cannot differentiate between free calcium oxide and
calcium oxide present as calcium hydroxide which
is a cement hydration product.
Alkali (Na2O/K20)
Some types of aggregates contain reactive silicates.
These aggregates when used in concrete can
potentially react with any alkali present, causing
deterioration of the concrete.

QCL Group Technical Note

Cement Testing

by

flame-

The Na2O equivalent = %Na20 = 0.658 %K2O.

Calcium Oxide Content of Blended Cement
(AS 2350.10)
This test determines the amount of calcium oxide
(CaO) in blended cement which dissolves in acid,
and may be used to estimate the proportion of
supplementary cementitious material (eg fly ash)
present when the calcium oxide content of the
supplementary cementitious material used is known.
PHYSICAL TESTS
Table 1 also shows the physical requirements of
Portland and blended cements in accordance with
AS 3972.
Normal Consistency (AS 2350.3)
The plasticity or consistency of cement is measured
by the amount of water required to produce a
cement paste of specified workability, as determined
by a penetration plunger (see Figure 3, AS 2350.3).
This property influences setting time and
compressive strength in cement pastes and mortar,
and is itself influenced by the cement's mineralogy
and its fineness.
The amount of water required to produce a paste of
normal consistency is essentially found by trial and
error. An operator estimates the required amount of
water (percentage by weight of cement), from
previous test results.
Following the mixing procedure specified, the
paste's resistance to penetration by a plunger of
fixed weight and size is measured within a fixed
time.
The procedure is repeated using different water
contents until the specified penetration is achieved.
The test is a precursor to other tests on cement such
as setting time, soundness and false set.
The reporting accuracy of this test is 0.1%.
Fineness Index (AS 2350.8)
Fineness of cement is expressed as the total surface
area in square metres of all the cement particles in
one kilogram of cement. The higher the fineness
index, the finer the cement will be.

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Fineness index is determined using an air

permeability method. A bed of cement is prepared
in a special permeability cell which is connected to
a manometer.
The time taken for a fixed volume of air to be drawn
through this bed of cement is measured, and the
fineness index, in m2/kg, is calculated from this
time.
The apparatus is calibrated with a standard cement
of known fineness.
A cement's fineness influences its hydration rate
and therefore strength development and setting
behaviour.
The reported accuracy of this test is 5m2/kg.

Concrete (AS 1012)

Concrete testing aims to evaluate the performance
of a cement in constant slump concrete. When
evaluating the test results, the following parameters
are worthy of note:
1. The absolute compressive strength achieved at
each age;
2. The relationship between the strength values
obtained and historical trends;
3. The relative strengths at different ages and
variations from the historical trend; and
4. The relationship between water demand and
slump, and variation from the historical trend.
Compressive Strength of Portland & Blended
Cement (AS 2350.11) - ISO/CEN Mortar Prism
Test For Cement Strength

Soundness (AS 2350.5)

The soundness (volume stability) of a cement may
be estimated by the Le Chatelier test which uses a
neat cement paste of normal consistency placed in a
special mould. This is cured underwater for 24
hours and then placed in boiling water for six hours.
The change in distance between the two arms of the
mould is measured before and after immersion in
the boiling water. The difference is the cement
paste's expansion. This apparatus is shown in
Figures 1 and 2 of AS 2350.5.
AS 3972 permits a maximum soundness of 5 mm.
The reporting accuracy is 1 mm.
Setting Time (AS 2350.4)
This test measures the setting time of cement in the
form of a paste of normal consistency. The paste is
confined in a mould identical to that used for
measurement of normal consistency and setting
time is determined by use of a penetration needle.
The setting of a cement is reported at two stages.
The initial set occurs when the penetration needle
fails to penetrate the cement paste, to within 1 mm
of the bottom of the mould. Hard set occurs when
the needle fails to penetrate 0.5 mm into the surface.
Temperature, humidity, fineness and mineralogy all
influence cement setting time.
The reporting accuracy of this test is 15 min.

QCL Group Technical Note

Cement Testing

Compressive strength is one of the most important

attributes which define the quality and performance
of
a cement. The internationally recognised
ISO/CEN test for mortar compressive strength has a
number of features which are of great value:
1. It provides a measure of the intrinsic strength of
the cement, in a manner which is independent of
extraneous variables such as ambient curing
conditions, water content, and aggregate quality
and quantity;
2. It provides a reliable means of evaluating
relative compressive strength against historical
trends; and
3. All other variables being equal, there is a high
correlation between ISO/CEN test data and
concrete strength performance. In other words,
ISO/CEN data can be used to make predictions
about concrete performance.
The test involves mixing defined proportions of
cement and a special sand (of standard grading) at a
fixed water content. The grading of the sand is such
that the mixture prepared is intentionally a microconcrete, rather than a simple sand-cement mortar.
In detail, the test procedure is carried out in four
phases:
1. Mixing of the mortar (in a standard mixer)
using a standard pre-weighed and pre-packaged,
graded sand, currently obtained from Germany.
The water/cement ratio is set at 0.5.

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2. Compacting this mortar mix into special

ISO/CEN prism moulds, using a vibrating table
at a fixed frequency.

Residue + 45 m - Fly Ash Blended Cement

(AS 2350.9)
The fineness test used for Portland cements cannot
be used for fly ash blended cement, because of
limitations of the test procedure.

3. Curing of the mortar prisms under standard

conditions, until testing age - normally 3, 7 and
28 days.

A wet sieve residue on a 45m screen is therefore

used to give an indication of the fineness of fly ash
blended cements.

4. Compression testing of the mortar prism.

The test data from the compression test are required
to meet minimum standards set down in AS 3972.

This value indicates the percentage material by

weight retained on a 45 micron mesh following a
specific washing and drying procedure.

Table 1: Properties and characteristics for Portland and blended cements (AS 3972)
Type of cement
Property

General purpose
Type GP

Type GB

Special purpose
Type HE

Type LH

Type SR

Type SL

Chemical tests
SO3 content (AS 2350.2) maximum (%)
C3A content (AS 2350.2) maximum (%)
Heat of hydration (AS 2350.7) maximum (J/g)
at 7 days
at 28 days

3.5
-

3.5
-

3.5
-

3.5
-

3.0
5.0

3.5
-

280
320

Physical tests
Setting time (AS 2350.4)
minimum (min)
maximum (h)
Soundness (AS 2350.5) maximum (mm)
Compressive strength (AS 2350.11) min (MPa)
at 3 days
at 7 days
at 28 days
Shrinkage (AS 2350.13) maximum microstrain
at 28 days

QCL Group Technical Note

Cement Testing

45
10
5

45
10
5

45
10
5

45
10
5

45
10
5

45
10
5

25
40

15
30

20
30
-

10
30

20
30

20
30

750

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