Chapter 8 Standard Test Procedures

Tests On Cement

8.3 Compressive Strength of Cement

8.3.1 General Requirements

8.3.1.1 Scope: The strength of cement is determined by compressive strength tests, on

100mm concrete cubes, or 70.7mm mortar cubes, made with specified coarse and
fine aggregates, in the case of the 100mm concrete cubes and specified sand in the
case of the 70.7 mortar cubes, mixed by a machine and compacted manually with a
compacting bar.

Note. The water/cement ration is 0.60 (C1, Table 8.3.1) for all cements except
super sulphated and high alumina, for which values of 0.55 (C2 Table
8.3.1) and 0.45 (C3 Table 8.3.1) respectively are used.

Table 8.3.1 Mixes for concrete cubes (in grams)

Mix type Material Proportion Mass for Mass for 9 Mass for
by mass 6 cubes cubes 12 cubes
Cement 1.0 2200±5 3200±5 4200±5
C1 Sand 2.5 5500 8000 10500
Coarse 3.5 7700±10 11200±10 14700±10
agg. 0.60 1320±5 1920±5 2520±5
Water
Cement 1.0 2200±5 3200±5 4200±5
C2 Sand 2.5 5500 8000 10500
Coarse 3.5 7700±10 11200±10 14700±10
agg. 0.55 1210±5 1760±5 2310±5
Water
Cement 1.0 2940±5 4270±5 5600±5
C3 Sand 1.875 5500 8000 10500
Coarse 2.625 7700±10 11200±10 14700±10
agg. 0.45 1320±-5 1920±5 2520±5
Water

8.3.1.2 Apparatus

8.3.1.2.1 Moulds

a) Construction and assembly. The sides of the mould shall be made from
ferrous metal. The mould shall include a removable ferrous metal base plate. All
parts shall be robust enough to prevent distortion. Before assembly for use, the
joints between the sides of the mould and between the sides and the base plate
shall be thinly coated with oil or grease to prevent loss of water. The whole
assembly when completed must be rigidly held together in such a manner as to
prevent leakage from the mould. The internal faces of the mould shall be thinly
coated with release agent to prevent adhesion of the concrete.

Tolerances: The dimensional deviations shall be as follows:

i) Dimensions: The internal depth of the mould when assembled and the
distance between the two pairs of opposite internal faces, shall be 100 mm
plus or minus 0.15 mm for the 100mm moulds and 70.7 mm plus or minus
0.1mm for the 70.7 mm moulds

ii) Flatness: The flatness tolerance for each internal side face when
assembled shall be 0.03mm wide for the both the 70.7mm and the 100mm
moulds. The flatness tolerance for the joint faces, for the top and bottom

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surfaces of the assembled mould sides and the top surface of the base
plate shall be 0.06mm wide.

iii) Squareness: When assembled, the squareness tolerance for each internal
side face with respect to the adjacent internal side face and top of the base
plate shall be 0.5 mm wide for the both the 70.7 mm and the 100 mm
moulds.

iv) Parallelism: When assembled, the parallelism tolerance for the top surface
of the mould with respect to the top surface of the base plate shall be
1.0mm wide both for the 70.7mm and the 100mm moulds.

v) Surface texture: The surface texture of each internal side face shall not
exceed 3.2 micron when determined in accordance with BS 1134 both for
the 70.7 mm and the 100 mm moulds.

8.3.1.2.2 Scoop, approximately 100mm wide.

8.3.1.2.3 Square mouthed shovel, size 2 BS 3388.

8.3.1.2.4 Plasterer’s steel float.

8.3.1.2.5 Compacting bar weighing 1.8 plus or minus 0.1 kg, at least 380mm long and having a
ramming face of 25 plus or minus 0.5mm square.

8.3.1.2.6 Mixer. The concrete mixer shall be of suitable capacity to mix a concrete batch in
one operation. It shall comprise a rotating mixing pan with contra-rotating mixing
paddle and a scraper blade as shown in Figure 8.3.1 and Figure 8.3.2. The mixing
pan shall rotate at 18 plus or minus 1r/min. The mixing paddle shall rotate at 90 plus
or minus 5 r/min. The mixer shall preferably be fitted with an automatic timing device
otherwise a stopwatch should be provided.

8.3.1.2.7 Tank. The tank shall contain clean tap water which shall be replace at least every 7
days with water at the specified temperature.

8.3.1.2.8 Compression testing machine. Over the scale range used, the machine shall be
capable of applying the load at a rate of about 0.25 N/mm2 per second for the 100mm
concrete moulds and at a rate of about 0.60Mpa for the 70.7mm mortar moulds and
shall comply with grade 1 of BS 1610.

8.3.1.3 Temperature and humidity conditions. The temperature throughout the entire
test procedure should be controlled at 200C with permitted variations as shown in
Table 8.3.2. The minimum relative humidity shall be as given in Table 8.3.2.

Table 8.3.2 Temperature and humidity conditions.

Situation Permitted temperature Minimum Relative

Variation, 0C Humidity
%
Mixing room ±2 50
Moist curing ±1 90
chamber ±1 -
Water curing tank ±2 50
Water curing tank

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Chapter 8 Standard Test Procedures
Tests On Cement
Form 8.3.1

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Tests On Cement

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Chapter 8 Standard Test Procedures
Tests On Cement

Figure 8.3.3 : Typical Vibration Machine for compacting Mortar

Cubes

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8.3.1.4 Preparation of samples. The specimens shall be prepared as follows:

8.3.1.4.1 Number of cubes. Make batches of six, nine, or twelve cubes for testing at the
specified ages.

8.3.1.4.2 Aggregates. The coarse aggregate and sand shall comply.

8.3.1.4.2.1 Standard coarse aggregate for concrete cubes (100mm 70.7mm moulds).

a) Scope. The coarse aggregate shall consist of clean, substantially free from
dust and dry crushed granite, in one fraction, 10mm to 5mm nominal size,
30Kg of aggregate is required for sampling purposes and it shall be reduced,
using a sample divider, to six sub-samples of about 500g each.

b) Grading. The coarse aggregate shall comply with the grading requirements
of the table below:

Test sieve Percentage passing sieve

10.00mm 90 - 100
5.00 0 - 10

Sieve the coarse aggregate on 10 mm and 5 mm and 5 mm sieves with square holes
so that it is substantially free from oversized particles.

8.3.1.4.3 Standard sand to be used with standard coarse aggregate for making
concrete cubes

a) Scope. Natural silica sand in five fractions. Each fraction shall comply with
the grading requirements of table 5. For each fraction of sand, 8kg sand are
required for sampling purposes and the sand shall be reduced using a
sample divider to six sub-sample of about 500g each.

b) Grading. The sand shall comply with the grading requirements of Table 8.3.3
below:

Table 8.3.3 Grading of sand fractions for concrete cubes 100mm or 70.7 mm

Fraction A Fraction B Fraction C Fraction D Fraction E

Test sieve % passing % passing % passing % passing % passing

3.35 mm 100 100 100 100 100
3.35-2.36 mm 90-100 100 100 100 100
2.36-1.18mm 0-10 90-100 100 100 100
1.18mm-600 mic 0 0-10 90-100 100 100
600mic-300mic 0 0 0-10 90-100 100
300mic-150mm 0 0 0 0-15 85-100
150-90 mic 0 0 0 0 0-15
75 mic 0 0 0 0 0

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8.3.2 Compressive Strength Procedure using the 100 mm Concrete Moulds

8.3.2.1 Proportionship of materials. The masses of the individual materials for batches of
six, nine of twelve cubes are given in Table 8.3.1 and 8.3.4.

Table 8.3.4 Mass for individual fractions of sand (in grams)

Fraction Mass for 6 Mass for Mass for
cubes 9 cubes 12 cubes
A (2.36-1.18mm) 550±5 800±5 1050±5
B (1.18-600 micron) 1100±5 1600±5 2100±5
C (600 micron-300 micron) 1650±5 2400±5 3150±5
D (300 micron-150 micron) 1375±5 2000±5 2625±5

8.3.2.2 Mixing. Place the weighed materials in the mixer in the following order:

1. Sand, 2. Cement, 3. Coarse aggregate

Hold the mixing water ready and start the mixer. After 15s add the water uniformly
during the next 15s, and then continue mixing for a total time of 180 plus or minus 5s.
After the machine mixing, turn the concrete over in the pan a few times with a trowel
to remove any slight segregation.

8.3.2.3 Compacting: Half fill the cube moulds as quickly as possible. Compact each mould
with exactly 35 strokes of the compacting bar, uniformly distributed over the cross
section of the mould. Place a further quantity of concrete in each mould to form the
top layer and compact similarly. Then strike off the top of each cube and smooth with
the trowel so that the surface or the concrete is level with the top of the cube.
Complete the entire operation within 15 minutes from the completion of the mixing.

8.3.2.4 Storage of specimens. Immediately after preparation, place the moulds in single
layer on a layer on a level surface in a moist curing chamber. In order to reduce
evaporation, cover the exposed top of the cubes with a flat impervious sheet making
contact with the upper edge of the mould. After 24h plus or minus 0.5h mark the
cubes for later identification and remove from the moulds. Immediately submerge all
specimens, except the ones to be tested at 24h, in the tank and arrange in such a
way that the temperature variation specified in Table 1 is not exceeded. Leave the
cubes in the tank until just prior to the test but ensure that the temperature of the
water in the tank is maintained at 200C plus or minus 20C.

Specimens to be tested at 24h are marked and demoulded 15 min to 20 min before
the test and are covered with a damp cloth so that they remain in a moist condition. If
the concrete has not achieved sufficient strength after 24h to be handled without fear
of damage, delay the demoulding for a further 24h but state this in the test report.

8.3.2.5 Testing of specimens. Determine the compressive strength of the cubes, under the
temperature and relative humidity conditions specified in Table 8.3.2 for the
compression testing room, at the specified age, calculated from the time that water
was added to the materials, by the applying load without shock in the testing
machine. Ensure that all surfaces of the cube are clean and that no grit or any other
particle rests on the surface receiving the load and centre the cube on the lower
platen and ensure that the load will be applied to the two opposite cast faces of the
cube. The rate of loading shall be about 0.25 N/mm2 per second using the auxiliary
platens.

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Test the specimens within the following limits:

24h plus or minus 0.5h

3 days plus or minus 1.0h
7 days plus or minus 2.0h
28 days plus or minus 4.0h

8.3.2.6 Calculation. Calculate the average of the individual results of the set of three
specimens tested at the same age, and express the result to the nearest 0.5N/mm2. If
one result within the same set varies by more than 5% of the average of the set,
discard the result and recalculate the average of the remaining results. If more than
one result varies by more than 5% from the average, discard the set of results.

8.3.2.7 Report. Report the individual results and the average compressive strength to the
nearest 0.5N/mm2, indicating if any result has been discarded.

8.3.3 Compressive Strength of Mortar Cubes using the 70.7 mm Mortar Cubes

The strengths of cement is determined by compressive strengths tests on 70.7mm

mortar cubes, made with specified sand, mixed by hand and compacted by means of
a standard vibration machine. The equipment required for this test has been
described in the general requirements for the compressive strengths of cement using
100mm concrete moulds. In addition to the equipment above there is a requirement
for a vibrations machine. A typical vibration machine as shown in Fig. 8.3.3 is
suitable. The temperature and humidity conditions required for the test are identical
to those in the test for the compressive strengths of cement using 100mm concrete
moulds.

8.3.3.1 Standard sand to be used for making mortar cubes.

8 kg of sand are required for sampling purposes and it shall be reduced using the
sample divider into sub-samples of about 500g each.

The moisture content of the sand shall not exceed 0.1% by dry mass using the oven-
dry method.

The grading of the sand shall be such that all of it passes 850 micron test sieve and
the proportion by mass passing the 600 micron test sieve shall not exceed 10%.

The sand shall show a loss of mass not exceeding 0.25% on extraction with hot
hydrochloric acid when determined in the following methods:

8.3.3.2 Method

Dry a sample of little over 2g of the sand at a temperature of 1050C plus or minus
50C for a period of 1 h.

Weigh a quantity of about 2g of the dried sand to an accuracy of plus or minus

0.001g into a porcelain dish and add 20ml of 1 M hydrochloric acid and 20ml of
distilled water. Heat the dish on a water bath for 1h, filter the contents, and wash well
with hot water.

Dry the sand, ignite it in a covered crucible, cool it and weigh it again. The loss in
mass shall be expressed as a percentage of the original mass of sample.

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8.3.3.3 Proportioning. The mass of cement, sand and water for each cube is given in Table
8.3.5.

Table 8.3.5 Mixes for mortar cubes:

Mix type Material Proportions by Mass for 1 cube
mass
Cement 1.0 185±1
V1 Sand 3.0 555±1
Water 0.40 74±1

8.3.3.4 Mixing. Before mixing, clamp the assembled mould on the table of the vibration
machine and attach the hopper to the top of the mould. Mix the mortar for each cube
separately on a non-porous surface that has been wiped clean with a damp cloth. Mix
the cement and the sand dry, for 1 min, by means of the two trowels. Then add the
water and mix the whole for 4 min with the two trowels.

8.3.3.5 Compacting. Please the whole of the mortar in the hopper of the mould by means of
a suitable scoop as quickly as possible and compact by vibration for a period of 120s
plus or minus 5s.

8.3.3.6 Storage. Storage of samples is identical with the procedure for test using 100mm
concrete cubes.

8.3.3.7 Testing. The testing of the 70.7mm mortar cubes is the same procedure as the
testing used for the 100mm concrete cubes except that the rate of loading shall be
0.60/Nmm2 per second. Calculations and reporting are identical to the corresponding
sections of test using the 100mm concrete cubes.

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