ECA 2133

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

TUTORAL 1

LECTURER :

NAME : MOHAMAD ZULFIKRIE BIN MOHD DZAMRY

MATRIC NO : 2150176
1. Define what is cement ?.

Cement is simply defined as a material that stick and attach when wet, then
become solid and hard when dry.
 2. Explain three types of cement and its application ?

TYPE NAME APPLICATION

Type 1 Normal  It is a general-purpose cement used in concrete for

making pavements, floors, reinforced concrete building,
bridges, tanks, pipes, etc.
 Its is for all uses where the special properties of other
cement types are not required, such as sulfate attack
from soil and water, or to an objectionable temperature
rise
Type 2 Moderate sulfate resistance  It is used where precaution against moderate sulfate
attack is important, as in drainage structures, which may
be subjected to a moderate sulfate concentration from
ground waters.
 It has moderate sulfate resistance because it contains no
more than 8% tricalcium aluminate (C3A).
 It usually generates less heat of hydration at a slower
rate than Type I cement and therefore can be used in
mass structures such as large piers, heavy abutments,
and retaining walls.
 Due to less heat generation it can be preferred in hot
weather.
Type 3 High early strength  It is chemically and physically similar to Type I cement,
except that its particles have been ground finer.
 It provides high early strengths at an early period,
usually a week or less.
 It is used when forms need to be removed as soon as
possible or when the structure must be put into service
quickly.
  It is preferred in cold weather for reduction in the curing
period.

3. Differentiate between coarse and fine aggregate ?

DIFFERENT

Coarse aggregate Fine aggregate

River, gravel, crushed stone (> 4.75mm) Sand (75μm to 4.75mm)

helps in making up the volume needed to fill high performance concrete
the foundation
cannot cover the surface area in the manner cover the surface area in the manner
low cost High cost
 4. Explain the following test :
a. Cube test

compressive strength of concrete: Out of many test applied to the concrete, this is the utmost
important which gives an idea about all the characteristics of concrete. By this single test one
judge that whether Concreting has been done properly or not.

For cube test two types of specimens either cubes of 15 cm X 15 cm X

15 cm or 10cm X 10 cm x 10 cm depending upon the size of aggregate
are used. For most of the works cubical moulds of size 15 cm x 15cm x
15 cm are commonly used.

This concrete is poured in the mould and tempered properly so as not to

have any voids. After 24 hours these moulds are removed and test
specimens are put in water for curing. The top surface of these specimen
should be made even and smooth. This is done by putting cement paste
and spreading smoothly on whole area of specimen.

b. Flexural test

To determine the Flexural Strength of Concrete, which comes into play when a road slab
with inadequate sub-grade support is subjected to wheel loads and / or there are volume changes
due to temperature / shrinking.

Method to prepare the test is as above:

 1. Prepare the test specimen by filling the concrete into the mould in 3 layers of
approximately equal thickness.
2. Tamp each layer 35 times using the tamping bar as specified above. Tamping should be
distributed uniformly over the entire crossection of the beam mould and throughout the
depth of each layer.
3. Clean the bearing surfaces of the supporting and loading rollers , and remove any loose
sand or other material from the surfaces of the specimen where they are to make contact
with the rollers.
c. Split tensie test

The tensile strength of concrete is one of the basic and important properties. Splitting
tensile strength test on concrete cylinder is a method to determine the tensile strength of
concrete.

The concrete is very weak in tension due to its brittle nature and is not expected to resist
the direct tension. The concrete develops cracks when subjected to tensile forces. Thus, it is
necessary to determine the tensile strength of concrete to determine the load at which the
concrete members may crack.

The method of the split tensie test :

 Take the wet specimen from water after 7 days of curing.

 Wipe out water from the surface of specimen.
 Draw diametrical lines on the two ends of the specimen to ensure that they are on
the same axial place. Note the weight and dimension of the specimen.
 Set the compression testing machine for the required range. Keep are plywood
strip on the lower plate and place the specimen.
 Align the specimen so that the lines marked on the ends are vertical and centered
over the bottom plate.
 Place the other plywood strip above the specimen.
 Bring down the upper plate to touch the plywood strip. Apply the load
continuously without shock at a rate of approximately 14-21kg/cm2/minute
 (Which corresponds to a total load of 9900kg/minute to 14850kg/minute) Note
down the breaking load(P)

d. Slump test

The slump test is a means of assessing the consistency of fresh concrete. It is used,
indirectly, as a means of checking that the correct amount of water has been added to the mix.
The test is carried out in accordance with BS EN 12350-2, Testing fresh concrete. Slump test.
This replaces BS 1881: Part 102.

 The steel slump cone is placed on a solid, impermeable, level base and filled
with the fresh concrete in three equal layers.
 Each layer is rodded 25 times to ensure compaction.
 The third layer is finished off level with the top of the cone.
 The cone is carefully lifted up, leaving a heap of concrete that settles or ‘slumps’
slightly.
 The upturned slump cone is placed on the base to act as a reference, and the
difference in level between its top and the top of the concrete is measured and
recorded to the nearest 5 mm to give the slump of the concrete.

When the cone is removed, the slump may take one of three forms. In a true slump the
concrete simply subsides, keeping more or less to shape. In a shear slump the top portion of the
concrete shears off and slips sideways. In a collapse slump the concrete collapses completely.
Only a true slump is of any use in the test. If a shear or collapse slump is achieved, a fresh
sample should be taken and the test repeated. A collapse slump will generally mean that the mix
is too wet or that it is a high workability mix, for which the flow test (see separate entry) is more
appropriate.