Objective: To check air content present in freshly mixed concrete

Equipment used: Air entrainment meter, tamping rod, rubber mallet, trowel
Procedure:
 Add the constituents of the concrete mix in the following order: coarse aggregate,
fine aggregate, cement, and then water. This order ensures that the cement paste
doesn’t stick to the walls of the mixing drum.
 Next fill up the air entrainment apparatus in 3 equal layers. Each layer must be
tamped 25 times with the tamping rod. Also tamp the container few times with
rubber mallet. This ensure no large air bubbles are trapped inside.
 Once the apparatus is filled, level off the surface with a trowel.
 Then place the lid and close it. make sure the lid makes an airtight seal, so no air
can escape.
 Next open the overflow valve and completely fill it with water. Once filled close the
valve.
 Then pump air into the device using the attached pump.
 Once the reading on the gauge has settled, note it down. This is the percentage of
air in our concrete mix.

Calculation and Analysis:

Percentage of air in the concrete = 8.5%

Conclusion:
Some amount of air is always present in fresh concrete. This air is known as entrapped air.
Compacting is done to reduce this entrapped air. Higher air content provides higher
workability, but it makes the concrete prone to segregation. Therefore, appropriate amount
of air should be maintained for durable and strong concrete.