Capping concrete cylinders and grout prisms with sulfur mortar helps to give them a plane, level

surface, so that force is applied evenly to the entire end surface when the specimen is broken
during the ASTM C39 procedure to test compressive strength. Capping will help you to get more
accurate results for the strength of your specimen than if you were to break it uncapped.
Sulfur mortar is a good material to use for capping because it melts quickly and cools even more
quickly, and it is bonded to the specimen itself so your caps will not move or slide around during
the breaking process.

To cap a specimen with sulfur, you will melt sulfur in a pot and then pour the sulfur onto a plate
with a recessed area that is the shape of your specimen but a bit larger in diameter. Then you
dip the specimen into the molten sulfur and hold it there, making sure it’s vertical. The molten
sulfur will cool around the end of your sample and form a cap with an even surface, covering any
jagged edges or points on the end of your specimen.

Equipment Needed For Capping With Sulfur

 Sulfur Melting Pot - must be capable of heating the sulfur to a temperature of 265-290
degrees Fahrenheit. The melting pot must also be equipped with automatic temperature
controls, and must be made of a metal that won't react with molten sulfur. It is
recommended that you use a melting pot with peripheral heating; otherwise, accidents may
happen if you are reheating a cooled sulfur mixture that has crusted over on the surface.
This can also be avoided by using a metal rod or ladle to contact the bottom of the pot and
stick out over the surface of the molten sulfur. This conducts heat to the top of the rod,
causing a ring around the rod to melt first and relieve pressure that is building up at the
bottom of the mixture.
 Fume hood - a fume hood is necessary for safety, as heating sulfur over an open flame is
very dangerous in a couple of ways. The flash point of sulfur is around 405 degrees
Fahrenheit, and it can ignite suddenly if it goes over the flash point temperature. If your
sulfur mixture starts to burn, covering it will snuff out the flame, and then you should
recharge the pot with fresh material after the fire goes out. Also, fume hoods suck out the
toxic gases that molten sulfur can produce, such as hydrogen sulfide. Make sure your
capping area is well ventilated, as hydrogen sulfide gas can be lethal in high
concentrations, and in lower concentrations it will make you nauseous, dizzy, cause
stomach issues, give you a headache, and cause eye irritation. It is a colorless gas and
smells like rotten eggs, but your sensitivity to the odor may disappear with exposure, so
take frequent breaks in fresh air while you cap.
 Thermometer - must be able to measure the sulfur's temperature accurately to the nearest
degree, going up to at least 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and be made of a metal that is not
reactive with molten sulfur.
 Capping plate - must be made of metal or stone that won’t react with sulfur and must be
plane to 0.002 inches over at least a 6 inch area. The surface of your capping plate must be
smooth and have minimal gouges, grooves, and indentations that could create a bumpy
surface on your caps. Gouges, grooves, and indentations should be less than 0.01 inches
deep and less than 0.05 square inches in surface area, or the plate will need to be
resurfaced or replaced. In all cases, capping plates should be at least 1 inch wider than
whatever you are capping. If your plate has a recessed area to pour sulfur into, that area
should not be deeper than 1/2 an inch.
 Alignment device - cylinders can be aligned either with a guide bar attached to the capping
plate, or aligned with a bubble level placed on top of the cylinder. If you are using a guide
bar, it has to be located so that no cap will be off centered on a test specimen by more than
1/16th of an inch. Also, no cap should depart from perpendicularity to the axis of the
specimen by more than 0.5 degrees.
 Ladle - must be made of a metal that won't react with the sulfur and large enough to get a
big scoop of sulfur that is not easily spilled on the floor.
 Safety gear - Working with sulfur can be dangerous. It is important to wear the proper safety
gear to protect you from burns: gloves, an apron, eye protection, and arm protectors, too.