CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND TESTING
guessing Test)
LESSON 1
QUALITY CONTROL AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE
 The term QUALITY is that characteristic
of a product that provides a level of
performance in terms of service and life.
“Quality” does not mean “perfect.”
QUALITY CONTROL
 Quality control is checking for conformity
to the requirements. That is,
conformance to materials specifications
and methods of construction, or
workmanship. Quality control therefore,
includes all procedures which are
necessary to insure that the materials
used and workmanship employed
conform to the standard of quality
specified.
SAMPLING AND TESTING OF MATERIALS
SAMPLING
• Samples are taken to represent the
total, to know the distinct characteristics
• There is no substitute for sampling if the
aim is to get an idea of quality
• Sampling is standardized so as to
minimize the effect of human error
TESTING
• Without testing either in the field or
laboratory, no one, not even the experts
can state definitely if the standard of
quality of certain materials is satisfied
• If quality control is done by slight or
other means without benefit of
laboratory test, that is purely or simply
MINIMUM TESTING REQUIREMENTS
 the prescribe tests on the construction
materials to be used in a project based
on the approved contract quantities.
 the requirements which specify the kind
and number of tests for each pay item of
works.
 testing is done as the materials are
being incorporated into the work. It
should emphasize that what are
specified are the minimum number of
testing only. Additional number of test
can be required to the materials if the
owner/inspector is in doubt of the quality
of materials or the finished structure.
MINIMUM TESTING REQUIREMENTS
 Kind and number of test of materials
incorporated into the project based of
the total quantity of each material in
POW.
 Materials should represent those
delivered at the project site.
 Basis for payment (Comply for minimum
testing requirement).
BASIC TESTING EQUIPMENT
Wash Test and Sieve Analysis
 set of Sieves
Specific Gravity
 Pycnometer
Slump Test
 Slump cone
Moisture Density Relation (Compaction
 Molds
 Rammer
 Sample Extruder
 Balances and scales
 Drying oven
 Straight edge
 Sieves – 50, 19.0 and 4.75
 Mixing Tools
 Containers (for moisture content
samples)
Abrasion Test
 Los Angeles Machine
 Standard sieves with pan and cover
 Abrasive charges
 Pans
 Balances and weights
 Oven
Field density test
 Density Apparatus
 Sand (passing No. 10 and retained No.
200)
 Oven with temperature control
 Digging tools, such as earth auger,
crowbar or chisel
 Soil pans, MC cans, plastic bags,
labeling materials
 Balances
HANDLING AND STORAGE OF MATERIALS
 Delivered construction materials should
be placed or stored in a safe
location/place to protect from
contamination or the action of the
weather and to avoid damage and to
maintain the desired quality.
  To prevent contamination of materials to
other similar type particularly those
coming from other sources, it should be
provided with separator or partition in
case of a small stockpile area, however,
in case of a big stockpile area, provide
adequate distance for each type of
materials depending on sources and
sizes.
 Other construction materials which are
sensitive to weather conditions like
cement, steel bars, etc. should be kept
in a site that are protected from direct
sunlight and rain. It should not be placed
directly on the ground to maintain its
quality.
STORAGE OF CONCRETE AGGREGATES
 The handling and storing of concrete
aggregates shall be such as to prevent
segregation or the inclusion of foreign
materials. The Engineer may require
that aggregates be stored on separate
platforms at satisfactory locations.
 In order to secure uniformity of concrete
mix, the Engineer may require that the
coarse aggregate be separated into two
or more sizes. Different sized of
aggregate shall be stored in separate
bins or in separate stockpiles sufficiently
removed from each other to prevent the
material at the edges of the piles from
becoming intermixed.
PROPERTIES OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS
1. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
2. CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
3. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
1. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
 characteristics of distinguishing qualities  Total Moisture Content
that are used to describe a substance of  determination of the amount of water in
external forces the soil.
 A description of the physical behavior of
a material that includes such 2. CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
characteristics such as:
 the characteristics of materials that
relates to its behavior in chemical
o Density reaction. The engineer is concerned
o Specific Gravity with the properties of materials
o Porosity particularly in connection with corrosion,
o Water absorption, etc. alloying, compound formation, etc.
3. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Density
 the properties that characterized the
 Mass per unit volume for a material
quality of materials of construction
(kg/m3, g/cm3)
include tests of strength, (tension,
 Two Types:
compression, shear, bending, torsion)
1. Bulk density
2. Dry density  ELASTICITY - material under how
stress do not suffer any appreciable
Specific Gravity
permanent change of form,
 ratio of the mass (wt. In air) of a unit recovering their original form after
volume of a material to the mass of the the removal of load.
same volume of water.
 quick indicator of the suitability of an  PLASTICITY - materials that under
aggregate, high stress suffer a permanent
 low specific gravity frequently indicates change of form, after removing the
porous, weak & absorptive materials, load, the load remains on its
 high specific gravity indicates a high deformation.
quality of materials,
 TOUGHNESS – materials with
 Porosity(n) and Void Ratio (e)
stand but with a great deformation
Porosity together with a high stress without
fracture.
 Ratio of volume of the spaces in the
 MALEABILITY – is the quality of
material to the overall volume
material by virtue of which it may be
Void Ratio practically compressed.
 Ratio of volume of voids to the volume  HARDNESS- a material which
of solid material resist abrasion or resistant to
 Water Absorption pressure.
 It denotes the ability of material to
absorb and retain water.
Strength – ability of material to resist failure
under the action of stresses caused by loads.
Stress – the applied Forces (P) divided by the
original Area(A)
o Compression
o Tension
o Shear
o Bending
o Torsion
Strain - the quantity used to provide measure of
the intensity of the deformation just as stress is
used to provide a measure of the intensity of an
internal force.
LESSON 2
CEMENT
WHAT IS PORTLAND CEMENT?
It is the generic term for fine, gray or
white powder manufactured using high
temperature to produce silicates that, in the
presence of water, will undergo hydration
producing a product that will bring aggregates
together to produce mortar, stucco or concrete.
HOW IS PORTLAND CEMENT MADE?
Portland cement is made when
materials that contain proper amounts of calcium
compounds, silica, alumina, and iron oxide are
crushed and screened and placed in a rotating
cement kiln. Ingredients used in this process are
usually materials such as limestone, marl, shale,
iron, ore, clay, and fly ash.
PROCEDURE TO MAKE CEMENT
Material bed materials
Pour
Preheater Type I - is a general purpose Portland cement
that is suitable for most uses
Kiln
Type II– is used for constructions in water or soil
Energy is pumped into the raw materials in the that contains moderate amounts of sulphate, or
rotary kiln. This the high-cost item in cement when heat build-up is a concern
production. The product has a higher energy
level than the raw feed, and higher than that of Type III – provides and supplies high strength at
hardened cement. an early state, usually in a week or less
C/K cooler Type IV – used for massive concrete surfaces
such as dams
C/K
Type V- resists chemical attack by soil and
Mill water high in sulfates
C/M silo Type IA, IIA, and IIIA – are cements used to
THE CEMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS: make air- entrained concrete. They have the
same propertied as types I, II, and III, but with
Quarrying (includes blasting, transport, crushing,
storage at the plant)
the exception of possessing small quantities of
air-entrained materials shared and combined
with them.
Raw grinding
WHAT IS BLENDED CEMENT?
Homogenization
Blended hydraulic cements are
Burning
produced by intimately and uniformly inter-
Finish grinding grinding or blending two or more types of fine
materials. The primary materials are Portland
Storage, packing and dispatching cement, ground granulated blast furnace slag,
fly ash, silica fume, calcinated clay, other
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF
pozzolans, hydrated lime, and pre-blended
CEMENT?
combinations of these materials.
Portland cement
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF BLENDED
Blended cement CEMENT?
TYPE IS – PORTLAND BLAST FURNACE
SLAG CEMENT
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
TYPE IP AND TYPE P – PORTLAND-
PORTLAND CEMENT?
POZZOLAN CEMENT
All Portland cement is mainly similar but
TYPE I(PM) – POZZOLAN-MODIFIED
there are eight types of cement based on ASTM
c150 that are manufactured to meet various PORTLAND CEMENT
physical and chemical requirements for specific TYPE S – SLAG CEMENT
applications:
TYPE I(SM) – SLAG-MODIFIED PORTLAND
CEMENT
WHAT ARE THE RAW MATERIALS USED IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF PORTLAND
CEMENT?
The two main raw materials used in
making Portland cement are calcareous
substances like chalk, limestone, marl or shells
and argillaceous elements like clay and shale
that are rich in silica.
2-Cementitious Materials
C = Calcium Oxide = “Lime” = CaO S = Silicon
Dioxide = “Silica” = SiO2
A = Aluminum Dioxide = “Alumina” = Al2O3
F = Iron Oxide = Fe2O3
CaO = 63%, SiO2 = 21%, Al2O3 = 6%, Fe2O3 =
3%
Feed proportions will vary depending on cement
type being manufactured
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
CEMENT AND CONCRETE?
Cement is actually an ingredient of
concrete. Concrete is a mixture of aggregates
and paste. The aggregates are sand and gravel
or crushed stone; the paste is water and
portland cement.
Concrete is a hard, strong construction material
consisting of sand, conglomerate, gravel,
pebbles, broken stone, or slag in a mortar or
cement matrix.
Concrete gets stronger as it gets older. Portland
cement is the generic for the type of cement
used in virtually all concrete.
Cement compromises from 10 to 15 percent of
the concrete mix, by volume.
In the process called hydration, the cement and danger to the consumers. Cement is a binder
water harden and bind the aggregates into a and not an adhesive. It binds fine and coarse
rocklike mass. This hardening process
aggregates with reinforcing steel bars to form a
continues for years that it brings the idea that
concrete gets stronger and tougher as it gets massive compound called concrete structure.
older.
Hydraulic cements have a wide range of
What does it mean to “cure” concrete? physical properties that predict how cement
influences the performance of concrete.
CURING IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP IN
CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION. WHEN Unfortunately, predicting THE BEHAVIOR S
CONCRETE HAS BEEN CURED PROPERLY, OFTEN VERY DIFFICULT
IT GREATLY INCREASES ITS STRENGTH BECAUSE DETERMINATIONS
AND DURABILITY. THROUGH THE RESULT
OF HYDRATION, CONCRETE HARDENS. IT ARE USUALLY NOT
IS THE CHEMICAL REACTION BETWEEN
CEMENT AND WATER. HYDRATION OCCURS COMPLETE AND
ONLY IF WATER IS AVAILABLE AND IF THE
THEREFORE CAN NOT BE UNDERSTAND.
CONCRETE’S TEMPERATURE STAYS
WITHIN A SUITABLE RANGE. DURING THE
CURING PERIOD WHICH IS FROM FIVE TO
SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE PLACEMENT FOR
CONVENTIONAL CONCRETE, THE LESSON 3
CONCRETE SURFACE NEEDS TO BE KEEP
MOIST TO ALLOW THE HYDRATION
PROCESS.
AGGREGATES
What is the importance of cement testing?
WHAT IS AGGREGATES?
Hydraulic cements are manufactured products
material derived from natural rocks.
that find their principal uses in concrete and
related construction materials. When cement Can also be the by-product of manufacturing
and water are mixed, they undergo various processes of other materials
chemical reactions that gradually change the
mixture from a plastic (or fluid), which can be Constitute 70% to 85% by weight of Portland
cement concrete (PCC) and hot-mix asphalt
molded or cast into a rigid solid, capable of
(HMA) and 60% to 75% by volume of the same
bearing substantial compressive loads. Thus,
materials.
cement and its reactions with water are largely
responsible for most of the key aspects of
Physical, chemical and mechanical properties of
concrete.
aggregates: fundamental in the performance of
pavements.
Cementis a major construction material that is
primarily used for concrete structures, within SOIL GROUPS AND ITS IDENTIFICATION
the proper specification so as not to pose
Granular Soils - individual particles are visible
to naked eyes and it is non-plastic such as
gravel and sand.
Gravel – from 75 mm (3”) to 2.0 mm (#10)
Sand - from 2.0 mm (#10) to 0.075 mm (#200)
Fined-Grained - individual particles are quite
visible to naked eye such as clay and silt. Clay is
plastic when wet and easily crumbles when dry.
Silt is
slightly plastic.
Silt - from 0.075 mm to 0.002 mm
Clay – from 0.002 mm to 0.001 mm
Colloids – less than 0.001 mm
2-AGGREGATE TYPES AND
CLASSIFICATIONS
Classification based on source
Classification based on size
Aggregates are classified as coarse or fine
according to its size.
The size separating them depends on the
application:
FINE AGGREGATES
It shall consist of natural sand, stone screenings
or other inert materials with similar
characteristics, or combinations, thereof, having
hard, strong and durable particles.
It shall not contain more than three (3) mass
percent of material passing the 0.075 mm (No.
200 sieve) by washing nor more than one (1)
mass percent each of clay lumps or shale.
PACKING
Depends on mixing particle sizes
For aggregate, cement and pozzolan in concrete
For Suitcases
For Car Trunks
For Moving Vans
GAP-GRADED
WELL-GRADED
Fine Aggregates
When subjected to five (5) cycles of the sodium
sulfate soundness test the weighted loss shall
not exceed 10 mass percent.
When tested for the effect of organic impurities
of strength of mortar by AASHTO T 71, the fine
aggregates may be used if the relative strength
at 7 and 28 days is not less than 95 mass
percent.
COARSE AGGREGATES
It shall consist of crushed stone, gravel, blast
furnace slag, or other approved inert materials of
similar characteristics or combinations thereof,
having hard, strong, durable pieces and free
from any adherent coatings.
It shall contain not more than one (1) mass
percent of materials passing the 0.075 mm (No.
200 Sieve), nor more than 0.25 mass percent of
clay lumps, nor more than 3.5 mass percent of
soft fragments.
If subjected to five (5) cycles of the sodium
sulfate soundness test, the weighted loss shall
not exceed 12 mass percent.
It shall have a mass percent of wear not
exceeding 40 when tested by AASHTO T 96.
SAMPLING OF AGGREGATES
Sampling is equally as important as the testing
and the sampler shall use every precaution to
obtain samples that will show the nature and
condition of the materials which they actually
represent.
CONCRETE AGGREGATE MATERIALS
TESTS
1. MOISTURE CONTENT
by laboratory definition, moisture content is the
ratio of the weight / mass of water in the soil to
the weight / mass of the dry soil after it has been
dried to a constant weight at a temperature of
110 ± 5 °C.
therefore, moisture content is an important
characteristic by which the behavior of soil is
markedly influenced by the amount of moisture it
contains.
2. PARTICLE SIZE / SIEVE ANALYSIS
is the determination of particle size distribution in
soils by sieve, hydrometer or a combined
analysis where the method which should be
used depends on the size of the soil grains.
Particle size distribution on soils and aggregates
is widely used in the classification and
identification of soil and it is an important
criterion in the classification of highway
subgrade materials.
The larger the particles of gradation are load
bearing and the fine particles bind the coarser
ones to prevent movement between them. The
gradation of soil aggregate material is very
important to achieve maximum contact between
particles and maximum water tightness.
SIGNIFICANCE OF AGGREGATE GRADING
Aggregates having a smooth grading curve and
neither a deficiency nor excess of any one
particle size will generally produce mixtures with
fewer voids between particles.
to avoid higher void content
to determine surface area needed to pasted, if
the surface area increases, more cement paste
is needed to coat the additional surface,
otherwise the concrete would be too stiff.
FINENESS MODULUS
Fineness Modulus is a term used as an index to
the fineness or coarseness of aggregate.
Fineness Modulus of Sand Affects Compressive
and flexural strength of Concrete. Sand, with
higher FM, results in higher strength of concrete.
It is evident by cost benefit ratio that overall
concrete mix is becoming economical if we use
sand with higher FM. The results indicate that
with the increase in FM, workability gets affected
considerably.
AASTHO Designation: M6-93 (Standard It is also used for mass / volume relationships
Specification for Fine Aggregate for Portland for conversions in purchase agreements and for
Cement Concrete)- It indicates that the fineness annual inventory control and verification.
modulus of sand should not be less than 2.3 and
not more than 3.1.
sum of the cumulative percentage retained on
sieves with 9.5mm, 4.75mm, 2.36mm, 1.18mm,
0.60mm, 0.30mm, 0.15mm opening.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY / ABSORPTION
Bulk Specific Gravity is generally used for the
calculation of the volume that the aggregate will
occupy in various mixtures containing
aggregate. These are the Portland Cement
Concrete, Bituminous Concrete, and other
mixtures that are proportioned or analyzed on an
absolute volume analysis.
The test sample for this test is washed and
oven-dried @110 ± 5 C.
Absorption values are used to calculate the
change of weight of an aggregate due to water
absorbed in the pore spaces. The higher the
Absorption, the lower the Specific Gravity and
vice versa.
High value of Absorption indicates poor quality
of aggregate.
UNIT WEIGHT / MASS DETERMINATION
Unit weight / mass determination are used to
determine the bulk density values used in
selecting proportions for concrete mixes.
For the purpose of mixture proportioning, it is
important to know the space occupied by the
aggregate particles, including the pores (voids)
within the particles.