Test cubes

Test cubes are used to determine the compressive strength of the concrete. See company
standing instructions or procedures or general work instructions, when issued, for
procedures on making, storing and despatching test cubes to testing laboratories.

BS EN 12390–2 covers the making and curing of specimens for strength tests. Cubes from
dry-lean concrete require to be compacted by vibration and pressure. A local independent
testing laboratory may be used provided it holds current UKAS accreditation and, in the case
of contract work, meets with the approval of the employing authority.

All cubes for testing at an age of 7 days must be accompanied by their companion cubes for
testing at 28 days. Local testing laboratories must not test 7-day cubes unless accompanied
by their companion 28-day cubes.

The number of cubes made from each sample will depend on the compliance requirements
of any particular specifi cation. Normally at least three cubes should be taken allowing for at
least one test at 7 days and two at 28 days. It may be prudent to make a fourth cube for
possible testing at 56 days in the event of noncompliance when tested at 28 days. There
may be an advantage in determining strength at ages between 7 and 28 days, in which case
additional cubes will be required.

Standard cube moulds are used for making the cubes, and these can be either 150 mm or
100 mm. As a general rule, 150 mm cubes should be used. 150 mm mould should be filled in
three approximately equal layers. Each layer is compacted with a special tamping bar which
has one square end to be used for the tamping.

Tamping should be done uniformly over the whole layer until the concrete appears to be fully
compacted. The number of strokes required will depend on the type of mix, but at least 25
strokes per layer are required. Generally it will be found that more than the 35 strokes will
be required to compact the concrete fully.

After the top layer has been compacted, smooth it level with the top of the mould using a
steel float. If the mould is too full after fl oating, do not scrape the surface. Rather, some of
the top concrete including some coarse aggregate, should be removed, and the top should
be re-compacted in the normal way.

All specimens should be cured before they are tested. They should be left in the moulds for
24 hours, covered with damp sacking and wrapped in plastic sheeting. They should not be
disturbed during this period, and should be stored at a temperature of about 20 °C. The
moulds are stripped at 24 hours. The base plate is removed first and then the sides are
removed. Remember that the concrete will be very weak and susceptible to damage. Any
pieces of concrete knocked off or cracked will affect the strength readings. Straight after
demoulding, the specimens should be indelibly marked with a unique reference and then
submerged in a water bath. The water should be thermostatically controlled at a
temperature of 20 °C +/- 2 °C. The moulds themselves should be cleaned of all traces of
concrete, re-oiled, reassembled and carefully stored for re-use.

Daily maximum and minimum temperatures should be recorded throughout the whole
curing period. Normally, compliance with strength requirements is assessed on the basis of
the average strength of the two cubes made from the same sample and tested at 28 days.

This constitutes a ‘test result’. In the absence of other explicit requirements of the
specification, refer to the requirements of BS 8500 and BS EN 206–1.
This means that, on all sites, it is necessary to maintain continuous profiling of each
individual test result and the average of four consecutive test results as each test is
received. This may be done in either tabular or graphical form. Simple computer
programmes are being produced to assist in this monitoring.

It can be seen that if a test result falls below the specified characteristic compressive
strength this does not necessarily mean that concrete production is out of control, but it can
be an indication that batching techniques require improvement or the mix design requires
adjustment.

In the event of non-compliance with the specification, immediate steps must be taken to
improve the situation. Action regarding any suspect concrete already cast is determined by
the designer. His instructions can range between adjustments to mix design or batching
techniques, to removal and replacement of the non-compliant concrete.