College of Engineering Concrete Tech.

/Practical
Civil Department 2018-2019
Concrete Lab. 2nd year
__________________________________________________________________________________

TEST# 1 standard test method for

Normal Consistency of Hydraulic Cement

1-1 References:

1. ASTM C187-04
2. ASTM C305-99
1-2 Purpose:

This test method is intended to be used to determine the amount of water required to prepare
hydraulic cement past for testing of:

1. Initial setting time,

2. Final setting time, and
3. Soundness test.
1-3 Materials:

1. Potable water.
2. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC).
1-4 Equipment:

1. Sensitive balance,
2. Graduate cylinder,
3. Vicat apparatus (having plunger 10mm±1mm and 300gm as a total weight),
4. Vicat mold,
5. Mixing bowl or pan,
6. Trowel,
7. Glass plate, and
8. Hand covers (plastic gloves).

A: Vicat apparatus

B: plunger (movable rod)

C: plunger end (10mm dia.)

D: removable needle (dia. 1mm)

E: screw to release the plunger.

F: indicator.

G: conical mold (70*60*40) mm, inside

dia. At bottom, inside dia. At top, height
of ring.

H: base plate.
College of Engineering Concrete Tech. /Practical
Civil Department 2018-2019
Concrete Lab. 2nd year
__________________________________________________________________________________

1-5 Procedures:

1. Prepare a sample of cement of 500 gm.

2. Take several trials of different W/C ratios, then simply determine the amount of water
required for mixing.
3. Mixing is done using a mechanical mixer, and the procedure described in ASTM
C305 are followed as follows:
4. Place the dry paddle and the dry bowl in the mixing position in the mixer. Then
introduce the materials for a batch into the bowl and mix in the following manner:
a. Place all the mixing water in the bowl.
b. Add the cement to the water and allow 30 seconds for the absorption of the
water.
c. Start the mixer and mix at slow speed for 30 seconds.
d. Stop the mixer for 15 seconds and during this time scrape down into the batch
any paste that may have collected on the side of the bowl.
e. Start the mixer at medium speed and mix for 60 seconds.
5. At the completion of the mixing cycle, the paste shall be removed from the bowl and
pressed into the large end of the Vicat mold. The excess paste at the large end shall be
struck off with trowel, then place the large end down on a glass plate.
6. The excess paste at the small end shall be struck off with a single stroke of the trowel.
7. During these operations of cutting and smoothing, take care not to compress the paste.
8. Center the paste confined in the ring, resting on the plate, under the rod, the plunger
end shall be brought in contact with surface of the paste and tighten the set screw.
9. Set the movable indicator to the upper zero mark of the scale and release the rod
immediately.
10. The paste shall be of normal consistency when the rod settles 6 ±1(Iraqi Standards)
mm from bottom of mold in 30 seconds after being released.
11. Draw the relationship between W/C and penetration for all trials. Construct the best fit
line that pass through all points, then at 6 mm penetration, construct a vertical line
that will intersect with the best fit line, then at point of intersection, a horizontal line is
drawn that will intersect with y-axis which represents the standard consistency of that
cement.
College of Engineering Concrete Tech. /Practical
Civil Department 2018-2019
Concrete Lab. 2nd year
__________________________________________________________________________________

1-6 Notes:

1. The apparatus shall be free of all vibrations during the test.

2. The temperature of the air, molds and base plates shall be maintained between 20 and
27.5 oC. The temperature of the mixing water shall not vary from 23 oC by more than
±2 oC.
3. The relative humidity of the laboratory shall be not less than 50 %.

1-7 Questions:

1. What are the main factors that affect the accuracy of the results in standard
consistency test?
2. With finer cement particles, would more or less water be required to achieve the
normal consistency? Briefly explain.