FAMILIARIZATION with

APPARATUS and
EQUIPMENT USED in
TESTING of MATERIALS

Daryll M. Arnesto

BSCE- 2C
AGGREGATES
* ROCKS
Laboratory Ovens- laboratory purpose specially designed for drying, baking, conditioning and moisture
determination.

Muffle Furnaces – designed for higher temperature heating’s

Moisture Tester– for accurate moisture reading on site of soil, sand, aggregates.

Chapman Flask- use for field determination of the amount of surface moisture in fine aggregates.

Sieves – device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for characterizing the
particle size distributions of sample.

Sieve Shaker Motor- operated for sieves when perform sieving tests.

Crushing coefficient machine Sample Splitters – designed for the reduction of test samples which are
too large in volume to be conveniently handled. It divides samples so that half is representative of the
original whole sample.

Abrasion Tester – Used to determine the resistance to abrasion and wear of cement,concrete and
similar materials.

Rock Classification Hammer – is used for rock classification tests.

Los-Angeles Abrasion Machine – used to determine the resistance of aggregates by abrasion.

Volumeter for aggregates – used to determine the resistance to abrasion and wear of cement,concrete
and similar materials.

Micro-Deval Testing Machine – used to determine the quality of aggregates by abrasion.

Jar Mill – designed to reduce to powder any sort of granulometric material (clinker, cement, stones,hard
materials) for general purpose laboratory tests.

Dry Mixer – designed to mix dry materials like: powders, cement, gypsum and granulometric materials.
In a short time it assures a perfect and homogenous mixture.

Abrasimeter - suitable to determine the abrasion resistance of glazed tiles and other materials.

Aggregate Crushing Value apparatus – used to measure resistance of an aggregate to crushing undera
gradually applied compressive load.

Buoyancy Balance – used for specific gravity and water absorption test.
*CONCRETE
Core Drill – design to remove a cylinder of material, much like a hole saw.

Extruder – to thrust out; force or press out.

Portable Rock Shear Box Assembly – used to determine the strength and slope stability of rock size.

Climatic Chamber – used to test the effects of specified environmental conditions.

Geological Hammer –use for splitting breaking rock.

Compression Testing Machine–used to perform compression test on concrete bean specimens.

Flexural Testing Machine – used to perform flexural tests on concrete beam specimen

Compressometer Static Modulus of Elasticity –used to determine the strain and deformation
characteristics of concrete specimens.

Simrup Apparatus –designed to measure the tensile strength of concrete beam specimens.

Drum Type Mixer – suitable for field mixes of medium strength concrete.

Slump Cone – for the determination of the consistency, the medium and high workability of fresh
concrete.

Vebe’s Consistometer –Vebe consistometer method is based on the same principle of the simple slump
cone test method, for the determination of the workability of concrete, but it has the advantage of a
mechanized action after removing the slump cone, the concrete undergoes a vibration to determine its
slump. A space disk set in contact with the upper surface of the wet concrete, gives the operator the
opportunity to determine when the compaction is complete. The operator will count the time necessary
to complete the requested vibration, so as to get an indication of the workability of the concrete.

Compacting Factor Apparatus – designed to undertake a more precise and sensitive test procedure than
the simple slump test.

K-slump Tester – to determine the degree of compaction and the workability of fresh concrete. Used for
in-situ measurements of inside test moulds. Test results can be correlated against the slump values.

Walz Consistometer – to measure the consistency of fresh concrete.

Flow Table –used to determine the workability of concrete.

Kelly Ball Apparatus - it is used to determine the workability of fresh concrete. The ball is lowered into
the concrete and the penetration measured. It can be used on site or in laboratory.
Concrete Workability Meter – the concrete workability meter (also known as plastometer) is designed
to test concrete for dynamic workability.

Plasticity Meter – used for quick and easy measurement of the plasticity of mixtures especiallyconcrete,
and so to detect rapidly any excess of water. The measuring system is related tothe shear strength
applied by a three blade heads to the mixture under test.

Concrete Penetrometer - used to determine the setting time of the mortar fraction in concrete
mixeswith the slump greater than zero, by testing mortar sieved from mix.

Air Entrainment Meter – it records directly the percentage of air enclosed in freshly mixed concreteby
operatioperating according to the air pressure principle.

Unit Weight Measure –used to determine the weight per cubic meter of freshly mixed andcompacted
concrete.

Joisel Apparatus – used to separate the various elements of the fresh concrete such as cement,
sand,and aggregates.

RAM (Rapid Analysis Machine) – used for the determination of cement content in fresh concrete
,coarse and fine aggregate, fly ash and GGBF slag content can also be determined.

Moulds – used in molding.

Vibrating Tables – used for the compaction of concrete specimens in laboratory.

Specimen Grinding Machine – designed to grind and polish cubic and cylindrical specimens ofconcrete,
rocks, and natural stones.

Curing Tanks – used for concrete specimens.

Core Drilling Machines – design to remove a cylinder of material much like a hole saw.

Specimen Cutting Machine – used to cut concrete specimens and any type of construction materialslike
blocks, tiles, pipes, rocks cores etc.

Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Tester – to measure materials characteristics by using ultrasonic pulses.

Automatic Concrete Water Permeability Apparatus – designed to carry out water permeability teston
cubic concrete specimens max.

Hydraulic Press – is a device using a hydraulic cylinder to generate a compressive force. It uses
thehydraulic equivalent of a mechanical fever.

Rapid Chloride Ion Penetration Meter – like water permeability test, this is also one of the test
todetermine the durability of concrete.
*BITUMEN-ASPHALT
Automatic Binder Extraction Unit – used to perform reliable analysis on bituminous mixture
utilizingnon-flammable non-explosion solvents, for quantitative determination of binder orbitumen
contained in pavement samples and hot mixed mixture.

Air Bath - use for softening bitumen before performing a range of test including ductility, flash
point,penetration , loss on heating.

Reflux Extractor – use for asphalt content determination in bituminous concrete.

Universal Extruder – it can extrude Marshall, CBR, and Standard and Modified Proctor specimen.

Asphalt Testing system MATTA – this apparatus is a general purpose testing machine developed tocarry
out a range of tests on asphalt.

Universal Testing Machine UTM-5P–allows asphalt to be tested for its ability to simulate repeatedaxial
loading conditions, replicating traffic conditions.

Fatigue Tester of Asphalt Beams – is a stand-alone system for fatigue life testing of asphalt
beamssubjected to repeated flexural bending, giving a measure of maximum tensile strength,maximum
tensile strain and flexural stiffness.

Penetrometer –used to determine the consistency of a bituminous sampler under fixed conditions
ofload, time and temperature.

Asphalt Oven – used for drying asphalt.

Fraas Apparatus – used to determine the breaking point of semisolid and solid bitumen.

Viscometer – used to determine the viscosity of cut-back bitumen and road oil.

Duriez Test Set – used to determine the mechanical and physical properties of bituminous mixtures.

Tar Viscometer – use in determining viscosity of cut-back bitumen and road oil. Viscosity is measuredby
determining the time taken by 50 cc of the material to flow from a cup through aspecified orifice

.
*CEMENT-MORTAR
Bulk Density of Cement – this apparatus is used for the measurement of the apparent density(bulk
density) of powder and non-cohesive materials. It consists of sieve funnel withtripod, unit weight
measure 1 liter capacity with hopper, spatula, straight edge, large spoon.

Flow Cone Apparatus – used for viscosity and fluidity determinations of mortars, muds, grouts,
fluidmaterials etc.

Automatic Recording Vicat Apparatus – used to determine the initial and final setting time of ahydraulic
binder.

Vicat Apparatus- used for setting time and consistency of cement.

Flame Photometer – used to determine the alkali content of cement.

Length Comparator – used to measure the length variations of cement specimens in

autoclavesoundness test. It can also be used to measure linear shrinkage of specimens.

Thermostatic Bench Cabinet – for curing cement, mortar, concrete specimens.

Automatic Mortar Mixer – expressly designed for the efficient mixing of cement pastes and mortar,with
two automatic sequences of mixing cycle.

*STEEL
Universal Hydraulic Servo-Controlled Machine –to carry out static tensile tests on metallic materials.

Marking-off Machine– used to mark off specimen with round, square shape and with improved bondfor
the measurement of the percentage elongation after their breaking, in accordance withthe standards.

Broaching Machine – used to make notching on impact test bars for resilience tests.

Pendulum Impact Charpy Tester – for resilience tests. Carried out on a CHARPY sample in order tocheck
the energy absorbed during the impact, which is measured in JOULE.

Bending Machine – designed to carry out bending tests on designed to carry out bending tests on steel
bars for reinforced concrete.
*SOIL
Penetrometer – used to establish the thickness of different strata, when testing compaction worksand
to determine the relative density of fills and naturally deposited non-cohesive solid.

Soil Sampler – used to obtain undisturbed soil samples.

Nuclear Moisture Density Gauge – it provides a rapid method on-site determination of moisturedensity
content of soils, aggregates and asphaltic concrete.

Laboratory Vane Apparatus – used to determine the shear strength of a sample of soil confinedwithin
its sample tube.

Water Level Indicator – utilized to measure the water level in boreholes, wells and any
openunderground structure. A light and audible signal are activated when the probe touches water.

Melting Pot – to melt wax and to cover soil samples keeping them to the original humidity.

Surface Soil Sampler / Core Cutter – used to take field samples of compacted fill or undisturbed soilsand
to evaluate density of compaction samples as the ground surface.

Universal Screw Extruder – used for a smooth and rapid extrusion of soil samples from tubes also ofthin
walls with minimal disturbance.

Soil Hollow Punch / Sampler – to compress loose soils to hollow punch samples to carry out
shear,consolidation, triaxial and unconfined tests.

Soil Lathe – designed to reduce by trimming the diameter of a soil sample until reaching the
desireddiameter size by using a wire saw

Hollow Punches and Tamper – used to prepare soil sample and to fit them into the relevant cells tocarry
out triaxial, consolidation shear, unconfined tests.

Pyknomter – used to evaluate the bulk density and voids of aggregates.

Sand Equivalent – used to determine the relevant proportions of clay-like or plastic fines and dusts
ingranular soils and fine aggregates.

Proctor Mould – used for determining the relationship between the moisture content and the densityof
compacted soils. Steel made, complete with mould body, collar and base plated againstcorrosion.

Cone Penetrometer – use to determine the geotechnical properties of soil.

Plate Bearing – used in the test performed for the determination of the bearing capacity of a soilin-situ
on road construction, foundations, road subgrades, and airport and highwaypavements.
Compaction Permeameters- use for determining permeability to water of soil gravel, clay,
sandsamples.

Front Loading Oedometer (consolidation apparatus)– for consolidation test the one-
dimensionalconsolidation test of a soil sample enables to ascertain the settlement characteristics over a
given period of time

Direct/ Residual Shear Test Apparatus–used to determination the resistance to shearing of all typesof
soil specimens both consolidated and drained, undisturbed or remolded samples.

*WOOD
Moisture Meters – are used to measure the percentage of water in a given substance. Theinformation
can be used to determine if the material is ready for use, unexpectedlywet or dry, or otherwise in need
of further inspection. Wood and paper productsare very sensitive to their moisture content.

Universal Wood Tester – is a screw type motor driven and its suitable for determination of
shearstrength, hardness (Janka Ball Test), Clavage, Static bend Plywood GripsNail/Screwwithdrawal test,
compression (parallel-to-grain) and many other test on wood plywood.
GENERAL EQUIPMENT
Mechanical Balances – measuring instrument used where the most accurate weighing are required.

Hydrometer – is an instrument used to measure the specific gravity (or relative density) of
liquids.Usually made of glass and consist of a cylindrical stem and a bulb weighted withmercury or lead.

Rotary automatic scalesConcrete mixer -also known as cement mixer is a device that homogeneously
combines cement,aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete.

Mobile Concrete Mixer - this first type of concrete mixer is ideal for you if youneed to use concrete in
more than one place in the same area.

Stationary Concrete Mixer – Stationary concrete mixer cannot be movedbecause they are fixed in only
one place.

Decanters – a vessel that is used to hold the decantation of liquid which may contain sediment

Wash bottles – sealed with a screw-top lid use to wash materials

Funnels- use to channel liquid or fire grained substances into containers with a small opening

Bucket – is typically watertight

PansSample containersScoops – a deep bowl for taking something from a container

Spatulas – used to mix, spread and lift material

Trowel – used to spread building materials such as plaster or cement

Hot plates – used as a substitute for one the burners form an oven.

Wheelbarrow – a kind vehicle that is built to be pushed around with a load inside out

Steel hammer – made of steel used for hitting nails or breaking things

Mallet – used by wood workers for driving a tool .used to pound on something

Immersion or Needle Vibrator - is perhaps the most commonly used vibrator. It essentially consist
ofSteel tube (with one end closed and rounded) having an eccentric element inside it.

External or Shutter Vibrators – these vibrators are clamped rigidly to form work at thepre-determined
points so that the form and concrete are vibrated.

Surface vibrators – these are placed directly on the concrete mass.