SECTION 03310-1

PORTLAND CEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Item No Title Page No

PART 1 GENERAL............................................................................................................ 1

1.01 DESCRIPTION OF WORK .................................................................................. 1

1.02 SECTION INCLUDES .......................................................................................... 1

1.03 RELATED SECTIONS ......................................................................................... 1

1.04 REFERENCES..................................................................................................... 1

1.05 DEFINITIONS....................................................................................................... 3

1.06 QUALITY CONTROL ........................................................................................... 4

1.07 HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS...................................................... 5

1.08 CHARACTERISTICS ........................................................................................... 6

1.09 DELIVERY, HANDLING AND STORAGE ........................................................... 6

PART 2 PRODUCTS ......................................................................................................... 7

2.01 GENERAL ............................................................................................................ 7

2.02 MATERIAL ........................................................................................................... 7

PART 3 EXECUTION ........................................................................................................ 8

3.01 PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE .................................................................... 8

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 SECTION 03310-1
PORTLAND CEMENT

PART 1 GENERAL

1.01 DESCRIPTION OF WORK

A. This Subsection covers the furnishing of portland cement, including material

characteristics, properties, and testing.

1.02 SECTION INCLUDES

A. Portland Cement Properties

1.03 RELATED SECTIONS

A. Section 01320 Construction Progress Documentation

B. Section 01330 Submittal Procedures

C. Section 01410 Regulatory Requirements

D. Section 01450 Quality Control

E. Section 01650 Product Delivery Requirements

F. Section 01660 Product Storage and Handling Requirements

G. Section 03310 Structural Concrete

1.04 REFERENCES

A. The referred codes and standards are intended to provide an acceptable level of
quality for materials, products and workmanship. In case of conflict between these
standards and the text of this Specification, the Specification text shall govern.

B. The latest revision of the referred codes and standards shall be used wherever
applicable. In case of conflict, the Contractor shall propose equipment, materials and
processes conforming to one group of codes and standards.

C. SASO Saudi Arabian Standards Organization

1. SASO SSA 142 Physical and Mechanical Testing Methods of

Portland Cement

2. SASO SSA 143 Portland Cement Ordinary and Rapid Hardening

3. SASO SSA 570 Sulphate-Resisting Portland Cement

D. ACI American Concrete Institute

1. ACI 201.2R Guide to Durable Concrete

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2. ACI 211.1 Standard Practice for Selecting Proportion for

Normal, Heavyweight, and Mass Concrete

3. ACI 225R Guide to the Selection and Use of Hydraulic

Cements

4. ACI 232.2R Use of Fly Ash in Concrete

5. ACI 233R Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag as

Cementitious Constituent in Concrete

6. ACI 234 Guide for the Use of Silica Fume in Concrete

E. ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials

1. ASTM C94M Standard Specification for Ready-Mixed Concrete

2. ASTM C109M Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of

Hydraulic Cement Mortars (Using 50 mm Cube
Specimens)

3. ASTM C114 Standard Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of

Hydraulic Cement

4. ASTM C150 Standard Specification for Portland Cement

5. ASTM C151 Standard Test Method of Autoclave Expansion of

Portland Cement

6. ASTM C183 Standard Practice for Sampling and the Amount of

Testing of Hydraulic Cement

7. ASTM C191 Standard Test Method for Time of Setting of

Hydraulic Cement by Vicat Needle

8. ASTM C204 Standard Test Method for Fineness of Hydraulic

Cement by Air Permeability Apparatus

9. ASTM C260 Standard Specification for Air-Entraining Admixtures

for Concrete

10. ASTM C289 Standard Test Method for Potential Alkali-Silica

Reactivity of Aggregates (Chemical Method)

11. ASTM C451 Standard Test Method for Early Stiffening of

Hydraulic Cement (Paste Method)

12. ASTM C452 Standard Test Method for Potential Expansion of

Portland-Cement Mortars Exposed to Sulfate

13. ASTM C465 Standard Specification for Processing Additions for

Use in the Manufacture of Hydraulic Cements

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14. ASTM C563 Standard Test Method for Optimum SO3 in Hydraulic
Cement Using 24-h Compressive Strength

15. ASTM C595 Standard Specification for Blended Hydraulic

Cements

16. ASTM C618 Standard Specification for Coal Fly Ash and Raw or
Calcined Natural Pozzolan for Use as a Mineral
Admixture in Concrete

17. ASTM C845 Standard Specification for Expansive Hydraulic

Cement

18. ASTM C1240 Standard Specification for Silica Fume for Use as a
Mineral Admixture in Hydraulic-Cement Concrete,
Mortar, and Grout

1.05 DEFINITIONS

A. blast-furnace slag: The non-metallic product, consisting essentially of silicates and

alumino-silicates of calcium and of other bases that is developed in a molten
condition simultaneously with iron in a blast furnace.

B. blended cement: A hydraulic cement consisting essentially of an intimate and

uniform blend of granulated blast-furnace slag and hydrated lime; or an intimate and
uniform blend of portland cement and granulated blast-furnace slag, portland cement
and pozzolan, or portland blast-furnace slag cement and pozzolan, produced by
intergrinding portland cement clinker with the other materials or by blending portland
cement with the other materials, or a combination of intergrinding and blending.

C. bulk cement: Cement that is transported and delivered in bulk (usually in specially
constructed vehicles) instead of in bags.

D. fly ash: The finely divided residue that results from the combustion of ground or
powdered coal and that is transported by flue gases from the combustion zone to the
particle removal system.

E. mineral admixtures: A material other than water, aggregates, hydraulic cement,

and fiber reinforcement, used as an ingredient of a cementitious mixture to modify its
freshly mixed, setting, or hardening properties and that is added to the batch before
or during its mixing.

F. pre-packaged cement: Cement is packed in tight bag and the net weight shall be
50 kg with a tolerance of ± 2% and with marking of type of cement, name of the
manufacturer or trade mark, net weight in metric units and the number of standard.

G. portland cement: A hydraulic cementing material for mortar and concrete, resulting
from grinding and pulverising the burned calcareous or lime bearing materials with
argillaceous or other silica, alumina and iron oxide bearing materials (clinker), with
the addition of gypsum or its derivative or water or both.

H. silica fume: A very fine non-crystalline silica produced in electric arc furnaces as a
by-product of the production of elemental silicon or alloys containing silicon. It is also

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referred as ‘microsilica’.

1.06 QUALITY CONTROL

A. The Contractor shall be responsible for the quality of work and shall develop and
propose programs and methods of construction and testing such as to achieve the
specified quality to the approval of the Royal Commission in accordance with
SECTION 01450.

B. Cement shall be accepted on the basis of a manufacturer’s mill certificate that the
cement furnished meets the physical and chemical requirements of ASTM C150.
The Royal Commission reserves the right, to sample and conduct such tests on
cement, as it deems necessary for compliance with this Specification.

C. Sampling of Cement

1. Cement sampling and testing shall be according to ASTM C183 and as

required and approved by the Royal Commission.

2. Cement samples can be obtained as grab samples in one operation, or as a

composite samples obtained by an automatic sampling device that
continuously samples a cement stream at predetermined intervals. Grab
samples, obtained at prescribed intervals, may be combined to provide a
composite or test sample. The cement may be sampled at any of several
places:

a) From the conveyor delivering to bulk.

b) During transfer of cement.

c) From bulk storage at points of discharge.

d) From bulk storage and bulk shipment by means of a slotted tube

sampler or sampling pipe.

e) From packaged cement by means of a tube sampler.

f) From bulk shipment by car or truck.

3. Cement Sampling from a Consignment

a) Samples shall be taken within at most 1 week of delivery of the cement.

They shall be stored in a dry, clean and tight container and tested within
at most 3 weeks of the date of taking.

b) Cement consignment shall be divided into groups, each weighing

250 tons. The remaining amount shall also be considered as one group.
A sample weighing 10 kg shall be taken to represent each group.
1) Cement Packed in Bags
(a) The sub-samples shall be taken from different bags and no
more than one sub-sample shall be taken from one bag.

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2) Bulk Cement
(a) The sub-samples shall be taken from different positions of
the vessel or vessels containing the cement.

c) The sample representing each group shall be composed by mixing well

10 equal sub-samples.

4. Method of Testing

a) The methods of testing cement shall be in accordance with

SASO SSA 142 and SASO SSA 143, and with ASTM C150, C595 and
C845. The following tests shall be carried out on the representative
samples taken from the sampling method mentioned above:
1) Fineness (Specific Surface).
2) Setting Time.
3) Soundness (Expansion).
4) Compressive Strength.
5) Lime Saturation Factor (LSF).
6) Insoluble Residue.
7) Magnesium Oxide.
8) Total Sulphur.
9) Loss of Ignition.

5. Acceptance and Rejection

a) Certificate stating conformity of the consignment to all the requirements

according to the standards set by this Specification and SASO SSA 142.

b) The group shall be considered conforming to the standard if the

representative sample passes all the mandatory tests.

c) The representative sample does not pass any of the tests:

1) Two new samples shall be taken from the same group and all
tests carried out on each sample. The group shall be considered
conforming to the standard when both samples pass all the
repeated mandatory tests.

1.07 HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

A. All works undertaken in relation to this Specification are to be completed in full

accordance with the respective health and safety requirements established by the
following:

1. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

a) Legislation, Regulation, Standards and Codes.

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2. Royal Commission Regulations

a) Standards, Contractual Conditions, and Health and Safety Systems.

3. Contractor

a) Health and Safety Standards and Systems as accepted by the Royal

Commission.

B. In the absence of any of the above, best accepted industry practice shall be
employed throughout.

1.08 CHARACTERISTICS

A. Characteristics and consumption of portland cement are shown and listed below in
accordance with ACI 225R and ASTM C150:

TABLE 1A: CHARACTERISTICS OF PORTLAND CEMENT

Type * Description Optional Characteristics

I General use 1, 2
High sulphate
V resistance 2, 3

Optional Characteristics:
1. Air-entraining.
2. Low alkali: maximum of 0.60% alkalis, expressed as Na2O equivalent.
3. Alternative limit of sulphate resistance is based on expansion tests of
mortar bars.
Note: * For cements specified in ASTM C150.

1.09 DELIVERY, HANDLING AND STORAGE

A. The Contractor shall deliver, handle and store equipment and material units in
accordance with SECTIONS 01650 and 01660, as well as the following
requirements:

1. Packaged cement shall be delivered in original moisture-proof, sealed

containers labeled with the weight, name of manufacturer, brand and type.
Cement and mineral admixtures received in broken or damaged containers
shall not be used.

2. Cement containers shall be stored in dry, weather-tight and well-ventilated

enclosures.

3. Bulk cement shall be stored in dry weather-tight, well-ventilated bins.

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PART 2 PRODUCTS

2.01 GENERAL

A. All goods and products covered by these Specifications shall be procured, when
available, from an in-Kingdom manufacturer. Procurement of all goods and products
manufactured out-of-Kingdom must be approved by the Royal Commission.

2.02 MATERIAL

A. Portland Cement

1. Portland cement shall be Type I or Type V, as indicated on the Contract

Drawings and Documents, and shall conform to ASTM C150, SASO SSA 142
and 143 in addition to the requirements specified in Table 2A:

TABLE 2A: ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Limit For Limit For

Properties
Type V Cement Type I Cement

Alkalis (Na2O + 0.658K2O) (see Note 2 below) 0.6% maximum 0.6% maximum
Tricalcium Aluminate (3CaO.Al2O3) 3 - 5% 8 - 14%
Tricalcium Silicate (3CaO.SiO2) 40 - 60% 40 - 60%
Tetracalcium Aluminoferrite (4CaO.Al2O3.Fe2O3) 15% maximum 15% maximum

Fineness (Air Permeability) in m2/kg 400 maximum 400 maximum

Compressive Strength (MPa) at 3 Days 12 minimum 12 minimum

7 Days 20 minimum 20 minimum
28 Days 30 minimum 30 minimum

Time of Setting (Vicat Needle, ASTM C 191)

Initial Set (minutes) 120 minimum 120 minimum
Final Set (hours) 6 maximum 6 maximum

NOTE:
1. The additional requirement of low alkali cement in Table 2A may be relaxed to
0.9% maximum if the laboratory tests indicate that the coarse and fine
aggregates are innocuous to alkali reactivity when tested in accordance with
ASTM C289.

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PART 3 EXECUTION

3.01 PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE

A. Refer to SECTION 03310.

END OF SECTION

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