Karadeniz Technical University

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering

Course: INS7520 Quality Control in Highway Constructions

Lecturer: Prof.Dr. Muhammet Vefa Akpınar

Student: Yeternur Asena Aktürk/407908

Homework IV
Most common quality tests for concrete:

Slump test
Compressive strength test
Water Permeability test
Rapid Chloride Ion Penetration Test
Water Absorption Test
Initial Surface Absorption Test
Tensile strength
Modulus of elasticity
Air content
Workability of concrete is a term describing how easily freshly mixed concrete can be
mixed, placed, consolidated, and finished with minimal loss of homogeneity.

Different methods are used to control and determine the workability of concrete.

Slump Test
Compacting Factor Test
Flow Test
Vee-Bee Consistometer Test
Kelly Ball Test
Slump test
It is the most common method for measuring the
workability of freshly mixed concrete.
It can be performed both in the lab and at the
site.
The slump test is the simplest test to determine
the workability of concrete that involves low cost
and provides immediate results.
It is not very suitable for very wet or very dry
concrete.
The mold is cleaned and freed from any surface moistures and then the concrete is placed in
three layers.
Each layer is tamped 25 times with a standard tamping rod.
Immediately after filling, the cone is slowly lifted, and the concrete is allowed to subside.
The decrease in the height of the center of the slumped concrete is called slump.
If the concrete subsides evenly all around, the slump measured is a true slump.

Slump (mm) Workability of concrete

0-25 Very low

25-50 Low
50-100 Medium
100-150 High
Compacting factor test
The compaction factor test works on the
principle of determining the degree of
compaction achieved by a standard amount of
work done by allowing the concrete to fall
through a standard height.
It is specially designed for laboratory use, but if
the terms favor it, it can also be used on the
site.
The compaction factor test is more exact and
sensitive than the concrete slump test.
It is more favorable and useful for low workable
concrete or dry concrete.
The concrete is placed in the upper hopper gently so that no effort is applied to produce
compaction. The bottom door is opened so that the concrete falls on the lower hopper. Again, the
bottom door of the lower hopper is opened and the concrete falls on the cylinder.
After removing the excess concrete with the help of blades, the weight of the cylinder is taken.
This weight is known as the “weight of partially compacted concrete”.
The cylinder is emptied and then filled with the same sample rammed heavily so as to obtain full
compaction. The cylinder is weighed. This weight is known as the “weight of fully compacted
concrete”.
Compacting factor = (weight of partially compacted concrete) / (weight of fully compacted
concrete)
Compacting factor Workability of concrete

0,78 Very low

0,85 Low
0,92 Medium
0,95 High
Vee-Bee test
Vee-Bee test is a good laboratory test suitable
for stiff concrete mixes having low and very
low workability.
Vee bee test is usually performed on dry
concrete, and it is not suitable for very wet
concrete.
Vee bee sensitometer test determines the
mobility and to some extent compatibility of
concrete.
Vee bee test determines the time required for
the transformation of concrete by the
vibration.
It consists of a vibrating table, a metal pot, a sheet of metal cone(slump cone), and a
standard iron rod.
In the Vee-Bee test, the Slump test is performed by placing the slump cone inside the sheet
metal cylindrical pot. Then the vibration is started and the time on a stopwatch is noted.
The time taken by the concrete to take a cylindrical shape after the conical shape disappears
is noted. This time recorded is known as Vee-Bee Degree or Vee-Bee seconds.

Vee-Bee Degree Consistency Workability of

(s) concrete
20-15/10 very dry Very low
10-7/5 dry Low
5-4/3 plastic Medium
3-2/1 semi-fluid High
Kelly Ball Test
Kelly ball test is a simple and inexpensive field test
that measures the workability of fresh concrete
similar to the concrete slump test.
It is more correct and faster than a slump test.
It provides precise measurement of workability than
the slump test.
It requires a large amount of concrete to be
performed.

Kelly ball test consists of the determination of

the indentation made by a 15 cm diameter metal hemisphere weighing 13.6 kg
when freely placed on fresh concrete.
Depth is determined through the metal hemisphere, which sinks under its own
weight into fresh concrete.
Flow Test
It is a laboratory test.
It is used for high/ very high workability
concrete. This test is best suitable for flowing
concrete made by the use of super plasticizing
admixtures.
In the flow test, a standard mass of concrete is
subjected to jolting.
The spread of the flow of the concrete is
measured and this is related to workability.
the ICAR rheometer
The workability of fresh concrete has
traditionally been measured with the slump
test. For certain concrete mixtures—such as
that containing fiber reinforcement, ground
granulated blast furnace slag, or high contents
of aggregate microfine—the slump test can
provide inaccurate and misleading results. The
need for a better test method for workability is
well established within the concrete industry.
The ICAR rheometer—a low-cost, fully portable
test device for concrete—was developed and
tested.
The ICAR rheometer is approximately the size of a
drill and can be operated by hand or positioned.
The operation of the ICAR rheometer is simple, fast,
and well suited for use in the field.
The ICAR rheometer is most effective on high-
fluidity mixes.
The ICAR rheometer is well suited for measuring
high-microfine concrete and other highly thixotropic
materials. The slump test is unsuitable for such
concretes.
It is appropriate for nearly the full range of concrete
workability ranging from a slump of approximately
2 inches to self-consolidating concrete.
References

https://www.qualityengineersguide.com/top-6-important-quality-tests-of-concrete
https://theconstructor.org/concrete/concrete-quality-test/8927/
https://civileblog.com/workability-of-concrete/
https://www.globalgilson.com/blog/what-is-workability-of-concrete
https://gharpedia.com/blog/tests-to-measure-workability-of-concrete/
https://civilblog.org/2015/10/29/3-methods-of-determining-workability-of-concrete/
https://www.aboutcivil.org/concrete-slump-test.html
https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/35338