S T D = A C I 311.

5R-ENGL 1997 W Obb2747 0 5 4 5 7 8 5 743 m

AC1 311.5R-97

Guide for Concrete PlantInspection and Field

Testing of Ready-Mixed Concrete
Reported by ACI Committee 31 1
Claude E. Iaycox Michael T. Russell
ChailTlXUl Secretary

Gordon A. Anderson Kingsley Drake Oswin Keifer,Jr.

Joseph F. Artus0 John V. Gruber Lionel W. Vincent
Jorge G. Bemardini Robert L. Henry Woodward L. Vogt
John F. Cook Charles J. Hookham George R. Wargo
Mario R. Diaz Robert S. Jenkins Benold E. Weinberg
Donald E. Dixon Thomas A. Johnson Roger E. Wilson

The useris cautioned that this guide is intended for use in establishingonly 1.3-Duties
the most basic duties and reports required of inspectionpersonnel. It can
1A-Reports
be usedfor all types andsizes of projects, but should be supplemented with
additional inspection requirements when the complexiry of the pmject so
dictates. Refer to “Guidefor Concrete Inspection Programs”(ACI 311.4R) Chapter 2-Field testing of ready-mixed concrete,
for guidance ond i t i o n a l requirements. p. 311.5R-2
This guide recommends minimum requirements for inspection at the
2.1-Introduction and scope
concrete plant when suchinspections are required by specifications or the
owner: It is intended for use by specifiers, architects, engineers, owners, 2.2”Qualifications
contractors, or other gmups needing to monitor the ready-mired concrete 2.3-Testing laboratory
producers’ activities at the concrete plant through the use of an indepen-
2.4-Duties
dent inspectionagency or in-house inspectionorganization. This guide
also recommendsminimum inspector qualifications dulies, and reports. 2.5-Reports

Keywords:field tests; inspection; laboratories; mixing plants; quality con-
trol; ready-mixed concrete:tests.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1-Plant inspection of ready-mixed
concrete, p. 311.5R-1
l. 1-Introduction and scope
1.2-Qualifications
AC1 Committee Reports, Guides,StandardPractices,and
Commentaries are intended for guidance in planning, design-
ing, executing, and inspecting construction. This document
is intended for the useof individuals who are competent
to evaluate the significanceand limitations of its content
and recommendations and who will accept responsibility
for the applicationof the material it contains.The American
Concrete Institutedisclaims any and all responsibility for the
stated principles.The Institute shallnot be liable for anyloss
or damage arisingtherefrom.
Reference to this document shall not be made in contract
documents. If items found in this document are desiredby
the Architecfingineer to be a part of the contract dom-
ments, they shall be restated in mandatory language for in-
corporationby the ArchitectfEngineer.
Chapter M e f e r e n c e s , p. 311.5R-3
3.1-Specified references
3.2-Additional references
3.34rganizations referenced
CHAPTER 1-PLANT INSPECTION OF READY-
MIXED CONCRETE
1.l-Introduction and scope
This chapter recommends minimum requirements for in-
spection at the concrete plant when required by specifica-
tions or theowner. It is intended for use by specifiers,
architects, engineers, owners, contractors, or other groups
interested in monitoring the ready-mixed concrete produc-
ers’ activities at the plant through the use of an independent
inspection agency or in-house inspection organization. This
AC1 31 1.5R-97became effective October 16.1997. This repon supercedesAC1
3 I 1SR-95.
Copyright D 1998,American Concrete Institute.
All rights reserved includingrights of reproduction and use in any form or by any
means, including themaking of copies by any photo pr-, or by electronic M
mechanical device, printed, written, W oral, Mrecording for sound or visual repmduc-
tion or for u s in any knowledge or retrieval system or device, unless permission in
wriring is obtained from the copyright proprietors.

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 S T D O A C I 3LL.SR-ENGL L997 W Obb29Li7 05'4578b b8T W
311SR-2 MANUAL OF CONCRETE PRACTICE

chapter recommends minimum inspector qualifications, du- notifiedimmediately,or

previously
authorizedactions
ties, and reports. should be taken.
13.5 The inspector should check whether the concrete
1.2-Quaiifications producer adjusts the approved mixture proportion to allow
The plant inspector should be qualified by education, train- for free moisture containedin the fine and coarse aggregates.
ing, and experience to perform the minimum dutiesforth set 13.6 The inspector should determine that the trucks inare
in this guide. The inspector should have a technical under- good operating condition and not loaded beyond their mixer/
standing of the principles involvedin concrete batching and agitator plate capacities.
should know the basic operating sequence of the concrete 13.7 The inspector should determine that the concrete
plant. The inspector should be able to provide evidence of plant is furnishingto the purchaser, witheach batch of con-
such training and experience. AC1certifications as a lab tech- crete, a delivery ticket conforming to ASTM C94. A place
nician,fieldtechnician,fieldinspector,ora state D.O.T. should be provided on the ticket to reflect the following in-
qualification would indicate that the person has some or all formation:
of the needed qualifications. The inspector should also be 13.7.1 Name of concrete plant
furnished with and become familiar with published standards 13.7.2 Serial numberof ticket
set forthby this guide and with project specification require- 1.3.7.3 Date
ments. 1.3.7.4 Truck number
1.2.1 The authority of the plant inspectors and to whom 1.3.7.5 Name of purchaser
they reportshould be establishedbeforethe start of the 1.3.7.6 Project designation (name and location)
project. 1.3.7.7 Class or designationof concrete
1.3.7.8 Amount of concrete batched
1.+Duties 1.3.7.9 Time batched
13.1 The inspectorshouldobservethatthefacilities, 1.3.8.0 In addition the delivery ticket should indicate if
scales, and truck mixers meet the specified project require- any water or admixtures may be added at the job site. The
ments. The provisions of at least one of the following docu- amount of water withheld during batching should be noted
ments are normally incorporatedin the project specification: on the ticket.
1.3.1.1 AC1 301
1.3.1.2 ASTM C 94 1.4"Reports
1.3.13 Plantqualification in accordance with the 1.4.1 The inspector should sign the delivery ticket, issue
NationalReadyMixedConcreteAssociation(NRMCA) an inspection ticket, or supply other evidence that the con-
checklist for certification of ready-mixed concrete crete batching has been inspected.
production facilities 1.4.2 The inspector should issue a daily inspection report
1.3.1.4 Local, state, or federal department of transporta- showing all test results and documenting observations made
tion specifications. during the day. Note:The ACI Manual of Concrete Inspec-
1.3.2 The inspector shouldbe present at the batchingcon- tion contains guidance on reporting and samples of reports.
sole duringthe first batch to verify that the specified type and
amount of materials,conformingto the approveddesign
mixture proportions, are batched.
Thereafter, if the operation is automated and recorded, the CHAPTER 2-FIELD TESTING OF READY-MIXED
CONCRETE
inspector should make the same observations as above as of- 2.1-Introduction and scope
ten as possible, preferably on a continuous basis, but at least This chapter recommends minimum requirements for test-
once per hour. If the batching operation is manual, the in- ing of ready-mixed concrete at the project sitewhen required
spector should be present at the batching console during all by specifications. It includes follow-up curing and testing of
batching. The inspector should verify that all batch weights strengthspecimensandtestinglaboratoryqualifications.
fall within the tolerances set forth by the project specifica- This document is intended for use by specifiers, architects,
tions on each batch. engineers, owners, contractors, or other groups interested in
13.3 The inspector should, when not witnessing operation, monitoringtheconcretingactivitiesattheprojectsite
conduct or witness the performance by the concrete producer through the use of an independent inspection agency or in-
of the following testsat least once daily: house inspection organization.
1.33.1 Moisturecontentdetermination on fineand
coarse aggregatesin accordance with ASTM C566 2.2-Qualifications
1.3.3.2 Aggregate gradations, fine and coarse, in accor- The field testing technician should be qualifiedby educa-
dance with ASTMC 136 tion, training, and experience to perform the minimum duties
1.3.4 Aggregate test results should thenbe compared to the set forth in this report.The technician should have a technical
project specifications for compliance. Usually ASTM C 33 is understanding of the principles involvedin ready-mixed con-
specified as thegradationrequirementforbothfineand crete and shouldknow how to conduct the basic quality tests
coarse aggregates. If deviations occur, the client should be required. The technician should be able to provide evidenceof

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 GUIDE FOR CONCRETE PLANT INSPECTION AND FIELD TESTING
such training and experience. ACI certificationas a Concrete
Field Testing Technician-Grade I meets this requirement.
The technician should also be furnished with and become fa-
miliar with published standardsas set forth in this guide and
with project specificationrequirements.
2.2.1 The authority of the technician and to whom he or
she reports should be established by the client prior to the
start of the project.
2.3-Testing laboratory
All required laboratory acceptance tests (that is,laborato-
ry curing and compressive strength of concrete cylinders)
should be performed by an independent testing laboratory.
Thelaboratoryselected should meetthe requirements of
ASTM C 1077. The laboratory selected should provide evi-
dence that its facilities have been inspected by an indepen-
dent agency such as the Cement and Concrete Reference
Laboratory (CCRL) or the AASHTO Material Reference
Laboratory (AMRL) within the last two years, and should
show that any deficiencies mentioned in the report of that in-
spection have been corrected. In addition, it is highly recom-
mended that the laboratory be accredited by the AASHTO
Accreditation Program (AAP) the National Voluntary Lab-
oratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), or the American
Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).
2.4-Duties
2.4.1 If plant inspection is required by the project specifi-
cations, thefield technician or other designated person
should check each truck to see if the arriving concrete has or
has not been inspected at the plant.Immediate action should
be takenas authorized in the case of a discrepancy. Immedi-
ate verbal notification shouldbe given.
2.4.2 The field technician or other designated person
should determine that truck mixers are not loaded in excess
of mixer plate capacity, that concrete is adequately mixed
prior to discharge at the project site, that concrete delivery
falls within thetime constraintsof the projectspecifications,
and that alldata required by ASTM C 94 are included on the
delivery ticket. Immediately report any discrepancies.
2.4.3 The technician should make at least one series of
control testsfor each 100 cubic yards (cubic meters) or frac-
tion thereof, of each class of concrete placed in anyone day
(seeASTM C 94, Sections 13 through 13.8). These tests
would normally include the following: slump; air content (if
air-entrained); unit weight (if required); concrete tempera-
ture; and compressive strength. Follow the projectspecifica-
tions in this regard.
When sampling, obtain a random sample reflecting true
project conditions, and report thetime, location tobe placed,
and truck number.
2.4.4 It is usually desirable to test the first truckload of
concrete for slump, concrete temperature, and aircontent (if
air-entrained),so appropriateadjustments can be made at the
plant to bring concrete within specificationsimmediately.
2.4.5 The technician should secure composite samples of
concrete delivered totheproject site in accordance with
ASTM C 172.
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311.5R-3
2.4.6 The technician should determine slump of the com-
posite concrete samplefor each strength test, and whenever
consistency of concrete appears to vary, in accordance with
ASTM C 143.
2.4.7 The technician should determine air content (if the
concrete is air-entrained) and unit weight (if the specifica-
tions requireit or if lightweight concreteis being used) of the
composite concretesamples for each strength test in accor-
dance with one of the following test methods:
2.4.7.1 ASTM C 173, or
2.4.7.2 ASTM C 23 1, and
2.4.7.3 ASTM C 138.
2.4.8 The technician should determine air content and unit
weight of structural lightweight composite concrete samples
for each strength test in accordance with the following test
methods:
2.4.8.1 ASTM C 173
2.4.8.2 ASTM C 567
2.4.9 The technician should determine the ambient air
temperature and the composite concrete sample temperature
at the time of sampling for each strength test in accordance
with ASTM C 1064.
2.4.10 The technician should make four compressive
strength specimensfrom each composite concretesample in
accordance with ASTM C 3 l .
2.4.11 The contractor should provide an area or container
for storageof the concrete compression test specimens dur-
ing the initial curing period (the first 16 to 48 hours after
molding). Specimens should be stored under conditions that
maintain the temperature immediately adjacent to the speci-
mens in the range of 60 to 80 F (16 to 27 C) and prevent loss
of moisture from the specimens. Initial curing should meet
the requirement of ASTM C 3 l .
2.4.12 The testing laboratory should pick up compressive
strength test specimens from the project site within 16 to 48
hours and store in a moist condition at 73.4 k 3 F (23 k 1.7 C)
until the moment of test in accordance with ASTM C 31, or
atthe test age designated fordetermination of specified
strength.
2.4.13 The testinglaboratory should test compressive
strength specimens in accordance with ASTM C 39. Two
specimens should be tested at 28 days for acceptance or at
the age designated for determination of conformance with
Specified strength. Additional specimens maybe tested at
other ages forinformation. The acceptance resultsshould be
the average of the strengths of the two specimens tested at
the age designated for determination of conformance with
specified strength.
2.5-Reports
2.5.1 The technician should issue a daily inspection report
of all field test results and document observations made dur-
ing the day. Items not conforming to specifications should
also be reported immediately to the technician's supervisor
and to the client.
2.5.2 The technician should complete a concrete datare-
port for each set of concrete compressivestrength specimen
 311.5R-l MANUAL OF CONCRETE PRACTICE

results to be reported by the testing laboratory, showing all C 23 1 Standard Test Method for Air Content of Concrete
related quality test results. by the Pressure Method
2.5.3 The testing laboratory should issue timely reports C 566 Standard Test Method for Total Moisture Content
with the following information: of Aggregate by Drying
2.53.1 Project name C 567 Standard Test Method for Unit Weight of Structural
2.53.2 Client Lightweight Concrete
2.53.3 Concrete supplier C 1064 Standard Test Method for Temperature of Freshly
2.53.4 Date sampled Mixed Portland-Cement Concrete
2.53.5 Sampled by (with certification number, if appli- C 1077 Standard Practice for Testing Concrete and Con-
cable) crete Aggregates forUse in Constructionand Crite-
2.53.6 Truck numberandor ticket number ria for Laboratory Evaluation
2.53.7 Time batched and time sampled
2.53.8 Air temperature and concrete temperature at time The above publications may be obtained from the follow-
of sampling ing organizations:
2.53.9 Slump and air content
2.53.10 Specified strength American Concrete Institute
2.53.11 Concrete mix designation P.O.Box 9094
2.53.12 Location of placement and location of sample Farmington Hills, MI 48333-9094
batch
2.53.13 Datetested,concrete age, andcompressive American Societyfor Testing and Materials
strength results 100 Barr Harbor Drive
2.53.14 Any water or admixture added after leavingthe West Conshohocken. PA 19428-2959
plant
2.5.3.15 Any remarks that may affect concrete quality, 3.2-Additional useful references
elapsed time between start of mixing to completion of place- ACI
ment, and other pertinent items. SP-2 ACI Manual of Concrete Inspection
116RCementandConcreteTerminology
301 Specifications for Structural Concrete forBuild-
CHAPTER 3”REFERENCES ings
3.1-Specified andlor recommended references
The documents of the various standard-producing organi- 304.5R Batching, Mixing, and Job Control of Lightweight
zations referred to in this document are listed below with Concrete
their serial designation. The latest version should always
be 305RHotWeatherConcreting
used unless specified otherwise. 306RColdWeatherConcreting
Building
318 Code Requirements for Structural
American Concrete Institute (ACI) Concrete
304RGuide for Measuring,Mixing,Transporting,and
Placing Concrete ASTM
304.513 Batching, Mixing, and Job Control of Lightweight C70StandardTestMethod for SurfaceMoisture in
Concrete Fine Aggregate
3 1 1.4R Guide for Concrete Inspection C 125 Standard Definitions of Terms Relating to Concrete
and Concrete Aggregates
Amercian Sociev for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C 127 Standard Test Method for Specific Gravity and Ab-
C 31 StandardPracticeforMakingandCuringConcrete sorption of Coarse Aggregate
Test Specimens in the Field C 128 Standard Test Method for Specific Gravity and Ab-
C 33 StandardSpecification for ConcreteAggregates sorption of Fine Aggregate
C 39 Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of C 150 Standard Specification for Portland Cement
Cylindrical Concrete Specimens C 172 Standard Method of Sampling Freshly Mixed Con-
C 94 Standardspecification for Ready-MixedConcrete crete
C136StandardMethodfor Sieve Analysis of Fineand C 494StandardSpecifications for ChemicalAdmixtures
Coarse Aggregates for Concrete
C 138 Standard Test Method for Unit Weight, Yield, and D 75 StandardPractice for SamplingAggregates
Air Content (Gravimetric) of Concrete National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
C 143 Standard Test Method for Slump of Hydraulic Ce- Quality Control Manual, Section
I-Ready-Mixed Concrete
ment Concrete Quality ControlGuide
C173StandardTestMethod for AirContent of Freshly Quality Control Manual, Section
2-Ready-Mixed Concrete
Mixed Concreteby Volumetric Method Quality Control Checklist

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 GUIDE FOR CONCRETE PLANT INSPECTION
AND FIELD TESTING 311.5R-5

Quality Control Manual, Section 3"Certification of Ready American Associationfor Laboratory Accreditation
Mixed Concrete ProductionFacilities 656 Quince Orchard Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
3.3-Organizations referenced (301)670-1377
AASHTO Material Reference Laboratory(AMRL) or
Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory (CCRL) National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
at the NationalInstitute of Standards and Technology U.S. Department of Commerce
Gaithersburg, MD20899 National Institute of Standards and Technology
(301) 975-6704 Gaithersburg, MD 20899

AASHTO Accreditation Program National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association

American Association ofState Highway and Transportation 900 Spring Street
Officials
Silver Spring, MD20910
444 N. Capitol Street, N.W. Suite 249
Washington, D.C. 20001
* This reponwas submittedto letter ballotof the cornminee and was approvedin
(202) 624-5800 accordance wilh AC1 balloting procedures.

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