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 Subject : Building and Town Planning
Subject Code : GPCE0801
Faculty: Kushagra Rawal Module : Building Materials
And Construction
Module Code : GPCE080104
 Learning Outcome of this Topic

• You will learn about tests of Cement & Concrete.

Introduction
FIELD TEST
Following four field tests may be carried out to ascertain roughly the
quality of cement:

(i) Colour: Colour of cement should be uniform and greenish grey..

(ii) Physical Properties: Cement should feel smooth when touched or

rubbed in between fingers. If it is felt rough, it indicates adulteration
with sand.

If hand is inserted in a bag or heap of cement, it should feel cool and not
warm.
If a small quantity of cement is thrown in a bucket of water, it should float
for some time before they sink.

A thin paste of cement with water should feel sticky between the fingers.

If the cement contains too much of pounded clay and silt as an

adulterant, the paste will give an earthy smell.

(iii) Presence of lumps: Cement should be free from any hard lumps. Such
lumps are formed by the absorption of moisture from the atmosphere.
Any bag of cement containing such lumps should be rejected.
Physical lab Test
Consistency Test

 This test is to estimate the quantity of mixing water to form a paste of

normal consistency (plastic mix)

 It is often used in relation to workability but degree of workability

depends upon the particular job whereas high consistency means high
degree of fluidity, irrespective of job.
 Normal consistency is defined as that percentage water requirement of
the cement paste, the viscosity of which will be such that the Vicat's
plunger penetrates up to a point 5 to 7mm from the bottom of the
Vicat's mould.

Significance

 The water requirement for various tests of cement depends on the

normal consistency of the cement, which itself depends upon the
compound composition and fineness of the cement.
Procedure

 1. The requirements for the test are Vicat's Apparatus Conforming to IS:
5513-1976. • Balance of capacity 1 Kg and sensitivity to 1 gram.

 2.Gauging trowel conforming to IS: 10086-1982. 2. Unless otherwise

specified, this test shall be conducted at a temperature 27 + 20°C and
the relative humidity of laboratory should be 65 + 5%.

 3. Prepare a paste of weighed quantity of cement (300 gms) with

weighed quantity of potable or distilled water, taking care that the time
of gauging is neither less than 3 minutes nor more than 5 minutes and
the gauging is completed before any sign of setting occurs.
 4. The gauging is counted from the time of adding water to the dry
cement until commencing to fill the mould.

 5. Fill the Vicat's mould with this paste resting upon a non-porous plate.

 6. Smoothen the surface of the paste, making it level with the top of the
mould.

 7. Slightly shake the mould to expel the air.

 8. In filling the mould, operator's hands and the blade of the gauging
trowel shall only be used. 9. Immediately place the test block with the
non-porous resting plate, under the rod bearing plunger(diameter 10
mm and length 50 mm).
 10. Lower the plunger gently to touch the surface of the test block and
quickly release, allowing it to sink into the paste.
 11. Record the depth of penetration.
 12. Prepare trial pastes with varying percentages of water and test as
described above until the is 5 mm to 7 mm from the bottom of the
Vicat's mould. 13. When the reading is 5-7 mm from the bottom of the
mould, the amount of water added is considered plunger to be correct
percentage of water for normal consistency.
Setting Time

 On addition of water to cement, the paste thus resulted undergoes

stiffening and starts to gain

 strength and lose consistency simultaneously. This stiffening occurs in

two stages and these stages are referred as initial and final setting time.

 When water is added to cement and mixed properly, the chemical

reaction soon starts and the cement paste remains plastic for a short
period. During this period it is possible to remix the paste and this
period is called initial setting time.
 It is defined as the time elapsed between the moments the water is
added and the paste starts losing its plasticity, is regarded as initial
setting time. As per Vicat's test (Refer figure below), it is the time
elapsed till the paste stiffens to such an extent that the Vicat's needle
cannot go into it within 5 ± 0.05 mm measured from the bottom of the
mould.

 It is assumed that no hardening will start in this period. As the time

passes, the reaction is continued and cement begins to harding and
time elapse at the times of mixing water to hardened is known as final
setting time.
 It is defined as the time elapsed between the moments the water is
added and the paste completely loses its plasticity is regarded as final
setting time. As per Vicat's test, it is the time elapsed till the paste
attains such firmness that the attachment to the needle fails to leave
any mark on it (though the needle will make an impression).
Slump Test for Concrete
 Slump test used for in-situ determination of workability. In reality, slump
test does not measure workability of concrete, although it gives a
measure of consistency, but is very useful in detecting variations in
uniformity of mix of given nominal proportions.Dimensions of the
mould Bottom diameter 200 mm, Top diameter 100 mm, and Height =
300 mm.
 A steel tamping rod of 16 mm dia, 0.6 m long with bullet end • The
mould is placed on a smooth, horizontal, rigid and non-absorbent
surface is used.It is then filled in 4 layers, each approximately % of
height mould.
 Each layer is tamped 25 times by the tamping rod evenly.After the top
layer has been rodded, the concrete is struck off level with a trowel and
tamping rod.
 The difference between the height of mould and the highest point of
subsided concrete in mm is taken as slump of concrete. The pattern of
slump also indicates the characteristic of concrete.
 The mould is removed immediately by lifting it vertically carefully.
 The concrete will then subside and this subsidence is referred as slump
of concrete.
 An even slump is called true stump, and if one half of concrete slides
down, it is called shear slump.
 It may collapse in case of very wet concretes. . In case of shear slump,
the slump value is measured as difference between the height of mould
and average value of subsidence.
 Shear slump indicates a non-cohesive concrete and may lead to
segregation.
 QUIZ
1. What is standard consistency?

2. Initial setting time of opc is…..

3. Final setting time of opc is…..

4. What is Slump test?

5. Slump value for mass concreting is….

 Thank You
Any Questions?