Determination of Consistency of Standard Cement Paste

Laboratory Report No. 5

Objectives:

 To determine the consistency of the standard cement paste.

 To determine the amount of water needed to achieve the standard consistency of cement
paste.

Theory:

The normal consistency of cement is defined under IS 4031 or the International Standard
4031. It says that the normal consistency is defined as the ability to flow or the mobility of the
freshly mixed cement paste. As for ASTM under C 187-98, the purpose of the test is to
determine the amount of water required to prepare hydraulic cement pastes for testing. The
consistency must remain the same for all the testing of cement especially for mortar. In this test
fresh cement must be used all the time. For the IS standard the normal consistency of cement
must range from 26 to 33%, else the cement must be declined for use in construction. This is
later revised by the ISO and ASTM where the plunger of Vicat apparatus must penetrate the
cement paste 10 ± 1 mm below the original surface of the cement.

Given Data:

Laboratory results

Mass of Mass of Depth of

Trial % Standard Consistency
Water Cement Penetration
1 90 g 300 g 9.4 mm
2 95 g 300 g 9.8 mm
3 100 g 300 g 10.5 mm
Averag
95 g 300 g 9.9 mm
e

Computation:
 ( Mass of Water )
% Standard Consistency = x 100
( Mass of Cement)

90 g
Trial 1 % Standard Consistency = x 100 = 30 %
300 g

95 g
Trial 2 % Standard Consistency = x 100 = 31.67 %
300 g

100 g
Trial 3 % Standard Consistency = x 100 = 33.33 %
300 g

90+95+100
Average Mass of Water = = 95 g
3

300+300+300
Average Mass of Cement = = 300 g
3

9.4+ 9.8+10.5
Average Depth of Penetration = = 9.9 mm
3

30+31.67+33.33
Average % Standard Consistency = = 31.67%
3

Conclusion:

The computed average mass of water and cement are 95 grams and 300 grams, respectively.
Also for the average depth of penetration the computed result is 9.9 mm. Moreover, Consistency is the
ability of a freshly mixed cement paste to flow. For all cement testing, especially for mortar, the
consistency must be maintained. In addition, cement must have a normal consistency of 26 to 33 percent
to meet the IS standard, or it will be rejected for use in building. Based on the computation, the standard
consistency was found to be 31.67% which means that the cement is accepted for use in construction as
it belongs to the percentage range of the IS standard.