Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

University of Baghdad
College of Engineering
Civil engineering

Concrete technology
Cement tset
2022-2023

Group No.1

1- Bakr Abood

2- Shames alden duyaa

3- Sajad ali

4- Baqer mohammed

5-Mohammad Baqir mothna

6-Noor alzahraa Firas

7-Maryam abdull sattar

8- Murtadha Alaa

9-Haneen adel
A cement is a binder, a substance used for construction that sets,
hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together.
Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and
gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixed with fine aggregate
produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces
concrete. Concrete is the most widely used material in existence and
is behind only water as the planet's most-consumed resource.

is a bonding material which reacts with water to bond the

construction material together. It has the property of setting and
hardening with presence of water this operation is calls hydration
of cement.

is the process of mixing water with cement to produce

new compounds that give the strength to the concrete mix.

: prepared by burning two raw materials (Lime

stone calcite and clay materials), these materials consist of (CaO,
Al2O3, SiO2, Fe2O3, SO3 and other oxides).
1. Ordinary Portland cement (O.P.C)
2. Portland blast furnace cement
3. Rapid-Hardening Portland cement
4. Low – heat Portland cement
5. Sulphate resisting Portland cement

1. C3S (3CaO.SiO)
2. C2S (2CaO.SiO )
3. C3A (3CaO.AL2O)
4. C4AF (4CaO.AL2O3.Fe2O)

1. Standard consistency. 2. Setting time. 3. Compressive strength.

4.Fineness. 5. Soundness.
(I.Q.S. No.5-2019) and (EN 196-3, Methods of testing cement - Part 3).

to get the required amount of water to have cement

paste with standard consistency and to use it in other tests.

1. Vicat apparatus:
a. (Plunger Ø (10 ±0.05) mm and length (50 ±1) mm.
b. Vicat mould (cylindrical or preferably truncated conical form
(40.0 ± 0.2) mm high and
an internal diameter of (75 ± 10) mm.
c. base-plate larger than the mould and at least ( 2.5 ) mm thick.
2. Graduated cylinder.
3. Balance.
4. Stop watch.
5. Spatula.
1. Take a suitable amount of w/c and (400) gm of cement.
2. From w∕c ratio calculate the required water For example:
w/c =0.25 → water/400 =0.25 → w =100 gm
3. Take the time from the moment of adding water to cement.
4. Mix the cement with the amount of calculated water for about
(240± 5) sec.

5. Put the cement past in vicat mould during 15 sec. then drop Vicat
plunger.
6. If the penetration is (5±1) mm from the base we recommend the
w/c used.
7. If the penetration is less or more than (5±1) mm from the base
we must choose another ( w/c ) and repeat all the steps above.
 to measure the setting time of the cement paste and
compare it with the (I.Q.S- No.5 2019).
the period from adding water to cement until
the Initial setting time needle of vicat apparatus stops to penetrate
in cement paste at a distance not less than 5 mm from the base. The
period for this process should not be less than 45 min.
the period from adding water to cement until
the final setting time needle of vicat apparatus leaves a trace on the
top surface of the cement paste, this process should not exceed ten
hour.

1. Vicat apparatus:
a. (Initial setting time needle Ø (1.13 ±0.05) mm and length (50 ±1)
mm.
b. Vicat mould (cylindrical or preferably truncated conical form (40
± 0.2) mm high and an internal diameter of (75 ± 10) mm.
c. base-plate larger than the mould and at least (2.5) mm thick.
2. Graduated cylinder.
3. Balance.
4. Stop watch.
5. Spatula.
1. Take (400) gm of cement and mix it with the amount water
(obtained from the standard consistency test).
2. Take the time from the moment of adding water to cement.
3. Put the paste in Vicat mould, then lower the needle to be in
contact with the cement paste surface at a distance not less than 10
mm from the edge of the vicat mould.
4. Repeat the penetration process in different positions (not less
than 10 mm from each position), till we reach (5) mm from the base
of Vicat apparatus.

5. Record the time period from adding water to cement till we reach
the (5) mm from the base.
 1 1
2 15
3 33
4 45
5 63

For the initial setting time not less than 45 minutes and for the final
setting time not more than 10 hours.
 : it represents the compressive force
carried on specimen divided by the area of specimen exposed to
this force.

1. The mould shall consist of three horizontal compartments so that

three prismatic specimens (40 mm × 40 mm in cross section and
160 mm in length) can be prepared simultaneously.
2. Jolting apparatus.
3. Set of sieves.
4. Graduated cylinder.
5. Balance.
6. Spatula.
 1. The mix proportions shall be one part of cement to three parts
of Standard sand and one half part of water (w/c = 0.5).

Standard sand shall comply with the particle size

distribution specified in table below as determined by sieve analysis
on a representative sample of sand of total mass not less than
1345gm. Sieving shall be continued until the amount of sand
passing through each sieve is less than 0.5 gm/min.
2.00 1.60 1.00 0.50 0.16 0.08
0 7±5 33±5 67±5 87±5 99±1
0 94.5 351 459 270 175.5
2. Each batch for three test specimens shall consist of (450 ± 2) gm
of cement, (1350 ± 5) gm of standard sand and (225 ± 1) gm of
water.
3. Place the water and the cement into the bowl, taking care to avoid
loss of water or cement, immediately the water and cement are
brought into contact, start the mixer at the low speed whilst
starting the timing of the mixing stages. In addition, record the
time to the nearest minute, as ‘zero time’. After (30) sec. of
mixing, add the sand steadily during the next (30) sec. Switch the
mixer to the high speed and continue the mixing for an additional
(30) sec. Stop the mixer for (90) sec. During the first (30) sec.

remove by means of a rubber or plastic scraper the mortar adhering

to the wall and bottom part of the bowl and place in the middle of
the bowl, continue the mixing at the high speed for (60)sec.

4. Mould the specimens immediately after the preparation of the

mortar. With the mould and hopper firmly clamped to the jolting
table, using a suitable scoop, in one or more increments, the first of
two layers of mortar (each about 300 gm) into each of the mould
compartments, directly from the mixing bowl.
5. Spread the layer uniformly using a large spreader, held almost
vertically with its shoulders in contact with the top of the hopper
and drawn forwards
and backwards once along each mould compartment. Then compact
the first mortar layer using (60) jolts of the jolting apparatus, then
add the second layer of mortar, ensuring that there is a surplus of
mortar. Level with the small spreader and compact the layer with a
further (60) jolts.
6. Lift the mould gently from the jolting table and remove the
hopper. Immediately strike off the excess mortar with the metal
straightedge, held almost vertically but inclined in the direction of
striking. Move slowly pulling with a transverse sawing motion once
in each direction. Repeat this striking off procedure with the
straightedge held at a more acute angle to smooth the surface. Wipe
off the mortar left on the perimeter of the mould as a result of the
striking-off. Label or mark the moulds for identification purposes.

7. Place a plate of glass, steel or other impermeable material which

does not react with cement of approximate size 210 mm × 185 mm
× 6 mm on the mould.
8. Open the molds after 24 hours then submerge the marked
specimens without delay, either horizontally or vertically, in water
at (20.0 ± 1.0) °C in the containers. With horizontal storage, keep
vertical faces as cast vertical.
9. Test each prism half by loading its side faces using the
compressive strength machine. It shall be placed between two
plates to transmit the load of the machine to the compression
surfaces of the mortar specimen.

10. Calculate the Compressive strength Rc.

Compressive strength Rc (N/mm2)= Fc /A
Fc (N) =failure load (Fc1+ Fc2+ Fc3)/3 , A= area of surface load
(1600mm2)
1. kg = Ib/2.204
2. N = Ib x 9.8/2.204

Fc1 = 7750 Ib Fc1 = 15840 Ib

Fc2 = 7800 Ib Fc2 = 15390 Ib
Fc3 = 7920 Ib Fc3 = 15660 Ib
 to determine the specific surface area for cement by
measuring the time required for a specific volume of air to pass
through a porous media of cement with a known surface area. This
operation is prepared in blain apparatus.

1. Put amount of specific sample (w) with a known surface area γ in

permeability cell.
2. Compress the sample by metal piston to record the standard
volume.
3. Blow the air from point A to let the liquid rise to point B, then
close the valve.
4. Record the time required for the liquid to flow from point C to
point D
5. Repeat the whole method on the cement sample required to be
measured.
𝛾𝛾=𝛾𝛾𝑠𝑠 √Ts√T
This equation is used when the variance in the temperature of the
calibration test is (±3) °C.
Where :
γ = specific surface area for the tested sample (cm2/gm)
γs=specific surface area for the standard sample (cm2/gm)
T=Time required for liquid to pass from point C to D (seconds) for
the tested sample.
Ts=Time required for liquid to pass from point C to D (seconds) for
the standard sample.

The cement paste once it sets, does not undergo a large change in
volume, in particular there must be no appreciable expansion which
could result in a disruption of hardened of cement paste. There are
two tests to obtain the soundness of cement.
1- Le Chatelier test.
2- Autoclave test.
W/C = 0.4
W/400=0.4
W=160 gm

A-The compressive strength test after 2 days of curing

It is shown in the table below

Test after 2 days of curing

Fc1 =5000 ib
Fc2 =4000 ib
Fc3 =5000 ib

We convert ib to N
Fc1 = 5000 x 9.8/2.204 =22232.3N
Fc2 = 4000 x 9.8/2.204 = 17785.84N
Fc3 =5000 x 9.8/2.204 = 22232.3N
Fc = (Fc1 + Fc2 + Fc3 )/3 = (22232.3+17785.84+22232.3)/3
Fc = 20750.14N
Rc =Fc/A =20750.14/1600 = 12.96 MPa
B-The compressive strength test after 28 days of curing
It is shown in the table below
test after 28 days of curing
Fc1 =11000 ib
Fc2 =11000 ib
Fc3 =12000 ib

We convert ib to N
Fc1 = 11000 x 9.8/2.204 =48911. 07N
Fc2 = 11000 x 9.8/2.204 =48911. 07 N
Fc3 = 12000 x 9.8/2.204 = 53357.5 N

Fc = (Fc1 + Fc2 + Fc3 )/3 = (48911. 07+48911. 07+53357.5)/3

Fc = 50393.2 N
Rc =Fc/A =50393.2 /1600 = 31.495MPa
1- Standard Consistency: we took the water cement ratio
W/C =0.4 and amount of cement is 400gm
After that we got penetration =5 mm
When we compare to IQS NO.5/2019 the penetration should be
(5±1) mm
So. The W/C ratio is the best W/C ratio we taken.
2- Setting Time : Each group took different W/C ratio
Then we made graphic relationship between W/C ratio and
penetration for each group.
According to IQS NO.5/2019 the penetration should be (5±1) mm so
we intersect the 5 mm penetra on y-axis with the curvy.
So. We got W/C ration equal to 0.4 and we calculate the amount of
water
then we got penetration from base 0 mm during 45 min
So when we compare to IQS NO.5/2019 the penetration from the
base should be not more 5mm during 45 min
So the sample is acceptable.
3- Compressive Strength:
So according to Iraqi Standard specification (I.Q.S.)No.5/2019
Early strength (two days) should be More than 10 MPa
12.96 >10
Standard strength (28 days) should be More than 32.5 MPa
31.495<32.5
So according to Iraqi Standard specification (I.Q.S.)No.5/2019
The sample is rejected because it less the mimum number.