ECV3123/ EQS 3113 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

NAME: PAULO VICENTE MARIO DOS REIS FREITAS

COURSE: ECV3123 3113 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

DATE: 1 APRIL 2022

EXPERIMENT: NORMAL CONSISTENCY OF HYDRAULIC CEMENT

Objective:
To determine the normal consistency of hydraulic cement.

Standards:
Normal consistency of hydraulic cement EN 196-3: 1987, and ASTM C187

Introduction:
The manufacture of cement requires stringent control, and a number of tests are performed in
the cement works laboratory to ensure that the cement is of the desired quality and that it
conforms to the requirements of the relevant standards. For the determination of the initial
and final setting times, neat cement paste of a standard consistence has to be used. It is,
therefore, necessary to determine for any given cement the water content of the paste, which
will produce the desired consistency. This test method is intended to be used to determine the
amount of water required to prepare hydraulic cement pastes for testing.
Apparatus:
• Balance – Sensitive to 0.1 percent of the weight of the sample being tested.

• Glass Graduate 200 ml capacity, for measuring mixing water.

• Vicat Apparatus – the Vicat Apparatus, consist of a frame, bearing a movable rod
weighing about 300 grams, the plunger end, being 10 mm in diameter for a distance of at
least 50 mm, and the initial set needle 1 mm in diameter and 50 mm in length.

• The movable rod is reversible and can be held in any desired position by a set screw, and
has an indicator, which moves over a scale that is graduated in millimeters and is attached
to frame.

• The movable rod is made of stainless steel having a hardness of not less than 35 HRC,
and is straight with the plunger end which is perpendicular to the rod axis.

• The paste is held in a rigid mould, resting on a plane that is non-absorptive square base
plate. The mould is made of a non-corroding, non-absorbent material, and has an inside
diameter of 80 mm, and has a height of 40 mm.

• The graduated scale, when compared with a standard scale is accurate to within 0.1 mm at
all points.
Procedure:
1. Measure out 400g of fresh cement, and add an accurately measured amount of water
(for first trial use 100 ml, adjust with further testing).
2. Thoroughly mix the cement and water together taking as little time as possible
producing the approximate shape of a ball with gloved hands.
3. Then toss six times through a free path of about 6 inches from one hand to the other
so as to produce a nearly spherical mass that may be easily inserted into the Vicat
mould with a minimum amount of additional manipulation.
4. Press the ball, resting in the palm of one hand, into the end of the mould, held in the
other hand, completely filling the mould with cement paste.
Remove the excess at the other end by a single movement of the palm of the hand.
Place the mould on the base plate and slice off the excess paste at the top of the mould
by a single oblique stroke of a sharp-edged trowel held at a slight angle with the top
of the ring, and smooth the top, if necessary, with a few light touches of the pointed
end of the trowel.
During these operations of cutting and smoothing, take care not to compress the paste.
Consistency Determination:
1. Center the paste confined in the mould, resting on the plate, under the rod with the
plunger end, which shall be brought in contact with the surface of the paste, followed
by the tightening of the set-screw.
2. Next set the indicator to the zero mark of the scale, or take an initial reading, and
release the rod immediately. This must not exceed 30 seconds after completion of
mixing. Note the depth of penetration of the plunger into the cement paste.
The apparatus shall be free of all vibrations during the test.
3. Make trial pastes with varying percentages of water until the normal consistency is
obtained. Make each trial with fresh cement.
4. Repeat the entire procedure four to five times, each time using fresh cement with
various percentages of water until the normal consistency is reached.
The cement paste is of normal consistency when the plunger penetrates to a point 6 +
1 mm from the bottom of the mould in 30 seconds after being released. (i.e., the
penetration from the top is 34 + 1 mm).
5. Calculate the amount of water required for normal consistency to the nearest 0.1
percent and report to the nearest 0.5 percent of weight of the dry cement.
If normal consistency is not attained in five trials, plot experimental data obtained
specifically, penetration verses volume of water would give the required penetration.
Results:

Amount Initial Final Penetration Comment

of water Reading, Reading, = B-A
(ml) (mm) B (mm) (mm)
110 34 31 3 Too dry
120 37 30 7 Good

Discussion:
1. What is the amount of water required to have normal consistency?
Prepare a paste by adding 0.78 times the water required to give a paste of standard
consistency (i.e. 0.78P). Standard Consistency of an ordinary Portland cement varies
between 25-30%. That means we need minimum 25% of water and maximum 30% in
volume to make a standard consistency of cement paste.

For Example, If we need to calculate the amount of water required for a 300 g of
cement which has minimum 25% consistency means then we need 25% of 300g =
75g water minimum and maximum 30% of 300 = 90g to prepare a standard
consistency of cement.

2. What is the amount of water required for normal consistency in percent of the weight
of dry cement? This value will be required in setting time experiment.
The water required for normal consistency for ordinary cement ranges from 22% to
30% by weight).

Conclusion:
-First of all, take about 400 gr of fresh cement into a tray and is mixed with a known
percentage of water by weight of cement.

-The standard consistency of any cement is achieved when cement permits the Vicat
plunger to penetrate to a point 6+ 1 mm from the bottom of the Vicat mold.

-As conclusion, to measure the setting times of cement, we have to do our tests on
cement of standard consistency. Normal consistency of standard cement can be
gained by using W/C ratio and depending on 26% - 33%. The higher rate of water,
the more initial setting needed.