Materials Engineer

Accreditation
Reviewer
What is the sample for compressive strength
determination of a structural concrete? 
Answer: concrete cylinder sample
What is the test to determine the consistency
of concrete? 
Ans: Slump test 
What is the length required for RSB sample
for quality test?  
Ans: 1.0 m/10,000 kg/size/shipment
How many samples should be taken for every
75 cu.m fresh concrete?
Ans: 1 set consist of 3-pcs sample 
What is the required size of test specimen for
G.I. sheets? 
Ans: 3 pcs-60 mm in 1 sht/100 sheets
What kind of paint that has a reflectance or
beads?
Ans: Reflectorized Paint
What is that construction material that has a property of being a
dark brown to black cementitious material in which the
predominating substance is bitumen?
Ans: asphalt
For how long or how many hours shall a
bituminous prime coat be left undisturbed?  
Ans: 24 hours 
What is the rate of application of bituminous
tack coat? 
Ans: 0.2 to 0.7 L/sq.m
What is the penetration grade of blown
asphalt?
Ans: 0 to 30 penetration grade
 What kind of sample is taken for flexural
test? 
Ans: Concrete beam sample 
What are the tests needed for the 2.650 cu.m
Item 201 (Aggregate Base Course)?
Ans: CBR, abrasion, GPCD 
How many grading tests are required for a 3,200
cu.m selected borrow topping (Item 104)?
Ans: 3 grading tests
As a materials Engineer, what will you recommend if you find out
that the materials to be used as Item 200 if finer than the required
materials?  
Ans: blend Item 200 with coarser materials  
What is the standard specification for LL and
PI of Item 201?
Ans: maximum of 25% and maximum of 6%
respectively
What is the CBR requirement for Item 201? 
80% maximum 
What asphalt is used for sealing weaken
plane joint of concrete pavement?  
Ans: Blown Asphalt
What is Item 311 of the DPWH Specification
(Blue Book)? 
Ans: Portland Cement Concrete Pavement 
What is the machine used for abrasion test?  
Ans: Los Angeles Abrasion Machine
How to determine the degree of compaction
of Items 104, 200, & 201? 
Ans: by Field Density Test
What is the formula in obtaining the value of
PI?  
Ans: Liquid Limit minus Plastic Limit 
What are the other terms for sieve analysis?  
Ans: Grading Test, Particle Size Distribution
Test, Mechanical Analysis 
What is the degree of compaction of the soil if the wet density is
2,200 kg/m3 , with an actual moisture content of 10.2% and a
maximum dry density of 1,960 kg/m3 ?  
Ans: 101.23% 
How many concrete cores shall be taken for
one (1) kilometer concrete pavement? 
Ans: 5 holes/km/lane
What is the moisture content of the soil having an original weight
of 162.5 grams and an oven – dried weight of 138.2 grams?  
Ans: 17.58% 
 If the group index of a soil is high, what
indication does it mean?
Ans: the soil is clayey 
As a Materials Engineer, how can you determine that
the sample placed in the oven is already oven – dried?
Ans: if the sample reaches its constant
weight 
In oven drying a sample for test, what
temperature shall be maintained? 
Ans: 110 ± 5oC 
Why is it that cooling an oven dried sample
before weighing is advisable?
Ans: because it can affect its weight
What is the difference between hygroscopic
moisture content from natural moisture content?
Ans: hygroscopic moisture content is the moisture content of an
air- dried sample while natural moisture content is the moisture
content of the original sample from the field. 
For how many bags of cement does a 10 kgs.
sample represents?  
Ans: 2000 bags 
32. For 15, 000 kgs RSB, how many samples
shall be submitted for Quality Test?  
Ans: 2 pcs – 1 m sample 
An admixture is being introduced to the fresh concrete mixture for
heavily reinforced concrete structure using a pumpcrete to pump out
the fresh concrete mix, what admixture should it be?  
Ans: Superplasticizer 
What is the use of blown asphalt?  
Ans: as joint filler and water proofing 
What asphalt is commonly known as hot
asphalt or penetration grade asphalt?  
Ans: Asphalt Cement 
How many days does the sample for Immersion
– Compression Test be soaked in water? 
Ans: 4 days @ 50 oC 
If ductility test is for asphalt, _____ is for
cement? Consistency 
Ans: Magnesium Oxide, Insoluble Residue,
Loss on Ignition 
Paint is composed of _____ 
Ans: 35% vehicle, 50% pigment, 15% beads
What is the size of tamping rod used in
tamping concrete sample?  
Ans: 16 mm Ø and 610 mm long with
hemispherical tip 
What is the temperature to be maintained
when curing sample after its initial curing?  
Ans: 23o C ± 1.7o C 
Concrete cylinders are cured and ready for test. Temperature between 63°F to
85°F are permitted for a period not to exceed _____ hours immediately prior to
test if free moisture is maintained on the surface of the specimen at all times.  
Ans: three (3)
The molds of specimen not to be transported shall be removed after
initial curing of _____ hours and should be cured to the standard
curing temperature of 73.4 °F ± 3°F  
Ans: Twenty-four (24) 
 High plasticity index means _____ of a soil?
 
Ans: high degree of compressibility 
Sample to be used for liquid limit and plastic
limit tests should pass to what sieve?  
Ans: No. 40 (0.425 mm) 
What compaction rammer shall used if the specs given for
Moisture – Density Relation Test (MDR) is T – 180? 
Ans: 4.54 kg with 457 mm drop 
A bean mold measuring 6” x 6” x 20 is to be used for sampling
concrete, how many blows/tamps per layer shall be applied?  
Ans: 60 blows/layer 
If asphalt mix having a weight of 3,020g and an aggregate
weighing 2,865.98g, what is the % asphalt by weight of mix? 
Ans: 5.10% 
What is the material used for Bituminous
Prime Coat?  
Ans: Cut-back asphalt 
In Item 303, application of cover aggregates shall be evenly
spread over the surface at the rate of approximately _____?
Ans: 0.004 to 0.007 m3 /m2  
Applying the tolerance of 0.4% for asphalt content to your answer
in prob. 47, what is the acceptable range of asphalt content?  
Ans: 4.7% to 5.5% 
End