Unit 1 Handout # 3
Testing of Cement
Testing of cement can be brought under two categories:
(a) Field testing
(b) Laboratory testing.
Field Testing
It is sufficient to subject the cement to field tests when it is used for minor works. The
following are the field tests:
(a) Open the bag and take a good look at the cement. There should not be any visible
lumps. The colour of the cement should normally be greenish grey.
(b) Thrust your hand into the cement bag. It must give you a cool feeling. There should
not be any lump inside.
(c) Take a pinch of cement and feel-between the fingers. It should give a smooth and
not a gritty feeling.
(d) Take a handful of cement and throw it on a bucket full of water, the particles should
float for some time before they sink.
(e) Take about 100 grams of cement and a small quantity of water and make a stiff
paste. From the stiff paste, pat a cake with sharp edges. Put it on a glass plate and
slowly take it under water in a bucket. See that the shape of the cake is not disturbed
while taking it down to the bottom of the bucket. After 24 hours the cake should retain
its original shape and at the same time it should also set and attain some strength.
If a sample of cement satisfies the above field tests it may be concluded that the
cement is not bad. The above tests do not really indicate that the cement is good for
important works. For using cement in important and major works, the user should test
the cement in the laboratory to confirm the requirements of the Indian Standard
specifications with respect to its physical and chemical properties. The following tests
are usually conducted in the laboratory.
Fineness Test
The fineness of cement has an important bearing on the rate of hydration and hence
on the rate of gain of strength and also on the rate of evolution of heat. Finer cement
offers a greater surface area for hydration and hence faster the development of
strength.
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The disadvantages of fine grinding is that it is susceptible to air set and early
deterioration. Maximum number of particles in a sample of cement should have a size
less than about 100 microns. The smallest particle may have a size of about 1.5
microns. By and large an average size of the cement particles may be taken as about
10 micron. The particle size fraction below 3 microns has been found to have the
predominant effect on the strength at one day while 3-25 micron fraction has a major
influence on the 28 days strength. Increase in fineness of cement is also found to
increase the drying shrinkage of concrete. In commercial cement it is suggested that
there should be about 25-30 per cent of particles of less than 7 micron in size.
Fineness of cement is tested in two ways :
(a) By sieving.
(b) By determination of specific surface (total surface area of all the particles in one
gram of cement) by air-premeability appartus. Expressed as cm2/gm or m2/kg.
Generally Blaine Air permeability apparatus is used.
Standard Consistency Test
The standard consistency of a cement paste is defined as that consistency which will
permit a Vicat plunger having 10 mm diameter and 50 mm length to penetrate to a
depth of 33-35 mm from the top of the mould.
The apparatus is called Vicat Apparatus. This apparatus is used to find out the
percentage of water required to produce a cement paste of standard consistency. The
standard consistency of the cement paste is some time called normal consistency
(CPNC).
The following procedures is adopted to find out standard consistency. Take about 500
gms of cement and prepare a paste with a weighed quantity of water (say 24 per cent
by weight of cement) for the first trial. The paste must be prepared in a standard
manner and filled into the Vicat mould within 3-5 minutes. After completely filling the
mould, shake the mould to expel air. A standard plunger, 10 mm diameter, 50 mm long
is attached and brought down to touch the surface of the paste in the test block and
quickly released allowing it to sink into the paste by its own weight. Take the reading
by noting the depth of penetration of the plunger. Conduct a 2nd trial (say with 25 per
cent of water) and find out the depth of penetration of plunger. Similarly, conduct trials
with higher and higher water/cement ratios till such time the plunger penetrates for a
depth of 33-35 mm from the top. That particular percentage of water which allows the
plunger to penetrate only to a depth of 33-35 mm from the top is known as the
percentage of water required to produce a cement paste of standard consistency. This
percentage is usually denoted as ‘P’. The test is required to be conducted in a constant
temperature (27° + 2°C) and constant humidity (90%).
Setting Time Test
The initial setting time is regarded as the time elapsed between the moment that the
water is added to the cement, to the time that the paste starts losing its plasticity. The
final setting time is the time elapsed between the moment the water is added to the
cement, and the time when the paste has completely lost its plasticity and has attained
sufficient firmness to resist certain definite pressure.
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The following procedure is adopted. Take 500 gm. of cement sample and mix it with
0.85 times the water required to produce cement paste of standard consistency (0.85
P). The paste shall be gauged and filled into the Vicat mould in specified manner within
3-5 minutes. Start the stop watch the moment water is added to the cement. The
temperature of water and that of the test room, at the time of gauging shall be within
27°C ± 2°C.
Initial Setting Time
Lower the needle (C) gently and bring it in contact with the surface of the test block
and quickly release. Allow it to penetrate into the test block. In the beginning, the
needle will completely pierce through the test block. But after some time when the
paste starts losing its plasticity, the needle may penetrate only to a depth of 33-35 mm
from the top. The period elapsing between the time when water is added to the cement
and the time at which the needle penetrates the test block to a depth equal to 33-35
mm from the top is taken as initial setting time.
Final Setting Time
Replace the needle (C) of the Vicat apparatus by a circular attachment (F). The cement
shall be considered as finally set when, upon, lowering the attachment gently cover
the surface of the test block, the centre needle makes an impression, while the circular
cutting edge of the attachment fails to do so. In other words the paste has attained
such hardness that the centre needle does not pierce through the paste more than 0.5
mm.
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Compressive Strength Test
The compressive strength of hardened cement is the most important of all the
properties. Therefore, it is not surprising that the cement is always tested for its
strength at the laboratory before the cement is used in important works. Strength tests
are not made on neat cement paste because of difficulties of excessive shrinkage and
subsequent cracking of neat cement. Strength of cement is indirectly found on cement
sand mortar in specific proportions. The standard sand is used for finding the strength
of cement. It shall conform to IS 650-1991. Take 555 gms of standard sand (Ennore
sand), 185 gms of cement (i.e., ratio of cement to sand is 1:3) in a non-porous enamel
tray and mix them with a trowel for one minute, then add water of quantity (P/4 + 3.0)
per cent of combined weight of cement and sand and mix the three ingredients
thoroughly until the mixture is of uniform colour. The time of mixing should not be less
than 3 minutes nor more than 4 minutes. Immediately after mixing, the mortar is filled
into a cube mould of size 7.06 cm. The area of the face of the cube will be equal to 50
sq cm. Compact the mortar either by hand compaction in a standard specified manner
or on the vibrating equipment (12000 RPM) for 2 minutes.
Keep the compacted cube in the mould at a temperature of 27°C ± 2°C and at least 90
per cent relative humidity for 24 hours. Where the facility of standard temperature and
humidity room is not available, the cube may be kept under wet gunny bag to simulate
90 per cent relative humidity. After 24 hours the cubes are removed from the mould
and immersed in clean fresh water until taken out for testing.
Three cubes are tested for compressive strength at the periods mentioned in Table
2.5. The periods being reckoned from the completion of vibration. The compressive
strength shall be the average of the strengths of the three cubes for each period
respectively. The strength requirements for several types of cement is shown in Table.
Tensile Strength
The tensile strength may be determined by Briquette test method or by split tensile
strength test.
A mixture of cement and sand is gauged in the proportion of 1:3 by weight. The
percentage of water to be used is calculated from the formula (P/5) + 2.5, where P =
percentage of water required to produce a paste of standard consistency. The
temperature of the water and the test room should be 27° ± 2°C. The mix is filled in the
moulds of the shape shown. The briquettes in the mould are finished by smoothing the
surface with the blade of a trowel. They are then kept for 24 hours at a temperature of
27° ± 2°C and in an atmosphere having 90 per cent humidity. The briquettes are then
kept in clean fresh water and are taken out before testing. Six briquettes are tested
and the average tensile strength is calculated. Load is applied steadily and uniformly,
starting from zero and increasing at the rate of 0.7 N/sq mm of section in 12 seconds.
Ordinary Portland cement should have a tensile strength of not less than 2.0 N/mm 2
after 3 days and not less than 2.5 N/mm2 after 7 days.
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Soundness Test
It is very important that the cement after setting shall not undergo any appreciable
change of volume. Certain cements have been found to undergo a large expansion
after setting causing disruption of the set and hardened mass. This will cause serious
difficulties for the durability of structures when such cement is used. The testing of
soundness of cement, to ensure that the cement does not show any appreciable
subsequent expansion is of prime importance.
The apparatus is shown in Figure. It consists of a small split cylinder of spring brass or
other suitable metal. It is 30 mm in diameter and 30 mm high. On either side of the split
are attached two indicator arms 165 mm long with pointed ends. Cement is gauged
with 0.78 times the water required for standard consistency (0.78 P), in a standard
manner and filled into the mould kept on a glass plate. The mould is covered on the
top with another glass plate. The whole assembly is immersed in water at a
temperature of 27°C – 32°C and kept there for 24 hours.
Measure the distance between the indicator points. Submerge the mould again in
water. Heat the water and bring to boiling point in about 25-30 minutes and keep it
boiling for 3 hours. Remove the mould from the water, allow it to cool and measure the
distance between the indicator points. The difference between these two
measurements represents the expansion of cement. This must not exceed 10 mm for
ordinary, rapid hardening and low heat Portland cements.
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Heat of Hydration
The reaction of cement with water is exothermic. The reaction liberates a considerable
quantity of heat. This can be easily observed if a cement is gauged with water and
placed in a thermos flask. Much attention has been paid to the heat evolved during the
hydration of cement in the interior of mass concrete dams. It is estimated that about
120 calories of heat is generated in the hydration of 1 gm. of cement. From this it can
be assessed the total quantum of heat produced in a conservative system such as the
interior of a mass concrete dam. A temperature rise of about 50°C has been observed.
This unduly elevated temperature developed at the interior of a concrete dam causes
serious expansion of the body of the dam and with the subsequent cooling
considerable shrinkage takes place resulting in serious cracking of concrete.
Test for heat of hydration is essentially required to be carried out for low heat cement
only. This test is carried out over a few days by vacuum flask methods, or over a longer
period in an adiabatic calorimeter. When tested in a standard manner the heat of
hydration of low heat Portland cement shall not be more than 65 cal/gm. at 7 days and
75 cal/g, at 28 days.
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