DAY 5 - MATERIALS ENGINEERS REVIEW NOTES
1. The standard penetration test (SPT) is an in-situ test that measures what?
Ans. – depth of soil layer
2. Which of the ff. bituminous material is best recommended for sealing weakened plane joints?
Ans. – joint filler asphalt (commonly called hard asphalt or blown asphalt)
3. The main problem associated with wrong practice of conveying concrete is called what?
Ans. – segregation
4. The specification call for 1:2:4 concrete mix. In a one bagger mixer, which of the ff. amount of water is
most likely required for the mix?
Ans. – 20 liters
5. A one lane road, with a pavement was designed to have sub base and base courses with a combined
thickness of 300mm. If the thickness of the sub base is a 125mm, the spreading and compaction of the
sub base and base courses shabby be earned out in:
Ans. – 3 layers over the full width of 4.5 m.
6. As materials engineer, what is the area of the trial section that you would recommend to check the
suitability of the materials and efficiency of the equipment to be used for Item 310 Bituminous Concrete
Surface Course?
Ans. – about 500 sq.m.
7. Per program of work, the estimated volume of Item 201 materials is 7500 cu.m. How many grading and
plasticity tests are required based on the DPWH minimum testing requirements?
Ans. – 25 grading and 25 plasticity
8. Bituminous concrete mixes contain asphalt by weight equivalent to what?
Ans. – 5 to 8 %
9. Quality of factory produced reinforced concrete pipes may be best established through what?
Ans. – Test of concrete pipe samples
10. Where do we take additional cores when the measurement of any core taken from the pavement is
deficient in thickness by more than 25mm?
Ans. – at no less than 5 meter intervals parallel to the centerline in each direction from the affected
location
11. The results of the Immersion-Compression test conducted on an asphalt mix sample are as follows:
Dry Stability = 2,000 Kpa
Wet Stability = 1,000 Kpa
What is the resulting Index of Retained strength? Does it meet the specification requirement of Item 310,
Bituminous Concrete Surface Course?
Ans. –
Index Retained Strength or IRS = Wet stability x 100
Dry stability
= (1,000 Kpa/,000 Kpa) x 100
IRS = 50%
*No, it does not meet the specification of Item 310 since the specification of IRS is 70% minimum while
the resulting IRS here is only 50%.
12. Quality Control testing in a DPWH project is the responsibility of the ________?
Ans. – Contractor Material Engineers
13. As materials engineers, when is the right time to start sampling and testing aggregate of the course
materials?
Ans. – before the course materials be incorporated in the project
14. The spot test on asphalt is used to determine what?
Ans. – overheating during manufacture
15. Under what climatic conditions do we use the lower penetration grade or hard asphalt?
Ans. – hot climate
16. Sampling of the freshly mixed concrete should be taken on the ________ batch discharge of the transit
mixer?
Ans. – middle
17. Soft and unstable soils were encountered during the course of sub-grade preparation. If you were the
materials engineer assigned to the project, what is the most effective and cheaper method that you would
recommend to stabilize the soil prior to the construction of the sub base course?
Ans. – geotextiles
18. How many times per layer should a concrete specimen molded in a 6”x6”x12” beam mold be rodded?
Ans. – 63 times
19. What is the basis for acceptance or rejection of any construction materials?
Ans. – Materials Test Reports
20. In testing concrete cylinder sample the load applied should be continuous without shock at a constant
rate within the range of ________ per second.
Ans. – 0.14 to 0.34 Mpa per second or 20 to 50 psi per second
21. During the application of the first half of the anticipated load a loading shall be permitted.
Ans. – higher rate
22. Initial rolling in bituminous mixes shall be performed with a ________ roller.
Ans. – Pneumatic Tire Roller
23. Final rolling in bituminous mixes shall be performed with a ________ roller.
Ans. – 3 wheel or tandem type steel wheel roller
24. Rolling of Bituminous mix shall be discontinued whenever it begins to produce excessive ________ or
________.
Ans. – pulverizing of the aggregate or displacement of the mixture
25. Final rolling shall be continued until roller marks are eliminated and a minimum ________ mass percent of
the density of the laboratory compacted a specimen prepared in accordance with AASHTO T160 has been
obtained.
Ans. – 95 mass percent
26. Sample from compacted bituminous mix shall be neatly cut by a saw or core drill. Each sample shall be at
least ________.
Ans. – 150mm x 150mm or 100mm diameter full depth
27. For surface tolerances the surface (bituminous mix) will be checked by the used of a ________ at sites
selected by the engineer.
Ans. – 3 –m straight edge
28. What is the sampling requirement for paving concrete for every 75 cu.m. or fraction thereof.
Ans. – one (1) set (consisting of 3 pcs.) concrete beam sample
29. In testing bituminous beam sample for Immersion-Compression Stability is soaked in water bath for
________ days.
Ans. – 4 days or 96 hrs.
30. Given:
Wt. of dry aggregate = 950g
Wt. of asphalt = 50g
What is the % of asphalt by weight of total mix?
Ans. – Wt. of total mix = wt. of dry aggregate. + wt. of asphalt
= 950 g + 50 g
= 1,500 g
Thereof: (50 g / 1,000 g) x 100 =5%
31. Does the percent asphalt in problem #29 meet the required specification for percent asphalt in
bituminous mixes? Why?
Ans. – Yes, because standard specification for percent asphalt in bituminous mixes is 5% to 8%
32. If the actual percent asphalt in problem #30 is 5% and the percent asphalt in a job-mix formula is 5.6% did
it pass the required tolerance? Why?
Ans. – No, because the required tolerance for % asphalt in a job-mix formula is 1-0.4%.
33. Which is not the duty or responsibility of a materials engineer?
Ans. – quantity of construction material
34. Which is the duty or responsibility of a materials engineer?
Ans. – quality of construction material
35. Problems regarding quality of construction materials shall be reported directly by the contractor’s
materials engineer to the ________.
Ans. – DPWH Materials Engineer
36. How many concrete cylinder sample is required for a 300 pcs. Reinforced Concrete Culvert Pipes (RCCP)?
Ans. – 12 sets (consisting of 3 pcs. cone, cylinder per set)
37. If concrete cylinder is not available for a 300 pcs. culvert pipes, how many pipes shall be subjected to test?
Ans. – 6 pcs, culvert pipes
38. What kind of test that requires calibrated sand in filling the hole in order to determine the volume of
hole?
Ans. – Field Density Test (FDT)
39. What test that is using a rammer and mold?
Ans. – Moisture-Density Relation Test or Compaction Test
40. What kind of asphalt that has a penetration grade of 0 to 30 mm?
Ans. – Blown Asphalt
41. If there is a necessary to add water to the concrete mix in order to increase its workability (provide
concrete does not exceed specified slump), how many minutes after the initial time of mixing does adding
water be permitted?
Ans. – not exceeding 45 minutes and that water-cement ration is not exceeded
