DISCUSSION

This experiment was conducted to determine the workability of concrete mixes from
fresh concrete of given grade by using slump test and compacting test.. The concrete slump
test measures the consistency of fresh concrete before it sets. It is performed to check the
workability of freshly made concrete, and therefore the ease with which concrete flows. It can
also be used as an indicator of an improperly mixed batch. A concrete is called as workable if
it can be easily mixed, placed, compacted and finished and does not show any segregation or
bleeding. The test is popular due to the simplicity of apparatus used and simple procedure.
The slump test is used to ensure uniformity for different loads of concrete under field
conditions.. While, compacting factor test is the ratio of the weight of concrete that has been
gravity-filled in a cylinder to the weight of compacted concrete in a similar cylinder.

In slump test, we make three layer of soil in the cone. Each layer is rodded 25 times.
Then the cone was upturned on the base. When the cone is removed, the slump may take one
of three forms. In a true slump the concrete simply subsides, keeping more or less to shape. In
a shear slump the top portion of the concrete shears off and slips sideways. In a collapse
slump the concrete collapses completely. Only a true slump is of any use in the test. If a shear
or collapse slump is achieved, a fresh sample should be taken and the test repeated. A
collapse slump will generally mean that the mix is too wet or that it is a high workability mix.
We obtained true slump and the different of its height that we obtained is 10 mm. This is
meant that workability of our concrete mix is Very Low. Thus, for this type of workability
that suitable used in construction is in road making.

In the compacting factor test experiment, the mass that we obtained for partially
compacted and fully compacted are 13.35 kg and 16.35 kg respectively. For compaction
factor, the value that we obtained is 0.78. This is can be determined by using formula :-

Compaction factor = ( W1 W ) / ( W2 W)

which are W is the mass of the empty cylinder, W 1 is the mass of the partially compacted
concrete and W2 is the mass of fully compacted concrete. This value of compaction factor
meant the workability for our concrete is Very Stiff .

According to this experiment, we knew that the main differences between slump test
and compacting factor test is that compaction factor test is more sensitive and precise than
slump test and is particularly useful for concrete mixes of low workability and also able to
indicate small variations in workability over a wide range. Moreover, to obtained the correct
data and precise result, there are some precaution that we need to follow during the
experiment such as :

Accurate amount of water, cement and sand are to be taken to avoid collapsing of
sample. This is because for example if water is too much, the concrete become
too wet and easy to collapse.
Maintain the consistency throughout the experiment to avoid the failure.
CONCLUSION
 In conclusion, the objective of the experiment was successfully achieved which is to
determine the workability or consistency of concrete mixes from fresh concrete of given
grade and proportion using the slump test and compacting factor test.

From the first experiment that we conducted which is slump test, the different height that
we obtained is 10mm. We also achieved a true slump which meant our concrete was mixed
properly with correct amount of ingredient. If the amount was not calculated correctly, this
will lead the concrete to achieve shear or collapse slump because of its low strength.

Next which is compacting factor test, we have recorded all the data which are mass of
empty cylinder,partially compacted and fully compacted. All this values are important to find
the value of compaction factor. We obtained 0.78 for the compaction factors value of our
concrete. The value of compaction factor tells us that the workability of our concrete is Very
Stiff

This experiment can be succesfully achieved if there are no errors occurs.There are
many types of error that can be occurred during experiment such as parallax error, this error
can occur whenever there is some distance between the measuring scale and the indicator
used to obtain a measurement. If the observer's eye is not squarely aligned with the pointer
and scale, the reading may be too high or low. When making a measurement with a
micrometre, electronic balance, or an electrical meter, always check the zero reading first.
Re-zero the instrument if possible, or measure the displacement of the zero reading from the
true zero and correct any measurements accordingly.