Tests Conducted in

Construction
by: Ryan Michael Avellaneda
IV-ACE
 What is workability of concrete and tests
generally performed at site for its
determination?

Workability of concrete describes the ease or

difficulty with which the concrete is handled,
transported and placed between the forms with
minimum loss of homogeneity.
Workability is important because, if
i. the concrete mixture is too wet, coarse
aggregates settle at the bottom of concrete
mass and as a result concrete becomes non-
uniform composition,
ii. the concrete mixture is too dry, it will be
difficult to handle and place it in position
Test conducted
Compaction Factor Test Flow / Spread Test
Slump Test Ring Penetration Test
Cube Test Compaction Test
Compressive Strength Test
Water Permeability Test
Water Absorption Test
VeBe Time Test
 Compaction factor test
Compaction Factor Test is designed in such a way that
it can be used only in laboratory but in some cases, it can
be used for field concrete tests. The compacting factor
test has been developed at the Road Research
Laboratory in United Kingdom. This test is one of the
most accurate test performed in order to determine the
workability of concrete.
 254 mm

279 mm
127 mm

203 mm
229 mm

229 mm
127 mm

203 mm
152 mm

305 mm

Dimensions of the Test Apparatus

COMPACTING FACTOR TEST APPARATUS
Procedure of Compacting
Factor test:

1. Measure the weight of the cylinder and it will your W1.

2. Prepare a concrete mix in the ratio of 1:2:4
3. With the help of a trowel, fill the freshly prepared
concrete in the top upper of the apparatus. The concrete
should be filled to the brim of the hopper and level it of with
trowel.
4. Now open the trap of the upper hopper, so that the
concrete falls in the lower hopper.
5. After all concrete falls from the upper hopper to lower
one. Then again open the trap of the lower hopper. Let the
concrete falls on the cylinder.
6. Now take the weight of the cylinder in which concrete
had felled. Let this weight be W2.
7. Empty the cylinder.
8. Now again, fill concrete in the cylinder in three layers
with 25 blows for each layer using tamping rod. Fill
concrete to the top of cylinder and scrape excess
concrete above the brim.
9. Now take the weight of the cylinder in which concrete
we filled. Let this weight be W3.
The compacting factor of concrete can be found
out using the formula,
Weight of Partially Compacted Concrete (w2 w1)
= -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight of fully Compacted Concrete (w3 w1)
Value Of Compacting
Standard Of Workability
Factor

0.95 Good

0.92 Medium

0.85 Low
Advantage:
calculate the workability of concrete with low
water-cement ratio.
it is used for determining the workability of less
workable concrete.
Disadvantage:
it is suitable only for laboratory.
the apparatus and materials are expensive.
Slump Test
 This is to determine the workability of concrete in terms
of slump test. After batching the concrete, a sample of
fresh concrete shall be taken to test for slump tests and
the samples for compressive strength test be taken too.
This is to make sure that the batched concrete is
complying with the mix design before its released from
the batching plant.
Upon arrival on site, a sample of fresh concrete shall
be tested with slump test again, but temperature shall be
checked with the calibrated thermometer before hand.
Three cubes or cylinders of samples shall be taken for
compressive strength tests, these will be the samples
from the site.
Equipment Required for Concrete Slump Test:
Mould for slump test, non porous base plate,
measuring scale, temping rod. The mould for the test is in
the form of the frustum of a cone having height 30 cm,
bottom diameter 20 cm and top diameter 10 cm. The
tamping rod is of steel 16 mm diameter and 60cm long
and rounded at one end.
 Concrete Slump Test Procedure

This test is carried out with a mould called slump cone

whose top diameter is 10cm, bottom diameter is 20 cm
and height is 30 cm. the test may be performed in the
following steps:
1. Place the slump mould on a smooth flat and non-
absorbent surface.
2. Mix the dry ingredients of the concrete thoroughly till a
uniform colour is obtained and then add the required quantity
of water.
3. Place the mixed concrete in the mould to about one-fourth
of its height.
4. Compact the concrete 25 times with the help of a
tamping rod uniformly all over the area.
5. Place the concrete in the mould about half of its height
and compact it again.
6. Place the concrete up to its three fourth height and then
up to its top. Compact each layer 25 times with the help of
tamping rod uniformly. For the second subsequent layers,
the tamping rod should penetrate into underlying layers.
7. Strike off the top surface of mould with a trowel or
tamping rod so that the mould is filled to its top.
8. Remove the mould immediately, ensuring its movement
in vertical direction.
9. When the settlement of concrete stops, measure the
subsidence of the concrete in millimeters which is the
required slump of the concrete.
The slump test is suitable only for the concrete of high or
medium workability.
NOTE:
The above operation should be carried out at a
place free from Vibrations or shock and within
a period of 2 minutes after sampling.
Slump Value Observation:
The slump (Vertical settlement) measured shall
be recorded in terms of millimeter of
subsidence of the specimen during the test.
No. Types of concrete Slump

1 Concrete for road construction 20 to 40 mm

2 Concrete for tops of curbs, parapets, piers, slabs and 40 to 50 mm

wall

3 Concrete for canal lining 70 to 80 mm

4 Normal RCC work 80 to 150 mm

5 Mass concrete 20 to 50 mm

6 Concrete to be vibrated 10 to 25 mm
Types of Concrete Slump Test Results
 True Slump True slump is the only slump that can
be measured in the test. The measurement is taken
between the top of the cone and the top of the
concrete after the cone has been removed as shown
in figure-1.
Zero Slump Zero slump is the indication of very
low water-cement ratio, which results in dry mixes.
These type of concrete is generally used for road
construction.
 Collapsed Slump This is an indication that the
water-cement ratio is too high, i.e. concrete mix is
too wet or it is a high workability mix, for which a
slump test is not appropriate.
Shear Slump The shear slump indicates that the
result is incomplete, and concrete to be retested.
 Cube Test
Instrument And Material:
Concrete cube mould of size 150mm or 100mm. It is used
for aggregate size of not greater than 40mm and 25mm.
Cube mould for test must be made from steel or cast iron
with smooth inner surface. Every mould must have steel
plate to support and to prevent leakage.
Compacting steel rod with 16mm diameter and 600mm
long.
Compression test machine.
 Cube Mould

Compression
Steel Rod
Test Machine
Procedures:
Mould and base plate must be clean and applied with oil to
prevent concrete from sticking to the side of the cube. Base
plate is attached to the mould by using bolt and nut.
Fill the cube with concrete in three layers.
Every layer must be compacted for 25 times. This process is
carried out systematically and compaction is done
uniformly to all surfaces of the concrete.
 The surface of concrete must be smoothen so it will has the
same level with the upper side of the mould.
Cubes which are made at construction site must be covered
with plastic cover for a period of 24 hours before the moulds
can be dismantled.
After re-moulded, the concrete cubes are submerged in
water for curing.
Compression strength test must be carried out for concrete
at age 7, 14, and 28 days by using compression test machine.
Result.
The Strength value of each cube must be recorded and
compared with the targeted strength value. The purpose of
carrying out concrete test on 7th day and the 14th day is to
predict whether the concrete could archive the targeted 28th
day strength. In general, concrete would have acquired 70%
strength on the 7th day.
 Compressive strength of concrete
Out of many test applied to the concrete, this is the utmost
important which gives an idea about all the characteristics of
concrete. By this single test one judge that whether
Concreting has been done properly or not.
Compressive strength of concrete depends on many factors
such as water-cement ratio, cement strength, quality of
concrete material, quality control during production of
concrete etc.
 Test for compressive strength is carried out either on cube
or cylinder. Various standard codes recommends concrete
cylinder or concrete cube as the standard specimen for the
test. American Society for Testing Materials ASTM C39/C39M
provides Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of
Cylindrical Concrete Specimens.
PROCEDURE
(I) Remove the specimen from water after specified curing
time and wipe out excess water from the surface.
(II) Take the dimension and also get the weight.
(III) Clean the bearing surface of the testing machine
(IV) Place the specimen in the machine in such a manner
that the load shall be applied to the opposite sides of the
cube cast.
(V) Align the specimen centrally on the base plate of the
machine.
(VI) Rotate the movable portion gently by hand so that it
touches the top surface of the specimen.
(VII) Apply the load gradually without shock and
continuously at the rate of 140 kg/cm2/minute till the
specimen fails
(VIII) The maximum load at which the specimen
breaks is taken as a compressive load
Calculation:
Compressive Strength of concrete
= Maximum compressive load / Cross Sectional Area
= (Load in N/ Area in mm2)=N/mm2
Ex:
Cross sectional Area = 150mm X 150mm = 22500 mm2 or
225 cm2
Assume the compression load is 450 KN,
Compressive Strength = (450000 N / 225)/9.81
= 204 kg/cm2 ****Note 1 kg is equal to 9.81 N
Concrete Strength Compressive Strength Table of Concrete at 7 &
Overtime 28 Days

Days after Minimum

Strength Gain Specified characteristic
Casting Grade of compressive
compressive strength (N/mm2) at
Concrete strength N/mm2 at
28 days
7 days
Day 1 16%
M15 10 15
Day 3 40% M20 13.5 20
M25 17 25
Day 7 65%
M30 20 30
Day 14 90% M35 23.5 35
M40 27 40
Day 28 99% M45 30 45
Sample of cube that breaks at a
certain maximum load applied
 Water Permeability test
A water permeability test is one of the tests to determine the
durability of concrete, also how to determine the depth of penetration
of water under pressure. Three cubes shall be taken from fresh
concrete and tested in accordance to the German Standard DIN 1048
at 28 days age. This kind of test shall be taken from substructures
concrete elements like foundations, concrete water tank, retaining
wall etc.
More the depth of water penetration, the less is the durability of
concrete. This can be use for comparing the potential durability of
various types of concrete.
Equipment
 Procedure

1. Fill water up to about 75%. 2. Place the specimen in the penetration

cell, preferably about 30mins after
removing from the curing chamber.
3. Open the valve ferment 4. Set the water pressure about 5 kg/cm2.
the flow of water. This pressure is maintain for 3days.

5. After 3days, release the water pressure

and remove the specimen in the water
penetration cell.
6. Using compression testing machine, split 7. Within a minute after splitting, mark the water front
the specimen into two. using the black marker, know that the cut face of the
specimen will dry if left for a long period.

8. The maximum depth of water penetration

is the durability parameter of this test.
 Water Absorption Test
Here is the other test that would determine the durability of
concrete. The three cube sample shall be taken from the delivered
fresh concrete and kept it in the curing tank for 28 days. The
procedure involves drying a specimen to a constant weight,
weighing it, immersing it in water for specified amount of time, and
weighing it again. The increase in weight as a percentage of the
original weight is expressed as its absorption (in percent). The
average absorption of the test samples shall not be greater than
5% with no individual unit greater than 7%.
 Materials

Oven: 105 degrees Celsius for

72hrs

Formula
 VeBe Time Test
Aim
To Measure the workability of Concrete
Principle
It is based on measuring the time (Called VEBE time)
needed to transfer the shape of a concrete mix from a
frustum cone to a cylinder (these shapes are standardized
by the apparatus of this test), by vibrating and
compacting the mix. The more VEBE time needed the
less workable the mix is. This method is very useful for
stiff mixes.
Apparatus
Cylindrical container with diameter = 240
mm, and height = 200 mm
Mold: the same mold used in the slump
test.
Disc : A transparent horizontal disc
attached to a rod which slides vertically
Vibrating Table : 380*260 mm, supported
by four rubber shock absorbers
Tamping Rod
Stop watch
Procedure

Slump test as described earlier is performed, placing the

slump cone inside the sheet metal cylindrical pot of the
consist meter.
The electrical vibrator is then switched on and
simultaneously a stop watch started.
 The vibration is continued till such time as the conical
shape of the concrete disappears and the concrete
assume a cylindrical shape.
Immediately when the concrete fully assume a cylindrical
shape, the stop watch is switched off.
The time required for the shape of concrete to change
from slump cone shape to cylindrical shape in second is
known as Vibe Degree.
 This method is very suitable for very dry concrete whose
slump value cannot be measure by slump test, but the
vibration is too vigorous for concrete with slump greater
than about 50m.

The test fails if VeBe Time is less than 5 seconds .. And the test
must be created when no collapse or shears slump in concrete
 Aim :-
The flow table test or flow test is a method to
determine the consistence of fresh concrete.

Principle
This test is giving us the ability of concrete to flow under
the gravitational force when poured and compacted
within the cone and suddenly lifted up.
Equipment

Flow table with a grip and a hinge, 70 cm x 70 cm.

Abrams cone, open at the top and at the bottom - 30 cm
high, 17 cm top diameter, 25 cm base diameter
Water bucket and broom for wetting the flow table.
Tamping rod, 60 cm height
Scale for measurement
Conducting
The flow table is wetted.
The cone is placed on the flow table and filled with fresh
concrete in two layers, each layer 25 times tamp with
tamping rod.
Wait 30 seconds before lifting the cone.
The cone is lifted, allowing the concrete to flow.
The flow table is then lifted up several centimeters and then
dropped, causing the concrete flow a little bit further.
After this the diameter of the concrete is measured in a 6
different direction and take the average.
Flow Test
Ring Penetration Test
AIM OF THE PENETRATION TEST:
To find out the hardness or softness of bitumen.
To determine the consistency of bituminous material
Grade of bitumen.
Apparatus required are
a) penetrometer
b) water bath at 25 degrees Celsius
c) thermometer
The test carried out with a standard penetrometer with a
needle loaded with 100 gm,
Procedure:

Soften the bitumen by heating (between 75 and 100oC).

Stir it thoroughly to remove air bubbles and water.
Pour it into a mould completely and level it.
Cool it at an atmospheric temperature of 15 to 30oC for
11/2 hours.
Maintain test temperature as 25 degree Celsius
Keep the container on the stand of the penetration
apparatus
Clean the needle with benzene, &dry it
Adjust the needle to make contact with the surface of
the sample
Adjust the dial reading to zero and note the initial
reading
The needle is then released and allowed to penetrate into the
sample under the full action of the load.
The penetration at the end of time 5 seconds is measured .i.e
final reading
Difference of final &initial reading gives penetration value
Repeat the steps thrice.
Take the mean value & which becomes the penetration value
of bitumen.
The bitumen grade is specified in terms of penetration
value.
The bitumen of grade 80/100 means that the range of
penetration value of the material is between 80 and 100.
Depends upon the climatic conditions and type of
construction, bitumen are used.
 IRC RECOMMANDATIONS
(Indian Road Congress)
Bitumen grades
a) 30/40,
b) 60/70,and
c) 80/100
Hot climates -Lower penetration grades of
bitumen are preferred.
Cold climate - higher penetration grades of bitumen are
preferred.
RECOMMANDED VALUES As per IS 73-2006
 Compaction Test
The Proctor compaction test is a laboratory method of
experimentally determining the optimal moisture content at
which a given soil type will become most dense and achieve its
maximum dry density. The term Proctor is in honor of R. R.
Proctor, who in 1933 showed that the dry density of a soil for a
given compactive effort depends on the amount of water the
soil contains during soil compaction.
R. R. Proctor showed that:
There exists a definite relationship between the soil
moisture content and the degree of dry density to which
a soil may be compacted.
That for a specific amount of compaction energy applied
on the soil, there is one moisture content
termed Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) or Optimum
Water Content (OWC) at which a particular soil attains
maximum dry density.
Proctor proposed tests to determine relationship between
moisture content, dry density or void ratio of a compacted soil
in a standard manner and to determine the OMC for the soil.

Standard Proctor Test covers the determination of the

relationship between the moisture content and density of soils
compacted in a mould of a given size with a 2.5 kg rammer
dropped from a height of 305 mm.
1.Internal diameter of mould = 100 mm
Height of mould = 127.3 mm
Mould has detachable collar and base plate
assembly.

2. Mechanically operated rammer has a

face diameter of 50 mm and a free falling
weight of 2.5 kg.

3. The height of drop is 305 mm.

Compaction Test Apparatus
Required Equipment
and Tools
 Procedure for Standard
Proctor Test
1. Approximately 5 kg of soil passing through
4.75 mm sieve is thoroughly mixed with known
water content. For fine soil, 8-10% of water
and for coarse soil, 4-5% of water is added.
2. Weight of the mould
without base plate and collar
is taken. The collar and base
plate were fixed.

3.In the mould, the weighed

soil is compacted in 3 layers
giving 25 blows per layer with
the 2.5 kg rammer.
4. Mould and soil, after making
soil flush with the mould
edges, are weighed.

5.The sample is removed from

the mould and sliced vertically
to obtain a small sample for
water content determination.
6. The remainder of the material is thoroughly broken up.

7. The water content is increased by one or two

percentage and the above procedures are repeated for
each increment.

8. This series of determination is continued until there is a

decrease in the wet unit weight of the compacted soil.
Dry density of soil:
M/V
= _________
1 + w

Where M = total mass of the soil, V= volume of soil, w= water

content.