TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

NAME: CASIA, MA. CRISTINA B. DATE: JULY 23, 2018

CRS.YR.SEC: BSCE-4E ENGR. MARJUN B. MACASILHIG

EXPERIMENT NO. 2
“TEST OF FINENESS OF CEMENT BY SIEVE METHOD”

I. DISCUSSION
This method covers sieving technique for determination of fineness of cement by means
of the 0.074 mm (#200) sieve. Higher fineness of cement increases the rate of hydration of
cement, that is, the chemical reaction between water and cement. As a result of this greater
early strength and more rapid generation of heat is achieved. Although high strength is
desirable, the accompanying generation of het may weaken the concrete.

II. APPARATUS NEEDED

0.074 mm opening sieve with pan and cover hand scoop
bristle brush collecting pan
precision balance (0.01 sensitivity) White clean

III. TESTING PRECAUTION

1. The sieve to he used must be absolutely dry and dean before the sieving operation.
2. Care must be observed not to spill the cement from the sieve. A little amount of loss
may jeopardize the accuracy of the test.

IV. TEST PROCEDURE:

1. Clean and dry the 0.074 sieve using the bristle brush. Attach the sieve to the pan.
2. Place a 50 g sample of cement on the sieve.
3. Perform sieving with a gentle horizontal circular motion to avoid spilling. Continue the
operation for at least 5 minutes. Avoid spilling the cement.
4. Cover the sieve.

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 TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

5. Hold the covered sieve in one hand over the collecting pan. Remove the pan from the
sieve. Gently tap the side of the sieve using the handle of the bristle brush. By tapping the
side of the sieve, the cement particles adhering to the sieve will be dislodged.
6. Replace the sieve in the pan.
7. Carefully remove the cover. Return any cement particles caught in the cover.
8. Do steps 3 to 7 until almost all finer particles passed the sieve. Continue the sieving
operation until only less than 0.1% of the sample (or 0.05g) passes the sieve. To check if
less than 0.1% pass the sieve, do the following:
a.) Hold the sieve in one hand in slightly inclined position over a white clean and dry paper.
b.) Strike the side of the sieve with the palm of the other hand in an upward stroke at the
rate of 25 strokes per 10 seconds, for a total of 150 strokes in one minute. Rotate the sieve
about 60 degrees on its plane for every 10 seconds. Do this for one minute.
c.) Weigh the cement collected on the paper. If it is less than 0.05g then proceed to the next
step, otherwise continue the sieving operation.
9. Weigh the cement retained in the sieve.

V. CALCULATION
F.M. = 100 x R / W
Where:
F.M. =fineness modulus (%)
R = weight of the residue from sample retained on the sieve (g)
W =total weight of the cement sample (g)

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 TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

VI. DATA AND RESULTS

TRIAL WEIGHT OF RESIDUE F.M.

1 1.42 g. 2.84 %

2 0.71 g. 1.42 %

3 0.13 g. 0.26 %

VII. ILLUSTRATION:

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 TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

VIII. DISCUSSION

In this experiment, the students test the fineness of a given cement. Fineness of
a cement, sizes of the particles of the cement, affects water-cement ratio of a cement.
Thus, may also affects the strength of a cement. When performing the laboratory
experiment it is important to sieve properly, errors may come if it doesn’t sieve well. Using
the given formula for determining fineness modulus, the gathered results were 2.84%,
1.42% and 0.26% in each trial respectively.

IX. CONCLUSION

In this experiment, the students need to determine how fine the cement being
tested is. The objective of the experiment was achieved. After the experiment conducted,
the cement tested gives a fine modulus of 2.84%, 1.42% and 0.26% in each trial
respectively. Based on the given results, the cement tested meets the standard fineness of
the cement. Thus, it is suitable to use for construction purposes.

X. RECOMMENDATION

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