2016-CIV-80

SOUNDNESS TEST ON CEMENT

PRECAUTIONS

 A good care should be taken while taking the measurements.

 Do not apply more pressure on the mold while filling it.
 The water level should not fall below the height of the mold during boiling.
 The expansion as determined by the above apparatus should not exceed 10 mm.

IMPORTANT POINTS

 In Cement Mortar and Cement Concrete, the volume expands due to the unburnt lime (CaO)
and Magnesia (MgO).
 Le Chatelier Apparatus test is used to determine the presence of unburnt lime (CaO).
 The Cracks developed in the structure are mostly due to the unburnt lime because it increases
the volume of the cement.
 Lime and magnesia also react with water and thus increase in volume occur in the
cement. Which is also a reason for cracks in the structures .

HOW DO INDICATOR ARMS DETERMINE EXPANSION OF CEMENT?

Well, as mentioned above the mould is split cylinder which means that, if cement starts expanding
the length is increased by calculating the difference between the two lengths the expansion of
cement is found.

Expansion of Cement = C-A

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A good cement (OPC, PPC, Rapid hardening etc.) should have not more than below expansion
limits.

Types of Cement Expansion Limits

Ordinary Portland cement

10mm
[OPC] 33 Grade, 43 Grade, 53 grade

Portland Pozzolona Cement [PPC] 10mm

Rapid Hardening cement 10mm

Low heat cement 10mm

Super sulphated cement 5mm

RESULT

Soundness of Cement = C – A = 8.3

This value must not exceed 10 mm for Ordinary or OPC, Rapid, Low Heat, PPC and High
alumina cement.

HOW TO PREVENT UNSOUNDNESS IN CEMENT

Gypsum is added in cement while production to control the rate of hydration in cement. The
quantity of gypsum added will vary from 3 to 5 percent depending upon C 3A content. If the
addition of gypsum is more than that could be combined with C 3A, an excess of gypsum will
remain in the cement in Free State. This excess of gypsum leads to an expansion in the hardened
state.

CONCLUSION

By the above method, we can find the excess amount of lime (unburned lime) which causes the
volume expansion of cement.

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DETERMINATION OF AGGREGATE CRUSHING VALUE (ACV)

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of this test is to:

 Determine the aggregate crushing value of coarse aggregate

 Assess suitability of coarse aggregates for use in different types of road

REPORTING OF RESULTS

The mean of the two results shall be reported to the nearest whole number as the ‘aggregate
crushing value’ of the size of the material tested.

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CALCULATION OF AGGREGATE CRUSHING VALUE

The aggregate crushing value is defined as the ratio of the weight of fines passing through
specified IS (here 2.36mm sieve) to the total weight of sample expressed in percentage.

W1= Weigh of the total aggregates (Wa-We)

W2= Weigh of aggregates passing through 2.36mm IS sieve.

Aggregate crushing value = ( W2 / W1 ) × 100

SAFETY & PRECAUTIONS

 Use hand gloves while removing containers from oven after switching off the oven.
 To wear safety shoes & helmet during the time of test.
 Before testing, machine should be checked.
 After test electric supply should be off.
 After test clean the sieve by brush.
 Keep all the exposed metal parts greased.
 Keep the guide rods firmly fixed to the base & top plate.
 Equipment should be cleaned thoroughly before testing & after testing .

RESULT

Aggregate Crushing test value = 26

AGGREGATE CRUSHING VALUES FOR ROADS AND

PAVEMENT CONSTRUCTION

The table below shows limits of aggregate crushing value for different types of road
construction:

Types of Roads / Pavements Aggregate Crushing Value Limit

Flexible Pavements
Soling 50
Water bound macadam 40
Bituminous macadam 40

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Bituminous surface dressing or thin

30
premix carpet

Dense mix carpet 30

Rigid Pavements
Other than wearing course 45
Surface or Wearing course 30

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DETERMINATION OF TEN PERCENT FINES VALUE (TFV)

SIGNIFICANCE:

Ten percent fines value is a measure of the resistance of aggregate crushing subjected to loading
and it is applicable to both weak and strong aggregate. Fine aggregates are defined as those
passing 2.36mm sieve.
The test aims at looking for the forces required to produce 10% of fine values (i.e. weight of
fines aggregates/weight of all aggregates = 10%). This test is very similar to Aggregate Crushing
Test in which a standard force 400kN is applied and fines material expressed as a percentage of
the original mass is the aggregate crushing value.

Granular sub-base is subjected to repeated loadings from truck types. The stress level at the
contact points of aggregate particles is quite high. The sub-base in pavement is a structural layer
used for distribution of traffic loads into larger area. As such, it is of paramount importance that
the sub-base material should itself not be disintegrated under severe traffic loads. Ten percent
fines value can be used to reveal the aggregate
properties when subjected to mechanical degradation.

CALCULATION

The mean percentage fines from the two tests at this load shall be used in the following formula
to calculate the load required to give 10% fines.

Load required for 10% fines = 14f / (M + 4)

f = load in tones

M = mean percentage fines from two tests at x tone load.

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REPORT

The load required to produce 10% fines is reported to the nearest whole number for loads of 10
tons or more, the nearest 0.5 tones for loads of less than 10 tones.

SAFETY & PRECAUTIONS

 Use hand gloves while removing containers from oven after switching off the oven.
 Use safety shoes & aprons at the time of test.
 Before testing machine should be checked.
 After test electric supply should be off.
 Thoroughly clean & dry the container before testing.
 All parts of the equipments should always be clean.

RESULT

Ten percent fine value of the sample is 233 KN.

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CASTING OF CONCRETE SPECIMENS

SIGNIFICANCE

It is of prime importance that the specimens are made and cured following standard procedures.
Any deviation from standard procedures will result in a lower measured strength. Low strength
test results due to procedures not in accordance with the standards cause undue concern, cost and
delay to the project. The strength results of field-cured cylinders are used for,

 Determining the time at which a structure is permitted to be put into service

 Evaluating the adequacy of curing and protecting concrete in the structure
 Scheduling removal of forms or shoring

SAMPLE OF CONCRETE

Sample of concrete for test specimen shall be taken at the mixer or in the case of ready mixed
concrete from the transportation vehicle at the time of discharge. Such samples shall be obtained
by repeatedly passing a scoop or pail through the discharge stream of the concrete. The samples
thus obtained shall be mixed on a non-absorbent base with shovel until it is uniform in
appearance.

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Number of samples to be taken depends on the quantity of concrete. As per IS-456, the following
table shall be followed during sampling.

Quantity of concrete in the work (m3) Number of samples

1-5 1

6-15 2

16-30 3

31-50 4

4 plus one additional sample for each

51 and above
additional 50 m3 or part thereof.

NOTE

Frequency of sampling may be agreed upon internally by supplier and purchaser.

CASTING & COMPACTION BY HAND

The concrete sample shall be filled into the cube moulds in 3 layers, each layer approximately 5
cm deep. In placing each scoopful of concrete, the scoop shall be moved around the top edge of
the mould as the concrete slides from it, in order to ensure a symmetrical distribution of the
concrete within the mould. Each layer shall be compacted either by hand or by the vibration.
Each layer of the concrete filled in the mould shall be compacted by not less than 35 strokes by
tamping bar. The strokes shall be penetrating into the underlying layer and the bottom layer shall
be rodded throughout its depth. Where voids are left by the tamping bar the sides of the mould
shall be tapped to close the voids.

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CURING

The casted cubes shall be stored under shed at a place free from the vibration at a temperature
220C to 330C for 24 hours covered with wet straw or gunny sacking.

MARKING

Immediately after initial curing of the cubes they should be marked clearly. This can be done by
writing the details of the cube in ink on a small piece of paper and placing on top of the concrete
until it is demoulded.

The cube shall be removed from the moulds at the end of 24 hours and immersed in clean water
at a temperature 240C to 300C till the 7 or 28-days age of testing. The cubes shall be tested in the
saturated and surface dry condition.

For the true representation of actual strength of concrete in the structure, extra cubes shall be
cast, stored and curded as per the identical conditions of that structure, and tested at required age.

NOTE:
When moulds are not in use, apply a thin layer of oil over the inside surface of the mould and
keep it in a safe place.

CONCRETE MIX DESIGN

1 : 1.41 : 2.26

WEIGHT OF CONCRETE CONSTITUENTS (PER BATCH)

 Cement = 15 Kg
 Fine Aggregates = 22 Kg

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 Coarse Aggregates = 34 Kg
 Water = 7.378 Kg

PRECAUTIONS

 Fresh concrete can cause severe chemical burns to skin and eyes. Keep fresh concrete off
your skin.
 When working with concrete use rubber work-boots, gloves, protective eye glasses and
clothing.
 Do not let concrete or other cement-based products soak into clothing or rub against your
skin.
 Wash your skin promptly after contact with fresh concrete with clean water.
 If fresh concrete gets into your eyes, flush immediately and repeatedly with water. Consult a
doctor immediately.
 Keep children away from all freshly mixed plastic concrete

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TEST FOR REBOUND NUMBER OF HARDENED CONCRETE

SCOPE

This test is also known as the Schmidt hammer or impact hammer, and is a non-destructive
method of testing concrete. The test is based on the principle that the rebound of an elastic mass
depends on the hardness of the surface against which the mass impinges.

CALCULATION

Discard readings differing from the average of 10 readings by more than 5 units and determine
the average of the remaining readings. If more than 2 readings differ from the average by 7 units,
discard the entire set of readings.

REBOUND HAMMER DIRECTION

In order to perform the rebound hammer test, the inspector should start by holding the instrument
firmly, and ensuring that the plunger is perpendicular to the test surface. It is also important to
record the orientation of the instrument with respect to horizontal to the nearest 45 degree
increment. If the instrument is pointing upwards, a positive angle should be used & if the
instrument points downward a negative angle must be recorded.

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APPLICATIONS OF REBOUND HAMMER

The main application of a rebound hammer is to measure the hardness of concrete using the
rebound principle. However, researchers have tried to use the method to assess different
properties of concrete. Among them, the following applications are widespread:

 Assess the in-place uniformity of concrete

 Delineate regions in a structure of poor quality or deteriorated concrete
 As an in-place method to Estimate Concrete Strength

Among these applications, using rebound hammer to estimate strength of concrete has remained
the most controversial use. Researchers are divided when it comes to evaluating concrete
strength by the use of rebound hammer.

ESTIMATE CONCRETE STRENGTH USING REBOUND HAMMER (IN-PLACE

METHOD)

In this section, we will review how to Estimate Concrete Strength Using Rebound Hammer.
Initially, this was made through certain calibration curves provided by manufacturers (see Fig
below)

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However, further research has showed little apparent theoretical relationship between the
strength of concrete and rebound number (Malhotra and Carino, 2004). However, it is shown
that if a relationship between concrete strength and rebound number for a given concrete is
established, the rebound number might be used for in-place evaluation of strength.

RESULT

REBOUND NUMBER

 Cube 3 = 22
 Cube 4 = 23
 Cube 7 = 24
 Cube 8 = 25

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STRENGTH FROM REBOUND NUMBER

 Cube 3 = 11.76 MPa

 Cube 4 = 17.16 MPa
 Cube 7 = 10.8 MPa
 Cube 8 = 11.28 MPa

DESTRUCTIVE TESTING

 Cube 3 = 26.15 MPa

 Cube 4 = 26.58 MPa
 Cube 7 = 27.5 MPa
 Cube 8 = 30.52 MPa

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%AGE DIFFERENCES

 Cube 3 = 55.02 %
 Cube 4 = 56.42 %
 Cube 7 = 60.8 %
 Cube 8 = 63.1 %

WHAT AFFECTS REBOUND HAMMER READINGS

Although the rebound hammer provides a quick, inexpensive means of checking the uniformity
of concrete, the results can be affected by the following parameters:

 Smoothness of test surface

 Size, shape, and rigidity of the specimens
 Age of test specimens
 Surface and internal moisture conditions of the concrete
 Type of coarse aggregate
 Type of cement
 Type of mold
 Carbonation of the concrete surface

CONCLUDING REMARKS

 The rebound hammer developed by Schmidt provides an inexpensive and quick method for
nondestructive testing of concrete.
 When using the rebound hammer, the limitations of the test method should be recognized and
taken into account.
 It is extremely important to note that the hammer must not be regarded as a substitute for
standard compression tests but rather as a method for determining the uniformity of concrete
in the structures, comparing one concrete against another, and reducing the number of core
samples.

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TEST FOR OBTAINING DRILLED CORES AND SAWED BEAMS OF

CONCRETE

CAPPING

Unless their ends are prepared by grinding, cores should be capped with high alumina cement
mortar or sulfur-sand mixture to provide parallel end surfaces normal to the axis of the core.
Other materials should not be used as they have been shown to give unreliable results. Caps
should be kept as thin as possible, but if the core is hand trimmed they may be up to about the
maximum aggregate size at the thickest point.

It is essential that the cap be thin, preferably 1.5 to 3 mm. The capping material must be no
weaker than the concrete in the specimen.

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MEASUREMENT OF CORE

Before testing, measure the average length of the capped or ground specimen and use this length
to compute L/D ratio. Determine the average diameter by averaging two measurement taken at
right angles to each other at the mid-height of the specimen.

DETERMINING THE CORE DENSITY

Determine the density by weighing the core before capping but after grinding and dividing the
mass by the volume of the core calculated from the average diameter and length.

CORES WITH REINFORCEMENT PERPENDICULAR TO THE CORE AXES

Core should be taken to avoid reinforcements. Cover meter can be used to locate the bars. It is
usual to find rebar in the core samples. These are usually on one or the other side. The part of the
core beyond rebar is cut off and only the concrete portion is taken for the test. Where it is not
possible to avoid the bars correction factors are applied. The core with rebar parallel to the axis
of cores cannot be used as the effect of the rebar will be too large to ignore. The rebar
perpendicular to the axis can be tolerated as long as the correction factor is less than 10%.

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STRENGTH EVALUATION OF EXISTING STRUCTURES

On-site evaluation of concrete strength is a main challenge in the condition assessment of

existing infrastructure. Owners and managers of such facilities prefer non-destructive methods to
avoid further damage to an already struggling structure.

COMPRESSION TEST ON CONCRETE CORES

Coring and testing for strength might the first and most reliable solution. In this case, concrete
core is taken from the existing structure. The core needs cutting (sawing) and surface
preparation. The core is tested for compressive strength.

ADVANTAGES

 This is the most reliable method to estimate the compressive strength. The method is
relatively fast.

DISADVANTAGES

 It is destructive. Not only it damages concrete integrity, it might affect reinforcing bars in RC
structures. Rebar locating tools are needed to avoid this problem.
 Selecting test locations can be difficult. Selecting the best location of cores is relatively
subjective.
 The locations of cores needs to be repaired.
 Coring is not an option for owners of important structures, especially when there are
concerns about further damaging the structure.

PULL OUT TEST

The concept behind this method is that the tensile force required to pull a metal disk, together
with a layer of concrete, from the surface to which it is attached, is related to the compressive
strength of the concrete. The pull out test is normally used for early diagnosis of strength
problems. However, it can be used to evaluate the strength of concrete in existing structures. Pull
out testing involves attaching a small piece of equipment to the exterior bolt, nut, screw or
fixing. This is then pulled to the designated stress load level to determine how strong and secure
the fixing is.

ADVANTAGES

 Relatively easy to use.

 If relationship to strength is established, the mothod can deliver robust test results.

DISADVANTAGES

 It involves crushing and damaging concrete

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REBOUND HAMMER

The methods based on the rebound principle consist of measuring the rebound of a spring driven
hammer mass after its impact with concrete. The test has been widely used, since its introduction
in 1948. The main reason behind its popularity, is its simplicity, and convenient of use for field
applications. Rebound hammer is used to evaluate the surface hardness. Malhotra (2004) argues
that “there is little apparent theoretical relationship between the strength of concrete and the
rebound number of the hammer. However, within limits, empirical correlations have been
established between strength properties and the rebound number

ADVANTAGES

 It is easy to use for most field applications.

 The test can be used to study the uniformity of concrete

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DISADVANTAGES

 The method is very subjective

 Surface condition, presence of rebar, presence of sub-surface voids can affect the test results

ULTRASONIC PULSE VELOCITY

Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) is an effective method for quality control of concrete materials,
and detecting damages in structural components. The UPV methods have been traditionally used
for the quality control of materials, mostly homogeneous materials such as metals and welded
connections. With the recent advancement in transducer technology, the test has been widely
accepted in testing concrete materials. The test procedure has been standardized as “Standard
Test Method for Pulse Velocity through Concrete” (ASTM C 597, 2016). The concept behind the
technology is measuring the travel time of acoustic waves in a medium, and correlating them to
the elastic properties and density of the material. Travel time of ultrasonic waves reflects internal
condition of test area. Some researchers have tried to develop a relationship between the strength
and wave speed.

ADVANTAGES

 UPV can be used to detect other sub-surface deficiencies

DISADVANTAGES

 The method is affected by presence of rebar, voids, and cracks.

 There is no enough results for assessing the reliability of the method in the field.

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COMBINED METHODS

Combined methods involves a combination of NDT methods for predicting the on-site strength
of concrete. The combination of UPV and Rebound hammer has been studied by several
researcher. The combined methods often deliver more comprehensive results. The improvement
of the accuracy of the strength prediction according is achieved by the use of correction factors
taking into account the influence of cement type, cement content, petrologic aggregate type, fine
aggregate fraction, and aggregate maximum size. The accuracy of the combination of rebound
hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity results in improved accuracy in estimating the compressive
strength of concrete.

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EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF SHORT COLUMNS

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DETERMINATION OF STRENGTH OF CONCRETE BY ULTRASONIC

PULSE VELOCITY TEST

OBJECTIVE

 Qualitative assessment of strength of concrete, its gradation in different locations of

structural members and plotting the same.
 Any discontinuity in cross section like cracks, cover concrete delamination etc.
 Depth of surface cracks.

THE PULSE VELOCITY IN CONCRETE MAY BE INFLUENCED BY

 Path length
 Lateral dimension of the specimen tested
 Presence of reinforcement steel
 Moisture content of the concrete

CONCRETE QUALITY BASED ON ULTRASONIC PULSE VELOCITY TEST

PULSE VELOCITY CONCRETE QUALITY

>4.0 km/s Very good to excellent

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3.5 – 4.0 km/s Good to very good, slight porosity may exist

3.0 – 3.5 km/s Satisfactory but loss of integrity is suspected

<3.0 km/s Poor and loss of integrity exist.

IDENTIFICATION OF CORROSION PRONE LOCATION BASED ON PULSE

VELOCITY AND HAMMER READINGS

Sl.
Test Results Interpretations
No.

High UPV values, high rebound

1 Not corrosion prone
number

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Medium range UPV values, low Surface delamination, low quality of surface concrete,
2
rebound numbers corrosion prone

Not corrosion prone, however to be confirmed by chemical

3 Low UPV, high rebound numbers
tests, carbonation, pH

Corrosion prone, requires chemical and electrochemical

4 Low UPV, low rebound numbers
tests.

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