TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT PAGE

THEORY 1

OBJECTIVES 3

PROCEDURE 3

RESULT 4

DISCUSSION 5

CONCLUSION 6

REFERENCES 6

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 THEORY
Slump test is a concrete test developed by Chapman in the United States in 1913. This test is conducted to
determine the workability of plastic concrete. Figure 3.1 shows the basic apparatus required for a slump
test which are consists of a slump cone, rod and flat metal baseplate and according to Dhir and Jackson
(1996): a 300 mm high concrete cone is allowed to subside and the slump or reduction in height of the cone
is taken to be a measure of workability. (p.199).The simplicity and economical value of the slump test has
retained its popularity in spite of several limitations in the test.

Figure 3.1 Basic apparatus for slump test

There are 3 possible results from a slump test which are collapse slump, shear slump and true
slump. Collapse slump occurs when the concrete mix is too wet. An extremely wet concrete mix is
generally poor in terms of quality and certainly experiences segregation thus, has a weak compressive
strength. Shear slump occurs often in leaner mixes indicating lack of cohesion which is associated with
harsh mix. True slump indicates that the concrete mixes are rich mixes and easier to work with in plastic
stage.

Figure 3.2 Types of slump

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Standard values for slump test are shown in Figure 3.3 below whereas Figure 3.4 shows the workability
according to its slump distance .
No Name of works Slump, mm Water-cement ratio
1 Concrete for road and mass concrete 25-50 mm 0.70
2 Concrete for R.C.C beams and slabs 50 -100 mm 0.55
3 Columns and retaining walls 75 -125 0.45
4 Mass concrete in foundation 25 -50 0.70
Figure 3.3 Table of suitability of construction of works according
slump distance and water-cement ratio

Workability Slump distance

Harsh mix 0
Very low 5-10
Low 15-30
Medium 35-75
High 80-155
Very high 160-collapse
Figure 3.4 Table of workability of concrete according to the slump distance

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 OBJECTIVES
To determine the slump and workability of the fresh(wet) concrete

PROCEDURE:

1. The apparatus was checked for cleanliness as it should be free from hardened concrete and
superfluous water. The cone was placed on top of baseplate. The place where the test was
conducted was a flat surface and free from vibration.
2. The foot pieces of the cone were stood on. Then, 3 equal layers of concrete were filled into the cone
using a scoop.
3. Each layer of concrete was rod in turn for 25 times, allowing the rod to penetrate through second
and third layer into the layer below.
4. Surplus concrete was struck using the slump rod by doing rolling and sawing action. The cone and
mixing plan were wiped clean while feet still on footpieces.
5. The cone was lifted straight up carefully for a few seconds. The cone was inverted and placed next
to the mound of concrete.
6. The slump rod was laid across the urvertal cone so that it passes above the slumped concrete at its
highest point.
7. The distance between the underside of the rod and the highest point of the concrete was measured
to the nearest 5 millimetre. This is the amount of concrete that has been slumped. The time lapse
from sampling to start of the test was recorded.

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 RESULT

Type of slump = True slump

Slump distance = 70 mm

Sketch of the slump

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 DISCUSSION

1) Factors affecting workability are the water-cement ratio, admixtures, aggregate and ambient
conditions. High water-cement ratio will increase the workability of fresh concrete but when it gets
too high, the fresh concrete will get too wet.
Water-reducing agent such as superplasticizer are widely to increase the workability of fresh
concrete while the mix proportions are kept constant or to reduce the water content in the concrete
mix without losing its workability.
For aggregate, the bigger is the size of aggregate, the less the surface area of the aggregate.
So, less amount of water is needed to wet the aggregate. Furthermore, less cement is required for
lubricating the surface of aggregate to reduce internal friction in the mix and thus, the bigger the
size of aggregate given quantity of cement and water, the higher the workability of fresh concrete.
Environmental factors such as wind velocity, humidity and temperature certainly affects the
workability of fresh concrete. Increase in temperature will speed up the rate of water hydration as
well as its loss through evaporation. Wind velocity and humidity influence the workability by
affecting the concrete’s rate of evaporation. The higher the rate of evaporation, the higher the rate
of setting of fresh concrete.

2) Slump test is important in concreting works in a construction site because it is an easy way to
compare the slump of fresh concrete with its limit in mix design. It is also an economical test as it
only requires a few simple apparatus. Other than that, slump test is suitable to determine any
changes in workability of fresh concrete. It is also important to measure consistency in the concrete
during its plastic stage. Consistency is a measure of concrete wetness or fluidity and depends on the
mix proportions and properties ingredients. Wet mix has high workability whereas a harsh mix is
really hard to work with.

3) The fresh concrete that has been produced was a true slump measuring 70 mm in height. The slump
can be considered having medium workability with water-ratio of 0.55 which is not too wet and not
too dry.The concrete was easy to be fully compacted to remove air trapped inside it. It also has a
good mobility because it could flow into mould with ease.

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4) During this experiment, a few precautions should be made:
 The test should be made around 6 minutes after water is mixed into the concrete mixes
 The mould should be pressed around its base when concrete is poured into the mould
 The test should be conducted away from any source of vibration

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the slump that has been obtained is a normal slump with a distance of 70 mm. The
slump has medium workability as it is not too wet and not too dry.

REFERENCES
1. Book:
i. Neil Jackson and Ravindra K. Dhir. (1996). Civil Engineering Materials (Fifth
Edition). London: MACMILLAN PRESS LTD.