Concrete Mix Design Lab

CIV 302L

Submitted to: Eng. Jihane Aouf

Abdallah Cheikh el najjarine

Wael Rashidi,
Houzayfa.

Date: wed/11/April/2018
 Table of Contents
Lab Test #1: Consistency .............................................................................................................3
Objective: The basic aim is to find out the water content required to produce a
cement paste of standard consistency. ...............................................................................3
Apparatus: Vicat apparatus + plunger, Mixer bowl, Graduated cylinder,
Distilled water, Cement ..............................................................................................................3
Procedure: ....................................................................................................................................3
Results: ..........................................................................................................................................5
Lab test#2: Setting time .................................................................................................................6
Apparatus: ....................................................................................................................................6
Procedure: ....................................................................................................................................6
Results: ..........................................................................................................................................7
Lab test#3: density of cement .....................................................................................................8
Objective: ......................................................................................................................................8
Apparatus: ....................................................................................................................................8
Procedure: ....................................................................................................................................8
Results: ..........................................................................................................................................9
Lab test#4: soundness ................................................................................................................ 10
Objective: ................................................................................................................................... 10
Apparatus: ................................................................................................................................. 10
Procedure: ................................................................................................................................. 10
Results: ....................................................................................................................................... 11
Lab test#5: Fineness ................................................................................................................... 12
Objective: ................................................................................................................................... 12
Apparatus: ................................................................................................................................. 12
Procedure: ................................................................................................................................. 12
Results: ....................................................................................................................................... 13
Lab test#6: Specific gravity and absorption (Coarse aggregates) ............................. 14
Objective: ................................................................................................................................... 14

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 Procedure: ................................................................................................................................. 14
Lab test #7 Particle Size Analysis for fine and coarse aggregates ........................... 16
Objective: ................................................................................................................................... 16
Equipment: ................................................................................................................................ 16
Procedure: ................................................................................................................................. 17
Lab test#8: unit weight coarse aggregate ........................................................................... 19
02

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 LAB TEST #1:
CONSISTENCY
Objective: The basic aim is to find out the water content required
to produce a cement paste of standard consistency.
Apparatus: Vicat apparatus + plunger, Mixer bowl, Graduated
cylinder, Distilled water, Cement

Procedure:
 Calibrate the Vicat apparatus by lowering the plunger to rest on
the base-plate to be used and adjusting the pointer to read zero
on the scale. Raise the plunger to the stand-by position.

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 Weight 500 g of cement. Weight 125g of water in the
graduated cylinder.

 Add the water carefully to the cement in a mixer bowl, in order

to avoid loss of water or cement. The time of addition shall be 3
minutes. Note the time of completion of the addition as zero
time, from which later measurements of time shall be made.

 Fill the Vicat mould with paste and level it with a trowel.

 Lower the plunger gently till it touches the cement surface.

 Release the plunger allowing it to sink into the paste.

 Note the reading on the gauge.

 Repeat the above procedure taking fresh samples of cement

and different quantities of water until the reading on the gauge
reach 6 mm.

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Results:
First trial: 500g of cement+ 125 ml of
water → D= 34 mm
Second trial: +5ml = 130 ml → D=30
mm

Third trial: + 10ml = 140 ml → D= 13 mm

Fourth trial: +3ml = 143 ml → D= 6 mm (normal consistency)

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LAB TEST#2: SETTING
TIME
Apparatus:
 Vicat apparatus + steel needle
 Mixture of water and cement (same as previous test)

Procedure:
 Calibration of Vicat apparatus with the needle is the same as
for the apparatus with the plunger.
 Mold, filled by paste of standard consistence and base plate
transfer to the Vicat apparatus.
 Procedure of penetration is the same as by using plunger.
 Repeat the penetration test on the same specimen at
conveniently spaced position, not less than 10 mm from the rim
of the mold or from each other, at conveniently spaced
intervals of time.
 Clean the Vicat needle after each penetration
 Initial setting time is time measured from zero at which
distance between the needle and the base-plate is 4 ± 1 mm.
Record it to the nearest 5 minutes.
 final setting time is time measured from zero at which the
needle first penetrates only 0,5 mm into the specimen.

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Results:
In this test, we didn’t get a result because the error in the mixture.

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LAB TEST#3: DENSITY
OF CEMENT
Objective:
Obtaining the density of cement by the usage of benzene to calculate
the specific gravity.

Apparatus:
 Le Chatelier flask
 Benzene
 Cement

Procedure:
 Weight out about 64 g of cement.
 Fill the Chatelier flask with 0.5 ml of benzene. Make sure the
neck of the flask is dry of any liquid.
 Mark down the initial level of benzene asV1 in the flask. The
flask is required to be immersed in a constant temperature
water bath for a sufficient interval before making the initial and
final readings.
 Slowly pour in the cement making sure to minimize the amount
lost as dust. Use the metal rod to push any cement that might
cling to the sides of the flask down.
 Close the flask with a stopper and tilt the flask. Slowly rotate
the flask until all air bubbles are eliminated.
 Allow a minute for the cement to settle and note the final level
of the fluid in the flask.

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 Difference between the first & the final readings represent the
volume of benzene displaced by the mass of cement.
 Calculate density of cement as mass of cement divided by
displaced volume.
 Calculate the specific gravity.

Results:
V1= 0.5 ml

V2= 20 ml

Dc = mass/ volume= 64/ 20 = 3.2 g/cm3

Specific Gravity: S. G= Dc / Db= 3.2/ 0.876 =
3.65

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 LAB TEST#4:
SOUNDNESS
Objective:
Soundness Test on Cement is carried out to detect the presence of
uncombined lime in cement.

Apparatus:
 Le Chatelier apparatus
 Brass mould of 30 mm diameter
 2 glass plate
 Mixture of cement and water (of known amount after the test 1
and 2)

Procedure:
 Place the mould on a glass sheet and fill it with the cement
paste formed by gauging 500 g of cement with 0.78 times the
water required (150 ml x 0.78= 117 ml) to give a paste of
standard consistency.
 Cover the mould with another piece of glass sheet, place a
small weight on this covering glass sheet.
 Measure the distance separating the indicator points (say l1).
 Submerge the mould in boiling water and keep it boiling for
3hrs.
 Remove the mould from the water, allow it to cool and
measure the distance between the indicator points (say l2).
 (L2 – L1) represents the expansion of cement.

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Results:

L1= 1.4 cm

L2= 1.9 cm

L2-L1= 0.5 < 10 OK.

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 LAB TEST#5:
FINENESS
Objective:
This method serves only to demonstrate the presence of
coarse cement particles. This method is primarily suited to
checking and controlling production process.

Apparatus:
 Blaine fineness apparatus
 Permeability cell
 Plunger
 Perforated disc

Procedure:
• Place the perforated disc on the ledge at the bottom of the cell
and place on it a new filter paper disc. Place the weighed
quantity of cement, m1, in the cell. Place a second new filter
paper disc on the levelled cement. Insert the plunger and press
it gently but firmly until the lower face of the cap is in contact
with the cell. Slowly withdraw the plunger, rotate it through 90°
and press once again. The bed is now compacted and ready for
the permeability test.

• Test is performed on the Blaine apparatus. It is practically

manometer in the U-tube form. One arm of the manometer is
provided at the top with conical socket to form an airtight fit with
the conical surface of the cell. The same arm has four etched
lines M1 to M4 and T-joint, which lead to an airtight stopcock
beyond which is attached aspiration rubber bulb.

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 • Manometer is filled to the level of the lowest etched line with
non-volatile, non-hygroscopic liquid of low viscosity and density.

• Insert the conical surface of the cell into the socket at the top of
the manometer.

• Open the stopcock and with gentle aspiration raise the level of
the manometer liquid to that of the highest etched line. Close
the stopcock and the manometer liquid will begin to flow. Start
the timer as the liquid reaches the second etched line and stop
it when the liquid reaches the third etched line. Record the time,
t, and the temperature, T.
• The procedure repeats three times

• Calculate three values of the specific surface and the mean of

them.

Results:
We didn’t obtain any result in this test.

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LAB TEST#6: SPECIFIC
GRAVITY AND
ABSORPTION
(COARSE
AGGREGATES)
Objective:
To determine the bulk specific gravity (dry and ssd), apparent
specific gravity and and absorpion of coarse aggregates per
astm c127.

Procedure:
 Step 1: attach wire basket to scale suspended over water
bath. Submerge wire basket attached to scale, and tare
scale. Remove basket from water bath .
 Step 2: remove soaking saturated sample from water and
bring to ssd (saturated surface dry). Ssd is achie ved by
rolling sample in absorbant cloths. No visible fills of water
should be evident on the aggregate particles.
 Step 3: tare the weigth of the basket on second scale.
Add ssd sample and record weight as ssd sample in air as
b.
 Step 4: reattach basket filled with ssd aggregates to scale
suspended over water bath. Record as c, ssd sample
weight in water.
 Step 5: transfer the aggregate from the wire basket into a
container and dry in oven to constant weight, a .

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 Step 6: determine the weight of the oven -dry aggragates
a.
 Step 7: compute the specific gravity and absorption for
the aggregate as follows:
 Bulk specific gravity (dry) = a/(b -c)
 Bulk specific gravity (ssd) = b/(b -c)
 Apparent specific gravity = a/(a -c)
 Absorption = (b-a) x 100% / a
 record all the value to the nearest 0.01 .

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LAB TEST #7
PARTICLE SIZE
ANALYSIS FOR FINE
AND COARSE
AGGREGATES
Objective:
To obtain the distribution of particle sizes within a given bulk sample of
aggregate materials

Equipment:
1. Balance or scale accurate to 0.1 percent of the sample mass or sensitive to 0.1g

2. Standard sieves meeting the requirements of ASTM C 136

3. Mechanical sieve shaker

4. Suitable drying equipment – oven maintaining a uniform temperature of 110 ± 5 °C

5. Containers and utensils

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Procedure:
 Step 1: Oven-dry sample at a temperature of 110°C ± 5°C. The sample size will depend on
the nominal maximum aggregate size of the product being tested: Fine aggregates: 300
grams Coarse aggregate:
 Step 2: Select sieves to obtain the required information. Stack the sieves in decreasing sizes
from top to bottom remembering to place the pan at the bottom.
 Step 3: Record initial sample weight.
 Step 4: Pour the sample into the nest of sieves. Place sieves in the mechanical shaking device
and shake for approximately 10 minutes. Excessive shaking may damage the sample;
however, incomplete shaking will result in materials not passing through the sieve openings to
their true size leading to erroneous test results.
 Step 5: Determine the mass of the material retained on each sieve individually to the nearest
0.1 percent or 0.1 g and record. Make sure to remove all the materials from the sieve screen
openings.
 The total mass of the material after sieving should check closely with the original sample size.
ASTM requires that the difference between the sieve product and the original sample size must
be less than or equal to 0.3 percent. If the results fall outside this range the test is invalid and
must be redone.

Nominal max size Minimum mass

(mm) (kg)

9.5 1

12.5 2

19.0 5

25.0 10

37.5 15

Calculations:
1- Sum the mass retained on each sieve

2-Calculate the loss-gain ratio (L/G):

 totalsamplemassafter  initialsam plemass 

L / G    100
 initialsam plemass  L/G percent less than or equal to 0.3 percent.

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3- First calculate the percent retained on each sieve to the nearest 0.1
percent

a- calculate percent passing = (100 – cumulative percent retained on

preceding sieves) to the nearest 0.1 percent.

b- cumulative percent retained = sum of each percent retained

4- Plot data on grain size chart

5- Calculate the fineness modulus (FM): sum of the cumulative percentages

retained on the following when evaluating the fine aggregate for use in
concrete: No. 4,8,16,30,50 and 100.

Report:
In preparing the laboratory report plot the grain size versus the percent
passing for each aggregate type.

Discuss the results of your grain size distribution curves.

Report the total percentage of material passing each sieve.

Report the percentage data for coarse and fine aggregate to the nearest
percent.

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 LAB TEST#8: UNIT
WEIGHT COARSE
AGGREGATE
Objective
To determine the bulk density and voids in aggregate a dry and compacted
condition

Apparatus:
Balance or scale accurate to 0.05k

Steel rod: a round straight steel rod, 16 mm diameter and approximately 600mm
in length.

Watertight cylindrical study metal container inside surface of thee cylindrical must
smooth and continuous shovel.

Procedure:
Fill container one third full with dry aggregate and level with fingers

Rod the layer of aggregate 25 times equally distributed over the cross section of
sample.

Fill container to two thirds full and level fingers

Repeat step 2 do not force into the previously placed layer.

Fill the container to overflowing and rod again as in step 2 level surface with a
straight edge. Weight the container filled with rodded aggregates and record the
nearest 0.05Kg

Weight dry bucket empty T.

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H=30cm, D=15cm, A=pi*r^2, V=pi*r^2*h=0.0053m^3, w1=14.272kg,
w2=22.728kg. Gamma=m/v=15.651KN/m^3

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