SLUMP TEST

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The method used to test on the workability of the concrete is slump test. Slump test are
widely used because of the simplicity of the apparatus required and the test procedures. The
slump test indicates the behaviour of a compacted concrete cone under the action of
gravitational force. The purpose is to determine the workability or consistency of concrete
mix prepared at the laboratory or in construction site during the progress of work ( as
recommended by BS 1881 : PART 102: 1983).

For this slump test, we used the concrete mix based on our DOE form which has a
characteristic strength of 30N/mm2 per trial mix of 0.009 m3. Therefore, in this report, we
will discuss and analyze the results and findings of this experiment.

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

Workability of concrete is a property that directly impacts strength, quality, appearance, and
even the cost of labor for placement and finishing operations. The workability of concrete is
important because it describes the ease or difficulty with which the concrete is handled,
transported and placed between the form with minimum loss of homogeneity. There are a few
factors affecting the workability of concrete such as the water-cement ratio, the aggregate’s
size and shape, and the admixtures used.
In addition, workability of concrete can be divided into three types which are unworkable
concrete, medium workable concrete, and highly workable concrete. Unworkable concrete
can also be called as harsh concrete. It is a concrete with very little amount of water. Medium
workable concrete is concrete that relatively easy to mix, transport, place and compact
without much segregation and loss of homogeneity. Lastly, high workable concrete is a
highly workable concrete is very easy to mix, transport, place and compact in structures.
Such concrete flow easily and settle down without much effort. But there is high chances of
segregation and loss of homogeneity in this case.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
• Apparatus
-Iron Pan
-Trowel
-Slump Cone
-Tamping Rod (12mm diameter)
-Measuring cylinder
-Base

• Material -Coarse aggregate

-Fine aggregate
-Cement
-Water

• Procedure
1. The quantity of concrete produced are based on the DOE form which are about 3.5 kg of
cement, 1.6 litre of water, 6.7 kg of fine aggregates and 13 kg of course aggregates.
2. The aggregate should be in dry condition. Adjustment is made to the concrete mix
proportion to allow for absorption of mix water by aggregates
3. The dry material is added in order;
- Coarse aggregate
- Fine aggregate
- Cement
4. The materials is mixed with water until the mix is blend well.
5. The cement is spread evenly over the aggregates and mix continuously.
Testing the concrete in slump cone
1. The internal surface of the mould is cleaned and apply oil.
2. The mould is placed on a smooth horizontal non-porous base plate.
3. The mould is filled with the prepared concrete mix in approximately 3 equal layers.
4. Each layer of the concrete mix is tamp with 25 strokes of the rounded-end of the tamping
rod in a uniform manner over the cross section of the mould. For the subsequent layers, the
tamping should penetrate into the underlying layer.
5. The excess concrete is removed and the surface is leveled with a trowel.
6. The mortar and the water that leaked out between the mould and the base plate is cleaned
away.
7. The mould is raised from the concrete immediately and slowly in vertical direction.
8. The difference between the height of the mould and the height point of the slump is being
tested.

Standard Values of Slump

Description Slump in cm
Concrete for road construction 1.905 to 3.81

Slabs 2.54 to 5.08

Normal RCC sections 5.08 to 15.24

Thin RCC structures 10.16 to 17.78

Vibrated concrete 1.27 to 2.54

Mass concrete 2.54 to 7.62

4.0 RESULTS
Test height of slump 2 CM

Slump =The height of the cone - The height of the concrete after the slump.

Data Analysis
The data that we have got from the test is 2 cm from the height of the concrete.

DISCUSSION
From the test that we have made, the result that we got is a 2 cm slump which is categorized
in zero- collapse. 2 cm slump concrete is defined as concrete of stiff or dry consistency
showing a bit measurable slump after removal of the slump cone. From the test, we have
known that the mixture is dry and has a low workability. A dry mixture having slump 0-
25mm is used in vibrated concrete.
Therefore, there are a few precautions that we need to take during slump test such as, in order
to reduce the influence on slump of the variation in the surface friction, the inside of the
mould and its base should be moistened at the beginning of every test, and prior to lifting of
the mould the area immediately around the base of the cone should be cleaned from concrete
which may have dropped accidentally.

5.0 CONCLUSION
The conclusion is, slump test measures the consistency of fresh concrete before it sets. It is
performed to check the workability of freshly made concrete, and therefore the ease with
which concrete flows. It can also be used as an indicator of an improperly mixed batch. The
test is popular due to its simplicity of apparatus used and the simple procedure. The slump
test is used to ensure uniformity for different loads of concrete under field conditions.
Based on the results we got, we must repeat the test with different mix design and water-
cement ratio to obtain the true slump.
COMPRESSION TEST
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Compressive strength of concrete cube test provides 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 and quality control during production of
concrete. 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. Furthermore, compressive strength is the ability of material or structure to carry the
loads on its surface without any crack or deflection. A material under compression tends to
reduce the size, while in tension, size elongates.

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

BS 1881 describes the method of comparative cube testing for verifying the performance in
normal operation of compression testing machines of at least 2 000 kN force capacity for
testing 100 mm concrete cubes in accordance with BS 1881-116. It describes the reference
machine, cube-making and storage, test procedure and certification of the concrete cube
testing machine. For the specimen, several sets of cubes shall be made for testing on each
machine to be verified and the same number of cubes from the same groups shall be selected
for testing on the reference machine. The cement used shall comply with BS 12 and shall be
stored in a silo or suitable airtight containers. For the aggregates, separate coarse and fine
aggregates complying with BS 882 shall be used. The maximum nominal size of coarse
aggregate shall be 20 mm for 150 mm cubes and 10 mm for 100 mm cubes.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
3.1 APPARATUS AND MATERIALS
1. 3.5 kg cement.
2. 6.5 kg of fine aggregates.
3. 13 kg of coarse aggregates.
4. 1.6 L of water.
5. 3 cubes of 100mm x 100mm x 100mm.
6. Electronic balance.
7. Compression testing machine.

3.2 PROCEDURE
a. Preparation of concrete cube.
1. Mix the cement and aggregate on a water tight non-absorbent platform until the mixture is
thoroughly blended.
2. Compact each layer with not less than 35strokes per layer using a tamping rod (steel bar).
3. Level the top surface and smoothen it with a trowel.
4. The cubes are stored in moist air for 24 hours for curing purpose.
5. The water for curing should be tested every 7 days and the temperature of water must be at
27±2oC. a.
b. Concrete cube test.
1. Remove the specimen from water after specified curing time.
2. Clean the bearing surface of the testing machine.
4. Place the specimen in the machine in such a manner that the load shall be applied to the
opposite sides of the cube cast.
5. Align the specimen centrally on the base plate of the machine.
6. Rotate the movable portion gently by hand so that it touches the top surface of the
specimen.
7. Apply the load gradually without shock and continuously at the rate of 140 kg/cm2/minute
till the specimen fails.
8. Record the maximum load.
4.0 DATA ANALYSIS
4.1 DATA
type Mass(kg) Area(mm2) Maximum load (kN)
Cube 1 2.36 100 x 100 72.1
Cube 2 2.36 100 x 100 29.8
Cube 3 2.41 100 x 100 59.8

4.2 CALCULATION
𝑃
𝐹=
𝐴
Cube 1:
72.1𝑥1000
(100𝑥100)
= 7.21 N/mm2

Cube 2:
29.8𝑥1000
(100𝑥100)

= 2.98 N/mm2
Cube 3:
59.8𝑥1000
(100𝑥100)
=5.98 N/mm2

7.21+2.98+5.98
Average :
3
= 5.39 N/mm2
4.3 DISCUSSION
The compressive strength of cube test usually come out with same value as stated in DOE
method. However, the result that we get will not reach the value as DOE method. It is
because the result we took was not in 28 days, where the cube are fully hardened. We only
took result for 7 days of hardened. Therefore, the result should reached 70% of hardened. In
DOE method, we got value of 30 MPa or 30 N/mm2 for the compressive strength of fully
hardened. For 70% of this value, we only got 24.5 N/mm2 for the cube test.
Fully hardened (base on DOE method):
Compressive strength of cube test = 30 N/mm2
7 days of hardened:
Compressive strength of cube test = 70% of fully hardened
70
= 100 × 30

= 21 N/mm2
Comparison:
7days of hardened Experiment

21 N/mm2 5.39 N/mm2

Therefore, in this experiment we did not get the nearest value of the target compressive
strength of the concrete in DOE Form. There are several factors which could affect the
workability and compressive strength of concrete:
1.Wrong ratio used when mixing the concrete.
2.Concrete does not compact well when put the concrete in the mould.
3. Surface of the concrete does not parallel with the compression machine also will cause the
reading of the machine low.

5.0 CONCLUSION

Although some errors were made in procedure, the test result is a bit far from the actual
value. This error can occur while mixing the concrete and testing the concrete in the
compression machine. The mixed that stuck at the plate also will effect the quality of the
concrete and give error in compressive strength. Moreover, the result came out from the
average of the cube that been used for the test. This error should avoid in order to made a
good concrete quality.