5 COMMON FIELD TESTS ON

AGGREGATE TO CHECK ITS QUALITY

Suryakanta | July 6, 2015 | Aggregate, Materials, Tests On Aggregate | 4 Comments
Aggregates influence the properties of concrete/mortar such as water requirement, cohesiveness
and workability of the concrete in plastic stage, while they influence strength, density, durability,
permeability, surface finish and colour in hardened stage.

FIELD TESTS FOR AGGREGATE

1. SURFACE MOISTURE CONTENT & ABSORPTION
The surface moisture in the aggregate, influences the water cement ratio, strength and durability of
the mix. To determine the surface moisture of moist or wet aggregate, method is as follows-

FRYING PAN METHOD

The following apparatus are required:

 A frying pan or metal tray,

 Gas stove or an electric hair dryer,

 A metal or glass stirring rod and

 Scales to measures.

The following procedure is followed during the test

1. For coarse aggregate 2 kg sample is adequate and for fine aggregate 0.5 kg sample is
adequate.

2. The wet/moist sample is then weighed wet weight (W)

3. Heated very gently on the frying pan or metal plate and stirred with a glass or metallic rod to
maintain uniform distribution of heat, until the sheen disappears from the surface. The fine
aggregates become surface dry when it just starts showing free flowing characteristics.

4. The aggregates is then cooled and reweighed. The surface dry aggregate weight (Wsd) is
noted. The surface moisture is then calculated as follows-

Surface moisture = [(W – Wsd) / Wsd] x 100%

5. Overheating must be avoided, as it will not give the correct surface moisture.
 6. If heating is continued either on the fry pan or in the oven till the aggregate is bone
dry aggregate weight is then noted (Wbd) after continuous heating. The absorption (absorbed
water content) is then calculated as follows-

Absorption = [(Wsd – Wbd) / Wbd] x 100%

Similarly, if the dry aggregates are received on site and absorption capacity is to be determined then
the aggregates are first soaked in water and then the above methods are deployed to determine the
absorption capacity of aggregates.

2. SILT CONTENT TEST FOR SAND

Silt content test

The permissible silt content in sand (fine aggregate) must not exceed the values as specified in the
standards. However, this method can only be used for natural sand, it should not be used for
crushed rock sand.

The apparatus required for this test is only 250 ml glass measuring cylinder.

The silt content determination by volume is done in the following manner:

1. The glass cylinder is filled with salt-water solution (concentration of the solution will teaspoon
full of common salt for every 570 ml) upto 50 ml mark.
 2. Add sand until the level of the sand is upto 100 ml mark.

3. Add further salt-water solution till 150 ml mark is reached.

4. Place the palm on the mouth of the glass cylinder and shake it vigorously.

5. Place the cylinder on hard levelled surface and tap it all round so that sand is leveled.

6. Wait for three hours for silt to settle on top of sand.

7. Measure the thickness of the silt layer and the height of the sand. The silt content can be
calculated as follows:

Silt (%) by volume = [(Thickness of silt layer/ Height of sand + Silt) x 100 %]

If silt content by weight exceeds 3% then washing of sand is necessary. After conducting few tests, a
co-relation can be developed for silt layer thicknesses at various intervals of time. The silt content at
10 minutes can be fixed as inspection criteria.

3. BULKING OF SAND
When sand is damp, the water coating on the surface of each sand particle causes separation of
particles from one another due to surface tension. This causes sand to bulk. Bulked sand occupies
more volume and hence if volumetric measuring is done while proportioning it, bulking correction is
necessary.

The bulking test is done as follows:

1. The sand is filled, in loose condition in a box of measured height (H cm).

2. The box is then flooded with water and rodding is done to make the sand settle and
consolidate. Care should be taken that sand does not overflow during the flooding and
compaction.

3. The sand is then leveled in the box and the drop in height is measured (h cm).

4. Bulking is calculated as: Bulking % = h/H x 100%

Dry sand occupies the same volume as fully saturated sand. The bulking will vary from load to load
and day to day depending on the fineness of sand and its surface moisture content. It is there-fore,
very essential to make bulking corrections by checking the actual bulking of sand proposed to be
used by volumetric batching for mortar or concrete.

Moisture contents %age by wt. Bulking % by volume

2 15

3 20
 4 25

5 30

 4. SIEVE ANALYSIS
Sieve analysis is done to check the gradation of aggregate. The test is done as follow.

1. Take required amount of aggregate sample (for coarse aggregate take apprx. 2.5 kg and for
fine aggregate take 0.5 kg)

2. Arrange the required no of sieves as per the contract or job requirement in an descending
manner. (i.e. keep the sieve having largest size opening at the top and the smallest size
opening at the bottom)

3. Shake vigorously the sieve set for at least 2 minute.

4. Then measure the weight of aggregate on each sieve and express it as the percentage of
passing.

Now compare these values with the recommended values to know whether it falls within the range or
not. If not falling within the desired gradation then take necessary action.

Grading limit of coarse aggregate and fine aggregate is given below for reference.
Grading Limit of Coarse Aggregate

Grading Limit of Fine Aggregate

This test is done initially for concrete mix design and later conducted periodically for mix proportion
adjustments if it is suspected that the grading of aggregates has changed considerably.

5. FINENESS MODULUS
Fineness modulus is generally used to get an idea of how coarse or fine the aggregate is. More
fineness modulus value indicates that the aggregate is coarser and small value of fineness modulus
indicates that the aggregate is finer.

1. Sieve the aggregate using the appropriate sieves (80 mm, 40 mm, 20 mm, 10 mm, 4.75 mm,
2.36 mm, 1.18 mm, 600 micron, 300 micron & 150 micron)

2. Record the weight of aggregate retained on each sieve.

3. Calculate the cumulative weight of aggregate retained on each sieve.

 4. Calculate the cumulative percentage of aggregate retained.

5. Add the cumulative weight of aggregate retained and divide the sum by 100. This value is
termed as fineness modulus

Compare the test value with the values given in the following table and you can get an idea about
how coarse or fine the sand is.

Only sand between FM 2.6 to 2.9 is considered suitable for nominal mix proportion.

Type of Sand Fineness Modulus Value

Very fine sand Below 2.2

Fine sand 2.2 to 2.6

Medium sand 2.6 to 2.9

Coarse sand 2.9 to 3.2

Very coarse sand Above 3.2

CONSISTENCY
The basic aim is to find out the water content required to produce a cement paste of
standard consistency as specified by the IS: 4031 (Part 4) – 1988. The principle is that
standard consistency of cement is that consistency at which the Vicat plunger penetrates to
a point 5-7mm from the bottom of Vicat mould.
Apparatus – Vicat apparatus conforming to IS: 5513 – 1976, Balance, whose permissible
variation at a load of 1000g should be +1.0g, Gauging trowel conforming to IS: 10086 –
1982.
Procedure to determine consistency of cement
i) Weigh approximately 400g of cement and mix it with a weighed quantity of water. The
time of gauging should be between 3 to 5 minutes.
ii) Fill the Vicat mould with paste and level it with a trowel.
iii) Lower the plunger gently till it touches the cement surface.
iv) Release the plunger allowing it to sink into the paste.
v) Note the reading on the gauge.
vi) Repeat the above procedure taking fresh samples of cement and different quantities of
water until the reading on the gauge is 5 to 7mm.
Reporting of Results
Express the amount of water as a percentage of the weight of dry cement to the first place
of decimal.
INITIAL AND FINAL SETTING TIME
We need to calculate the initial and final setting time as per IS: 4031 (Part 5) – 1988. To do
so we need Vicat apparatus conforming to IS: 5513 – 1976, Balance, whose permissible
variation at a load of 1000g should be +1.0g, Gauging trowel conforming to IS: 10086 –
1982.
Procedure to determine initial and final setting time of cement
i) Prepare a cement paste by gauging the cement with 0.85 times the water required to give
a paste of standard consistency.
ii) Start a stop-watch, the moment water is added to the cement.
iii) Fill the Vicat mould completely with the cement paste gauged as above, the mould
resting on a non-porous plate and smooth off the surface of the paste making it level with
the top of the mould. The cement block thus prepared in the mould is the test block.
A) INITIAL SETTING TIME
Place the test block under the rod bearing the needle. Lower the needle gently in order to
make contact with the surface of the cement paste and release quickly, allowing it to
penetrate the test block. Repeat the procedure till the needle fails to pierce the test block to
a point 5.0 ± 0.5mm measured from the bottom of the mould.The time period elapsing
between the time, water is added to the cement and the time, the needle fails to pierce the
test block by 5.0 ± 0.5mm measured from the bottom of the mould, is the initial setting
time.
B) FINAL SETTING TIME
Replace the above needle by the one with an annular attachment. The cement should be
considered as finally set when, upon applying the needle gently to the surface of the test
block, the needle makes an impression therein, while the attachment fails to do so. The
period elapsing between the time, water is added to the cement and the time, the needle
makes an impression on the surface of the test block, while the attachment fails to do so, is
the final setting time.
SOUNDNESS
Soundness of cement is determined by Le-Chatelier method as per IS: 4031 (Part 3) –
1988.
Apparatus – The apparatus for conducting the Le-Chatelier test should conform to IS: 5514
– 1969
Balance, whose permissible variation at a load of 1000g should be +1.0g and Water bath.

Procedure to determine soundness of cement

i) Place the mould on a glass sheet and fill it with the cement paste formed by gauging
cement with 0.78 times the water required to give a paste of standard consistency.
ii) Cover the mould with another piece of glass sheet, place a small weight on this covering
glass sheet and immediately submerge the whole assembly in water at a temperature of 27
± 2oC and keep it there for 24hrs.
iii) Measure the distance separating the indicator points to the nearest 0.5mm (say d1 ).
iv) Submerge the mould again in water at the temperature prescribed above. Bring the
water to boiling point in 25 to 30 minutes and keep it boiling for 3hrs.
v) Remove the mould from the water, allow it to cool and measure the distance between the
indicator points (say d2 ).
vi) (d2 – d1 ) represents the expansion of cement.
Designers and builders of construction projects no longer can consider quality control
testing an option or convenience. In the past decade, testing for the quality of materials and
finished construction has become a necessity that no responsible builder can neglect.

The truth of this statement is proved not only by construction delays and cost overruns but
also by catastrophic failures of major structures. Such catastrophies include dam failures,
collapses and foundation breakdowns in multi-storeyed office and apartment structures; and
other failures in stadia, factories, schools, auditoria, public buildings and bridges.

Each construction project determines its own individualized testing needs. A variety of
factors influence the type of testing required. Among these factors are size of the
structures, terrain, type of soil and subsurface conditions at the construction site and other
conditions peculiar to the specific location. The expertise of the construction engineers and
technical personnel working on the project will also have an influence on the testing and
inspection need.

Testing facilities may range from a simple, inexpensive test kit carried in a portable chest to
a fully equipped Central Testing Laboratory.
A small Field Testing Laboratory, which can perform all the required tests can be set up at
any construction site with a small investment of about Rs. 71,300/-. The equipments of the
Laboratory shall be as given below:

Approx. Cost (in

S. No. Items Qty
Rs.)

1 Hydraulic Compression Testing

1 No. 20,000
Mechine, hand operated 100
tonnes capacity. Conform to the
requirements of IS: 516-1959,
IS :14858-2000 caliberated to
 an accuracy of ± 1% indicated
load within range.

2 Cube moulds 150x150x150 mm

12 Nos. 5,000
size conforming to IS : 516-
1959, IS : 10086-1982.

3 Slump apparatus conforming to

1 No. 1,000
IS: 7320.

4 Test sieve set IS : 460-1972,

One Set 5,000
30 cm dia frame of size 40mm,
20mm, 12.5mm and 10 mm
and 20 cm dia frame of size
4.75mm, 3.35 mm, 2.36mm,
1.18mm, 600 micron, 300
micron, 150 micron, 90 micron
and 75 micron.

5 Bulk density measure 3 and 15

One Each 2,000
litres capacity as per IS : 2386
(Part-III)- 1963.

6 Thickness and length gauge as

One Each 800
per IS : 2386 (Part-I)- 1963.

7 15 cm dia aggregate crushing

1 No. 1,000
value apparatus as per IS :
2386 (Part-IV)- 1963.

8 Graduated cylinder of glass 100,

3 Nos. each 300
250 and 1000 ml capacity.

9 Balances 1 kg, 5kg and 15 kg

One each 6,000
capacity.

10 Electric oven, thermostatically

1 No. 4,000
controlled upto 2000C, chamber
space about 40x40x40 cm.

11 Concrete Test Hammer

1 No. 5,000
(rebound hammer) of impact
energy 2.207 N.m (0.225 Kgm)
as per IS : 1331 (Part-2)- 1992.

12 Flat edge 10 cm dia glass

1 No. 200
cylinder with glass plate 2000
ml capacity.

13 Miscellaneous items such as

One Set 2,000
mixing trays, rice trays, karni
etc.
14 Le-chatelier apparatus as per IS
2 Nos. 500
: 4031.

15 Vicat apparatus as per IS :

1 No. 1,000
4031

16 Vibration machine with 6

1 No. 10,000
moulds as per IS : 4031.

17 Hot Plate
1 No. 2,000

18 Apparatus (HCl heat of solution

1 No. 500
method) for estimation of
cement content of fresh
concrete.

19 Chemicals for water content

For 50 tests 3,000
determination of fresh concrete
sodium chloride, nitric acid,
nitrobenzene, ferric alum,
silvernitrate, potassium
thipcyanate, sodium hydroxide
and HCl.

20 Glass ware for testing of S.No.

One Set 2,000
19

Total Rs. 71,300

With the above equipments, the following testing of construction materials can be
conducted:-

1. TESTING OF COARSE AND FINE AGGREGATE:

a) Sieve analysis as per IS : 2386 (Part-I)- 1963.
b) Deleterious materials as per IS: 2386 (Part-II) – 1963.
c) Specific gravity, density, voids and absorption as per IS: 2386 (Part-III) – 1963.
d) Soundness as per IS: 2386 (Part-V) – 1963.
2. TESTING OF COARSE AGGREGATE:
a) Aggregate crushing value as per IS: 2386 (Part-IV) – 1963.
b) Elongation and flakiness index as per IS: 2386 (Part-I) – 1963.
3. TESTING OF FINE AGGREGATE:
a) Silt content as per IS: 2386 (Part-I) – 1963.
b) Material finer than 75 micron as per IS: 2386 (Part-I) – 1963.
c) Organic impurities as per IS: 2386 (Part-II) – 1963.
d) Bulking as per IS: 2386 (Part-III) – 1963.
4. TESTING OF CEMENT AS PER IS: 4031:
a) Fineness of cement by dry sieving.
b) Determination of soundness by le-chatelier method. Brand
c) Determination of consistency and setting time.
d) Determination of compressive strength.

5. CONCRETE MIX DESIGN

6. TESTING OF FRESH CONCRETE:
a) Test for workability as per IS : 1199-1959.
b) Determination of density, yield, cement factor and air content as per IS : 1199-1959.
c) Casting of cubes as per IS : 516-1959.
d) Test for cement content of fresh concrete.
e) Test for water/cement ratio and concrete 28 days compressive strength in 15 minutes of
any grade of cement, so that any concrete batch discharged from the mixer found sub-
standard should not be allowed for placing.

7. TESTING OF HARDENED CONCRETE:

a) Compressive strength as per IS : 516-1959.
b) Density.
c) Non-destructive testing of concrete structures as per IS: 13311 (Part-II)- 1992.
8. TESTING OF CONCRETE ADMIXTURES AS PER IS: 2645 AND IS: 9103.
a) Workability test.
b) Permeability test by capillary absorption method
c) Setting time
d) Compressive strength
e) Bleeding.
9. TESTING OF BRICKS:
a) Compressive strength as per IS: 3495 (Part-I) – 1976.
b) Water absorption as per IS: 3495 (Part-II) – 1976.
c) Efflorescence as per IS: 3495 (Part-III) – 1976.
10. TESTING OF TARFELT AS PER IS: 1322 – 1982.
a) Pliability test
b) Storage sticking test
c) Heat resistance test
d) Water absorption test.
11.TESTING OF GLAZED TILES AS PER IS: 777- 1970.
a) Impact strength test
b) Water absorption test
12. TESTING OF MARBLE AS PER IS: 1124-1974
a) Water absorption test
b) Specific gravity test
13. TESTING OF WOOD AS PER IS: 287-1973
a) Compressive strength
b) Moisture content
c) Density
14. TESTING OF FLUSH DOOR SHUTTER
a) Knife test as per IS: 1659-1969.
b) Glue adhesion test as per IS: 2202 (Part-I) – 1973
c) End Immersion Test.
The above laboratory can be set up at any construction site in a small covered area of about
16 sq. meter with small investment of only Rs. 71,300/- which can perform tests on almost
all construction materials including quality control of fresh concrete, testing of hardened and
non-destructive testing of concrete structures. However, such laboratory must have well
experienced persons to run it properly. A person may be trained in 15 days time for
conducting all the above mentioned tests.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY/DENSITY OF HYDRAULIC CEMENT (IS:4031-Part 11-

1988)
Suryakanta | May 4, 2013 | Tests On Cement | 1 Comment

Overview
Specific gravity is defined as the ratio between the weight of a given volume of cement and
weight of an equal volume of water.

Apparatus
Measuring Instruments
 NAME CAPACITY / RANGE / SIZE ACCURACY / LEAST COUNT

Lechatelier flask

Balance

Water bath

Other Apparatus
 Tray

Le chatelier flask

Environmental Conditions
 Temp

Relative humidity

Test Procedure
1. Dry the Le-chatelier flask and fill with kerosene oil or Naptha to a point on the stem between 0
and 1 ml.

2. Dry the inside of the flask above the level of the liquid.

3. Immerse the flask in a constant temp water bath maintained at room temp for sufficient time.

4. Record the level of the kerosene oil in the flask as initial reading.

5. Introduce about 60 g of cement into the flask so that the level of kerosene rises to about say 22
ml mark. Splashing should be avoided and cement should not be allowed to adhere to the sides
of the flask above the liquid.

6. Insert the glass nipple into the flask and roll it gently in an inclined position to free the cement
from air until no further air bubble rises to the surface of the liquid.

7. Keep the flask again in constant temp water bath and note down the new liquid level as final
reading.

Calculation
The difference between the first and final readings represents the volume of liquid displaced by
the mass of cement used in test.

The density is calculated as per the below mentioned formula to the second place of decimal.

 Note ::Two tests shall be carried out and the average is reported. If the difference between the
two values differs by more than 0.03, the test shall be repeated.

Precautions
  While pouring cement in the Lechatelier flask, care should be taken to avoid splashing and
cement should not adhere to the inside of the flask above the liquid.

 The kerosene or Naptha should be completely free from water.

Technical Discussions
 The test for finding the specific gravity of Portland cement was originally considered to be of
value in detecting adulteration and under burning, but is no longer thought to be of much
importance in view of the fact that other tests  lead to more definite conclusions.

Test Standard Reference

 IS:4031(Pat 11):1988-Methods of physical tests for hydraulic cement (Determination of density)

FINENESS OF CEMENT BY BLAINES AIR PERMEABILITY METHOD (IS-

4031-PART-2)
Suryakanta | June 18, 2014 | Cement, Concrete Technology, Materials, Tests On Cement | 3 Comments

Overview
Blaine’s air permeability apparatus consists essentially of a means of drawing a definite quantity
of air through a prepared bed of cement of definite porosity. The fineness is expressed as a total
surface area in square centimeters per gram.

Apparatus
Measuring instruments

Name Range Accuracy

Blaine air permeability

Refer to IS:5516
apparatus

Balance 3g 1 mg

Timer 30 min. 0.2 sec

 Blaine Air Permeability
Apparatus

Environmental condition
 Temperature 27 ± 20 C

Humidity 65 % (max.)

Procedure
Procedure consists of 4 steps
(a)Determination of the density of cement
To determine the density or specific gravity of cement click here.

(b)Determination of the bed volume

1. Apply a very thin film of light mineral oil to the cell interior. Place the perforated disc on the
ledge in cell. Place two new filter paper discs on the perforated disc.

2. Fill the cell with mercury. Level the mercury to the top of the cell with a glass plate.

3. Remove the mercury from cell and it, M1.

4. Remove the top filter paper from the permeability cell and compress a trial quantity of 2.80 g of
cement into the space above filter paper to the gauge line in the cell. Place the other filter paper
above the cement bed.

5. Fill the remaining space in the cell above the filter paper with mercury. Level the mercury to the
top of the cell with a glass plate and remove mercury from the cell and weigh it, M2.

6. Calculate the volume occupied by the cement bed in the cell from the following equation.

V = (M -M )/D,
1 2

Where

D = Density of mercury (13.54 g/cm ) 3

7. Average at least two volume determinations that agree to within ±0.005cm3 and record this
value.

(c)Determination of apparatus constant

1. Take an amount (W) of standard cement so as to give the cement bed of porosity e=0.500.

i.e. W = (1-e)ρV

or W = 0.500ρV

2. 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 standard cement, W, in the cell taking care to avoid loss.

3. Tap the cell to level the cement. Place a second new filter paper disc on the leveled cement.
 4. Compress the cement with the plunger until the plunger collar is in contact with the top of the
cell. Slowly withdraw the plunger a short distance, rotate 900, repress the cement bed, and then
slowly withdraw.

5. Attach the permeability cell to the manometer tube with an air tight connection and slowly
evacuate the air in the manometer U-tube until the liquid reaches the top mark, then tightly
close the valve.

6. Start the timer when the bottom of the meniscus reaches next to the top mark and stop the
timer when the bottom of the meniscus reaches the bottom mark. Record the time t and temp.
of test.

7. Repeat the whole procedure on two further samples of the same reference cement. Calculate
the average time of the three determinations. Then calculate the apparatus constant using the
formula given below.

Where,

K=Apparatus constant

S =Specific surface of reference cement

0

ρ =Density of reference cement

0

t =Mean of three measured times

0

η =Air viscosity at the mean of the three temperatures.

0

(d)Determination of fineness
1. Repeat the steps (1 to 6) as done in determination of apparatus constant, but this time using the
cement whose fineness is to be calculated.

2. Calculate fineness of cement using following formula.

 
Where,

S = Specific surface area

K = Apparatus constant

ρ = Density of cement

t = Time

Technical discussion
 Fineness of cement has a great effect on the rate of hydration and hence the rate of gain of
strength.

 Fineness of cement increases the rate of evolution of heat.

 Finer cement offers a great surface area for hydration and hence faster the development of
strength.

 Increase in fineness of cement also increases the drying shrinkage of concrete and hence creates
cracks in structures.

 Excessive fineness requirement increases cost of grinding.

 Excessive fine cement requires more water for hydration, resulting reduced strength and
durability.

 Fineness of cement affects properties like gypsum requirement, workability of fresh concrete &
long term behavior of structure.

 Coarse cement particles settle down in concrete which causes bleeding.

 Approximately 95% of cement particles are smaller than 45 micrometers, with the average
particle around 15 micrometers.

 In the early 1900s, cement fineness was expressed as the mass of cement per fractional size
(percent weight retained on specific sieve sizes). Now a day’s fineness is usually measured by
the Blaine air-permeability test that indirectly measures the surface area of the cement particles
per unit mass.

 Cements with finer particles have more surface area in m2 per kg of cement.

Standard specification
 Type of cement Indian Standard Reference Finenees Value (mm2/g)

OPC (33) 269-1976 225,000

OPC (43) 8112-1989 225,000

OPC (53) 12269-1987 225,000

Rapid hardening 8041-1990 325,000

Low heat cement 12600-1989 320,000

Portland slag cement 455-1989 225,000

PPC 1489-1991 (Part 1) 300,000

High alumina cement 6452-1989 225,000

Super sulphated cement 6909-1990 400,000

IRS-T-40 Railway Standard 370,000

Precautions
 The volume of the compacted cement bed should be calculated accurately.

 The time taken by the manometer liquid to fall from one mark to the other should be measured
very accurately.

Test standard reference

IS:4031(Part-2):1996-Method of physical tests for hydraulic cement(Determination of fineness
by Blaine air permeability method)
MODIFIED PROCTOR COMPACTION TEST OR HEAVY COMPACTION
TEST (IS-2720-PART-8)
Suryakanta | June 14, 2014 | Geotechnical, Soil, Soil Investigation, Tests On Soil | 4 Comments

Objective
To determine moisture content and dry density relationship using heavy compaction or modified
compaction method as per IS-2720-Part-8.

Apparatus
• Metal mould (volume = 1000 cm3)
• Balance (capacity = 10 kg, least count = 1g)
• Oven (105 to 1100C)
• Sieve (19 mm)
• Metal rammer (weight = 4.9 kg)

Compaction
Mould and Rammer

Procedure
1. Dry the soil sample by exposing it to air or sun light.

2. Sieve the air dried soil through 19 mm sieve.

 3. Add suitable amount of water with the soil and mix it thoroughly. For sandy and gravelly soil
add 3% to 5% of water. For cohesive soil the amount of water to be added should be 12% to
16% below the plastic limit.

4. Weigh the mould with base plate attached to the nearest 1g. Record this weight as ‘W1’.

5. Attach the extension collar with the mould.

6. Compact the moist soil into the mould in five layers of approximately equal mass, each layer
being given 25 blows, with the help of 4.9 kg rammer, dropped from a height of 450 mm above
the soil. The blows must be distributed uniformly over the surface of each layer.

7. After completion of the compaction operation, remove the extension collar and level carefully
the top of the mould by means of straightedge.

8. Weigh the mould with the compacted soil to the nearest 1 g. Record this weight as ‘W2’.

9. After weighing remove the compacted soil from the mould and place it on the mixing tray.
Determine the water content of a representative sample of the specimen. Record the moisture
content as ‘M’.

10. Broken up the remainder of the specimen and repeat step 5 to step 9 by adding suitable
increment of water to the soil. For sandy and gravelly soils the increment in general is 1% to
2%. For cohesive soils the increment in general is 2% to 4%.

11. The total no. of determinations made shall be at least five, and the moisture contents should be
such that the optimum moisture content, at which the maximum dry density occurs, is within
that range.

Calculation
Bulk density, γ in g/cm of each compacted specimen is calculated from the following equation.
b
3

γ = (W -W )/V
b 2 1 m

where,

W = Weight in g of mould + base plate

1

W = Weight in g of mould + base plate + soil

2

V = Volume of mould i.e. 1000 cm .

m
3

Dry density, γ in g/cm of each compacted specimen is calculated from the following equation.
d
3

γ = 100 γ /(100+M)
d b
Where,

γ = Bulkdensity of soil in g/cm .

b
3

M = Moisture content of soil

Graph
The dry densities, γ , obtained in a series of determinations is plotted against the corresponding
d

moisture content ‘M’. A smooth curve is then drawn through the resulting points and the position
of the maximum on this curve is determined, which is called maximum dry density (M.D.D).
And the corresponding moisture content is called optimum moisture content (O.M.C.).

Compaction Curve

LIGHT/STANDARD PROCTOR COMPACTION TEST OF SOIL(IS-2720-

PART-7-1980)
Suryakanta | May 14, 2013 | Tests On Soil | No Comments
 Standard Proctor Test

Objective
For determination of the relation between the water content and the dry density of soils using
light compaction.

Reference Standard
IS: 2720(Part 7)-1980- Methods of test for soils: Determination of water content-dry density
relation using light compaction.

Equipments & Apparatus

 Cylindrical mould & accessories [volume = 1000cm3]

 Rammer [2.6 kg]

  Balance [1g accuracy]

 Sieves [19mm]

 Mixing tray

 Trowel

 Graduated cylinder [500 ml capacity]

 Metal container

Preparation sample
Obtain a sufficient quantity (10 kg) of air-dried soil and pulverize it. Take about 5 kg of soil
passing through 19mm sieve in a mixing tray.

Procedure
1. 5 Kg. of soil is taken and the water is added to it to bring its moisture content to about 4 % in
coarse grained soils and 8% in case of fine grained soils with the help of graduated cylinder

2. The mould with base plate attached is weighed to the nearest 1 gm (M1). The extension collar is
to be attached with the mould.

3. Then the moist soil in the mould is compacted in three equal layers, each layer being given 25
blows from the 2.6 Kg rammer dropped from a height of 310 mm. above the soil.

4. The extension is removed and the compacted soil is leveled off carefully to the top of the mould
by means of a straight edge.

5. Then the mould and soil is weighed to the nearest 1 gm. (M2).

6. The soil is removed from the mould and a representative soil sample is obtained water content
determination.

7. Steps 3 to 6 are repeated after adding suitable amount of water to the soil in an increasing
order.

Calculation
Bulk density, g in g/cm at each compacted specimen is  calculated from the equation.
m
3
where V = volume of mould in cm
m
3

The dry density, g , in g/cm , is calculated from the equation.

d
3

where w = moisture content of soil in percent.

The dry densities, g obtained in a series of determinations are plotted against the corresponding
d

moisture content. A smooth curve is then drawn through the resulting points and the position of
the maximum on this curve is determined.

Report
The maximum dry density in g/cm is to be reported to the nearest 0.01 and the optimum
3

moisture content is to be reported to the nearest 0.5.

Safety & Precautions

 Use hand gloves & safety shoes while compacting.

 Adequate period (about 15 minutes for clayey soils and 56 minutes for coarse grained soils) is
allowed after mixing the water and before compacting into the mould.

 The blows should be uniformly distributed over the surface of each layer.