The Slump of hydraulic Cement Concrete

ASTM C143 & AASHTO T 119

Theory:
Concrete Slump Test is a measurement of concrete's workability, or fluidity. It's an indirect measurement of
concrete consistency or stiffness. A slump test is a method used to determine the consistency of concrete. The
consistency, or stiffness, indicates how much water has been used in the mix. The stuffiness of the concrete
mix should be matched to the requirements for the finished product quality. The test is popular due to the
simplicity of apparatus used and simple procedure

Principle of Slump Test

The slump test result is a measure of the behavior of a compacted inverted cone of concrete under the action
of gravity. It measures the consistency or the wetness to concrete which then gives an idea about the
workability condition of concrete mix.

Apparatus:
1- Tools and containers- for mixing, or concrete mixer.
2- Tamping Rod—A round, straight steel rod 5⁄8-in. [16 mm] in dia and approximately 24-in. [600 mm]
in length, Having the tamping end or both ends rounded to a hemispherical
3- Ruler or measuring tap
5- Slump cone - which has the shape of a frustum of a cone with the dimensions: Top dia 10cm
Bottom dia 20cm and Height 30cm

Procedure:
The sample of concrete from which test specimens are made shall be representative of the entire batch.
It shall be obtained in accordance with Practice C 172.
1. Dampen the mold and place it on a flat, moist, nonabsorbent (rigid) surface. It shall be held firmly in
place during filling by the operator standing on the two foot pieces.
2. Immediately fill the mold in three layers, each approximately one third the volume of the mold. One
third of the volume of the slump mold fills it to a depth of (70 mm) two thirds of the volume fills it to a
depth of (160 mm).
3. Rod each layer with 25 strokes of the tamper, distribute the strokes in a uniform manner over the cross
section of the mold, each stroke just penetrating the layer below approximately 1 inch for the second
and third lifts. Do not tap the cone.
4. In filling and rodding the top layer, heap the concrete above the mold before rodding is started. If the
rodding operation results in subsidence of the concrete below the top edge of the mold, add additional
concrete to keep an excess of concrete above the top of the mold at all times. After the top layer has been
Rodded, strike off the surface of the concrete by means of a screeding and rolling motion of the tamping
rod. Continue to hold the mold down firmly and remove concrete from the area surrounding the base of
the mold to preclude interference with the movement of slumping concrete. Remove the mold
immediately from the concrete by raising it carefully in a vertical direction. Raise the mold a distance of
12 in. [300 mm] in 5±2 s by a steady upward lift with no lateral or torsional motion. Complete the entire
test from the start of the filling through removal of the mold without interruption and complete it within
an elapsed time of 2.5 min.
5. Immediately measure the slump by determining the vertical difference between the top of the mold and
the displaced original center of the top surface of the specimen. If a decided falling away or shearing off
of concrete from one side or portion of the mass occurs (If two consecutive tests on a sample of concrete
show a falling away or shearing off of a portion of the concrete from the mass of the specimen, the
concrete probably lacks necessary plasticity and cohesiveness for the slump test to be applicable),
disregard the test and make a new test on another portion of the sample.

Types of Concrete Slump

The slumped concrete takes various shapes, and according to the profile of slumped concrete, the slump is
termed as;
1. Collapse Slump
2. Shear Slump
3. True Slump

Collapse Slump: In a collapse slump the concrete collapses completely. A collapse slump will generally
mean that the mix is too wet or that it is a high workability mix, for which slump test is not appropriate. It
means the water-cement ratio is too high, i.e. concrete mix is too wet or it is a high workability mix, for
which a slump test is not appropriate
Shear Slump: In a shear slump the top portion of the concrete shears off and slips sideways.
OR
If one-half of the cone slides down an inclined plane, the slump is said to be a shear slump. The shear slump
indicates that the result is incomplete, and concrete needs to be retested for valid results.

1. If a shear or collapse slump is achieved, a fresh sample should be taken and the test is repeated.
2. If the shear slump persists, as may the case with harsh mixes, this is an indication of lack of cohesion of
the mix.

True Slump: In a true slump the concrete simply subsides, keeping more or less to shape
1. This is the only slump which is used in various tests.
2. Mixes of stiff consistence have a Zero slump, so that in the rather dry range no variation can be detected
between mixes of different workability.
However, in a lean mix with a tendency to harshness, a true slump can easily change to the shear slump
type or even to collapse, and widely different values of slump can be obtained in different samples from the
same mix; thus, the slump test is unreliable for lean mixes.

Applications of Slump Test

1. The slump test is used to ensure uniformity for different batches of similar concrete under field
conditions and to ascertain the effects of plasticizers on their introduction.
2. This test is very useful on site as a check on the day-to-day or hour- to-hour variation in the materials
being fed into the mixer. An increase in slump may mean, for instance, that the moisture content
of aggregate has unexpectedly increases.
3. Other cause would be a change in the grading of the aggregate, such as a deficiency of sand.
4. Too high or too low a slump gives immediate warning and enables the mixer operator to remedy the
situation.
5. This application of slump test as well as its simplicity, is responsible for its widespread use.
 Degree of Slump Compacting
Use for which concrete is suitable
workability mm in Factor
Very dry mixes; used in road making. Roads vibrated by
Very low 0-25 0-1 0.78
power operated machines.
Low workability mixes; used for foundations with light
Low 25-50 1-2 0.85 reinforcement. Roads vibrated by hand operated
Machines.
Medium workability mixes; manually compacted flat
slabs using crushed aggregates. Normal reinforced
Medium 50-100 2-4 0.92
concrete manually compacted and heavily reinforced
sections with vibrations.
High workability concrete; for sections with congested
High 100-175 4-7 0.95
reinforcement. Not normally suitable for vibration

Table: Workability, Slump and Compacting Factor of concrete with 19 or 38 mm (3/4 or 11/2 in) maximum
size of aggregate.

Q: What is the ideal value of slump?

In case of a dry sample, slump will be in the range of 25-50 mm that is 1-2 inches. But in case of a wet
concrete, the slump may vary from 150-175 mm or say 6-7 inches. So the value of slump is specifically
mentioned along the mix design and thus it should be checked as per your location.
Factors affecting concrete workability are properties of concrete ingredients - aggregates etc. Also
temperature has its effect on slump value. So all these parameters should be kept in mind when deciding the
ideal slump
Q: How does a super plasticizer effect the slump of concrete?
Value of Slump can be increased by the addition of chemical admixtures like mid-range or high-range water
reducing agents (super-plasticizers) without changing the water/cement ratio.
Q: How much time one should take to raise the cone?
Once the cone is filled and topped off [excessive concrete from top is cleared] raise the cone within 5-10
seconds.