UNIT 5

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OFCONCRETE

HOLLOW BLOCKS (CHB)

NON-LOAD BEARING CHB

LOAD BEARING CHB

Concrete hollow block is a mixture of powdered Portland cement, water, sand, and
crushed gravel. This produces a light gray block with a fine surface texture and a high
compressive strength. A typical concrete block weigh 38-43 pounds. (17.2-19.5 kg). In
general, the concrete mixture used for blocks has a higher percentage of sand and a
lower percentage of gravel and water than the concrete mixtures used for general
construction purposes. This produces a very dry, stiff mixture that holds its shape when
it is removed from the block mold.

The shapes and sizes of most common concrete blocks have been standardized to
ensure uniform building construction. The most common block size 4-by-8-by-16 block
and 6-by-8-by-16 block. This nominal measurement includes room for a bead of mortar.

Concrete block serves as economic building material, used in those regions where wall
bricks are costly, poor in strength and not available. There is a wide range of
Construction application for many types of Residential, Public and industrial building.
Due to sturdy and long-lasting building material, architects and engineers will
recommended for house construction, retaining wall, security barriers etc.

Strength of concrete block depend on the mix proportions of concrete, properties of

ingredients of concrete, curing period, its physical dimension and how it is loaded (flat or
on edge), solid or hollow, wall thickness and height (slenderness ratio), unsupported
(lateral) length of wall, no. of openings, grove cuttings (electric conduits and plumbing
works), type of mortar and masonry bond type.

A non-load bearing wall doesn't support floor roof loads above. It is not a part of the
structural frame system. Most of the time, they are interior walls whose purpose is to
divide the floor into rooms. They are built lighter to reduce the dead load of the
structure.

Load bearing CHB - is a wall that bears a load resting upon it by conducting its weight to
a foundation structure. Unlike non-load bearing CHB, it is also a main support of the
structure same with the columns and beams. Normal CHB has a strength capacity of
350psi, while. Load bearing CHB can carry 750psi of strength.
 HOLLOW BLOCK
PARAMETERS CONCRETE MASONRY BRICK MASONRY WALL
WALL
Compressive Strength
8.56 5.35
(MPa)
Flexural Strength
0.46 0.28
(MPa)

Horizontal Shear Strength 0.43 0.11

(MPa)
Diagonal Shear Strength
0.37 0.09
(MPa)

Note down the load at which masonry unit fails and the maximum load divided by gross
sectional area of unit will give the compressive strength of block. Similarly, test the
remaining 7 blocks and the average of 8 blocks strength is the final compressive
strength of concrete masonry unit.

The solid concrete blocks shall have a block density of not less than 1800 kg/m 3. These
shall be manufactured for minimum compressive strengths of 4.0 and 5.0 N/mm2,
respectively.

STANDARD SPECIFICATION OF CONCRETE HOLLOW BLOCKS

General Specifications

Hollow and solid concrete blocks shall be sound and free from cracks, broken
edges, honeycombing, and other defects that would interfere with the proper
placing of block or impair the strength or performance during construction .

Dimensions and Tolerances

The concrete block units shall be made in sizes and shapes to fit different
construction needs.  They include stretcher, corner, double corner or pier, jamb,
header, bullnose, and partition block, and concrete floor units.

The concrete block—hollow (open or closed cavity) or solid shall be referred to

by its nominal dimensions. The nominal dimensions of the concrete blocks are
given below:
 Length: 400, 500 or 600 mm
Height: 200 or 100 mm
Width: 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250 or 300 mm

In addition to the blocks mentioned above, blocks shall be manufactured in half

lengths of 200, 250, and 300 mm to correspond to the full-lengths. The tolerance
in the length of the units shall not be more than +/- 5 mm and maximum variation
in height and width of the unit, not more than +/- 3mm.

Classification of Concrete Blocks

The hollow concrete blocks shall be classified in the following four types:

1. Grade ‘A’

These are used as load-bearing units and shall have a minimum block-density of
1500 kg/m3. The concrete blocks shall be manufactured for minimum compressive
strengths of 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 7.0 N/mm2 respectively, at 28 days.

2. Grade ‘B’

These are also used as load-bearing units and shall have a block density of 1500
kg/m3 but not less than 1000 kg/m3. These shall be manufactured for minimum
compressive strengths of 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0 N/mm2 respectively, at 28 days.

3. Grade ‘C’

These grades of concrete blocks are used as non-load bearing units and shall have
a block density of less than 1500 kg/m 3 but not less than 1000 kg/m 3. These shall be
manufactured for minimum average compressive strength of 1.5 N/mm 2 at 28 days.

4. Grade ‘D’

The solid concrete blocks shall have a block density of not less than 1800
kg/m3. These shall be manufactured for minimum compressive strengths of 4.0 and
5.0 N/mm2, respectively.
Tests on Concrete Masonry Block Units

1. Dimension measurement (All blocks)

2. Density of block (3 blocks)
3. Compressive strength of block (8 blocks)

Dimension Measurement
All blocks should be checked in this step. The length, width and height are measured
with steel scale. If it is a hollow block, then the web thickness and face shell are
measured with caliper ruler. And prepare a report of average length, width and height of
block and average minimum face shell and minimum web thickness using recorded
dimensions.

Density of Concrete Masonry Block

As said above, 3 blocks shall be taken to conduct this test. To determine the density of
block, first heat the block in the oven to 100 oc and then cooled it to room temperature.
Now take the dimensions of block and from that find out the volume and weigh the
block. The density of block is determined from the below relation and the average
density of 3 blocks will be the final block density. Density of block = mass/volume
(kg/m3) Density values of different grades of blocks should be as follows.

Type of unit Grade Density of block (kg/m2)

Hollow type unit A(3.5) >/= 1500

A(4.5) >/=1500

A(5.5) >/=1500

A(7.0) >/=1500
 A(8.5) >/=1500

A(10.0) >/=1500

A(12.5) >/=1500

A(15.0) >/=1500

B(3.5) 1100-1500

B(5.0) 1100-1500

C(5.0) >/=1800
Solid type unit
C(4.0) >/=1800

Compressive Strength Tests on Concrete Masonry Blocks

Eight blocks are taken to determine the average compressive strength of concrete
masonry block. The blocks should be tested with in 3days after collected in lab. The age
of each block shall be 28 days. The compressive strength testing machine consist of
two steel bearing blocks, one is in rigid position on which the masonry unit is placed and
another one is movable which transmit the load to the masonry unit when applied.

If the bearing area of masonry unit is more than the bearing area of steel blocks, then
separate steel plates are used. The plates are arranged on steel blocks in such a way
that the centroid of masonry unit coincide with the thrust blocks. Bearing area of
concrete masonry units are capped with the Sulphur and granular materials coating or
gypsum plaster capping. After placing the unit in testing machine, one-half of the
expected maximum load is applied at a constant rate, and the remaining load is applied
in not less than 2 minutes.

Note down the load at which masonry unit fails and the maximum load divided by gross
sectional area of unit will give the compressive strength of block. Similarly, test the
remaining 7 blocks and the average of 8 blocks strength is the final compressive
strength of concrete masonry unit. Below table represents the value of minimum
average compressive strength of individual units .
The average compressive strength and density of eight blocks shall not be less than as
specified in Table-1 below:

Table of Compressive Strength and Density of Concrete Blocks

For normal, medium weight concrete block, load- bearing, hollow or solid, their
compressive strength is about 12.5N/mm2 or 125kg/cm2. For denser, higher weight
concrete block, load- bearing, hollow or solid, their compressive strength is about
17.5N/mm2 or 175kg/cm2.

Drying Shrinkage

The drying shrinkage of the blocks (average of three blocks), when unrestrained, shall
not exceed 0.1%.

Moisture Movement

The moisture movement (average of three blocks) shall not exceed 0.09%.

Water Absorption

The water absorption (average of three blocks) shall be not more than 10% by mass.

Face Shell and Web Thickness

The face shells and webs shall increase in thickness from the bottom to the top of the
unit. Depending upon the core molds used, the face shells and webs of the concrete
blocks shall be flared and tapered or straight tapered. The thickness of the web shell
and face shell should not be less than the values given below:

Nominal Block Face Shell Thickness of Total Web Thickness per

Length and Width Thickness Web Course in any 200 mm Wall

Minimum Minimum Minimum

100 or less 25 25 25

Over 100 to 150 25 25 30

Over 150 to 200 30 25 30

Over 200 35 30 38
Curing and Drying

The blocks shall be cured in a curing yard or in an immersion tank and shall be kept in a
moist condition for 14 days. When the blocks are cured in an immersion tank, the water
of the tank shall be changed at least every four days.

After curing, the blocks shall be dried in the shade before being used for work.  They
shall be stacked with void-face horizontal to facilitate the passage of air. The blocks
must be allowed to complete their initial shrinkage before they are used for construction.

Compressive strength of concrete hollow blocks can be calculated using the equation:

P
F=
A

Where:

F = compressive strength of specimen in Mega Pascal

P = the maximum applied load by newton
A = the cross-sectional area estimated in mm 2 

The minimum average net compressive strength per ASTM C90, as of the 2014 edition,
is 2000 net psi. Previous editions of C90 indicated 1900 net psi.

The average minimum compressive strength of a load-bearing concrete hollow block

is 10.3 MPa or 1,493 pounds per square inch (psi) according to the National Structural
Code of the Philippines [NSCP] of the Association of Structural Engineers of the
Philippines (2015).

Field Test for Solid Concrete Blocks:

1. Drop Test
2. Corner Test
3. Chisel Test
4. Nail Test
5. Texture
6. Shape and Size
Drop Test

 Randomly select one block from the total no. of blocks of the particular batch. Lift the
block at about 4 to 4.5 feet which is nearer to your chest level and drop it on the hard
ground surface.

Vertical Drop: The length of the block should be kept in a vertical position before
dropping it on the ground. The concrete block should be intact in shape without any
damage after crushing over the ground surface. If the sample block breaks into pieces
or develops a crack then it is better to reject such concrete blocks.

Horizontal Drop: You have to hold the concrete block with the length of the block in the
horizontal position as shown in fig. 2. From the same chest height, you again drop the
block on the hard surface. If the block breaks into no. of pieces, then such blocks can
be considered as low-quality blocks.

Corner Test

Press the corner of the block with your thumbnail on all the eight sides one by one as
shown in fig. 3. If it gives out or if some particles are broken from the edge, then you
can classify such blocks as of low quality.

Chisel Test

This is a comparative test for the two or more sample blocks collected from the different
production units to recognize the manufacturer, who delivers the best quality of blocks.

Cut the groove into the solid concrete blocks, horizontally running on all the four sides of
equal depth by using chisels as shown in fig. 4. It should be cut at the center of the
block until the block separates into two pieces. In this test, you will find the quality of the
blocks by the three actions.

Hardness: If it is harder to chisel the block and if it takes more time for cutting out in
comparison to all other sample blocks, then it gives you a hint that the blocks of that
particular batch are of good quality.

Groove Depth: Measure the depth of the cutting at the time of separation of the block. If
the depth of the groove is more in comparison, then that block can be considered as of
good quality.

Breakage: If the block breaks into several pieces at this process, then it is better to drop
that batch of the block from your list.

Nail Test

This is also a comparative test similar to the chisel test. You have to hammer a nail
into the sample blocks on three or more points. This action will provide you with the
following data for the block selection.

Resistance: If the block resists the insertion of the nail and if it is harder to hammer a
nail then you can position that block above all other different samples which exhibit
low resistance.

Grip: If the block provides a good grip to the nail by restricting its movement, it is
also an indicator of the block quality.
Texture

The blocks should have a grainy surface texture which you can observe. If the
concrete block has a smooth texture finish, then it indicates the more quarry dust
content in its mix proportion.

The dust weakens the concrete strength which in turn results in a block production of
low compressive strength.

Shape and Size

The block should have a uniform shape with sharp edges. The difference in the
dimensions on the two similar sides at both the end should not be more than ±3 mm.
(allowance)