California State University

Long Beach

Civil Engineering Department

Materials for Civil Engineering

Laboratory

CE 200L
Short-Form Lab Report

Report No: 3

Report Title: Slump and Strength of Portland Cement Concrete

Submitted By:

Section: Team No:

Date Due: Date Submitted:
Grading
Distribution of the 8 Points Total Score for the Report
Item Criterion Max Points Earned Points
1 Use of Laboratory Equipment 2
2 Data Collection and Computation of PCC Strengths (section 6) 2
3 Technical Presentation — tables, graphs, sketches, etc. 2
4 Written Communication — results and discussion of results and
2
test procedures
Total

Please Upload the Completed Report to The Designated Dropbox Folder On Canvas.
One Member Can Submit the Report on Behalf of the Team.
 CE 200L

Report No 3

Slump and Strength of Portland Cement Concrete

1. Objectives

a) To become familiar with the properties of freshly mixed portland cement concrete ( PCC)

b) To prepare a PCC mix designed to meet pre-specified requirements, using the American
Concrete Institute (ACI) method of mix design

c) To learn how to perform the slump test for measuring the consistency of PCC

d) To prepare PCC compression and tensile splitting strength test cylinder specimens

e) To determine the compressive and tensile splitting strengths of the prepared PCC test
cylinders, and to compare the compressive strength to the design strength

f) To observe the relationship between the compressive strength of PCC on the one hand,
and the water/cement ratio and slump of the PCC, on the other

g) To compare the compressive and tensile splitting strengths of PCC

2. References

a) ASTM C 143 — Standard Test Method for Slump of Hydraulic-Cement Concrete

b) ASTM C 39 — Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete

Specimens

c) ASTM C 496 — Standard Test Methods for Splitting Tensile Strength of Cylindrical Con-
crete Specimens

d) CE 200 Student Notes and Workbook. Pages 15 – 26.

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3. Procedure:
First Period — Designing the Desired Portland Cement Concrete Mix

a) Following the American Concrete Institute ( ACI) method of portland cement concrete
(PCC) mix design, a PCC mix is designed to meet the requirements and conditions de-
scribed on the final page of this report.

b) The mix designed is scaled down from one cubic yard to a sufficient amount of PCC to
conduct the slump test.

Second Period — Batching and Mixing the Designed Portland Cement Con-
crete (PCC) Mix, and Preparing the PCC Test Specimens

The above-listed references (ASTM C 143, ASTM C 39, ASTM C 496, and CE 200 Student Notes
and Workbook) are read, and, additionally, the instructions given during the briefing period
are adhered to when following the steps below:

a) The portland cement concrete (PCC) mix for the team is designed, using the American
Concrete Institute (ACI) method of PCC mix design.

b) The designed mix for the PCC is mixed in the laboratory.

c) The slump of the PCC is measured and recorded.

d) The PCC is molded into two cylinders, to be moist-cured for 28 days, and all equipment
used is washed and stored, work area is cleaned.

e) The data sheet is initialed by the instructor.

Third Period — Failing the Portland Cement Concrete Test Specimens

e) Twenty-eight days later, the cylinders are removed from their curing environment, their
diameter and height are measured and recorded.

f) One PCC cylinder is capped and tested in compression to determine the PCC ƒ′c , and the
other is tested in tensile splitting to determine the T.

g) The relevant results from the compression and tensile splitting tests are recorded.

h) The failed cylinders are sketched in order to show the failure modes.

i) The failed cylinders are discarded as instructed, and work areas are cleaned.

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4. Data Recorded by Team
a) Team Information (Second Period) Instructor’s Initials: ____

Section: Team:
Leader: Recorder:
Other members:
Member(s) absent:

b) Computed Water/Cement Ratios (lb/lb) — Based on Design Strengths

Team No:

Design ƒ′c (psi)

w/ Ratio:
c

c) Actual amount of Materials used for Making PCC Mix in the lab
Material Type Source Weight (lb)

Type II/V and Type I low-alkali txi — Riverside Portland Ce-

Cement portland cement ment Co.
Washed, All-purpose, ASTM
Sand (FA) C33 (concrete) sand
Quikrete
Crushed rock, All-purpose
Gravel (CA) gravel
Quikrete 15 lb

Water Potable water City of Long Beach

d) Test Data
Time of Room Relative
Date: °F %
day: temp.: humidity:

Slump (measured to the nearest ¼ in): inch

Actual w/c for the mix:

Type of slump:

e) Team Information (Third Period) Instructor’s Initials:____

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 Section: Team:
Leader: Recorder:
Other members:
Member(s) absent:

f) Compressive Strength Test Data

Time of Room Relative

Date: °F %
day: temp.: humidity:
Cyl. dimensions (nearest 0.1 in) Failure load Time to failure
h: : (lb): (nearest 1 s):
in in lb s


g) Tensile Splitting Strength Test Data

Cyl. dimensions (nearest 0.1 in) Failure load Time to failure

h: : (lb): (nearest 1 s):
in in lb s

5. Sketch of Failed Cylinders

Sketch of Failed Compression Cylinder Sketch of Failed Tensile Splitting Cylinder

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6. Tabulated Data and Results (Typed)
Important Note: Tables in section 6 will be shared on the Google Spreadsheet. Teams must fill
their Recorded and Computed values into the tables within one week from the day tests were
performed. Incorrect values or late submissions will lose points for this section.

a) PCC Cylinder Compressive Strength Test Data and Results

Actual Test
Specimen Failure ACI Mix Design
Team Cylinder Dimensions Results
Data
Cyl. Time
No h  Cross. Load to Slump w/c ƒ′c Slump ƒ′c
Area Failure
(in) (in) (in2) (lb) (s) (in) (lb/lb) (psi) (in) (psi)

b) PCC Cylinder Tensile Splitting Strength Test Data and Results

Specimen Failure Design Actual
Team Cylinder Dimensions
Data
Cyl. Time
No h  Cross. Load to Slump w/c Ts * Slump Ts **
Area Failure
(in) (in) (in2) (lb) (s) (in) (lb/lb) (psi) (in) (psi)

* The design T is calculated from the design ƒ′c by the following equation:

T = 6.7 × √ƒ′c
** The actual T is calculated by using the equation:
2P
T=
π×D×h
7. Plotted Data

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 Either hand-sketched plot or the Excel plot is accepted for this section. If using Excel, please add
proper axes titles and axes limits according to the plot shown below.

W/C Ratio

0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2

7,000 700

6,000 600
Unconfined Compressive Strength (psi)

Tensile Splitting Strength (psi)

5,000 500

4,000 400

3,000 300

2,000 200

1,000 100
0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2

W/C Ratio

PCC 28-Day Unconfined Compressive and Tensile Splitting Strengths vs. w/c Ratio

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8. Results and Discussion
Please write/type your response and discussion in Black ink and with 12-Pts font Times New
Roman (if typed).

8.1 Results:

For results, using Standard American English and complete sentences, please state:

a) What the slump of the portland cement concrete (PCC) is for your team (as measured), and

whether the type of the slump is true slump, shear slump, or collapsed slump.

b) What the unconfined compressive strength is for your team.

c) What the type of failure for the failure (fracture) is for the cylinder tested by your team in com-

pression; e.g., cone, cone and split, cone and shear, etc.

d) What the tensile splitting strength for is your team.

8.2 Discussion

For discussion of test results, using Standard American English and complete sentences, please state:

a) If the testing of 3″×6″ PCC cylinders in compression (as tested in the CE 200L laboratory) yields

5 % higher strengths than testing 6″×12″ PCC cylinders (as ordinarily tested in the field), what

the strength would be for your team, had your team tested 6″×12″ PCC cylinders in compression.

b) For your team, what the ratio is of the unconfined compressive strength to the tensile splitting

strength.

c) If the direct tensile strength of PCC is 25 % less than its tensile splitting strength, calculate for

your team the:

(i) Direct tensile strength, and

(ii) Ratio of direct tensile strength to compressive strength

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d) For your team:

(i) Whether or not there is any deviation from the procedures prescribed in:

• ASTM C 143 — “Standard Test Method for Slump of Hydraulic-Cement Concrete”

• ASTM C 39 — “Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical

Concrete Specimens”

• ASTM C 496 — “Standard Test Method for Splitting Tensile Strength of Cylindri-

cal Concrete Specimens”

(ii) If so, what those deviations are.

e) Address the acceptability of the test results by responding to:

(i) Whether or not such deviations affect test results

(ii) If yes, how such deviations affect test results

(iii) Reasons why the test results could be considered acceptable, or why they should be

rejected

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 Report No 3
American Concrete Institute (ACI) Method of
Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) Mix Design
PCC Target Strength and Relevant Information
Design Requirements and Construction Data
Design Parameter Specification
Type of construction or structure Pavement (not reinforced)
Construction or structure member minimum dimension 3 in
Minimum space between form and reinforcing steel bar N/ A
Exposure to moisture Yes, in air
Exposure to severe cycles of freezing and thawing None
Use of high-frequency vibrators for PCC compaction Yes
Unconfined compressive 28-day strength (ƒ′c): Team 1 2,800 psi
Team 2 3,800 psi
Team 3 4,800 psi
Team 4 5,800 psi

Ingredient Data
Ingredient Property Laboratory Test Result
PC Specific gravity (SG) 3.15
CA Type and/or source Natural
Shape Angular
Specific gravity (SG) 2.84
Dry-rodded unit weight 108 pcf
Saturated surface dry (SSD) moisture content 1.6 %
Field moisture content 3.6 %
Free moisture content in the field 1.0 %
FA Type and/or source All-purpose, washed, conc. ASTM C33 sand
Fineness modulus (FM) Based on the Sieve Analysis results
Specific gravity (SG) 2.76
Saturated surface dry (SSD) moisture content 4.2 %
Field moisture content 5.2 %
Free moisture content in the field 1.0 %

Constants, Equalities, and/or Assumptions

Air is weightless
1 gal of water weighs 8.33 lb 1 cu ft of water weighs 62.40 lb
1 cu yd = 27 cu ft
1 sack (1 cu ft — bulk volume — ) of PC weighs 94 lb

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Please Append Your Original PCC Mix-Design Work-
sheet (Completed in the Lab or Online) to Your
Final Report

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