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Field Tests on Cement for Quality Control Purpose

There are some field tests which gives some basic idea about the quality of the cement without elaborate

facility of laboratory in the field. These tests are as given under

Field test on cement

1.Date of manufacture should be seen on the bag. t is important because the strength reduces with age.

!."pen the bag and see that lumps should not be present in the bag. t will ensure that no setting has

ta#en place.

$.Trust your hand into the cement bag and it should give cool feeling. t indicates that no hydration

reaction is ta#ing place in the bag.

%.Ta#e a pinch of cement between the fingers. t should give smooth feeling.

&.Throw handful of cement on water. t should float initially before finally settling.

'.Ta#e 1((g of cement and ma#e a stiff paste. Prepare a ca#e with sharp edges and put on the glass

plate. mmerse this plate in water. "bserve that the shape shouldn)t get disturbed while settling. t

should be able to set and attain strength. Cement is capable of setting under water also and that is why

it is also called *+ydraulic Cement).

+", T" C+-C Q/0T2 "F 304D 4 F-D 5

1.Ta#e a glass of water and add some quantity of sand in it. Then sha#e it vigorously and allow it to

settle. f clay is present in sand6 it will form a distinct layer at the top of sand.

!.n order to detect presence of organic impurities in sand6 add sand to the solution of sodium

hydro7ide or caustic soda and then stir it. f colour of solution changes to brown6 it indicates the

presence of organic impurities.

$.Ta#e a pinch of sand and taste it. f tasted salty then there e7ist some salt in sand.

%.Ta#e sand and rub it against the fingers. f fingers are stained6 it indicates that sand contains earthy

matter.&.The colour of sand will indicate the purity of sand. The si8e and sharpness of grains may be e7amined

by touching and observing visually.

For #nowing fineness6 durability6 void ratio6 etc9 the sand should be e7amined by mechanical analysis.

,+0T 3 3T04D0:D 304D /3-D F": C-;-4T T-3T5

3tandard 3and

3tandard sand is used to assess the quality of cement6 lime6 po88olana and other mineral admi7ture

used in construction industry. Previously it was imported from /.. 4ow it is available at -nnore6;adras.

Characteristics3tandard sand shall be of quart8 material

Colour of the standard sand is light grey or whitish

t should be free from silt

The sand grains should be angular6 but a small percentage of fla#y or rounded particle is permissible

Particle 3i8e Distribution of 3tandard 3and

0ll the particles of standard sand fall within the si8e range of ! mm to Particle 3i8e Percentage

! mm to 1 mm $$.$$?

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1 mm to &(( micron $$.$$?

&(( micron to