TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND TESTING

(LABORATORY)

ACTIVITY NO. 3
SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FINE AGGREGATES

DELA CRUZ, FERNANDO A.

BSCE 4-D

ENGR. REYNALDO O. BAARDE

INSTRUCTOR

I.

DATA
Wf
Ws
Wt

500
1022
220

Where:
Wf= weight of Chapman flask
Ws=weight of sample in air at SSD condition
Wt=weight of flask+sample+water

WS

500

SG= 500Wt +Wf +Ws == 5001022+220+500 =2.525

II.

OBSERVATION
- THE PURPOSE OF THIS TEST IS TO DETERMINE THE SPECIFIC
GRAVITY OF FINE AGGREGATES SUCH AS SAND. THE TEST
PROCEDURE REQUIRED THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT AND
APPRATUS: CHAPMAN FLASK, SAND CONE APPARATUS, BALANCE
AND SPOON. THE TEST PROCEDURE STARTED BY WEIGHING THE
FLASK USING THE DIGITAL WEIGHING SCALE. THE FLASK IS THEN
FILLED WITH WATER HALF FULL. THE 500g SSD SAMPLE IS THEN
ADDED AT THE FLASK AND WATER IS ADDED ABOUT 90% OF THE
FLASKS CAPACITY. THE MIXTURE IS THEN AGITATED TO RELEASE
ENTRAPPED AIR. ONCE AGITATED, THE FLASK IS IMMERSED IN A
WATER BATH AT 20 DEGREES CELSIUS FOR 3 HOURS .ALL THE
RELEVANT DATA IS THEN GATHERED FOR THE PURPOSE OF
DETERMINING THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FINE AGGREGATES.

III.

ANALYSIS
- BEFORE PERFORMING THE TEST PROCEDURE, CONE TEST IS
REQUIRED TO DETERMINE IF THE SAMPLE HAS ATTAINED ITS
SATURATED SURFACE DRY CONDITION (SSD). SATURATED
SURFACE DRY CONDITION IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT AFFECTS
DIRECTLY THE WORKABILITY AND STRENGTH OF CONCRETE.

IV.

CONCLUSION
ONCE DETERMINED, THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FINE
AGGREGATES WILL BE THE INDICATOR OF HOW MUCH WATER IT
CAN HOLD IN ITS PERMEABLE PORES, THUS AFFECTING THE
CONCRETES STRENGTH AND ABSORPTION PROPERTIES.

TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND TESTING (LABORATORY)

ACTIVITY NO. 3
SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FINE AGGREGATES

BOSQUE, RENZLE ROYCE S.

BSCE 4-D

ENGR. REYNALDO O. BAARDE

INSTRUCTOR

I.

DATA
Wf
Ws
Wt

220
500
1022

Where:
Wf= weight of Chapman flask
Ws=weight of sample in air at SSD condition
Wt=weight of flask+sample+water
WS
500
SG= 500Wt +Wf +Ws = 5001022+220+500 =2.525

II.

OBSERVATION
- IN THIS EXPERIMENT, THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FINE AGGREGATES
SUCH AS SAND WAS DETERMINED. THE FOLLOWING LABORATORY
TOOLS ARE USED IN THE EXPERIMENT: CHAPMAN FLASK, SAND
CONE APPARATUS, BALANCE AND SPOON. THE EXPERIMENT BEGINS
BY WEIGHING THE FLASK USING THE DIGITAL WEIGHING SCALE.
THE FLASK IS THEN ABOUT 50% OF ITS CAPACITY. THE 500g SSD
SAMPLE IS THEN INTRODUCED AT THE FLASK AND WATER IS ADDED
ABOUT 90% OF THE FLASKS CAPACITY. THE MIXTURE IS THEN
ROLLED, INVERTED AND AGITATED TO RELEASE AIR BUBBLES. ONCE
AGITATED, THE FLASK IS IMMERSED IN A WATER BATH AT 20
DEGREES CELSIUS FOR 3 HOURS.

III.

ANALYSIS
- IT IS IMPORTANT THAT BEFORE PERFORMING THE TEST PROCEDURE
IN DETERMINING THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FINE AGGREGATES, IS
THAT THE SAMPLE MUST BE ON ITS SATURATED SURFACE DRY
CONDITION.

IV.

CONCLUSION
- THE STUDENT CONCLUDED THAT THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FINE
AGGREGATES GREATLY INFLUENCE THE STRENGTH PROPERTIES OF
CONCRETE. THE EXPERIMENT ALSO GAVE AN INSIGHT HOW THE
CONCRETE WILL BE MORE ECONOMICAL BY KNOWING ITS
COMPOSITION SUCH AS THE FINE AGGREGATE AND ONE OF ITS
IMPORTANT PROPERTY WHICH IS SPECIFIC GRAVITY.

TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND TESTING

(LABORATORY)

ACTIVITY NO. 4
TIME OF SETTING OF CEMENT BY VICAT APPARATUS

DELA CRUZ, FERNANDO A.

BSCE 4-D

ENGR. REYNALDO O. BAARDE

INSTRUCTOR

I.DATA
TIME OF INITIAL SETTINGTIME OF FINAL SETTINGTIME WATER WAS ADDED-

3:52
6:27
3:06

INITIAL SETTING TIME=TIME OF INITIAL SETTING-TIME WATER WAS ADDED

=3:52-3:06
=46 mins.
FINAL SETTING TIME=TIME OF FINAL SETTING-TIME WATER WAS ADDED
=6:27-3:06
=3 hrs and 21 minutes
II.OBSERVATION
-THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS EXPERIMENT IS TO DETERMINE THE TIME SETTING
OF CEMENT BY USING THE VICAT APPARATUS. THE FOLLOWING APPARATUS
ARE NEEDED: VICAT APPRATUS(WITH COMPLETE ACCESSORIES), BALANCE,
SPATULA, AND MIXING SPOON. THE VICAT APPARATUS IS MADE READY FOR
TESTING BY CALIBRATING THE SAID APPARATUS. WEIGH 400 GRAMS OF
CEMENT SAMPLE AND ADD WATER 27%TO 30% CORRESPONDING TO THE
WEIGHT OF THE SAMPLE. MIX THOUROUGHLY UNTIL A CEMENT PASTE IS
FORMED. THE CEMENT PASTE IS THEN TRANSFERRED IN TO THE CONICAL
RING AND IS POSITIONED AT THE BASE OF THE VICAT APPARATUS.
III.ANALYSIS
-THE INITIAL SETTING TIME IS THE TIME IT TAKES BEGINNING FROM THE TIME
THE WATER IS ADDED TO THE CEMENT UP TO THE TIME THE CEMENT HAS
INITIALLY SET. THE INITIAL SETTING STAGE INDICATES THAT THE CEMENT HAS
STIFFEN INCONSIDERABLY. THE FINAL SETTING TIME IS THE TIME IT TAKES
BEGINNING FROM THE TIME WAS ADDED TO THE CEMENT UP TO THE TIME THE
CEMENT WAS HARDENED ENOUGH SUCH THAT IT CAN ALREADY SUSTAIN
SOME LOAD.
IV.CONCLUSION
-IT IS DESIRABLE FOR CONCRETE TO HAVE A LATER INITIAL SETTING AND AN
EARLY FINAL SETTING. A DELAYED INITIAL SETTING WOULD PROVIDE ENOUGH
TIME FOR THE TRANSPORT OF THE MIX FROM A BATCHING PLANT TO THE
CONSTRUCTION SITE. IT ALSO PROVIDES ENOUGH TIME FOR PLACING THE
CONCRETE IN POSITION BEFORE IT SETS. THIS MEANS THE INITIAL SETTING
WOULD PROVIDE BETTER WORKABILITY.