Material Testing Open Ended

Experiment

Effect on strength and slump of the concrete

due to different types of water

Team
Chidanand M - 22
Divya M - 24
Hemanth Pai - 26
Hrishikesh D - 27
Krishna S - 31

Course Instructor
Prof. Vijaykumar S. K.
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Contents
1. Preamble
2. Importance & Relevance
3. Objectives
4. Methodology
5. Tests conducted
6. Calculations
7. Results
8. Analysis Of Result
9. Discussions
10. Scope Of Work
11. Limitations
12. Reference

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 Preamble
Concrete is a construction material composed of cement, fine aggregates (sand) and coarse
aggregates mixed with water which hardens with time. Portland cement is the commonly used
type of cement for production of concrete. Concrete technology deals with study of properties of
concrete and its practical applications. In a building construction, concrete is used for the
construction of foundations, columns, beams, slabs and other load bearing elements. Materials
are mixed in specific proportions to obtain the required strength. Strength of mix is specified as
M5, M10, M15, M20, M25, M30 etc, where M signifies Mix and 5, 10, 15 etc. as their strength
in kN/m2.
Components of concrete are cement, sand, aggregates and water. Mixture of Portland cement and
water is called as paste. So, concrete can be called as a mixture of paste, sand and aggregates.
Sometimes rocks are used instead of aggregates. The cement paste coats the surface of the fine
and coarse aggregates when mixed thoroughly and binds them. Soon after mixing the
components, hydration reaction starts which provides strength and a rock solid concrete is
obtained.Concrete is manufactured or mixed in proportions w.r.t. cement quantity. There are
two types of concrete mixes, i.e. nominal mix and design mix. Nominal mix is used for normal
construction works such as small residential buildings. Most popular nominal mix are in the
proportion of 1:2:4. Hence we have chosen to study the role of fine aggregates percentage on the
strength and durability of concrete. As the strength is dependent on various factors we are
focusing mainly on quantity of fine and coarse aggregates.

Importance
Aggregates are the important constituents in concrete. They give body to the concrete, reduce
shrinkage and effect economy. The mere fact that the aggregates occupy 70–80 per cent of the
volume of concrete, their impact on various characteristics and properties of concrete is
undoubtedly considerable. To know more about the concrete it is very essential that one should
know more about the aggregates which constitute major volume in concrete. Without the study
of the aggregate in depth and range, the study of the concrete is incomplete.Concrete is the part
and parcel of Civil Engineering. As a result we should know how the proportioning of its
constituents affects its properties.

Since concrete is an assemblage of individual pieces of aggregate bound together by cementing

material, its properties are based primarily on the quality of the cement paste. This strength is
dependant also on the bond between the cement paste and the aggregate. If either the strength of
the paste or the bond between the paste and aggregate is low, a concrete of poor quality will be
obtained irrespective of the strength of the rock or aggregate.

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Objectives

1. To study the parameters that define strength of concrete.

2. To study the contribution of water to strength.

3. To study the effect of variation in type of water on concrete.

4. To learn about the practical conditions in handling of concrete.

5. To learn about the mix design and quantities of materials required for a particular grade
of concrete

Methodology
We procured the required materials. Tests are done to determine the characteristics of the
materials. Based on their properties the mix proportions are calculated.
Then 2 concrete cubes of 15cmX15cmX15cm for 3 different sets of water for fixed grade (M15)
with rest of parameters unchanged are prepared and tested for strength of the resulting mix.
Compression test done on 7th day.
Strength to be achieved - 7th day = 60-70%

Tests Conducted:
1. Sieve Analysis of Fine & Coarse Aggregates
2. Specific Gravity of Fine Aggregates
3. Specific Gravity of Cement
4.Compression Test

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Calculations:-
Grade destination : M15 – (1:2:4)
Type of cement : OPC 43 grade confirming to IS 8112
Maximum nominal size of aggregates : 20 mm
Minimum cement content :320kg
Maximum w/c ratio :0.5
Workability : 50mm
Exposure : mild
Reference : IS 456:2000 (table 4 & 5)
Specific gravity of cement = 3.15
Specific gravity of water =1
Specific gravity of coarse aggregates =2.7
Specific gravity of fine aggregates = 2.5
Sand is zone 2 (IS 383:1970 table 4)

Results:-
Fineness Modulus of fine Aggregates

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Fineness Modulus = 2.712
The given sand belongs to Zone II according table 4 of IS 383:1970

Fineness Modulus of Coarse Aggregates

Fineness Modulus = 7.935

The aggregates are 20mm down size

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Compression Test
Procedure
1. Sampling of Materials - Samples of aggregates for each batch of concrete shall be of the
desired grading and shall be in an air-dried condition. The cement samples, on arrival at
the laboratory, shall be thoroughly mixed dry either by hand or in a suitable mixer in
such a manner as to ensure the greatest possible blending and uniformity in the material.
2. Proportioning - The proportions of the materials, including water, in concrete mixes
used for determining the suitability of the materials available, shall be similar in all
respects to those to be employed in the work.
3. Mixing Concrete - The concrete shall be mixed by hand, or preferably, in a laboratory
batch mixer, in such a manner as to avoid loss of water or other materials. Each batch of
concrete shall be of such a size as to leave about 10 percent excess after moulding the
desired number of test specimens.
4. Mould - Test specimens cubical in shape shall be 15 × 15 × 15 cm. If the largest nominal
size of the aggregate does not exceed 2 cm, 10 cm cubes may be used as an alternative.
Cylindrical test specimens shall have a length equal to twice the diameter.
5. Compacting - The test specimens shall be made as soon as practicable after mixing, and
in such a way as to produce full compaction of the concrete with neither segregation nor
excessive laitance.
6. Curing - The test specimens shall be stored in a place, free from vibration, in moist air of
at least 90 percent relative humidity and at a temperature of 27°±2°C for 24hours ±
½hour from the time of addition of water to the dry ingredients.

8. Placing the Specimen in the Testing Machine-The bearing surface of the testing

machine shall be wiped clean and any loose sand or other material removed from the

surfaces of the specimen which are to be in contact with the compression platens.
9. In the case of cubes, the specimen shall be placed in the machine in such a manner that
the load shall
be applied to opposite sides of the cubes as cast, that is, not to the top and bottom.
10. The axis of the specimen shall be carefully aligned with the centre of thrust of the

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 spherically seated platen. No packing shall be used between the faces of the test
specimen and the steel platen of the testing machine.
11. The load shall be applied without shock and increased continuously at a rate of
approximately 140 kg/sq cm/min until the resistance of the specimen to the increasing
load breaks down and no greater load can be sustained.
12. The maximum load applied to the specimen shall then be recorded and the appearance of
the concrete and any unusual features in the type of failure shall be noted.

MACHINE:

Fig1 : COMPRESSION TESTING MACHINE

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Result:

Type of Age of Area Load Compressive Average

water Cube (mm^2) (kN) Strength
(MPa)

Potable 3 days 22500 227.8 10.12 10.42

Water
22500 241.2 10.72
7days 22500 303.7 13.5 13.93
22500 323.4 14.37
Lake 3 days 22500 205.5 9.13 9.25
Water
22500 210.9 9.37
7 days 22500 274.1 12.17 12.31
22500 280.2 12.45
Salt 3 days 22500 189.3 8.41 8.55
Water
22500 195.7 8.69
7 days 22500 252.4 11.22 11.39
22500 260.3 11.56

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 Comparison
Type of Water Potable Water Lake water Salt Water
3 day Strength 10.42 9.25 8.55
7 day Strength 13.93 12.31 11.39

Graph

Strength
16

14

12
Compressive Strength (MPa)

10

Potable Water Lake Water Salt Water

0
3 days 7 days
Days of curing

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Discussions
 The maximum strength was obtained for potable water
 Salt was added 20% by weight of water
 Sand was zone II with fineness modulus 2.71
 Aggregates used were 20mm down size with fineness modulus 6.93
 Maximum value was obtained for potable water because it is free
from impurities
 It is evident that if water contains less amount of salts then there is no
reduction in strength. This water can be used for curing.
 The rate of strength gain in potable water cubes is more than other
cubes because of more availability of impure water for hydration
 The surface of salt water cubes contain salts in it which is
unfavorable for constructional purposes.

Limitations:
1. Type of Cement
2. Quality of Water
3. Zone of Aggregates
4. Manual Mixing

Scope of Work
The other parameters like cement content, type of aggregates are not
varied hence the result obtained doesn’t reflect the true effect of water.
Only a single zone of sand was used, for better result all zones of sand
should be considered. Other tests on workability must also be conducted as
slump test resulted in similar values.

Reference
1. Plain and reinforced concrete - IS 456:2000
2. Concrete mix proportioning - IS 10262:2009
3. Coarse and Fine Aggregates in concrete - IS 383:1970
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