Name: Camposano, Misael L. Jr.

Course, Year & Section: BSCE-4C

Date Performed: October 26, 2015

Date Submitted: October 27, 2015

LABORATORY TEST No.6

FLEXURAL STRENGTH
Flexural Strength
JIS R 5201 Bending Strength of Cement mortar Specimen
Refer: ASTM C 190 Tensile Strength of Hydraulic Cement Mortars
Objective: At the end of the test, the student should be able to determine accurately the
flexural strength of cement sample.
Apparatus: Mechaelis Flexural Tester
Weighing Scale
Discussion:
Flexural Strength is expressed in terms of the modulus of rupture that corresponds to
the maximum tensile strength ay peak flexural load.
Prior to the flexural strength test, a mortar mix is prepared and then molded to form
beam specimen. These specimens are then cured for different ages. After the
specimens attained the specified age, they are then subjected to the flexural strength
tests. The ages usually are 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days, and 28 days.
The flexural strength of the cement is determined using the Mechaelis flexural tester.
Beam specimen of 4 cm by 4cm by 16 cm are used in this kind of test. The total weight
of load that would cause the specimen to rupture or is determined using the Mechaelis
flexural tester. This load would be multiplied to a certain predetermined constant to get
the flexural or bending strength of the mortar specimen. At least 3 tests be performed
for every age of the specimen.
The computation of the flexural strength is derived from the flexural formula:
f=

mc
I

Where f is the flexural strength in kgf/cm2, M is the bending moment in kgf-cm and c is
the distance from the neutral axis to the outermost fiber , and I is the moment of inertia

of the specimen. In this case c=h/2 and I=bh3/12, whereb and h are the width and depth
of the specimen, respectively. Therefore the flexural strength can be expressed as:
f=

6M
bh3

For the given specimen, b=4 abd h=4 therefore the flexural strength f can be simplified
as:
f=

3M
32

By analyzing the mechanism of the Machaelis Flexural Tester (i.e. the ratio of the lever
arms), the bending moment applied to the specimen can be expressed in terms of
weight on the bucket, that is M=125W
Where W is the weight of the bucket and the lead shots inside. Hence by substituting
the equation 4 into equation 3, the flexural strength can be obtained by simply
multiplying the W by a constant value: that I sf=11.71875W.
TEST PROCEDURE
1. Place the Machaelis Flexural Tester flat on the rigid testing spot.
2. Each part of the tester must be cleaned and checked.
3. Remove the beam specimen from the curing tank within the permissible
tolerance time for the given test age.
4. Wipe the specimen with a damp cloth to remove the dirt that may have adhered
to the surface of the specimen.
5. Weigh each specimen.
6. Detach the bucket and upper roller from the main unit so that the specimen can
be positioned to the specimen attachment. In positioning the specimen, the
observing hole should be in line with the central line of the specimen. Note that
the specimen should be turn to its side with respect to its position as molded.
7. Adjust the balance weight so that the lever where the bucket is attached would
be horizontal. After balancing the lever, do not re-adjust the balance weight until
the test for the particular specimen is finished.
8. Insert the upper roller to its position.
9. Attach the bucket to the main unit. Balance the adjusting handle so that the lead
shots would directly fall in the bucket during the loading operation.
10. To start loading, the lever loading should be pulled up and quickly released.
Immediately after the loading lever is pulled, the shot will start to fall in the
bucket.

11. When the specimen breaks, the bucket drops to the bucket receiver causing the
time gate to close and stops the loading. Weigh the bucket together the lead
shots. The resulting weight multiplied by 11.71875 would give the flexural
strength of the specimen.