Title

AS 1012.4.2-1999 Methods of testing concrete - Determination of air content of

freshly mixed concrete - Measuring reduction in air pressure in chamber above
concrete

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 1 AS 1012.4.21999

TM
Australian Standard
Methods of testing concrete
Method 4.2: Determination of air content of
freshly mixed concrete Measuring reduction in
air pressure in chamber above concrete

1 SCOPE
This Standard sets out the method for determining the air content of freshly mixed concrete
from observations of the reduction in air pressure in a chamber above the concrete when the
concrete is exposed to the air pressure.
NOTES:
1 This method is intended for use with concretes made with relatively dense natural aggregates
for which the aggregate correction factor can be determined satisfactorily by the technique
described in Clause 9. It is not recommended for use with concretes made with lightweight
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aggregates, or aggregates of high porosity (see AS 1012.4.3).

2 The results obtained will be dependent on the compaction method used.
3 This Standard may involve hazardous materials, operations, and equipment. The Standard
does not purport to address all of the safety problems associated with its use. The user of this
Standard should establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the
applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
4 Data on the precision of the test method were not available at the time of publication. This
information will be included when available.

2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
The following documents are referred to in this Standard:
AS
1012 Methods of testing concrete
1012.1 Method 1: Sampling of fresh concrete
1012.2 Method 2: Preparation of concrete mixes in the laboratory
1012.4.1 Method 4.1: Determination of air content of freshly mixed concreteMeasuring
reduction in concrete volume with increased air pressure
1012.4.3 Method 4.3: Determination of air content of freshly mixed concreteMeasuring air
volume when concrete is dispersed in water

3 PRINCIPLE
The air content of freshly mixed concrete is measured by the reading shown on a pressure
gauge calibrated to record the reduction in a predetermined test pressure applied to the
concrete. The reduction in pressure is directly related to the air content of the concrete.

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 AS 1012.4.21999 2

4 APPARATUS
4.1 Pressure-type air meter with pressure gauge to read air content
4.1.1 General
The air meter used shall comply with Clauses 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 and shall consist of a
measuring bowl and pressure-tight cover assembly which is fitted with an air chamber and a
pressure gauge calibrated to record the reduction in pressure directly as air content, as
shown diagrammatically in Figure 1. (See Appendix A for calibration.)
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FIGURE 1 TYPICAL APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AIR CONTENT BY DROP IN

GAUGE PRESSURE

4.1.2 Measuring bowl

The bowl shall comply with the requirements of AS 1012.4.1.
4.1.3 Cover assembly
The cover assembly shall be made from machined metal of thickness sufficiently rigid to
withstand normal field use and such composition as not to react with cement paste.
The assembly shall have a flange and be fitted with a gasket and hooks or lugs to attach to
the flange of the bowl to make a pressure-tight connection.
The cover assembly shall provide a small space above the level of the lower bowl, known as
the water space, which in use shall be filled with water as a seal against the concrete in the
bowl, and a larger air chamber above this which can be brought to a predetermined test
pressure. The assembly shall be fitted with a suitable funnel and valves to permit the water
space to be filled, and also valves to vent the air chamber and to connect it with the water
chamber.
A suitable hand-pump shall be provided with the cover, either as an attachment or as an
accessory.
The air chamber shall be fitted with a pressure gauge which shall be specially calibrated to
record not only the air pressure but also the reduction in pressure, from the predetermined
test pressure, reading directly as air content, percentage by volume of the concrete.
4.2 Other apparatus
The calibration cylinder, rod, mallet, vibrators (if required for compaction), strike-off bar,
pouring vessel and scoop shall be in accordance with AS 1012.4.1.

5 SAMPLING
Concrete shall be sampled in accordance with AS 1012.4.1.
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 3 AS 1012.4.21999

6 GENERAL PROCEDURE
The general procedure set out in AS 1012.4.1 shall be followed except that the air content
shall be determined in accordance with Clause 7.

7 PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING AIR CONTENT

The air content of the concrete shall be determined in accordance with the following
procedure:
(a) On completion of compacting the concrete, meticulously wipe clean the flanges of the
bowl and clamp the conical cover assembly in place so that a pressure-tight seal is
obtained.
(b) Completely fill with water the space above the concrete, care being taken to ensure
that all air is removed from this space by the use of bleed valves and lightly tapping
the apparatus or by the use of a syringe or other methods suitable for the particular
apparatus in use.
(c) Increase the pressure of air in the air chamber and adjust it so that it corresponds
exactly to the predetermined test pressure. Quickly open the valve connecting the air
chamber with the water chamber, smartly tap the side of the bowl for about 30 s, and
observe the pressure gauge to check that it is steady.
(d) Record the reading of the pressure gauge, as a direct reading of air content, as the
apparent air content A 1 (first determination).
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(e) Repeat Steps (a) to (d) to determine the apparent air content, commencing by venting
the air chamber and refilling the space (second determination). Average the two
consecutive determinations of apparent air content to give the value A1 used to
calculate the air content, in accordance with Clause 8.
NOTE: The two consecutive values of A 1 should agree within 0.2%.

8 CALCULATION OF AIR CONTENT

The air content of the concrete shall be calculated as follows:
A = A1 G ...8
where
A = air content, percentage by volume of concrete
A1 = apparent air content, percentage by volume of concrete (see Clause 7)
G = aggregate correction factor, percentage by volume of concrete (see Clause 9)

9 DETERMINATION OF AGGREGATE CORRECTION FACTOR

The aggregate correction factor on a combined sample of fine and coarse aggregates shall
be determined in accordance with the following Steps (a) to (c) and as illustrated in
Figure 1:
(a) Calculate the masses of fine and coarse aggregate present in the volume (S) of the sample of
fresh concrete which is being tested, as follows:
S
Fs = Fb . . . 9(1)
1000 B
S
Cs = Cb . . . 9(2)
1000 B

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 AS 1012.4.21999 4

where
Fs = mass of fine aggregate in concrete sample under test, in kilograms
S = volume of concrete sample (same as volume of measuring bowl of
apparatus), in litres
B = volume of concrete produced per batch, in cubic metres
Fb = total mass of fine aggregate in batch, in kilograms
Cs = mass of coarse aggregate in concrete sample under test, in kilograms
Cb = total mass of coarse aggregate in batch, in kilograms
NOTE: If the batch mass of aggregates and volume of concrete batch are not known, or if
samples of aggregates are not available, then the quantities of fine and coarse aggregates in
the volume of concrete tested may be determined approximately by a method of wet sieving.
This method could comprise simply washing the volume of concrete required to fill the
measuring bowl through a nest of sieves. If necessary, all material retained on the 150 m and
coarser sieves may be regarded as the total aggregate (Fs + Cs), and may then be tested as in
Steps (b) and (c).
(b) Mix representative samples of fine aggregate of mass Fs, and coarse aggregate of
mass Cs. One-third fill the measuring bowl with water. Add the mixed aggregate to
the water in the mixing bowl, a small amount at a time, in a manner that will trap as
little air as possible until all of the aggregate is inundated. Remove promptly any
accumulation of foam. Tap the sides of the bowl about 10 times and stir after each
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addition of mixed aggregate to eliminate trapped air.

(c) When all of the aggregate has been placed in the bowl and inundated for at least
5 min, strike off all foam and excess water and thoroughly clean the flanges of both
the bowl and conical cover so that when the cover is clamped in place a pressure-tight
seal will be obtained. Complete the test as described in Clause 7. The aggregate
correction factor (G) shall be taken as equal to the apparent air content of the
aggregates, read directly from the pressure gauge.
NOTE: The aggregate correction factor will vary with different aggregates. It can only be
determined by test, since apparently it is not directly related to absorption of the particles.
The test can be easily made and should not be ignored. The factor will usually remain
reasonably constant for given aggregates, but an occasional check test should be made.

10 RECORDS
The following information shall be recorded:
(a) Identification of the concrete.
(b) Job site or laboratory where tested.
(c) Date and time of test.
(d) Temperature of concrete.
(e) Whether compacted by vibration or by hand: if by vibration, the number of insertions
per layer; if by hand, the number of strokes per layer.
(f) Pressure gauge reading and apparent air content.
(g) Aggregate correction factor G and details of its determination.
(h) Air content percent to the nearest 0.2.
NOTE: Individual readings should be recorded.
(i) Identification of testing operator.
(j) Reference to this Standard, i.e. AS 1012.4.2.
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 5 AS 1012.4.21999

11 REPORT
In the event of a report being prepared, the method used shall be identified and the
following information shall be included:
(a) Identification of the concrete.
(b) Date and location of test.
(c) Whether compacted by vibration or by hand: if by hand, the number of strokes per
layer; if by vibration, the number of insertions per layer.
(d) Air content percent to the nearest 0.2.
(e) Such other information contained in the records as may be requested.
(f) Reference to this Standard, i.e. AS 1012.4.2.
(g) Such other information contained in the sampling records (see AS 1012.1) as may be
requested.
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 AS 1012.4.21999 6

APPENDIX A
CALIBRATION OF APPARATUS
(Normative)

A1 INTRODUCTION
A check calibration of the pressure gauge, at a minimum of two different air percentages, as
set out in Paragraph A3, shall be made regularly to ensure that any rough handling or
transporting of the apparatus, tapping of the gauge or other causes have not upset the
pressure gauge readings. The principle of this check calibration is to immerse a calibration
cylinder containing a known volume of air in the measuring bowl which is then filled with
water. The known air content of the cylinder, expressed as a percentage of the volume of
the measuring bowl, may then be compared with the air content reading of the apparatus
obtained in the usual manner.
One calibration cylinder shall be of a volume corresponding to an air content of
approximately 3% to 6%, as described in AS 1012.4.1. A second, smaller calibration
cylinder shall have an internal volume of approximately 1 percent to 1.5 percent of the
volume of the measuring bowl.

A2 CALIBRATION OF CALIBRATION CYLINDER AND MEASURING BOWL

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The volumes of the two calibration cylinders and the measuring bowl shall be determined as
in AS 1012.4.1.
The volume of each calibration cylinder, expressed as a percentage R of the volume of the
measuring bowl, shall be determined as in AS 1012.4.1.

A3 CALIBRATION CHECK ON PRESSURE GAUGE READING

One of the calibration cylinders shall be inverted and placed in the measuring bowl, in the
manner described in AS 1012.4.1. The bowl shall then be slowly filled with water, the
cover assembly clamped in place and the water space above the concrete filled with water
in the manner normally adopted to determine the air content of concrete (as set out in
Clause 7).
The procedure set out in Clause 7 shall then be followed to determine the apparent air
content reading A 1.
NOTE: Care should be exercised to remove any air adhering to the inner surface of the bowl
without disturbing the calibration cylinder. In this method of calibration the assembled apparatus
should not be moved from the vertical position until the pressure has been applied, so that rolling
and tapping of the bowl as recommended in AS 1012.4.1 cannot be employed. Also, air
accidentally trapped in the water space will introduce errors in the apparent air content, so that
similar precautions should be adopted to remove this air in both the calibration procedure and
tests on concrete.
The above procedure shall be repeated with the second calibration cylinder, and also shall
be repeated with no cylinder, i.e. with the measuring bowl simply filled with water.
The apparent air content A1 determined with the calibration cylinder shall agree with the
appropriate value of R calculated in Paragraph A2, within 0.2% of indicated air content, for
each of the two cylinders. The apparent air content reading when no cylinder is used shall
be zero, within 0.2% of indicated air content.
NOTE: With this simplified method of check calibration, the expansion of the bowl (factor D in
AS 1012.4.1) is assumed to be small and is included in the allowable error of 0.2 percentage
points. If the bowl is not sufficiently rigid, the check calibration with no cylinder will give an
apparent air reading in excess of 0.1%; however, this expansion normally should be less than
0.1%, and in practice it is cancelled out by subtracting the aggregate correction factor G from the
apparent air reading A 1 .
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NOTES
AS 1012.4.21999
 AS 1012.4.21999 8

This Australian Standard was prepared by the Technical Committee BD/42, Methods of Testing Concrete. It was approved
on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on 4 June 1999 and published on 5 July 1999.

The following interests are represented on Committee BD/42:

The Association of Consulting Engineers of Australia

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Australian Pre-mixed Concrete Association
AUSTROADS
Cement and Concrete Association of Australia
Concrete Institute of Australia
CSIRO, Division of Building, Construction and Engineering
National Association of Testing Authorities Australia
University of New South Wales
University of Technology, Sydney
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Originated as part of AS A1091972.

Final edition AS 1912.41983.
Revised and redesignated in part as AS 1012.4.21999.

This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 98187.

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