JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY

KOLKATA -32

PROJECT REPORT ON

CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

PROF. SIBNATH CHAKRABORTY

PREPARED BY

ASHIS PARAMANIK
[ashis.civil@gmail.com]
BCE-IV
ROLL # 99280

DEPT. OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

ASHIS PARAMANIK JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY

CEMENT
Cement may be defined as a material with adhesive and cohesive properties that make it capable of
bonding mineral fragments (‘aggregates’) into a compact whole.

Classification

1) Portland cement
2) High Alumina Cement (IS 6452: 1989)
3) Supersulphated cement (IS 6909:1990)
4) Natural cements
5) Special Cement
a) Masonry cement
b) Trief cement
c) Expansive cement
d) Oil well cement

Portland cement

The principal raw materials used in the manufacture of cement are:

a) Argillaceous or silicates of alumina in the form of clays and shales.
b) Calcareous or calcium carbonate, in the form of lime shone, chalk and marl which is
mixture of clay and calcium carbonate.
Portland cement is made by burning together, to about 1400°C, an intimate mixture (in the form of a
slurry) of limestone (or chalk) with alumina-, silica-, and iron oxide- bearing materials (such as clay or
shale), and grinding the resulting ‘clinker’ into a fine powder, after cooling and adding a little gypsum.

Chemical constituents of Portland cement

Lime (CaO) 60 to 67%
Silica (SiO2) 17 to 25%
Alumina (Al2O3) 3 to 8%
Iron oxide (Fe2O3) 0.5 to 6%
Magnesia (MgO) 0.1 to 4%
Sulphur trioxide (SO3) 1 to 3%
Soda and/or Potash 0.5 to 1.3%
(Na2O+K2O)

The cement contains four major compounds, viz.,

• Tricalcium silicate (3CaO.SiO2) C3S (contributes high early strength)
• Dicalcium silicate (2CaO.SiO2) C2S (retards early development of strength)
• Tricalcium aluminate (3CaO.Al2O3) C3A
• Tetracalcium alumino-ferrite C4AF
(4CaO.Al2O3. Fe2O3)

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The use of any one of the following types of Portland cement is permitted by the code (IS 456:2000):

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) – presently available in three different grades (denoting
compressive strength)
a) 33 Grade ordinary Portland cement conforming to IS 269: 1989
b) 43 Grade ordinary Portland cement conforming to IS 8112: 1989
c) 53 Grade ordinary Portland cement conforming to IS 12269: 1987

The numbers 33, 43 and 53 correspond to the 28-day (characteristic) compressive strengths of
cement, as obtained from standard tests on cement-sand mortar specimens.

Rapid Hardening Portland cement (RHPC) – Conforming to IS 8041:1990, is similar to

OPC, except that it has more C3S and less C2S, and it is ground more finely.

Portland Slag Cement (PSC) – conforming to IS 455:1989, is made by intergrinding Portland

cement clinker and granulated blast furnace slag (which is a waste product in the manufacture
of pig iron).

Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) (fly ash based) conforming to IS 1489 (Part 1)

Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) (calcined clay based) conforming to IS 1489 (Part 2)

Hydrophobic Portland Cement (HPC) conforming to IS 8043: 1991

Low Heat Portland Cement (LHPC) conforming to IS 12600:1989

Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement (SRPC) conforming to IS 12330:1988

Tests on Cements

The following tests are usually conducted in the laboratory.

a) Fineness test b) Setting time test
c) Soundness test d) Strength test
e) Heat of hydration test f) Chemical composition test

a) Fineness (IS: 4031-1988) – a measure of the size of the cement particles, in terms of specific
surface (i.e. surface area per unit mass); increased fineness enhances the rate of hydration, and hence,
also strength development.

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Fineness of cement is tested in two ways:
• By sieving through IS Sieve No. 9.
The residue retained should not exceed the following limits:
OPC 10%
RHPC 5%
LHPC 5%

• By determination of specific surface by air-permeability apparatus.

Express as cm2/gm or m2/kg
OPC (Sp. surface - not less than 2250 cm2/gm)
RHPC (Sp. surface - not less than 3250 cm2/gm)
LHPC (Sp. surface - not less than 3200 cm2/gm)

Consistency test of cement:

This test is performed to determine the quantity of water required to produce a cement paste of
standard or normal consistency.

Standard consistency of cement paste may be defined as the consistency which permits the Vicat
Plunger (10mm diameter and 50mm in length) to penetrate to a point 5mm to 7mm from the bottom (or
35mm to 33mm from top) of the Vicat mould.
Vicat apparatus is used for performing this test.

b) Setting time – measures of the rate of solidification of standard cement paste (using a Vicat
needle); initial setting time indicates the time when the cement paste becomes unworkable (not less
than 30-45 min usually for OPC), whereas the final setting time refers to the time to reach a state of
complete solidification (NOT greater than 375-600 min for OPC).

Initial Setting Time: The period elapsing between the time when water is added to the cement
and the time at which the needle (1mm square or 1.13 mm dia. 50 mm in length) fails to pierce
the test block (80mm dia and 40mm high) by about 5 mm, is known as initial setting time of the
cement.

Final Setting Time: The period elapsing between the time when water is added to the cement
and the time at which a needle used for testing final setting upon applying gently to the surface
of the test block, makes an impression thereon, while the attachment of the needle fails to do
so, is known as final setting time of the sample cement.
Vicat apparatus is used for determining initial and final setting times of cement.

c) Soundness – a sound cement should not experience any appreciable change in volume after it has
set. Volumetric change occurs if excess free lime and magnesia are there in cement.
Lechatlier apparatus is used for performing this test.

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 d) Compressive strength test. In this test, three mortar cubes (of face area 50 cm2)
composed of one part of cement, three parts of standard sand by weight and P/4+3.0 per
cent water are prepared and cured under standard temperature conditions and each cube is
tested by placing it between the movable jaws of the compressive strength testing machine.
The rate of increasing load is zero in the beginning and varies @ 350 kg/cm 2 per minute.
The load at which the cube gets fractured, divided by the cross sectional area of the cube, is
the compressive strength of the cube.

f) Chemical composition test

• Ratio of %age of Lime to %age of Silica-, alumina- and iron oxide-; when calculated by
the formula
CaO − 0.7 SO3
2.8 SiO 2 + 1.2 Al2O3 + 0.65Fe2O3
The above is called Lime saturation factor per cent→ Not greater than 1.02 and not less
than 0.66

• Ratio of % of alumina to that of iron oxide (Alumina Iron ration) → not less than 0.66
• Weight of insoluble residue→ not more than 2%
• Wt. of magnesia → not more than 6%
• Sulphuric anhydride (SO3) → not more than 2.75%
• Loss on ignition → not more than 4%
• Alkalis → should not exceed 0.6%
• Chlorides → should not exceed 0.05%

AGGREGATES
The coarse aggregate are granular materials obtained from rocks and crushed stones. They may be also
obtained from synthetic material like slag, shale, fly ash and clay for use in light-weight concrete.
The sand obtained from river beds or quarries is used as fine aggregate. The fine aggregate along with
the hydrated cement paste fill the space between the coarse aggregate.
Aggregates shall comply with the requirements of IS 383.

Classification

Aggregates can be classified as

i) Normal weight aggregates
a) Natural aggregates: Sand, Gravel, Crushed Rock such as Quartzite, Basalt, Sandstone
b) Artificial aggregates: Crushed overburnt brick or tile, Air-cooled slag, Sintered fly ash,
Bloated clay.

ii) Light weight aggregate

iii) Heavy weight aggregate

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Aggregates can also be classified on the basis of the size of the aggregates as coarse aggregate (bigger
than 4.75mm) and fine aggregate (4.75mm and less).

Aggregates should be:

Strong and Hard: A stronger, harder aggregate will give a stronger final concrete. Never use a
crumble or flakey rock like sandstone.
Durable to stand up to wear and tear and weathering.
Chemically inactive so the aggregates don’t react with the cement.
Clean: Dirt or clay sticking to the aggregates will weaken the bond between paste and aggregates.
Graded Aggregates should range in size so that they fit together well. This gives a stronger and
denser concrete. Rounded aggregates give a more workable mix. Angular aggregates make concrete
harder to place, work and compact, but can make concrete stronger.
Storage: Aggregates should be stored where they will stay clean, separated from other materials and
dry. If the aggregates are very wet use less water in the mix.

The important properties of aggregate are as follows.

1) Shape and texture

2) Size gradation
3) Moisture content
4) Specific gravity
5) Unit weight
6) Durability and absence of deleterious materials.

Size

The nominal maximum size of coarse aggregate should be as large as possible within the limits
specified but in no case greater than one-fourth of the minimum thickness of the member, provided
that the concrete can be placed without difficulty so as to surround all reinforcement thoroughly and
fill the corners of the form.

Using the largest possible maximum size will result in

i) Reduction of the cement content
ii) Reduction in water requirement
iii) Reduction of drying shrinkage

However, the maximum size of aggregate that can be used in any given condition may be limited by
the following conditions:

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 i) Thickness of section
ii) Spacing of reinforcement
iii) Clear cover
iv) Mixing, handling and placing techniques

For most work, 20 mm aggregate is suitable. Where there is no restriction to the flow of concrete into
sections, 40 mm or larger size may be permitted. In concrete elements with thin sections, closely
spaced reinforcement or small cover, consideration should be given to the use of 10 mm nominal
maximum size.
Rubbles 160 mm size or upto any reasonable size may be used in plain concrete. In such concrete,
called plum concrete, the quantity of rubble up to a maximum limit of 20 per cent by volume of the
concrete, is used when specially permitted.

For heavily reinforced concrete members as in the case of ribs of main beams, the nominal maximum
size of the aggregate should usually be restricted to 5 mm less than the minimum clear distance
between the main bars or 5 mm less than the minimum cover to the reinforcement whichever is
smaller.

Shape

(a) Rounded aggregates: The particles of aggregates are fully water worn or are completely shaped
by attrition, are called rounded aggregates. Rounded aggregates possess minimum percentage of voids
(33%) and minimum ratio of surface area to given volume. These provide good workability. Rounded
aggregates are not suitable for high strength concrete because of pore interlocking.

(b) Irregular aggregates: the aggregates containing particles of irregular shape by attrition and
having rounded edges are known as irregular aggregates. Irregular aggregates possess 35 to 37% of
voids, provide comparatively less workability and average interlocking. These are not suitable for high
strength concrete.

(c) Angular aggregates – possess maximum percentage of voids (38 to 45%), require more water for
lubrication and provide less workability for given water cement ratio. Because of best interlocking
angular aggregates are used for high strength concrete.

(d) Flaky aggregates: The aggregates is said to be flaky if its least dimension is less than 3/5 th of its
mean dimension. The percentage (by weight) of particles in an aggregates whose least dimension
(thickness) is less than 3/5th of their mean dimension, is known as flakiness index of the aggregates.

(e) Elongated aggregates – the elongation index of an aggregates may be defined as the percentage
(by weight) of particles whose greatest dimension (i.e. length) is greater than one and fourth fifth (9/5)
times their mean dimension.

Deleterious materials
Aggregates should not contain any harmful material in such a quantity so as to affect the strength and
durability of the concrete. Deleterious materials may cause one of the following effects:

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 i) To interfere hydration
ii) To prevent development of proper bond
iii) To reduce strength and durability
iv) To modify setting times

The deleterious substances that should be limited in aggregate are clay lumps, wood, coal, chert, silt, rock
dust (material finer than 75 microns), organic material, unsound and friable particles.

Bulking of sand
The increase in volume of dry sand due to absorption of moisture which forms a thin film of water
around the particles of sand by frictional resistance is called bulking of sand. A moisture content of 2
to 5 percent increases the volume from 15 to 30 percent. The finer the sand, the greater is the bulking.
When the moisture content is increased by adding water gradually until the sand is completely
saturated, bulking diminishes practically to nil and the sand occupies the least volume as in the dry
state.

Method: Sufficient quantity of sand shall be put loosely into a container of uniform cross section, leveled off but not
pressed down and its depth is measured. The sand is then well mixed and stirred with plenty of water and
allowed to settle. The top surface of the inundated sand shall be smoothed and leveled. The new depth of sand
is then measured and this is practically equal to that volume which would be occupied by the same weight of
sand when dry. Now the amount of loss in the volume of sand is the amount of Bulking.

If D depth of sand when damp; D1 = depth of sand after settling under water;

D - D1
then percentage of bulking =  100
D1

and this additional percentage of sand determined at the time of mixing shall be added for correct
proportioning of a mixture.

Sieve Analysis
In determination of the proportions of the particles within certain ranges in an aggregate by separation
on various sieves of different size openings, may be defined as sieve analysis.

The following sieves are generally used for sieve analysis conforming to IS: 460-1962 specifications.

80mm, 63 mm, 50 mm, 40mm, 31.5mm, 25mm, 20mm, 16mm, 12.5mm, 10mm, 6.3mm,
4.75mm,3.35mm, 2.36mm, 1.18mm,600microns,300 microns,150microns,75microns

Fineness Modulus
The sum of cumulative percentage of residues retained on each of the Indian standard sieves, divided
by 100, is known as fineness modulus of the aggregates. The fineness modulus of an aggregate is
roughly proportional to the average size of particles of the aggregates.

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 Sand Fineness modulus

Fine 2.2 to 2.6

Medium 2.6 to 2.9
Coarse 2.9 to 3.2
Note: It is recommended that the fineness modulus of sand should not be less than 2.5 and not more than 3.0

Method:
Coarse aggregates (35 kg) Fine aggregates (500 kg)
IS Sieve
Wt. retained Cumulative wt. Cumulative %age Wt. retained Cumulative wt. Cumulative %age
No.
in kg retained in kg of wt. retained in kg retained in kg of wt. retained
80 mm 0 0 0 - - -
40 mm 7.0 7.0 20 - - -
20 mm 10.5 17.5 50 - - -
10 mm 10.5 28.0 80 - - -
4.75mm 7.0 35.0 100 30 30 6
2.36mm - - 100 60 90 18
1.18mm - - 100 100 190 38
600mic. - - 100 120 310 62
300mic - - 100 125 435 87
150mic - - 100 40 475 85
PAN - - - 25 500 -
35 kg 750 500 g 306
750 306
Fineness modulus = = 7 .5 Fineness modulus = = 3.06
100 100

WATER
WATER is mixed with the cement powder to form a paste which holds the aggregates together like
glue. The water should satisfy the requirements of Section 5.4 of IS: 456 - 2000.
“Water used for mixing and curing shall be clean and free from injurious amounts of oils, acids,
alkalis, salts, sugar, organic materials or other substances that may be deleterious to concrete and
steel”. Don’t use sea water as it may rust the steel reinforcement in the concrete.

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BRICK

Actual size as Converted dimensions for

Type of manufactured Nominal size traditional bricks
Brick i.e. with mortar Actual size Nominal size
Standard 19cm x 9cm x 9cm 20cm x10cmx10cm - -
Modular
3 " 3 " 3"
Traditional 9 x4 x2 10” x 5” x 3” 24.8 x 12.1 x 7 cm 25.4x12.7x7.6 cm
4 4 4

Classification of Bricks
First class bricks – are well burnt, having smooth and even surface, with perfect rectangular shape and
uniform reddish colour. When struck with other brick, these give a metallic ringing sound. These
should not leave any mark when scratched by finger nail. These should not absorb water more than
20% of its weight when immersed in cold water for 24 hours. These show slight efflorescence.

Second class bricks – are not perfectly rectangular and having rough surface, but are hard, slightly
overburnt and uniform in color. These should not absorb water more than 22% of its weight when
immersed in cold water for 24 hours. These show slight efflorescence.

Third class or pila bricks – are not burnt properly in the kilns and may be slightly under/over-burnt,
these are soft and can be easily broken. On striking, these do not give a ringing sound. These should
not absorb water more than 25% of its weight when immersed in cold water for 24 hours.
Efflorescence in these bricks is moderate.

Jhama or over-burnt bricks – due to excess fusion and temperature bricks get over-burnt, loose their
shape and get twisted. These bricks yet dark bluish in color.

Test for the Acceptance of Bricks for Building Construction

• Dimension and tolerances test- to know the accuracy of the dimensions of the bricks.
• Compressive strength test – to determine the crushing strength (50kg/cm2) of bricks.
• Water absorption test – to determine the water absorption of the bricks. If the water absorption
capacity of a brick is more, its strength will be comparatively low.
• Efflorescence test – to know the presence of any alkaline matter in the bricks.

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Various FORMS of Brick portions

Queen –Closer Queen –Closer King-closer Bevelled closer Bat (half)

(Half) (Quarter)

Types of Bond

1. Stretcher bond 7. Facing bond

2. Header bond 8. Dutch bond
3. English bond 9. Raking bond
4. Single Flemish bond 10. Zig-zag bond
5. Double Flemish bond 11. English cross bond
6. Garden wall bond 12. Brick on edge bond

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CONCRETE
An artificially built-up stone resulting from hardening of a mixture of cement, aggregates and water
with or without a suitable admixture, is generally known as ‘Concrete’.

Properties of Concrete in Plastic State

A freshly mixed concrete must possess the under mentioned properties
(i) Good workability. Workability of concrete may be defined as the ease with which it can be
mixed, transported, and placed in position in a homogeneous state.
(ii) No segregation. Segregation may be defined as breaking of cohesion in a mass of concrete
during transportation. If the quantity of water in the mix is more, the larger sized aggregates
tend to separate, thus causing segregation.

(iii) No bleeding. Bleeding may be defined as separation of water or water sand cement from
freshly mixed concrete. This is also caused due to excess water.

Properties of Concrete in Hardened State

A hardened concrete must possess the following properties
(i) Strength – is defined as the resistance of a hardened concrete to rupture under different loading
and is accordingly designated in different ways i.e., tensile strength, compressive strength,
flexural strength, etc.
(ii) Durability – is defined as the period of time upto which concrete in hardened state withstands
the weathering effects satisfactorily. This property is mainly affected by water cement ratio. A
good quality concrete in hardened state must be durable.
(iii) Impermeability – is defined as the property to resist entry of water. This property is achieved
by using extra quantity of cement in concrete mix. A concrete in hardened state must be
impermeable.
(iv) Elasticity – though hardened concrete is brittle material, it is desired that it should possess
adequate elasticity.
(v) Shrinkage. A hardened concrete should experience least shrinkage. This property is guided by
water cement ratio. Shrinkage is less if the water cement ratio is less.
(vi) Thermal expansion. A hardened concrete should possess least coefficient of expansion.

Advantages of Concrete
1. Availability of concrete ingredients easily
2. Easy handling and moulding of concrete into any shape
3. Easy transportation from the place of mixing to place of casting before initial set takes place.
4. Ability to pump/spray to fill into cracks and lining of tunnels
5. The property of concrete to possess high compressive strength makes a concrete
structure more economical than that of steel structure.

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Disadvantages of Concrete
1. Due to low tensile strength, concrete is required to be reinforced to avoid cracks
2. In long structures expansion joints are required to be provided if there is large
temperature variance in the area
3. Construction joints are provided to avoid cracks due to drying shrinkage and
moisture –expansion
4. Soluble salts in concrete cause efflorescence if moisture reacts with them
5. Concrete made with OPC, gets integrated in the presence of alkalies, sulphates etc.
6. Sustained loads develop creep in structures

Fresh Concrete
Fresh concrete or plastic concrete is a freshly mixed material which can be moulded into any shape.
The relative quantities of cement, aggregates and water mixed together, control the properties of
concrete in the wet state as well as in the hardened state.

Workability
Workability means how easy it is to:
PLACE
HANDLE
COMPACT and
FINISH a concrete mix.

It may be defined as the property of concrete which determine the amount of useful internal work,
necessary to produce full compaction i.e. workability is the amount of energy to overcome friction
while consolidation.
Factors affecting the workability are:
(i) Water Content. Workability increases with increase in water content on account of greater
lubrication.
(ii) Mix proportions. The higher the aggregate/cement ratio, the leaner is the concrete. In lean
concrete, less quantity of paste is available for providing lubrication, per unit surface area of
aggregate and hence the mobility of aggregate is restrained.
(iii) Size of aggregate. Concrete having large size aggregates is more workable than that
containing small sized aggregate. This is due to the fact that smaller sized aggregates offer
greater surface area than that of large sized aggregates, and thus more water is required to
lubricate the small sized aggregates.
(iv) Shape of aggregates. The angular aggregates, flaky aggregates and elongated aggregates
reduce workability considerably. On the other hand, the rounded aggregates increase the
workability.
(v) Surface texture of the aggregates. Rough surfaced aggregates need more water for
lubrication and thus reduce the workability. Smooth surfaced aggregates require less amount of
water for lubrication land hence increases workability.

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 (vi) Porosity and absorption of aggregates. A porous and dry aggregate requires more water for
lubrication as compared to non-porous and saturated aggregates. In porous and dry aggregates
a portion of water added to concrete mix is consumed to fill the pores and thus workability is
reduced.
(vii) Grading of aggregates. The grading of aggregates affects the workability if lean concrete mix.
The better the grading, the less is the void content and higher the workability.
(viii) Air entraining agents. Workability of concrete mix is also affected by adding air entraining
agents. Air bubbles produced due to air entraining agents, act as rollers and thus increase the
workability.
(ix) Temperature. At higher temperature, workability of concrete mix is reduced.

Measurement of Workability

a) Slump test d) Flow test

b) Compacting factor test e) Kelly ball test
c) Vee Bee Consistometer test

Slump Test
THE SLUMP TEST is done to make sure a concrete mix is
workable. The measured slump must be within a set range, or
tolerance, from the target slump. This test is carried out with
a mould called slump cone whose top diameter is 10 cm,
bottom diameter is 20 cm and height is
30 cm. (as shown in figure)

Tools
1) Standard slump cone (100 mm top diameter x 200
mm bottom diameter x 300 mm high)
2) Small scoop Fig.: Slump Cone
3) Bullet-nosed rod (600 mm long x 16 mm diameter)
4) Rule
5) Slump plate (500 mm x 500 mm)
Procedure:
Step 1
• Empty the sampling buckets onto the mixing tray
• Scrape each bucket clean
Step 2
• Thoroughly remix the sample, shovelling into a heap
• Turn the heap over to form another
• Do this three times
Step 3
• Flatten the final heap by repeatedly digging-in the shovel vertically
• Lift the shovel clear each time

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Step 4
• Ensure the slump cone and base plate is clean and damp
• Place the metal plate on solid level base away from vibration or other disturbance
• Place the cone on the plate and stand on the foot-pieces
Step 5
• Fill the cone in three equal depth layers
• Use the standard slump rod
• Rod each layer 25 times
• Spread the blows evenly
• Heap the concrete above the top of the cone before rodding the third layer over the area
• Make sure the rod just penetrates the layer below
Step 6
• Top up if necessary
• Use the rod with a sawing and rolling motion to strike the concrete level with the top of the cone
Step 7
• Carefully clean off spillage from sides and base plate whilst maintaining
foot pressure
Step 8
• Carefully lift the cone straight up and clear, to a count of between 2 and 5 seconds
Step 9
• Lay the rod across the upturned slump cone
• Measure the distance between the underside of the rod and the highest point of the
concrete – the true slump
• Record the distance to the nearest 10mm
• Check and record the kind of slump
• If the slump isn’t true, take a new sample and repeat the test
• If the second slump isn’t true, get advice
• Complete the sampling and testing certificates
If the sample fails by being outside the tolerance (i.e. the slump is too high or too low),
another must be taken. If this also fails the remainder of the batch should be rejected.
Suitability: This method is suitable only for the concrete of high or medium workability.
There are three kinds of slump:

True slump Shear Collapse

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Compacting factor test
According to this test, the workability may be defined as the amount of applied work require to
compact the concrete to its maximum density.
The apparatus required for performing the compaction factor test, is shown in figure:

Procedure:
1. Clean and dry the internal surface of the mould.
2. with the help of hand scoop, place the concrete in
upper hoper A upto top surface
3. Open the trap door of hopper in order to facilitate the
falling of the concrete into lower hopper B. The
concrete sticking to the sides of the hopper A, should
be pushed downward with the help of a steel rod.
4. Open the trap door of the hopper B and allow the
concrete to fall into cylinder C.
5. remove the surplus concrete from the top of the
cylinder with the help of a trowel. Wipe and clean
the out side of the cylinder.
6. weigh the cylinder with partially compacted concrete
nearest to 10g.
7. fill the cylinder with fresh concrete in layers not exceeding 50 mm in thickness and compact each layer
till 100% compaction is achieved.
8. wipe off and clean the outside surface of the cylinder and weigh the cylinder with fully compacted
concrete nearest to 10g.
weight of partially compacted concrete
9. Compacting factor =
weight of fully compacted concrete

Suitability: This method is suitable (in laboratories) only for the concrete of low workability.

Vee-bee Consistometer: This method is suitable for dry concrete having very low workability
Procedure:
1. Mix the dry ingredients of the concrete thoroughly till a uniform color is
obtained and then add the required quantity of water.
2. Pour the concrete into the slump cone with the help of the funnel fitted to the
stand.
3. Remove the slump mould and rotate the stand so that transparent dish touches
the top of the concrete.
4. Start the vibrator on which cylindrical container is placed.
5. Due to vibrating action, the concrete starts remoulding and occupying the
cylindrical container. Continue vibrating the cylinder till concrete surface
become horizontal.
6. The time required for complete remoulding in second is the required measure
of workability and it is expressed as number of Vee-bee seconds. Vee-bee Consistometer

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