TIME OF SETTING OF HYDRAULIC CEMENT

BY VICAT NEEDLE
(ASTM C191- 08)

I. OBJECTIVE

 To determine the initial and final setting time of the hydraulic cement through the use
of Vicat needle with two different methods such as; Method A --- Manual Vicat
Needle Apparatus and, Method B --- Automatic Vicat Apparatus.

II. APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

 Vicat Apparatus- should have a movable rod B, of mass 300 ± 0.5 g (See Annexes
for details)
 Reference Masses or Devices for Determining Mass- should have evaluated for
precision and accuracy with a total load of 1000g (Specification C1005).
 Glass Graduates- have a capacity of 200- 250ml (Specification C1005).
 Plane non- absorbent plate- planeness, corrosivity, and absorptivity similar to that
glass referred in the annex, with a dimension of 100 ±5 mm .
 Flat trowel- 100- 150mm steel blade with sharpened straight edge that should not
be departed by more than 1mm from a flat surface when being placed.
 Conical ring- should have a height of 40 ± 1 mm, an inside diameter at the bottom of
70 ±3 mm , and an inside diameter at the top of 60 ± 3 mm made of a rigid, non-
corroding, non- absorbent material.
 Mixer, bowl, paddle- conforming to Practice C305.
 Automatic Vicat Needle Apparatus for Method B- should be equipped with a Vicat
needle that can support a total mass of 300 ± 0.5 g . The apparatus should
automatically complete and record the penetration measurements of the sample
specimen at specified time intervals not more than 10 minutes. Also, each
penetration should be at least 5mm away from each other and at least 10mm away
from the inner side of the mold.
 Specimen Mold for Method B- the cement paste is placed in a conical ring
40 ± 1 mm with a removable base plate. The minimum diameter of the test surface
should be 60 ± 3 mm.
 Mixing water- water conforming with Specification D1193 for Type III or Type IV
grade reagents water should be used for all referee and cooperative test. Potable
water is satisfactory for the test.
III. DEFINITION OF TERMS

IV. DISCUSSION

Cement is an important material in making mortar and concrete which commonly

acts as a binder of the aggregates when mixed with water. Hydration occurs as soon as
we mixed water and cement causing it to hardened in a specific span of time. This early
hardening of cement paste is what we called, 'Setting Time of Cement'. Setting time of
cement is defined as the time required for the cement paste to change from plastic state
to solid state. It is one of the most important properties of cement responsible for the
quality of mortar and concrete. Periodic penetration tests are conducted with the
prepared cement paste that is proportioned and mixed to normal consistency (Test
Method C187) using a 1-mm Vicat needle passes through the paste.
Before the testing procedure, the sample cement should be accepted in accordance
with Practice C183. The air temperature around the mixing slab, dry cement, molds, and
based plate should be maintained at 23.0 ±3.0 ℃ , as well as the mixing water to be used
at 23.0 ± 2.0℃ . The relative humidity of the mixing room should be not less than 50 %,
and the moist cabinet or room should conform with Specification C511.
Setting time of cement varies with different factors, like the type of cement used,
temperature, percentage of water, etc., and is divided into 3 testing procedures;
consistency test, initial setting time, and final setting time. Consistency test includes the
determination of the percentage of water content for standard consistency. Initial setting
time is when the cement paste starts to hardened losing its plasticity between the time
the water is added with the cement to the time when the penetration is measured to be
25mm. While final setting time is the time when the paste completely loses its plasticity,
between the initial contact of water and the cement until the tip of the Vicat needle only
touches the surface of the paste.

V. PREPARATION OF CEMENT PASTE

To acquire the cement paste used for the determining the setting time, the following
methods are practiced:
o Following the procedure in Practice C305, mix 650g of cement with the given
percentage of mixing water required for normal consistency for the preparation of
the cement paste.
o At the option tester, used the test specimen for determining normal consistency
in Method A. The specimen will not be suited for Method B because of its
irregular in shape
o Use the remaining cement paste from the previous batch for the autoclave
specimen (Test Method C151), or from the normal consistency test (Test Method
C187).
 For the calculation, compute the Vicat time of setting to the nearest 1min as follows:

H−E )
([ (( C−D ) ) ]
× ( C−25 ) + E

Where:
E = time in minutes of last penetration greater than 25mm,
H = time in minutes of first penetration less than 25mm,
C = penetration reading at time E, and
D = penetration reading at time H.

To calculate the final setting time of the hydraulic cement, determine the time elapsed
between the time when the water is added in the dry cement to the time when the Vicat
needle would not sink into the paste (the tip only touched surface of the specimen),
rounded to the nearest 5min.

Report the calculated time of setting as well as the method used as follows:

Vicat time of setting (A or B) _____min

Vicat final time of setting (A or B) _____min

VI. METHOD A --- MANUAL VICAT NEEDLE APPARATUS

VII. METHOD B --- AUTOMATIC VICAT

 ANNEXES

A1. VICAT APPARATUS

The Vicat apparatus shall consist of a frame, A, Fig. A1.1, bearing a movable rod, B,
with a mass as specified by the method referencing this apparatus, one end, C, the plunger end,
with a diameter as specified by the method referencing this apparatus, and the other end having
a mass or a removable steel needle, D, as specified by the method referencing this apparatus.
The rod, B, is reversible, and can be held in any desired position by a setscrew, E, and has an
adjustable indicator, F, which moves over a scale graduated in millimetres and attached to the
frame, A. The gradations on the graduated scale, when compared to a scale accurate to within
0.1 mm at all points, shall not show a variance from the reference scale greater than 0.25 mm.

A2. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT (QUALIFICATION) FOR AUTOMATIC VICAT

INSTRUMENT

When time of setting results from the automatic Vicat apparatus are to be used for
acceptance or rejection of cement, the method used shall comply with the qualification
requirements covered in this section. A method is considered to consist of the specific
instrument and the molding procedure meeting the requirements of this test method, and used
in a consistent manner by a given laboratory.

 Hydraulic Cement Samples Required

Select three cements that comply with requirements of Specifications C150,
C595, or C1157, and that when tested in accordance with Method A, shall include the
following:
o One cement that has an initial time of setting of less than 110 min,
o One cement with an initial time of setting of greater than 150 min,
o One cement with a final time of setting of less than 180 min, and
o One cement with a final time of setting of greater than 210 min.

 Tests
1. Using the method to be qualified and including the standardization formula
described in the section on standardization, make single determinations of the
times of initial and final setting on each of the three cements.
2. On the same day, conduct companion time of setting determinations according to
Method A.
3. Make single determinations of the normal consistency on each cement, and use
that amount of water for all replicate batches.
4. Complete three rounds of tests on different days, repeating all the steps of the
methods.
 5. Conduct the qualification tests on specimens prepared separately from the
standardization testing.

 Calculations
Calculate the three-round averages for initial and final time of setting for each
cement and method. A method complies with the initial time of setting qualification
requirements if the difference between the initial time of setting average values for
Method A and the corresponding average values of Method B is not greater than 25 min
for any sample, and the range for any three replicate tests by Method B does not exceed
30 min. Likewise, a method complies with the final time of setting qualification
requirements if the difference between the final time of setting average values for
Method A and corresponding average values for Method B is not greater than 45 min for
any sample, and the range for any three replicate tests by Method B does not exceed 30
min. Example qualification data are given in Appendix X1.

 Standardization
When standardization is required in order to achieve agreement between Method
A and Method B, it can be applied to either the initial time of setting, final time of setting,
or both. A standardization formula shall be based on a comparison of test results
obtained using Method A and the chosen method using the automatic instrument
(Method B).
Results of tests from at least five different hydraulic cements shall be required for
standardization. The cements shall have a minimum range of 60 min initial time of
setting, and a minimum range of 90 min final time of setting when tested in accordance
with Method A. If desired, the three cements used for instrument qualification may be
used, but make new determinations. Use the same method as used for instrument
qualification, including all the same steps. Valid standardization formulas shall be
mathematically derived and applied to all samples (see Note A2.2).

A3. REQUALIFICATION OF A METHOD

Requalify the method at least once per year and when any of the following conditions
occur:

 The instrument has been significantly modified.

 The instrument has been substantially repaired.
 Substantial evidence indicates that the method is not providing data meeting the
performance requirements.

The average of a Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory (CCRL) sample differs
from the value obtained by the method by more than 45 min for either the initial or final time of
setting.
 APPENDIX

X1. SAMPLE QUALIFICATION RESULTS