GROUP 3

Lab report week 3

Mixing of concrete.
Slump test of Portland cement concrete.
Unit weight of concrete.
Compression Test of Concrete Cylinders (Steps 1-5 Only).
CENG 3434
September 23, 2016

Lab Report by:

Yvonne Younis

______________________________________

Luis Padilla

______________________________________

Daniel Alejandro

______________________________________

Augustin Vidal

______________________________________

Juan Macias

______________________________________

Lab CON-4: Mixing of concrete

Objective:
The objective of Lab CON-4 is to become accustomed and familiar with the ASTM
standard for the correct mixing of concrete. This lab was performed to correctly mix concrete in
order to create samples that are to be used in the consequent lab reports. The mixed concrete was
made using a fixed amount of proportions. Using Fine aggregate, Course aggregate, water and
cement.
Procedure:
The following procedure was performed in accordance to the ASTM standard. The lab
procedure was obtained from the Somayajis Civil Engineering Materials Second Edition
Textbook. Specifically, the set of steps that was followed according to the ASTM standard
was the procedure to make concrete sample by machine mixing. The mix design was
conformed of 11.24 lbs. of Water, 24.97 lbs. of cement. Course aggregate (58.99 lbs. of
Rocks, 19.66 lbs. of pebbles) and 33.40 lbs. of fine aggregate-sand. The steps taken were as
followed:
-

Equipment: Pan, tampering rod, mixer and Shovel.

1- 1.124 lbs. (10%) of water poured first into the mixers dram.
2- Add the course aggregate (rocks and pebbles) while the mixer is rotating.
3- Add the cement.
4- Add fins aggregate (sand).
5- Add the remaining 10.1 lbs. (90%) of water remaining.
6- Mix for 3 minutes then allow the mixture to rest for another 3 minutes.
7- Mix for another 2 minutes.
8- Pour the mixture out of the barrel while the dram is still running (rotating) onto tray.
9- Remix concrete on the pan using the shovel.

Results and Discussion:

The mixing of concrete is an exceptionally important step in making sure the desire
properties are obtained. The wrong concrete mix ratio can create many problems and have
disastrous consequences in any construction project. According to the Somayajis Civil
Engineering Materials Second Edition Textbook, the most important concept to keep in mind
when wanting to obtain the right mixture of concrete is proportioning. Our team members were
very cautious were preparing the right amount of the materials to be used. Buckets were used to
weight and store the materials, therefore the weight of the buckets was also taken into

consideration when proportioning. The different materials were weighted in accordance to the
proportions specified by professor Larson and based on our project needs and the availability of
the materials provided by the UTTYLER Houston Engineering Center Campus. The buckets
containing the materials were lined up next to each other in the order in which they were to be
used, as seen in image 1.

Image 1: 10% water, coarse Aggregate (rocks and pebbles), cement, fine Aggregate,

Conclusion

In

general,

our

mixing
of concrete lab
was successful and was performed fluently. In this experiment, great effort was dedicated to
minimizing the possibility of error by accurately proportioning the materials. Our team members
took turns and cautiously weighted the corresponding proportion of each component carefully
followed the instructions of mixing. The buckets created a minor initial form of confusion as
their weight was substantial and needed to be taken into consideration when weighting out the
elements for proportioning. Because of the different kinds and sizes of buckets, different
measures of weight had to be taken for each one containing a different component for the mix of
concrete.
There were however a few things that could have been done differently or with greater accuracy
and expertise, given that, for most of the members in our team it was the first attempt mixing
concrete. Some ideas to increase the possibility of obtaining the desire mix concrete are:

All equipment must be held to a standard before examination

Members of lab team should all be delegated one task and stick to that task to maintain
consistency.
The type of containers (buckets) were the materials used in the mix concrete are store for
purposes of proportioning should all be the same.
The mixer should be properly cleaned and inspected before mixing.

Following these suggestions can greatly influence a result with the more desire characteristics.

CON-1: Slump Test of Portland Cement Concrete

Objective:
To test fresh plastic concrete that was made using the slump test. The Slump test measures
consistency of the mixed cement; this result is then used as an indirect measure of workability, a
very fundamental property of cement. The slump cone is 12 in. in height, with a base opening 8
in. Both the top and bottom openings are perpendicular to the vertic
al axis of the cone.
Procedure:
The procedure was performed in accordance to the ASTM standard. The lab procedure
was obtained from the Somayajis Civil Engineering Materials Second Edition Textbook and the
steps were carefully followed to increase accuracy and success in the results. The procedure that
was followed is summarized as followed:
-

Equipment: Slump cone mold, pan, hand scoop, measuring tape, tamping rod (diameter 5/8
in and 24 in long).

1- Dampen mold and place on dampen pan. (pan was used because it is a non absorbent surface).
2- Using hand scoop to fill slump cone mold in 3 layers, each 1/3 of total volume.
3- Rod each layer 25 times, distributing strokes through cross section penetrating through the
lower layer slightly.
4- After filling the top layer, level the top using the rod in a rolling motion and clean excess from
sides.
5- carefully, remove the slump cone mold lifting vertically.
6- Measure the change in height.

Results and Discussion:

As mentioned previously, the Slump test is an important and very accessible procedure
that can be performed almost anywhere. It measures the consistency of concrete in a specific
batch, which is an indirect indication of the degree of workability of the mix. For this reason,

special care was taken during the preparation of the equipment used and the proportioning of the
concrete mix.
As shown in image 2. it was necessary to stand on top of the foot piece attached to the cone
mold, in order to avoid any undesired vibrations or movement that could affect the results of the
Slump test. Turns were taken when filling up each layer of concrete in the mold as well as
delivering the 25 respectively. After lifting the mold in a vertical motion, we were able to
measure the vertical difference between the top of the mold and the displaced original of the top
surface of the mix (showing image 3).
Our result for the measure of the difference in vertical distance was = 1.5 in. which indicates that
the specimen has good consistency and has the characteristics of Normal Slump.

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Conclusion
The overall results of the Slump test were very satisfactory. This experiment in particular
demonstrated that with a simple test and equipment we are able to determine a lot of important
information from a fresh concrete mix. Properties in this case such as workability. A property
that can have a huge impact in the economic and technical success of a construction project. The
results of the experiment largely fit the expectation of the standardized Slump test and our
specimen fits the characteristics of a normal slump (image 4). Some measures of correction that
can be taken into consideration in future practice of this test to increase probability of accuracy
and to obtain reliable information from the sample can be:
-

Maintain minimum horizontal movement once stepping of the foot pieces of the mold
Better distribution of the 25 strokes without penetrating more than one layer below
Consequently, with these additions the results can be expected to be more reliable.
CON-2: Unit weight, Yield, and Air Content of Concrete.

Objective:

The objective of CON-2 is to calculate the unit weight, yield and air content using the
fresh concrete made is lab CON-4. The related standard for this test is ASTM C138, C172. An
important purpose of this lab is to allow us to familiarize ourselves with terms such as concrete
Yield and Air Content. Yield is defined as the volume of concrete produced per batch, cubic yard,
or cubic meter. Air Content is the percentage of air voids in concrete, which can greatly affect the
way concrete will behave.

Procedure:
The procedure was performed in compliance to ASTM standards and the actual set of steps
followed can be found in the Somayajis Civil Engineering Materials Second Edition Textbook.
-

Equipment: A cylinder with a lid, tampering rod and hand scoop. These are the steps taken
for this lab.

1- Weigh the cylinder used.

2- Fill the cylinder with concrete sample in three layers. Rod each layer 25 strokes using the
tampering rod. Do not overfill.
3- Tap the side 15 times to release trapped air bubbles.
4- Strike off the surface with a sawing motion using little vertical pressure.
5- Clean all excess concrete from the exterior of the mold.
6- Now weigh the concrete and the mold.
7- calculate the unit weight of concrete (W) as the ratio between net weight of concrete and
volume of measure.
W= (net weight of concrete / volume of measure) Ib/ft^3
8- Calculate the total weight of all materials batched (W1= Weight of cement Wc , Weight of
fine aggregate Wfa, weight of course aggregate Wca, weight of water Ww)
W1 = Wc + Wfa + Wca + Ww
9- Calculate the yield
Yield = W1 /(27*W)
10- Calculate the theoretical unit weight of concrete (on an air-free basis), T:
T= W/V
Where V= absolute volume of the component ingredients in the batch
V= ( (Wc/3.15) + (Ws/Ss) + (Wr/Sr) + (Ww/1) + (Wp/Sp) ) * (1/ Uw)
Uw = 62.4 lb/ft^3 density of water

Ss= 2.60 Specific gravity of sand

Sr= 2.50 Specific gravity of river rocks
Sp= 2.70Specific gravity of pebbles
11- Calculate the air content
Air content = ((T - W) / T ) * 100

Results:
Unit weight of concrete, W
W= (net weight of concrete / volume of measure) Ib/ft^3
Volume of measure =

1
3
2 ft

Net weight of concrete = 76.3

1

W = (76.3) / (

W = 152.6 lb/ft^3

Weight of all materials batched, W1

W1

= Wc

+ Wfa + Wca + Ww

74.125 lbs =12.485 +16.7 + 39.32 + 5.62

Yield (yd^3/batch)
Yield = W1 /(27*W)
0.01798 = 74.125 / (27*152.6) yd^3/batch

Theoretical Unit weight of concrete, T

T=W/V
V= ( (Wc/3.15) + (Ws/Ss) + (Wr/Sr) + (Ww/1) + (Wp/Sp) ) * (1/ Uw) )

Uw = 62.4 lb/ft^3 density of water

Ss= 2.60 Specific gravity of sand
Sr= 2.50 Specific gravity of river rocks
Sp= 2.70Specific gravity of pebbles

V= ( (12.485/3.15) + (16.7/2.60) + (29.495/2.50) + (5.62/1) + (9.83/2.70) ) * (1/ 62.4)

Absolute volume, V = .503931 ft^3
Theoretical unit weight, T = 74.125 / .503931
T= 147.094

Air content, A= ((T - W) / T ) * 100

A = ((147.094 152.6)/ 147.094) * 100
A = 3.74 %
Conclusion:
Our results were very satisfactory in terms of accuracy. We were able to successfully
perform the calculations for Unit weight of concrete, total weight of materials batched, the yield
per cubic yard per batch, the total absolute volume of the component ingredients, the air content
and the theoretical unit weight. It was rewarding to see how the numbers obtain in the different
calculation correlate greatly with typical results of a real life scenario. Our actual unit weight of
concrete and theoretical value that were gathered showed good accuracy in our calculations and
in the mix procedure.
The team members were very cautious performing the measuring of the components in
the mixing procedure, in order to influence a high level of precision in the calculations.

CON-3: Compression Test of Concrete Cylinders

Objective:
This lab is to determine the compressive strength of concrete. We have not yet tested
the strength but we did prepare the 4 concrete specimens while placing 2 completely submerged
in water and 2 in room temperature area.

Procedure:
The equipment needed is fresh concrete, 4 concrete molds, tampering rod, scoop and
compression test machine.
1- Using a scoop place the fresh concrete in the molds.
2- Distribute the concrete inside the mold using a tampering rod prior to consolidation.
3- Fill the mold in three equal layers rodding each layer 25 times using the tampering rod.
4- Tap the sides of the mold to close any voids.
5- finish the top surface by striking it off with a tampering rod.
6- Clean the sides of any excess and close the lid of the mold to prevent evaporation of water.
7- Remove the hardened concrete from the mold 55 hours later.
8- Place 2 under water and 2 in regular room temperature.

Results and conclusion:

The testing and results for this lab is still in the process.

Team Contributors:
Yvonne Younis: Gathering Equipment, calculating and Analyzing data.
Luis Padilla: Gathering equipment, calculating and Analyzing data.
Daniel Alejandro: Gathering equipment and taking notes of results and calculations.
Augustin Vidal: Gathering equipment and following correct procedures step by step.
Juan Macias: Gathering equipment and following correct procedures step by step.