DETERMINATION OF

SETTING TIME OF
HYDRAULIC CEMENT
MEMBERS:

Anjen M. Relleno
Clarence S. Gambito
Jurie Gil Bayon-on
BSCE 4
HYDRUALIC
CEMENT
 It is a type of cement
that sets very quickly and
hardens with the addition of
water to the finely ground
cement. It is the most
commonly used cement at
present.
Nowadays, usually
different blends of modern
Portland cement are
commercially referred to as
hydraulic cement. It is
composed of hydraulic calcium
silicates. Hydraulic cement
is a non-corrosive, non-
rusting and non-shrink
substance widely used in
construction. This type of
cement is especially good for
structures that are
constantly in contact with
water because it is
impermeable to water.
Types of Hydraulic Cement

The three main types of cement that are most

commonly used are Portland, blended and hydraulic,
but Portland and blended cements are actually
hydraulic cement. In fact, most types of cement
used in construction are hydraulic.
1. Hydraulic cement:
Type GU: General Use
Type HE: High Early
Strength
Type MS: Moderate
Sulfate Resistance
Type HS: High
Sulfate Resistance
Type MH: Moderate
Heat of Hydration
Type LH: Low Heat of
Hydration
2. Portland cement:
> Type I, Type IA : general
purpose cements
> Type II, Type IIA : contain
no more than 8% tricalcium aluminate
> Type III, Type IIIA : similar
to Type I but has higher early strength
> Type IV : develops strength
over longer periods of time, used in
special type of structures that require
heat to be generated from hydration
> Type V : high sulphate
resistance, contains no more than 5%
tricalcium aluminate
3. Blended cement:
Type IS (X):
Portland blast furnace
slag cement
Type IP (X):
Portland-pozzolan cement
How Hydraulic Cement Works?

Hydraulic cement’s working principle is based on the

process of hydration, which means the product hardens when
water is added. Certain substances present in hydraulic
cement initiate reactions due to the application of water,
causing the mixture to set and harden very quickly with
reduced curing time. The nature of these chemical products
makes hydraulic cement impervious to water damage and
further chemical attacks. Hence, this type of cement is
suitable for construction of structures in close contact
with or submerged in water.
 When to Use Hydraulic Cement?

The right type of cement is to be selected based on the nature of

the construction work. Different blends of hydraulic cement contain
varying ratios of chemical components to suit specific needs.
Hydraulic cement is highly suitable for projects that require quick
setting and less curing time. However, it only gives a short window of
time to work with it before it hardens, so it is recommended to apply
hydraulic cement only for projects that can be done in 10-15 mins with a
moderate amount of cement mix prepared at a time.
Its ability to provide strength is immense, so hydraulic cement can be
used for the construction of highly durable structures. The cement is not
flexible, so it can only be used to provide mechanical support to
structures.
 For constructing underwater structures, hydraulic cement
has almost no alternative. Being impermeable to water, it can be
used in constructing structures that are in constant contact
with water. This type of cement does not corrode or rust, hence
it retains its strength even when submerged in water. It is also
extremely useful for water-proofing.
If the construction requires high durability but the
location is in an extremely cold climate or on a frozen
surface, applying hydraulic cement is not commendable in such
circumstances unless certain measures are taken to ensure
durability.
Hydraulic cement does not shrink like normal cement, and
some blends even expand upon hardening. This type expanding
hydraulic cement is very useful for sealing concrete leaks and
repair work. Sealing cracks with hydraulic cement will hold for
many years, but it is not a permanent fix. For very fine cracks,
caulk might be a better solution than hydraulic cement. Again,
hydraulic cement will not solve problems caused due to
condensation and not leaking.
Hydraulic Cement Uses

Hydraulic cement is very useful for the construction of:

 Footings and foundation
 Heavy construction
 Walls, floor, stairway
 Levee walls, sea walls, retaining walls
 Bridges, culverts
 Abutments, fortifications
 Monolithic concrete houses,
concrete block houses
 Tower substructures
 Dams, breakwaters
 Sewers
 Electric ducts
 Water pipes
 Irrigation ditches, filter
beds
 Cisterns, reservoirs
 Road foundations, paved roads,  Fire proofing, fire tests
sidewalks
 Tunnels
 Railroads, ties, turntables,
trestle belts
 Posts, fence and fence
posts, mileposts, electric
poles, telephone poles
 Curb and gutters
 Coefficient of expansion in
concrete
 Columns and pillars
 Fountains
 Waterproofing
 Prison cells
 Chimneys
 Sealing cracks
 Adhesive for building
blocks
Hydraulic cement is also used
for various
specialized purposes.
 Foundation repair
 Basement crack repair
 Basement leak stopper
 Repair Cracks in Concrete Walls,
Floors, and Driveways
How to Apply Hydraulic Cement

Proper use of hydraulic cement for maximum benefit include the following
steps:
Preparation
 The surface on which the cement is to be applied should be clean. Dirt,
oil, grease and loose particles will prevent the cement from adhering to
the surface properly.
 It is imperative for the temperature to be maintained between 45°F (7°C)
and 90°F (32°C) during initial curing since the cement will not be
durable on frozen surfaces.
 The area should be saturated for 24 hours before applying cement there.
 Small cracks and holes should be enlarged prior to the cement
application. V-shaped cuts are to be avoided.
 Mixing Cement
 A mechanical mixer with rotatory blades is
recommended for mixing the cement to get a uniform
mix.
 The mixer should be saturated and drained of
excess water prior to mixing.
 Following the manufacturer’s instruction, the
required amount of water is to be added to the
proper amount of dry hydraulic cement. However,
once it begins to set, water should not be added
anymore.
 It is recommended that small amounts of cement be
mixed at a time since it hardens very quickly and
has to be placed within 10-15 minutes.
 The cement mix should be blended at a relatively
low speed.
 Applying Hydraulic Cement
 The hydraulic cement mix should be
applied as quickly as possible.
 Excessive blending will cause
bleeding and segregation.
 Any other additives or admixtures
should not be added unless
mentioned in the manufacturer’s
instructions.
DETERMINATION OF
SETTING TIME OF
HYDRAULIC CEMENT
 Cement paste setting time is affected by a number of
items including: cement fineness, water-cement
ratio, chemical content (especially gypsum content) and
admixtures. Setting tests are used to characterize how a
particular cement paste sets. For construction purposes,
the initial set must not be too soon and the final set
must not be too late. Additionally, setting times can give
some indication of whether or not a cement is undergoing
normal hydration.
Normally, two setting times are defined:
 Initial set. Occurs when the paste begins to
stiffen considerably.
 Final set. Occurs when the cement has hardened to
the point at which it can sustain some load.
 Both common setting time tests, the Vicat
needle and the Gillmore needle, define initial set
and final set based on the time at which a needle
of particular size and weight either penetrates a
cement paste sample to a given depth or fails to
penetrate a cement paste sample. The Vicat needle
test is more common and tends to give shorter
times than the Gillmore needle test.
 This test method covers the
determination of the time of setting of
hydraulic cement paste by means of the
Gillmore needles.
The values stated in inch-pound
units are to be regarded as standard. The
SI units, regarded as standard in ASTM
Gillmore C266, are provided for informational use
only with regard to the original direction
of mathematical conversion; as such, the
Needle inch-pound units are shown in parentheses.
This standard may involve
Test hazardous materials, operations, and
equipment. This standard does not purport
to address all of the safety concerns
associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this
standard to establish appropriate safety
and health practices and determine the
applicability of regulatory limitations
prior to use.
Gillmore
Needle
Apparatus
 These test methods
determine the time of setting
of hydraulic cement by means
Time of of the Vicat needle. Two test
methods are given; Method A
Setting of is the Reference Test Method
Hydraulic using the manually operated
standard Vicat apparatus,
Cement by while Method B permits the
Vicat use of an automatic Vicat
machine that has, in
Needle accordance with the
qualification requirements of
this method, demonstrated
acceptable performance.
 Apparatus
1. Vicat apparatus: It consists of a frame, bearing a
movable rod, weighing 300±0.5g, and having either: • A
removable needle, 1mm in diameter, for finding out the
initial setting time, or • A needle, 5mm in diameter for

Vicat 2.
determining the final setting time.
Conical hard rubber ring having 40 ± 1 mm height, inside

Needle diameter at the bottom of 70 ± 3 mm and inside

diameter at the top of 60 ± 3 mm.

Test
3. Sensitive Balance.
4. Paste mixer.
5. Graduated glass cylinder.
6. Glass plate with adequate dimension.
7. Small trowel.
8. Stopwatch.
 Test Procedure
 Weight out 500g of cement and place it on the mixing plate.
 Form a crater in the center and add a measured quantity of water (the
percentage of water obtained from normal consistency test).
 Turn the material at the outer edge into the center within 30 sec. of
time by the aid of the trowel.
 After an additional interval of 30 sec. for absorption of water, complete
the process by continuous vigorous mixing. Squeeze and kneading with
hands for (1.5 min.).
 With the hands quickly form this paste into a ball, complete the process
by tossing the ball six times from one hand to the other hand, keeping
the hands about 6 in. (15 cm) apart.
 Press the ball, resting in the palm of one hand, into the large end of
the conical ring of Vicat apparatus which held by the other hand.
 Fill up the conical ring and remove the excess at the large end by a
single movement of the palm of the hand.
 Place the ring on its large end on a glass plate and slice off excess
paste at the smaller end at the top of the ring by single oblique stroke
of a sharp edged trowel held at a slight angle with the top of the ring,
and smooth the top if necessary, but never compress the paste during
these operations.
 Place the ring with the paste under the rod of the Vicat apparatus,
bring the initial setting needle (1mm) in contact with the surface of
the paste, and set the scale to read zero or read the initial reading.
This must not exceed 30 seconds after completion of mixing.
 Release the plunger immediately and allow the needle to settle for 30 s.
Determine the penetration of the 1-mm needle every 15 min until a
penetration of 25 mm or less is obtained (Make each penetration test at
least 5 mm away from any previous penetration and at least 10 mm away
from the inner side of the mold).
 Record the results of all penetration tests and, by interpolation,
determine the time when a penetration of 25 mm is obtained. The elapsed
time between the initial contact of cement with water and the
penetration of 25 mm is the Vicat time of setting or Vicat initial time
of setting.
 Set the (5 mm) diameter needle on the lower end of the rod. Determine
the Vicat final time of setting end point to be the first penetration
measurement that does not mark the specimen surface with a complete
circular impression.
 The elapsed time between the initial contact of cement and water and the
end point determination above is the Vicat final time of setting.
 Vicat
Needle
Apparatus
 The Vicatronic apparatus provides
a completely automatic method for
determining the initial and final setting
time of cements or mortar pastes. The
automated test operation provides for
Vicat precise and repeatable results, which are
automatically printed out from the
Needle integral printer built into the
apparatus. The Vicatronic can also be
Machine connected to a PC via a RS232 cable
allowing data to be downloaded via
Test programs like Microsoft hyper terminal.
The Vicat-Win software (H-3052.4) allows
the receiving, managing, processing and
completing test data; the software can
automatically create graphs, personalize
them and print test reports.
 The Vicatronic has a large high-contrast, high-resolution
LCD display, which shows the test data together with the general
functions of the unit. The easy-to-see menu provides a simplified
guide to running a test. During the test, the display also
provides a real-time graph of the results, which can be
monitored.
The Vicatronic is supplied with firmware that allows the
automatic performance of tests in accordance with the following
standards: ASTM C191, AASHTO T131, EN 196/3, DIN 1164, DIN 1168
gypsum, NF P15/431 and BS4550. Additional programs can be
developed by the operator. This is particularly useful when
testing new mortars, additives or research tests requiring
sophisticated and flexible applications.
The Vicatronic is supplied complete with the integral
printer, two hardened needles (one with 1mm diameter and one with
1.13mm. diameter), two conical molds EN and ASTM, and a glass
plate to hold the conical mold. Dimensions: 15.75" x 7.87" x
18.5” (400 x 200 x 470mm).
 Vicat
Needle
Machine
Test
THANK YOU!