It is very important to check the quality of cement on site. If proper inspection is not done then there are the chances that cement lost its strength. You can not check all the technical qualities on the construction site. But there are some field tests are available to check the quality of cement on the construction site. These field tests of cement give approximate results.
The most common types of field tests to check the quality Of Cement On-site are as follows.
- Date of packing
- Color of Cement
- Rubbing
- Hand Insertion
- Float Test
- Smell Test
- Presence of lumps
- Shape Test
Table of Contents
Field Tests On Cement To Check The Quality Of Cement On-site
1. Date Of Packing
There should be a manufacturing date print on the cement bag. As we know, cement lost its strength with the age.
2. Color
The color of cement should be uniform. Normally the color of cement is grey. Sometimes it is a greenish shade. Cement color gives an indication of lime, clay, and degree of burning.
3. Rubbing
Take a small sample of cement and rub it with your fingers. If it is smooth then cement quality is good otherwise it is adulterated with sand.
4. Hand Insertion
Put your hand into the cement bag. If it feels cooler then ok otherwise there are the chances of hydration reaction in the cement bag. Hydration reaction discharges energy that is why cement feels hot.
5. Float Test
Put a small quantity of cement in the bucket of water. If cement sinks and does not float on the water surface then consider that cement quality is good.
6. Smell Test
Take a small quantity of water and smell it. If sand is adulterated then you will feel an earthy smell.
7. Presence Of Lumps
Open the cement bag and see that that should be no lumps in the cement. If lumps are present in the cement bags then there are the chances of cement reacting already and losing its strength.
8. Shape Test
Take 100 grams of cement and make a stiff paste. use clean water to make cement paste. Prepare a cake with sharp edges and put it on the glass plate. Immerse this glass plate in water. Observe that shape of the cement cake should not change at the time of setting. Cement cake should set and gain its strength.
9. Strength Test
Take a cement block of dimensions of 25mm*25mm*200mm. Immersed this cement block in water for 7 days. Place these cement blocks 15000 mm apart with the help of supports loaded with a weight of 340 Newton. Good quality cement block does not show any failure.
That brings an end to our guide on how to check cement quality at the construction site.
These were the most common field test of cement to check the quality of cement on-site. If I left anything please comment below.
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