Compressive strength of concrete : Out of many test applied to the concrete, this is the

utmost important which gives an idea about all the characteristics of concrete. By this
single test one judge that whether Concreting has been done properly or not.
Compressive strength of concrete depends on many factors such as water-cement ratio,
cement strength, quality of concrete material, quality control during production of
concrete etc.
Test for compressive strength is carried out either on cube or cylinder. Various standard
codes recommends concrete cylinder or concrete cube as the standard specimen for the
test. American Society for Testing Materials ASTM C39/C39M provides Standard Test
Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens .
Procedure: Compressive Strength Test of Concrete Cubes
For cube test two types of specimens either cubes of 15cm X 15cm X 15cm or 10cm X
10cm x 10cm depending upon the size of aggregate are used. For most of the works
cubical moulds of size 15cm x 15cm x 15cm are commonly used.
This concrete is poured in the mould and tempered properly so as not to have any voids.
After 24 hours these moulds are removed and test specimens are put in water for curing.
The top surface of these specimen should be made even and smooth. This is done by
putting cement paste and spreading smoothly on whole area of specimen.
These specimens are tested by compression testing machine after 7 days curing or 28
days curing. Load should be applied gradually at the rate of 140 kg/cm2 per minute till
the Specimens fails. Load at the failure divided by area of specimen gives the
compressive strength of concrete.
Following are the procedure for testing Compressive strength of Concrete Cubes
APPARATUS
Compression testing machine
PREPARATION OF CUBE SPECIMENS
The proportion and material for making these test specimens are from the same
concrete used in the field.
SPECIMEN
6 cubes of 15 cm size Mix. M15 or above
MIXING
Mix the concrete either by hand or in a laboratory batch mixer
HAND MIXING
(i)Mix the cement and fine aggregate on a water tight none-absorbent platform until the
mixture is thoroughly blended and is of uniform color
(ii)Add the coarse aggregate and mix with cement and fine aggregate until the coarse
aggregate is uniformly distributed throughout the batch
(iii)Add water and mix it until the concrete appears to be homogeneous and of the
desired consistency
SAMPLING
(i) Clean the mounds and apply oil
(ii) Fill the concrete in the molds in layers approximately 5cm thick
(iii) Compact each layer with not less than 35strokes per layer using a tamping rod (steel
bar 16mm diameter and 60cm long, bullet pointed at lower end)
(iv) Level the top surface and smoothen it with a trowel
CURING
The test specimens are stored in moist air for 24 hours and after this period the
specimens are marked and removed from the molds and kept submerged in clear fresh
water until taken out prior to test.
PRECAUTIONS
The water for curing should be tested every 7 days and the temperature of water must
be at 27+-2oC.
PROCEDURE
(I) Remove the specimen from water after specified curing time and wipe out excess
water from the surface.
(II) Take the dimension of the specimen to the nearest 0.2m
(III) Clean the bearing surface of the testing machine
(IV) Place the specimen in the machine in such a manner that the load shall be applied to
the opposite sides of the cube cast.
(V) Align the specimen centrally on the base plate of the machine.
(VI) Rotate the movable portion gently by hand so that it touches the top surface of the
specimen.
(VII) Apply the load gradually without shock and continuously at the rate of 140 kg/cm
/minute till the specimen fails
(VIII) Record the maximum load and note any unusual features in the type of failure.
NOTE
Minimum three specimens should be tested at each selected age. If strength of any
specimen varies by more than 15 per cent of average strength, results of such specimen
should be rejected. Average of three specimens gives the crushing strength of concrete.
The strength requirements of concrete.
CALCULATIONS
Size of the cube =15cm x15cm x15cm
Area of the specimen (calculated from the mean size of the specimen )=225 cm
Characteristic compressive strength(f ck)at 7 days =
Expected maximum load =fck x area x f.s
Range to be selected is …………………..
Similar calculation should be done for 28 day compressive strength
Maximum load applied =……….tones = ………….N
Compressive strength = (Load in N/ Area in mm =……………N/mm
=……………………….N/mm
REPORT
a) Identification mark
b) Date of test
c) Age of specimen
d) Curing conditions, including date of manufacture of specimen
f) Appearance of fractured faces of concrete and the type of fracture if they are unusual
RESULT
Average compressive strength of the concrete cube = ………….N/ mm (at 7 days)
Average compressive strength of the concrete cube =………. N/mm (at 28 days)
Compressive strength of concrete at various ages:
The strength of concrete increases with age. Table shows the strength of concrete at
different ages in comparison with the strength at 28 days after casting.
Age Strength per cent
1 day 16%
3 days 40%
7 days 65%
14 days 90%
28 days 99%
Compressive strength of different grades of concrete at 7 and 28 days
Grade of Concrete
Minimum compressive strength N/mm at 7 days
Specified characteristic compressive strength (N/mm ) at 28 days
M15 10 15
M20 13.5 20
M25 17 25
M30 20 30
M35 23.5 35
M40 27 40
M45 30 45.

Definition
Slump is a measurement of concrete's workability, or fluidity.
It's an indirect measurement of concrete consistency or stiffness.
A slump test is a method used to determine the consistency of concrete. The
consistency, or stiffness, indicates how much water has been used in the mix. The
stiffness of the concrete mix should be matched to the requirements for the finished
product quality
Concrete Slump Test
The concrete slump test is used for the measurement of a property of fresh concrete.
The test is an empirical test that measures the workability of fresh concrete. More
specifically, it measures consistency between batches. The test is popular due to the
simplicity of apparatus used and simple procedure.
Principle
The slump test result is a measure of the behavior of a compacted inverted cone of
concrete under the action of gravity. It measures the consistency or the wetness of
concrete.
Apparatus
Slump cone,
Scale for measurement,
Temping rod (steel)
Procedure of Concrete Slump test:
1. The mold for the slump test is a frustum of a cone, 300 mm (12 in) of height. The base
is 200 mm (8in) in diameter and it has a smaller opening at the top of 100 mm (4 in).
2. The base is placed on a smooth surface and the container is filled with concrete in
three layers, whose workability is to be tested .
3. Each layer is temped 25 times with a standard 16 mm (5/8 in) diameter steel rod,
rounded at the end.
4. When the mold is completely filled with concrete, the top surface is struck off (leveled
with mould top opening) by means of screening and rolling motion of the temping rod.
5. The mould must be firmly held against its base during the entire operation so that it
could not move due to the pouring of concrete and this can be done by means of handles
or foot - rests brazed to the mould.
6. Immediately after filling is completed and the concrete is leveled, the cone is slowly
and carefully lifted vertically, an unsupported concrete will now slump.
7. The decrease in the height of the center of the slumped concrete is called slump.
8. The slump is measured by placing the cone just besides the slump concrete and the
temping rod is placed over the cone so that it should also come over the area of
slumped concrete.
9. The decrease in height of concrete to that of mould is noted with scale. (usually
measured to the nearest 5 mm (1/4 in).
Precautions
In order to reduce the influence on slump of the variation in the surface friction, the
inside of the mould and its base should be moistened at the beginning of every test, and
prior to lifting of the mould the area immediately around the base of the cone should be
cleaned from concrete which may have dropped accidentally.
Types Of Slump
The slumped concrete takes various shapes, and according to the profile of slumped
concrete, the slump is termed as;
1. Collapse Slump
2. Shear Slump
3. True Slump
Collapse Slump
In a collapse slump the concrete collapses completely. A collapse slump will generally
mean that the mix is too wet or that it is a high workability mix, for which slump test is
not appropriate.
Shear Slump
In a shear slump the top portion of the concrete shears off and slips sideways. OR
If one-half of the cone slides down an inclined plane, the slump is said to be a shear
slump.
1. If a shear or collapse slump is achieved, a fresh sample should be taken and the test
is repeated.
2. If the shear slump persists, as may the case with harsh mixes, this is an indication of
lack of cohesion of the mix.
True Slump
Materials Concrete Slump Concrete Mix Design
In a true slump the concrete simply subsides, keeping more or less to shape
1. This is the only slump which is used in various tests.
2. Mixes of stiff consistence have a Zero slump, so that in the rather dry range no
variation can be detected between mixes of different workiability.
However , in a lean mix with a tendency to harshness, a true slump can easily change to
the shear slump type or even to collapse, and widely different values of slump can be
obtained in different samples from the same mix; thus, the slump test is unreliable for
lean mixes.
Applications of Slump Test
1. The slump test is used to ensure uniformity for different batches of similar concrete
under field conditions and to ascertain the effects of plasticizers on their introduction.
2. This test is very useful on site as a check on the day-to-day or hour- to-hour variation in
the materials being fed into the mixer. An increase in slump may mean, for instance, that
the moisture content of aggregate has unexpectedly increases.
3. Other cause would be a change in the grading of the aggregate, such as a deficiency
of sand.
4. Too high or too low a slump gives immediate warning and enables the mixer operator
to remedy the situation.
5. This application of slump test as well as its simplicity, is responsible for its
widespread use.
Degree of workability
Slump Compacting
Factor
Use for which concrete is suitable mm in
Very low 0-25 0-1 0.78
Very dry mixes; used in road making. Roads vibrated by power operated machines.
Low 25-50 1-2 0.85
Low workability mixes; used for foundations with light reinforcement. Roads vibrated by
hand operated Machines.
Medium 50-100 2-4 0.92
Medium workability mixes; manually compacted flat slabs using crushed aggregates .
Normal reinforced concrete manually compacted and heavily reinforced sections with
vibrations.
High 100-175 4-7 0.95
High workability concrete; for sections with congested reinforcement. Not normally
suitable for vibration
Table : Workability, Slump and Compacting Factor of concrete with 19 or 38 mm (3/4 or
1 1 /2 in) maximum size of aggregate.
Difference in Standards
The slump test is referred to in several testing and building code, with minor differences
in the details of performing the test.
United States
In the United States, engineers use the ASTM standards and AASHTO specifications
when referring to the concrete slump test. The American standards explicitly state that
the slump cone should have a height of 12-in, a bottom diameter of 8-in and an upper
diameter of 4-in. The ASTM standards also state in the procedure that when the cone is
removed, it should be lifted up vertically, without any rotational movement at allThe
concrete slump test is known as "Standard Test Method for Slump of Hydraulic-Cement
Concrete" and carries the code (ASTM C 143) or (AASHTO T 119).
United Kingdom & Europe
In the United Kingdom, the Standards specify a slump cone height of 300-mm, a bottom
diameter of 200-mm and a top diameter of 100-mm. The British Standards do not
explicitly specify that the cone should only be lifted vertically. The slump test in the
British standards was first (BS 1881-102) and is now replaced by the European Standard
(BS EN 12350-2)
Questions and Answers:
Ques : 1
What is the ideal value of slump?
Answer: 1
In case of a dry sample, slump will be in the range of 25-50 mm that is 1-2 inches. But in
case of a wet concrete, the slump may vary from 150-175 mm or say 6-7 inches. So the
value of slump is specifically mentioned along the mix design and thus it should be
checked as per your location.
Slump depends on many factors like properties of concrete ingredients - aggregates etc.
Also temperature has its effect on slump value. So all these parameters should be kept
in mind when deciding the ideal slump
Ques: 2
How does a super plasticizer effect the slump of concrete?
Answer: 2
Value of Slump can be increased by the addition of chemical admixtures like mid-range
or high-range water reducing agents (super-plasticizers) without changing the
water/cement ratio.
Ques: 3.
How much time one should take to raise the cone?
Answer: 3
Once the cone is filled and topped off [ excessive concrete from top is cleared ] raise the
cone within 5-10 seconds.
Test Test on Concrete Chemical Testing
Ques: 4
What are the dimensions of the cone used in Slump Test?
Answer: 4
The dimensions are:
Top Diameter - 10cm
Bottom Diameter - 20cm
Height - 30cm