Standard Method of Test for

Evaluating the Workability of Slip

Form Concrete Paving with the Box
Test

AASHTO Designation: T 396-221

Adopted: 2022

Technical Subcommittee: 3b, Fresh Concrete

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

555 12th Street NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004
Standard Method of Test for

Evaluating the Workability of Slip Form

Concrete Paving with the Box Test
AASHTO Designation: T 396-22 1
Adopted: 2022

Technical Subcommittee: 3b, Fresh Concrete

1. SCOPE
1.1. This test method describes the workability measurement of hydraulic-cement concrete in slip
formed paving applications, both in the laboratory and in the field.

1.2. The values stated in either inch-pound units or SI units are to be regarded separately as the
standard. Within the text, the SI units are shown in parentheses. The values stated in each system
are not exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other.
Combining values from the two systems may result in nonconformance with the standard.

1.3. This standard does not purport to address all the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It
is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health
practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.4. The text of this standard references notes and endnotes that provide explanatory information.
These notes and footnotes shall not be considered as requirements of this standard.

1.5. The quality of the results produced by this standard are dependent on the competence of the
personnel performing the procedure and the capability, calibration, and maintenance of the
equipment used. Agencies that meet the criteria of R 18 are generally considered capable of
competent and objective testing/sampling/inspection/etc. Users of this standard are cautioned that
compliance with R 18 alone does not completely assure reliable results. Reliable results depend
on many factors; following the suggestions of R 18 or some similar acceptable guideline provides
a means of evaluating and controlling some of those factors.

2. REFERENCED STANDARDS
2.1. AASHTO Standards:
 R 18, Establishing and Implementing a Quality Management System for Construction
Materials Testing Laboratories
 R 60M/R 60, Sampling Freshly Mixed Concrete
 T 119M/T 119, Slump of Hydraulic Cement Concrete

2.2. Other Documents:

 Alturki, R. Quantitative Evaluation in the Box Test and Evaluation of Field Mixtures by the
Tarantula Curve. Oklahoma State University at Stillwater, OK, M.S. Thesis, December 2016.

TS-3b T 396-1 AASHTO

© 2023 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
  Cook, M., M. Ley, and A. Ghaeezadah. A Workability Test for Slip Formed Concrete
Pavements. Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 68, 2014, pp. 376–383.

3. SUMMARY OF TEST METHOD

3.1. This test method composes a two-part measurement to assess the dynamic behavior (i.e., ability to
flow) of plastic concrete through vibration and the static behavior (i.e., ability to hold an edge) of
plastic concrete mixtures through removal of forms.

3.2. First, a sample of unconsolidated concrete is filled into a standard box.

3.3. Second, a vibrator is used to consolidate the concrete using the standard procedure.

3.4. Third, the forms are removed and the amount of voids are determined. This parameter indicates
the responsiveness of a mixture to vibration.

3.5. Last, a straightedge is used to measure edge slumping at the top and bottom. This parameter
indicates the potential of a mixture to edge slump in practice.

4. SIGNIFICANCE AND USE

4.1. This test method provides a simple approach to determine the workability of slip formed paving
applications. This test method measures the response of a pavement mixture to vibration and the
ability of the concrete to hold an edge.

4.2. This test method is not considered applicable to mixtures with a slump greater than 3 in. (75 mm)
as measured in T 119M/T 119.

5. APPARATUS
5.1. The box test apparatus is composed of a platform, box test forms, form holders, a vibrator, and a
straightedge as shown in Figure 1.

5.2. Box Test Forms—For enclosing a 1-ft³ (0.028-m³) sample as shown in Figure 2; shall be made of
0.5-in. (12.5-mm) plywood with an inside measurement for length, width, and height of 12 in
(300 mm) when connected together for a box shape with an open top and bottom. Install two form
clamps in two of the four corners of the forms to create L-shaped forms as shown in Figure 2.

TS-3b T 396-2 AASHTO

© 2023 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
Figure 1—Each Component of the Box Test Figure 2—Assembled Box Test with
Dimensions of 12 in. (305 mm)
(Source: Oklahoma Transportation Center)

5.3. Form Clamps—Two pipe clamps with a minimum span of 14 in. (460 mm) are used to hold
L-shaped forms together as shown in Figure 2. These clamps must be strong enough to keep the
forms together throughout the testing process.

5.4. Platform—The platform shall be made of 0.5-in. (12.5-mm) plywood with a minimum length and
width of 18 in. (380 mm).

5.5. Vibrator—Portable electrical vibrator with a 1-in. square or round head and a vibration frequency
of 12,500 vibrations per minute (vpm) ±500 vpm shall be used in accordance with the procedure
of this method. Varying from these vibrator criteria will most likely yield dissimilar results.
Note 1—Some examples of electric vibrator motors meeting this include: Wyco 992, Wyco Sure
Speed (@12,500 vpm), Wacker M1500, Northrock Pro 1.5, and MultiQ Cv2A.

5.6. Straightedge—12-in. (305-mm) metal tool commonly used in carpentry to measure the vertical
alignment of the fresh concrete sample.

6. SAMPLING, TEST SPECIMENS, AND TEST UNITS

6.1. Sample concrete in accordance with R 60M/R 60.

7. PROCEDURE
7.1. This process can be described as four steps as shown in Figure 3.

TS-3b T 396-3 AASHTO

© 2023 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
Step 1 Step 2
Assemble the components. Hand scoop mixture into From the top surface of the concrete, vibrate straight
box until the concrete level is 9.5 in. (240 mm). downward for 3 s.

Step 3 Step 4
Now, vibrate straight upward for 3 s, then remove After removing the clamps and forms, inspect the
vibrator. sides for surface voids and edge slumping.

Figure 3—Box Test Steps (Cook et al., 2015) (Source: Oklahoma Transportation Center)

7.2. Dampen the forms with form oil and construct box test components on a flat and level surface.

7.3. Using a hand scoop place fresh, unconsolidated concrete in the constructed box forms to a depth
of 9.5 in. (240 mm).

7.4. Keeping the head of the vibrator perpendicular to the platform, insert the vibrator head with
12,500 vibrations per minute at the center of the sample and vertically lower it in a continuous
downward direction for 3 s to reach the bottom of the concrete sample. Attention should be taken
to ensure vibrator does not touch the platform.

7.5. Immediately, move the vibrator in a vertically upward direction to the top of the concrete sample
for 3 s while keeping the head of the vibrator perpendicular to the platform and at the center of the
sample.

7.6. Loosen and detach the form clamps and remove the box test forms so that concrete will not stick
to the forms. This can be done by lifting the forms upward to break the bond between the form and
the concrete and then pulling the forms away from the concrete.

7.7. The box test can be conducted at different times to simulate how the concrete mixture changes
with time. Typically the measurement is completed within 45 min of discharge.

TS-3b T 396-4 AASHTO

© 2023 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
7.8. Void Rating—A rating is given to each side based on the amount of voids as shown in Figure 4. A
rating should be given to each side of the box and an average of the four sides should be calculated
as described in Section 8 and used as the overall ranking.

4 3
Over 50 percent overall surface voids 30–50 percent overall surface voids

2 1
10–30 percent overall surface voids Less than 10 percent overall surface voids

Figure 4—Box Test Ranking Scale

7.9. Edge Slump—Vertically align a straightedge onto a corner of the sample and measure the largest
extruding length to the nearest 0.25 in. (6 mm) as shown in Figure 5. This shall be conducted for
all four sides of the sample and each value shall be reported.

TS-3b T 396-5 AASHTO

© 2023 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
 (a) Bottom Edge Slumping (b) Top Edge Slumping

Figure 5—Edge Slump Measurement Illustrated for (a) Bottom Edge Slumping and (b) Top Edge Slumping
(Dan Cook)

8. CALCULATION AND REPORT

8.1. Void Rating—After ranking each side of the box with Figure 4, calculate the average of the four
sides. An average ranking of 2.25 or less has been deemed sufficient consolidation for slip form
paving applications where the specified consolidation energy is used. Report the ranking numbers
for each side and the average.

8.2. Edge Slump—Measure all four sides with a straightedge as shown in Figure 5. Report the largest
edge slump. An edge slump of 0.25 in. (6 mm) or less has been deemed sufficient for slip form
paving applications. Report all measured edge slumps and the average.

9. PRECISION AND BIAS

9.1. Precision—The visual rating of voids was evaluated for single- and multiple-operator
repeatability.

9.2. Single-Operator Precision—Ten different mixtures were blindly replicated three times and
evaluated each time by a single operator. The standard deviation of the estimated void rating was
0.19 and the coefficient of variation was 14.7 percent [2.2].

9.3. Multiple-Operator Precision—Ten different mixtures were blindly replicated three times and
evaluated three times by three different operators. The standard deviation of the estimated void
rating was 0.59 and the coefficient of variation was 21.0 percent [2.2].

TS-3b T 396-6 AASHTO

© 2023 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
10. KEYWORDS
10.1. Box test; slipform paving concrete; vibration; workability test.

1
Formerly AASHTO Provisional Test TP 137. First published as a full standard in 2022.

TS-3b T 396-7 AASHTO

© 2023 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.