DCC 3123 CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL

INTRODUCTION

Concrete cubes are made on site to check that the strength of the concrete is
above the minimum strength which has been specified

Making, curing and testing cubes should be carried out in the concrete
manner. Even small deviations from the standard procedures will usually lead to
compressive strength results which are lower than the true strength of the concrete.
For example, for each 1% air entrapped there will be a 4 to 5% loss of strength. The
procedures for concrete cube making are given in British Standard (BS) 1881:1983
Testing Concrete.

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OBJECTIVE

1. To explain the procedure of compression test including operation of

compressive machine.
2. To determine the compressive strength (Crushing strength) of concrete test
cube.

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APPARATUS

150 mm cube or = standard size

Steel Mould

The mould for cubes and beams shall be of ferrous metal (preferably cast iron or
cast steel) and strong enough to prevent distortion. The mould shall be constructed
in such a manner as to facilitate the removal of the molded specimen without
damage. The parts of the mould when assembled shall be positively and rigidly held
together by means of bolts and nuts. Each mould shall be supported without leakage
distortion.

In assembling the cleaned mould ready for use, the joints between the bottom of the
mould and the base plate shall be thinly coated with mould oil or grease to prevent
escape of water. The internal faces of the assembled mould shall also be thinly
coated with mould oil or grease to prevent adhesion of the concrete.

Compacting Bar

Steel bar weighing 1.8 kg of 380 mm long with a ramming face 25 m square.

Curing Tank

Asbestos tank with clean water and maintained at room temperature about 27 ± 2°C

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Other

 Weighing balance
 Measuring cylinders
 Container for aggregate, cement and water

MATERIALS

 Cement
 Water
 Aggregate

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PROCEDURE

Preparing Mould

1. Before assembling the moulds, make sure that there is no hardened mortar or
dirt on the faces of the flange that prevent the sections from fitting together
closely.
2. These faces must be thinly coated with mould oil to prevent leakage during
filling, and a similar oil film should be provided between the contact surfaces
of the bottom of the mould and the base. The inside of the mould must also be
oiled to prevent the concrete from sticking to it. The two sections must be
bolted firmly together, and the moulds held down firmly on the base plates.

Sampling Fresh Concrete

1. Weight the calculated amount of cement, aggregate and keep them ready in
suitable containers.
2. Measure the calculated quantity of water with a measuring cylinder and keep
it in a suitable container.
3. Batch and mix the materials by pour mix concrete into a wheelbarrow or tub.
Add a little water at a time with the shovel underneath the mix concrete and
fold it over on itself, distributing the wetness. Continue adding small amounts
of water as you mix concrete, until all of it looks the same and it achieves a
required consistency.

Filling the Concrete

1. Fill the cube mould in layers approximately 50 mm deep. Compact each layer
by hand or vibration. When compacting by hand, apply the strokes of the bar
in a uniform manner over the iron section of the mould. In the case of 150 mm
cube mould, apply 35 strokes per layer. Use 25 strokes per layer for 100 mm
cubes.
2. After the top layer has been compacted finish the surface of the concrete in
level with the top of the mould by means of the trowel.

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3. Immediately after casting, the cubes should be covered with damp matting or
other suitable damp material and then with polythene or similar impervious
sheeting and stored in a place where the temperature can be kept at 27 ± 5°C
for approximately 16 to 24 hrs.
4. Test cubes should be demoulded between 16 and 24 hours after they have
been made. When removing the concrete cube from the mould, take the
mould apart completely. Take care not to damage the cube because, if any
cracking is caused, the compressive strength may be reduced.
5. After cube have been demoulding. Mark the specimens for identification in a
suitable manner. Immediately submerged the specimen in water contained in
curing tanks, unless required for test within 24 hours.

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RESULT AND
CALCULATION

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Fine Coarse
Cement Water Water/Cement
Grade Aggregate Aggregate
(kg) (kg) ratio
(kg) (kg)

25 11.6 13.4 17.8 4.6 0.4

Age of cube 7 days of age

Specimen No. 1 2 3 4

Weight (kg) 7.85 7.88 7.86 7.89

Face Area (mm2) 22500 22500 22500 22500

Maximum Load (N) 529931 531032 530125 529999

Compressive
Strength (N/𝑚𝑚2 ) 23.55 23.60 23.56 23.55

Average Strength
(N/𝑚𝑚2 ) 23.56

Calculation:-

𝐌𝐚𝐱.𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐝 (𝐍)
Compressive Strength =
𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 (𝐦𝐦𝟐 )

529931 N
=
22500 mm2

= 23.55 N/mm2

Average Strength = 23.56 N/𝒎𝒎𝟐

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Age of cube 14 days of age

Specimen No. 1 2 3 4

Weight (kg) 7.95 7.96 7.99 7.98

Face Area (mm2) 22500 22500 22500 22500

Maximum Load (N) 541457 540955 542641 541236

Compressive
24.06 24.04 24.11 24.05
2
Strength (N/𝑚𝑚 )

Average Strength
24.06
(N/𝑚𝑚2 )

Calculation:-

𝐌𝐚𝐱.𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐝 (𝐍)
Compressive Strength =
𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 (𝐦𝐦𝟐 )

541457 N
=
22500 mm2

= 24.06 N/mm2

Average Strength = 24.06 N/𝒎𝒎𝟐

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Age of cube 14 days of age

Specimen No. 1 2 3 4

Weight (kg) 7.85 7.89 7.86 7.90

Face Area (mm2) 22500 22500 22500 22500

Maximum Load (N) 762673 763123 762956 762459

Compressive
33.89 33.91 33.90 33.88
Strength (N/𝑚𝑚2 )

Average Strength
33.90
(N/𝑚𝑚2 )

Calculation:-

𝐌𝐚𝐱.𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐝 (𝐍)
Compressive Strength =
𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 (𝐦𝐦𝟐 )

762673 N
=
22500 mm2

= 33.89 N/mm2

Average Strength = 33.90 N/𝒎𝒎𝟐

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DISCUSSION

Mohammad Faiz Bin Abu Bakar

Concrete test cubes were tested for water permeability with the test system prior to
the determination of compressive strength at 7-days ,14-days and 28-days.
Investigation has been made on the effect of local micronized silica on the properties
of concrete. The concrete specimens generally showed reduced water permeability
compared to the control.
Concrete cube testing is a simple, cost effective test of the compressive strength of
concrete, providing you peace of mind that your concrete is fit for purpose. Samples
are taken from the concrete while being poured then cast and air cured under BS
standard conditions.
A durable concrete is one that perform satisfactorily in the working environment
during its anticipated exposure conditions during service. The materials and mix
proportions specified and used should be such as to maintain its integrity and if
applicable, to protect embedded metal from corrosion.
Both strength and durability have to be considered explicitly at the design stage. The
emphasis is on the word both because it would be a mistake to replace
overemphasis on strength by overemphasis on durability.
Water permeability of around 1 x 10 –13 m/s can be achieved for high strength
concrete containing 5 % TIA. Concrete with reduced water permeability is suitable
for concrete products and substructures subjected to constant water pressure such
as the concrete rain water harvesting system.

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Ahmad Faisal Bin Abd Razak

I want discuss after make test cube. Firstly, concrete test cubes were tested for
water permeability with the test system prior to the determination of compressive
strength at 7-days and 28-days. Investigation has been made on the effect of local
micronized silica on the properties of concrete. The concrete specimens generally
showed reduced water permeability compared to the control.

Secondly, concrete cube testing is a simple, cost effective test of the

compressive strength of concrete, providing you peace of mind that your concrete is
fit for purpose. Samples are taken from the concrete while being poured then cast
and air cured under BS standard conditions.

After that, a durable concrete is one that perform satisfactorily in the working
environment during its anticipated exposure conditions during service. The materials
and mix proportions specified and used should be such as to maintain its integrity
and if applicable, to protect embedded metal from corrosion.

Finally, both strength and durability have to be considered explicitly at the

design stage. The emphasis is on the word both because it would be a mistake to
replace overemphasis on strength by overemphasis on durability.

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Fazeerul Bin M.Suofian

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. For cube test two types of
specimens either cubes of 150 mm X 150 mm X 150 mm or 100 mm X 100 mm x
100 mm depending upon the size of aggregate are used.

For most of the works cubical moulds of size 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm
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 specimens 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.

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Muhamad Ammar Nur Rasyid Bin Badrol Hisham

Based on the result of the curing, there are 3 concrete cubes that are undergo the curing
process. The curing process took place for a month , where cube 1 is cured for 7 days, cube
2 undergo 14 days of curing process, cube 3 cured for 28 days. Based on our observation,
after the curing process the weight of the is increased by a few gram maybe is influenced by
the moisture condition of the environment where obviously our cube is exposed to a highly
moisture condition that we soak it in a water tank.

The inclination of weight is happen because the cube is absorbing the moisture around it.
For cube number 1 the weight is 7.85. Then, for cube 2 the weight is 7.89 and cube 3 is 7.86.
Lastly cube 4 is 7.89.

Based on the result after the laboratory works, the main purpose of this laboratory is to
determine the compressive strength of the cube according to the age of the cube itself. To
determine the compressive strength of the cube is to use the given equation which is

𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑒

𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ =
𝐶𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛

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CONCLUSION

Mohammad Faiz Bin Abu Bakar

In conclusion, the proposed water permeability test system and the draft standard
highlight the importance of concrete durability research. The test system enables the
values of water permeability of a concrete structure as the durability performance
indicator to be assessed at the early stage. Its use on the standard 150 mm concrete
test cube for the determination of water permeability prior to the standard test for
compressive strength will provide useful information on concrete durability.

The application of IT to promote good concrete practice offers several advantages.

Skill training related to the test method may be offered online. The real-time test data
can be monitored online with the latest information and communication technology.
The water permeability of a concrete structure can be monitored regularly in-situ.

The development of local micronized silica with controlled silica content and fineness
is aimed at achieving controlled water permeability in concrete. The appropriate
application of material processing technology, test method together with the
innovative exploitation of wastes in concrete for infrastructure development is
expected to alleviate the escalating ash proliferation and disposal problems, towards
improving the quality of life and conservation of the environment.

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Ahmad Faisal Bin Abd Razak

The first of all i want to say thank you to Construction Material lecturer Encik Fauzan
because be a lecturer to our class for this semester. I also want to say that this
subject is important to me because this subject is the main subject of the
Construction Technology, so as a student i must learn and must know this subject.

About this test cube test, for me as a student i am really interested to know
about this lab, it is because this is the basic lab about concrete, concrete is the main
characteristic about building and structure, if your concrete has a problem, so your
structure will have a problem and it will dangerous to people use it. What can i
conclude about this lab, this is the basic lab for the concrete test cube, so we can
see what happened if this concrete have a problem. As a student i must make sure
that this lab must successfully because if i not understand what i’m so it can have a
trouble when i’m at work one day.

This lab also make me know about what must i do, for the example about what
type material use it in this concrete cube such as water, cement, aggregate, and i
also must know how many that i use about this cube. Every cube not same because
every cube has a calculation, so i must follow the flow, so that concrete don’t has a
problem. In this lab, i also know how long that cube will be in good condition, cube
will be in water Around 7 days 14 days & 28 days, so we can test that cube with
compressing machine. So we can identified that how good our cube.

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Fazeerul Bin M.Suofian

In general and can be concluded that there is direct relationship between workability
of the fresh concrete and the strength of the hardened concrete. The reason is that
strength is determined primarily by the water/cement ratio provided the concrete is
properly compacted, whereas workability is affected by many other factors as well. It
may also be concluded that the condition exist that water content variation is the
predominant cause of variation of workability, strength may be also to be expected to
correlate with the results of a single- point workability test and the design grade of 25
is over-achieved to grade 38.

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Muhamad Ammar Nur Rasyid Bin Badrol Hisham

In conclusion, from this experiment we have understand the scope of this

laboratory. The objective of the experiment is to explain briefly the procedure of
compression test including operation of compressive machine, after the briefing from
the lecture and the hands-on method that we are conducting in the experiment we
have a better understanding on how the experiment took place and the purpose of
the experiment itself. Then, the next objective that we are fulfil in this laboratory is to
determine the compressive value of a concrete cube which is to make sure that the
strength is above the minimum strength that has been specified. The final strength of
the concrete formed in the process will depend on the constituents in the original
mixture, and the environment under which the reactions take place. Lack of water
also causes the concrete to shrink, which leads to tensile stresses within the
concrete.

In the nutshell, the knowledge that we have gain from this laboratory work is we
can understand the procedure of compression test including operation of
compressive machine, after completed the experiment we can fully understand the
purpose of the experiment and the steps to conduct this experiment also functions
and role of operation of the compressive machine. Then, to identify the value of
compressive strength of the following cube according to the age of the cube itself, in
order to identify the value of the compressive strength we have to use an equation to
know the value of the compressive strength and based on the observation, the
longer the cube in a curing process the lower its compressive strength. Finally our
last scope for this experiment is to determine the value of maximum load of the cube,
this is referred as the value of maximum force that can be supported by the cube
until its reach deformation.

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