Vicat Apparatus

Needle G: called Plunger, used in Consistency Test. Needle C: called needle penetrator, used for determining Initial Setting Time. Needle F: called Annular attachment, used for determining Final Setting Time. Mass of the falling/moving unit: Total mass of the moving unit, when in use, complete with allattachment, that is the cap and rod together with either Plunger G or needle C or needle F shall be 300+1 gm. Plunger G, needle C and needle F shall each weigh 9.5 gm. 6(a) Consistency Test on Cement [IS: 4031(Part 4)-1988] Gauging time 3 to 5 min. Time is to be counted from the time of adding water to dry cement until commencing to fill the mould. Higher value of gauging time will result in increase in the of water content at standard consistency as setting process also starts after addition of water to dry cement. Temperatureof the moulding room should be 272C. The relative humidity of laboratory should be 655%. If the above parameters vary from the values as specified, rate of evaporation of water from the mould, rate of hydration reaction will also vary and because of these result will change. 6(b) Setting Time[IS:4031(Part 5)-1988] Temperature of the moulding room should be 272C. The relative humidity of laboratory should be 655%. The moist closet or moist room shall be maintained at 27 2C and at a relative humidity of not less than 90 percent. Initial Setting Time Different types of setting phenomena is observed depending on amount of C3A and CaSO4 (which are the set controllers) present in a cement.

C3A Content CaSO4 Content

Setting Behaviour of Cement

[Note: 1) The compounds stated above though important in case of setting of cement, will not be asked in the exam, so dont worry, 2) The above phenomena cannot be detected using vicat apparatus. If initial setting time is observed to be less than 30 min, the mix should be taken out of the mould and should be remoulded. If remoulding is possible then the cement was false set otherwise it was quick set/flash set. ] Only when normal setting occurs we can expect Initial Setting time to be higher than 30 min. If setting time is lower than that we can mix set retarders [Organic :carbohydrates (corn syrup, dextrin). Inorganic retarders: Borates, phosphates, Zn and Cu compounds. costly and less soluble.Extended set admixtures: Phosphonates and other phosphorus containing organic acids and salts, gluconic acid,]. When setting time is to high we can use set accelerators [Chloride: CaCl2, NaCl .Non-chloride : Inorganic: Nitrates and nitrites of Ca and Na, thiocyanates, thiosulphates, and carbonates of Ca and Na. Organic: Amines (triethanol amine TEA, diethanol amine DEA), carboxylic acids (Ca salts of formic and acetic acid), formaldehyde]. No need to remember all of above chemicals. Just know that, there exist certain compounds which can be used as Set Controllers. OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement): Basic constituents C2S,C3S, C3A, C4AF, and CaSO4 CaO (C), SiO2 (S), Al2O3 (A), Fe2O3 (F) 33/43/53 grade [33=> 33MPa strength of cube after 28-day ] Higher the grade , higher the fineness of cement, higher rate of reaction, higher the water content at standard consistency, lesser will be Initial and Final setting time. PPC(Portland Pozzolana Cement) : All of the above + Pozzolans.

Due to presence of pozzolans water content at standard consistency, and Initial and Final Setting Time will be higher than OPC. Pozzolans Pozzolans are siliceous or aluminous materials, which possess by themselves little or no cementitious properties, but in finely divided form react with calcium hydroxide in the presence of moisture at ordinary temperatures to form compounds possessing cementitious properties . e.g. Fly Ash. The setting time is increased when fly ash is used. Workability and flow of concrete are increased due to the spherical shape of the fly ash particles, which lends a ball-bearing type effect on the concrete mixture. 28-day strength of concrete made with PPC will be almost same as the strength of concrete made using OPC. Durability of concrete made using PPC will be higher than OPC concrete. Final Setting Time Less than 10 hrs. After final setting, a concrete block can carry its self weight by itself so we can remove formwork and as soon as possible we should start curing [In the lab we put all the cubes in the water and in case of actual structures we generally wrap the members with wet jute bags or by flooding(slab/beam)].