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By Kristen
Marquette
The aggregates used in creating concrete are
sand and gravel while the paste consists of water and cement.
To establish your concrete’s consistency, air
content and strength, you can conduct concrete tests on different types of
concrete.
Slump Test
The consistency of the concrete determines how
well the concrete will pour, handle and compact.
The measurement used to gauge the consistency of
concrete is called slump.
Problems with consolidation and mortar loss can
occur if your slump is too low (runny) or too high (thick).
To perform the slump test, take a sample of your
recently mixed concrete and pack it into a cone 2 inches high, 8 inches wide at
the bottom of the cone and 4 inches at the top which must be open.
Level the concrete at the top rim of the cone
then lift it so the bottom of the cone remains unsupported.
The distance between the top of the cone top and
the level the concrete settles at gives you your slump.
Compare this number with the slump value on the
package your concrete mixture came in to find out if your concrete contains
good consistency.
Air Content Test
The air content of concrete determines how it
will fare when frozen by cold weather then thawed by warmer weather.
Since air is lost during transportation,
consolidation, placement and finishing, the air content test only tells you the
air amount in recently mixed concrete.
There are three different devices for performing
this test.
The pressure type B meter applies pressure to a
sample of your concrete to condense the entrained air; it then uses the change
in air to determine the air content of the concrete.
You can also use a volumetric air meter. This
device removes air from a determined volume of concrete.
You can compare the new volume of the sample to
the rest of your concrete to determine air content.
Finally, you can use an air indicator kit. Place
a sample of concrete into the provided vial, then add alcohol. The change in
the alcohol level indicates the concrete’s air content.
Compressive Strength Test
Compression test lets you know the strength of your
concrete once it hardens.
The compressive strength test is performed by
assessing the force needed to break concrete cylinders in varying levels of
hardness.
When using concrete for buildings or other
structures, the compressive strength of the concrete must comply with the
Building Code Requirement for Reinforced Concrete.
Kristen
Marquette has been a professional
writer since 2009 when FireLight Books published her debut novel, "The
Vampiric Housewife." Since 2000 she has helped students hone their written
and verbal skills in English as a tutor. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Michigan State University.
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