Compressive strength is that the capacity of fabric or structure to resist or withstand under compression. The Compressive strength of a cloth is decided by the power of the fabric to resist failure within the sort of cracks and fissure. In this test, the impact force applied on both faces of Mortar specimen made with Cement and therefore the maximum compression that cement specimen bears without failure recorded.
In Technical terms compressive strength of cement means the ability of cement specimen to resist the compressive stress when tested under Compressive Testing Machine (CTM) in 28 days.
Apparatus:
The apparatus required for testing Compressive Strength of cement is :
Compressive Test machine conforms to IS: 14858(2000)
- Steel cubes of 7.06cm moulds (50cm2 face area) conforming to IS: 10080-1982,
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Standard Sand is used for this testing conform to IS: 650-1966, the sand with no silt content and the sand which is passing through 2 mm IS sieve and retain on 90 microns IS sieve and providing a below particle size distribution is used. The Standard Sand to be used in the test should have the below particle size distribution.
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Trowel to mix, Non-porous plate, Vibrator machine, Graduated cylinder, Weight balance, Cement and water.
As discussed above the Cement plants usually carry out the Test of the to identify the strength in respective days.
| Compressive Strength of Cement |
Procedure:
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Clean the apparatus with the dry cloth and ensure that the room temperature for conducting this test should be 27 ± 2°C
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Mix the cement and sand with the trowel for the period of 1 min on Non – porous plate. Ensure that the cement should not have any lumps in it
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Now add water and mix for 3 minutes until the paste is of uniform colour. The quantity of water mixed with the cement, the sand mixture should be
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(P/4 + 3) % where P is the percentage of water required to produce the Standard consistency
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Clean the mould with the dry cloth and apply the mould oil for easy removal of mortar cube after drying.
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Now pour the mortar in steel cube mould. Prod the mortar for 20 times in 8 sec with the help of rod to eliminate the entrained air.
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You can also use vibrator instead of a rod. The vibrator is played for the period of 2 mins with the speed 12000±400 vibrations /minute to eliminate the entrained air in mortar mix.
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Once the vibration completes, immediately remove the mould from the vibration machine and place it in room temperature for 24 hrs.
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Once mortar cube sets, After 24 hours dismantle the steel mould from mortar cube.
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Keep the test specimens submerged underwater for the stipulated time. This process is called curing.
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As mentioned the specimen must be kept in water for 7 or 14 or 28 days and for every 7 days the water is changed.
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Test the three cubes, one at 7th day, other at 14th day and another at 28th day.
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Testing specimens (mortar cubes) are placed in the space between bearing surfaces of the Compressive strength machine.
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Care must be taken to prevent the existence of any loose material or grit on the metal plates of machine or specimen block.
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The loading must be applied axially on specimen without any shock and increased at the rate of 35 N/mm2/min. till the specimen collapse.
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Due to the constant application of load on the face of the cube, the mortar cube starts cracking and fails at a point.
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Note down the reading from Compressive testing machine where the specimen starts failing.