Checking cement quality in the field is crucial to ensure that high-quality cement is used in the project under consideration. The examination of all engineering qualities of cement in the construction site is not possible. However, you can assess cement quality by several quick and easy tests like color, lump presence, smoothness, and strength tests.
How to Test the Quality of Cement in the Field?
1. Cement Packing Date
Generally, cement should be used within 90 days from its production date. The strength of cement decreases with time. That is why you should check the date of packing.
2. Cement Color Test
The color of the cement is light or grey, greenish shade, and it should be uniform within a bag. The cement color shows a sign of excess of clay or lime and a burning degree.
3. Lump Presence Test
The presence of lumps in cement indicates that it has absorbed moisture. So, you should reject cement bags that contain small and hard lumps. The lumps suggest that the cement setting took place.
4. Smoothness Test of Cement
When a cement is rubbed in between fingers, it should provide a smooth feeling. Rough feeling is a sign of cement adulteration with sand.
5. Cement Smell Test
Smell a pinch of cement; if you receive earthy smell, then it indicates that the cement contains a high quantity of pounded silt and clay as an adulterant.
6. Cement Temperature Test
Immerse your hand into a bag of cement; you should get a cool feeling, not a warm one. The cool feeling shows that cement hydration has not taken place in that bag of cement.
7. Cement Float Test
When you through a small amount of cement on water, the cement particle should remain on the water surface for a while.
8. Cement Setting Test
Take a certain quantity of cement and mix it with water. Then, put the mix on a piece of glass plate and submerge it in water for twenty-four hours. The cement paste should set, not crack.
9. Cement Strength Test
Produce cement block and cure it for seven days. Then, place the specimen on support with a span of 150mm. After that, load the cement sample with a weight of around 34Kg. The cement block should not indicate failure signs. The size of the cement block should be 25mm breadth, 25mm height, and 200mm long.
FAQs on checking cement quality in construction site
Several tests such as smoothness, smell, color, setting, strength, temperature tests are available and employed to examine cement quality in the field.
Moisture absorption from atmosphere is the cause of lump presence in cement.
Take a certain quantity of cement and mix it with water. Then, put the mix on a piece of glass plate and submerge it in water for twenty-four hours. The cement paste should set, not crack.
Cement should be used as soon as it is produced because its strength reduces with time.
When a cement is rubbed in between fingers, it should provide a smooth feeling. Rough feeling is a sign of cement adulteration with sand.
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