Video from my YouTube channel

Subscribe to My You tube channel

Compaction factor test

By -

Compaction factor test used to measure the degree of compaction for a given concrete mix. this test is more precise than the slump test but it is less common. the size of the apparatus makes it difficult to conduct the test at the field. this test suitable for concrete with very low workability. compaction factor test developed by Road Research Laboratory in United Kingdom. 







Test apparatus

  • compaction factor apparatus: the compaction factor apparatus consist of upper hopper, bottom hopper, cylinder, and tamping road. the dimensions of the apparatus are shown in figure below.


  • balance: tolerance should be with 1 g only.



Test procedure


The test will be done in two stages. first stage fill the upper hopper gently with fresh concrete then open the trap door. remove the stuck concrete gently using the tamping rod then open the door for the bottom hopper. cut the excess concrete from the cylinder using trowel and level the concrete at top of the cylinder. clean any concrete stuck outside the cylinder and weight it (W1). this knows as the weight of partially compacted concrete. 
the second stage of the test: the cylinder will be filled in layers. each layer shall not exceed 5 cm and it must be compacted heavily using tamping rod or vibration to achieve full compaction. the exceesive concrete at cylinder top shall be removed and the weight of cylinder measured. this weight knows as fully compacted concrete (W2).

compaction factor=(W1-W)/(W2-W)

where 
W is the weight of empty cylinder


The bulky apparatus and the need for balance limit the using of the test at construction fields. the using of hand compacting may not reflect the field condition and produce less effective results. however, the test is more precise compared to slump test and it is a dynamic test providing more information about concrete compactability




Comments

Post a Comment

Videos from My Youtube channel

Popular posts from this blog

Binding wire for steel reinforcement

By -
Image
  Binding wires are used to tie steel bars together. These wires are playing a significant role in maintaining the reinforcement stability and rigidity. Wires are used to tie the steel bars at intersections points. By tying the steel bars together, we ensure that the steel bars will not move from their locations during construction or during the time of concreting. In slabs, binding wires are used to tie longitudinal and transverse bars together. In columns, it is used to tie vertical bars with stirrups.   Figure 1 There are various types of binding wires such as  Black annealed baling wire, Stainless Steel Binding Wire, and PVC coated binding wires.  Black annealed baling wire used to tie black steel. The popular size for black wire ranges from 16 to 22 gauges. Stainless steel binding wires are used to bind stainless steel reinforcement. Stainless steel reinforcement is used in a harsh environment where the black steel gets rusted quickly. Therefore, stainless ...
Read more

Rebar Splicing and Overlapping — ACI 318-19 Requirements Explained

By -
Image
Reinforcement splicing or overlapping is a fundamental requirement in reinforced concrete structures. Because reinforcement bars (rebars) are manufactured in limited standard lengths—typically 12 m —it becomes necessary to splice or overlap them to achieve the required continuity in structural members. The main purpose of a splice is to ensure smooth stress transfer between adjacent bars through the surrounding concrete. The overlap length, commonly known as the splice length , must be long enough to safely transfer the tensile stresses from steel to concrete without causing bond failure. It is recommended to avoid splicing in high-stress zones such as areas of maximum moment, and to stagger the splices to prevent congestion and reduce stress concentration. The ACI 318-19 providing the following recommendatin and requirement for the lap splicing: 1. Splice Limitation by Bar Size Lap splicing is not permitted for reinforcement bars larger than 36 mm in diameter. 2. Non-Contact L...
Read more

Pile cap

By -
Image
Pile cap used to transfer the loads from superstructure to the piling. The pile cap is thick concrete mat rests on piles. It is part of the foundation and used to distribute the loads over the piles. Piles used when the soil bearing is not enough to carry loads of the structure. Figure 1  construction management: concrete construction bridge construction:How to become a bridge engineer Pile cap construction procedure Excavation around piles: After 7 days of the casting of the pile the concrete will gain approximately, 70% of it is compressive strength. The soil around piles will be removed to the required levels and dimension that allows construction of the pile cap. A step shall be made if the excavation is more than 1.5 m to prevent soil collapse. Figure 2 Pile head cutting: Concrete will be removed up to cut off level. If concrete under the cut off level is unsound. It shall be removed, and the pile will be repaired...
Read more

Repairing of concrete bulging

By -
Image
Improper designing and installation of formwork for a concrete member can result in concrete Bulging. During the placing and compacting of concrete, forms may deflect largely in the weak areas. The deflection of forms will cause concrete to expand at this location, and this known as concrete Bulging. Concrete Bulging will spoil the appearance of a concrete member. Therefore we should always ensure that the forms are appropriately installed, and it is sufficiently supported to resist the concrete during placing and compacting. Bulging should be repaired in case we couldn't avoid it. The solution of concrete Bulging, offset, or surface irregularities are surface grinding. However, excessive surface grinding can weaken the concrete.  Figure 1 If the bulging or surface irregularities are small, grinding of concrete surface will be sufficient to remove surface irregularities. If the Bulging of concrete is significant, then the concrete should be chipped, and the surface...
Read more

stress-strain diagram for aluminium alloy and rubber

By -
Image
figure no:1 showing the stress-strain diagram for aluminum alloy. we can notice from the stress-stress diagram that aluminum has a considerable ductility. despite the absence of explicit yield point as in structural steel . the initial portion of the stress-strain curve is linear with a recognizable proportional limit. the proportional limit for aluminum alloy ranges from 70 to 410 Mpa (10 to 60 Ksi). aluminum alloy undergoes large strain before failure. ultimate stress ranges from 140 to 550 Mpa (20 to 80 Ksi). construction management: concrete construction bridge construction:How to become a bridge engineer Figure-1 Yield stress for aluminum alloy can be determined by drawing offset line parrel to the linear portion of the stress-strain curve. the straight line offset by a standard strain such as 0.002. the intersection point with the stress-strain curve is the point of yield stress. figure no:2 illustrates the concept of offset method. yield stress acquire...
Read more

why do we stagger reinforcement overlapping?

By -
Image
First, we should know that steel rebar comes in standard length such as 12m. using very long reinforcement is impractical because it will result in difficulties in handling reinforcement by steel fabricators. Also, longer rebar is heavier and difficult to lift and move. So for a long structure such as a slab, we require a reinforcement length that is more than the standard reinforcement. We can't use a single piece of rebar for a specific length for such a structure, so we use two or more steel rebars to cover the entire length of the structure. Figure no:1 The zone of overlapping between reinforcement will be considered as a weak zone. Therefore, it is a good practice to stagger the reinforcement overlapping. Staggering is done by overlapping the reinforcement at a different location. Staggering reinforcement overlapping will reduce the number of rebars overlapped at the same point, which will be beneficial in two ways. Firstly, it will reduce the discontinuity of rebar at the s...
Read more

Bridge Diaphragm

By -
Image
The main function of diaphragms is to provide a stiffening effect to deck slab in case bridge webs are not situated directly on top of bearings. Therefore, diaphragms may not be necessary in case bridge bearings are placed directly under the webs because loads in bridge decks can be directly transferred to the bearings.On the other hand, diaphragms also help to improve the load-sharing characteristics of bridges. Diaphragms also contribute to the provision of torsional restraint to the bridge deck. Diaphragm will be used also to resist stresses that occurs during the post-tensioning process. Post-tensioning hardware are casted inside the diaphragm. Figure 1 construction management: concrete construction bridge construction:How to become a bridge engineer Types of diaphragm: Diaphragm at the span end: this type of diaphragms will be located between two bridge spans or at the bridge abutments. Expansion joints will be used to connect bridge spans. This ...
Read more

Non-Working Pile Testing and Static Compression Load Test

By -
Image
Purpose of Non-Working Piles Non-working piles are constructed at the beginning of the project to evaluate soil bearing capacity and determine the maximum settlement. These piles are loaded up to twice the working load. Based on the test results, the pile length may be adjusted. If the measured settlement exceeds the allowable limit, the pile length will be increased accordingly. construction management: concrete construction bridge construction:How to become a bridge engineer Static Compression Load Test The static compression load test provides insight into how the pile responds to loading. Settlement is measured at different load increments to determine the appropriate pile design length. The maximum applied load is typically twice the working load (2 × working load) or as specified by local standards. The following steps outline the testing procedure: A. Steel Cage Preparation The steel reinforcement cage is prepared in accordance with the approved shop drawings. ...
Read more

Nominal maximum size of coarse aggregate

By -
Image
Concrete is a widely used material. Reinforced concrete structures can be found everywhere. The main reason behind the popularity of reinforced concrete structure is the high strength and the long life span of these structures. Concrete and steel are combined to produce reinforced concrete. Concrete is good at compression while steel good at tension. Concrete and steel form a perfect combination to resist loads imposed on the structure. Concrete is a composite material composed of cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, and water. Admixtures can be used to enhance concrete properties. A concrete mix consists of almost 65% aggregates. Aggregates are classified into fine and coarse aggregates. Since the aggregates form the majority of a concrete mix. The quality of aggregates can greatly affect the strength and durability of concrete. Aggregates can be natural or crushed aggregates. Used aggregates should be strong, hard, and should not contain a large amount of organic matter or harmf...
Read more

wing wall arrangement and orientation for abutments

By -
Image
wing wall main function is to retain the embankment near abutment. the common slope is 2:1. greater than 2:1 is not allowed. figure no: shows a wing wall for the abutment. Figure 1  there is three arrangement for wing wall: wing wall parallel to abutment: easy to build. construction can be done in a short time. this type of wing wall will not disturb the existing embankment and utilities but it is not the most economical arrangement.   figure 2 construction management: concrete construction bridge construction:How to become a bridge engineer wing wall at an angle with abutments: this type is most economical among the three arrangement. Figure 3 wing wall perpendicular to abutment: in this arrangement. wing wall provides a continuous alignment with bridge deck which can be used to support parapets. this arrangement will disturb existing embankment and utilities adjacent to the structure. for curve bridge, this type o...
Read more