CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND

TESTING
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
It is defined as the materials, supplies, fixtures, or Rocks are solid cumulative of minerals located in
equipment, any combination of such items, and any the Earth’s lithosphere. Rocks are used in various
other leased or purchased articles when the materials, purpose in construction site such as dam ,railway
supplies, fixtures, equipment or articles are to be ballast , building, skyscraper building etc.
utilized or consumed during construction or are to be FIVE MAJOR CATEGORIES OF
incorporated into construction work pursuant to a MATERIALS TESTING
bonafide written construction contract. MECHANICAL TESTING
AGGREGATES Also known as destructive testing, reveals the
Construction aggregate is a broad category of properties of a material under dynamic or static force.
particulate material used in construction, including Designed to ensure that materials are suitable for
sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete their intended applications.
and geosynthetic aggregates. TESTING FOR THERMAL PROPERTIES
STEEL ROD / STEEL Testing for thermal properties is used to measure
Steel is a metal alloy of iron and carbon and often materials’ ability to transfer heat since it differs with
other alloying material in its composition to make it each substance and may depend on structure, density,
stronger and more fracture-resistant than iron. humidity, pressure and temperature.
CEMENT TESTING FOR ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
Cement, in general, adhesive substances of all kinds, Materials are subjected to electrical stresses under a
but, in a narrower sense, the binding materials used variety of controlled conditions, including liquid
in building and civil engineering construction. contaminants, dust and fog, dry air electrical arc, or
Cements of this kind are finely ground powders that, high voltage dielectric breakdown conditions.
when mixed with water, set to a hard mass. TESTING FOR RESISTANCE TO
BITUMEN CORROSION, RADIATION AND
A black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons obtained BIOLOGICAL DETERIORATION
naturally or as a residue from petroleum distillation. Testing for breakdown or deterioration of materials
It is used for road surfacing and roofing. under exposure to a particular type of environment
CONCRETE has greatly increased in recent years.
Concrete is a composite material made of fine and NON DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
coarse aggregate (think gravel, crushed stone, A testing and analysis technique to evaluate the
recycled concrete, and geosynthetic aggregates) properties of a material, component, structure or
bound together by a liquid binder such as cement that system for characteristic differences or welding
hardens or cures over time. defects and discontinuities without causing damage
ASPHALT to the original part.
Asphalt is a mixture of aggregates, binder and filler, TESTS CARRIED OUT ON DIFFERENT
used for constructing and maintaining roads, parking CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
areas, railway tracks, ports, airport runways, bicycle BITUMEN
lanes, sidewalks and also play- and sport areas. a. Determining bitumen content
HOLLOW BLOCKS / MASONRY b. Determining flash and fire point of bitumen
Masonry construction uses individual units (such as c. Determining penetration of bitumen
bricks or hollow blocks) to build structures that are d. Determining softening point of bitumen
usually bound together by some kind of mortar. The e. Determining specific gravity of bitumen
strongest and most commonly used masonry unit f. Determining ductility of bitumen
now is a concrete block, which may be reinforced g. Determining marshal stability of bitumen
with steel. CEMENT
LUMBER a. Fineness Test
Lumber is a wood product, sawn and shaped from b. Soundness Test
timbers of harvested trees. Lumber is assigned a c. Consistency Test
grade which establishes a measure of consistency in d. Setting Time
the final products produced by mills. FRESH CONCRETE
GLASS a. Slump Test
A durable but brittle material that is valued for its b. Compacting Factor Test
optical properties such as its ability to refract, reflect c. VeBe Test
and transmit lights. d. K-Slump Test
CERAMICS STEEL REINFORCEMENT
Ceramics are a broad category of hard inorganic a. Tensile Strength Test
material manufactured using minerals. Modern b. Bend Test
ceramics is usually used in countertops, sinks, tubs, c. Re – bend Test
bathrooms and kitchen tiles. d. Shear Test
ROCKS / STONE e. Brinell Hardness Test
f. Impact Test FLEXURAL TESTING MACHINE
g. Torsion Flexural Testing Machines has a range of 100 kN
HARDENED CONCRETE and
a. Compression Strength Test 200 kN capacity flexure testing machines have been
b. Flexural Strength Test designed to meet the need for reliable and consistent
c. Rebound Hammer Test testing of flexural test on standard concrete beams,
d. Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Test transverse test on kerbs and flagstones, indirect
FAMILIARIZATION WITH THE tensile tests on concrete and interlocking pavers.
APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT USED IN MORTAR MIXER
TESTING OF MATERIALS It is used for mixing cement pastes, mortars and
CEMENT / MORTAR TESTING pozzolana.
VICAT NEEDLE APPARATUS GAUGING TROWEL
Vicat apparatus is a penetration device used in It is a round-nosed trowel used for mixing mortar
testing of hydraulic cements and similar materials to and applying small amounts in confined areas; it is
determine their normal or standard consistency. It is also used to replace crumbled mortar and to patch
also used to determine the initial setting time and concrete.
final setting time of hydraulic cements and similar VEE-BEE CONSISTOMETER
materials. It is used for workability as well as consistency for
FLOW CONE APPARATUS fresh concrete. A slump cone and a graduated rod
It is used for viscosity and fluidity determination of supplied with the instrument helps the operator to
mortars, muds, grouts, fluid materials and etc. find out slump values and Vibration Table with
FLAME PHOTOMETER container and acrylic disc is used to find out
It is used to determine the alkali content of cement. workability of concrete expressed in Vee Bee
AUTOMATIC MORTAR MIXER degrees.
It is expressively designed for the efficient mixing Vee Bee Degrees is defined as the time in seconds
of cement pastes and mortar, with two automatic to complete required vibrating at which the fresh
sequences of mixing cycle. concrete flows out sufficiently to come in contract
BULK DENSITY OF CEMENT TEST of the entire face of acrylic disc.
This apparatus is used for the measurement of the SLUMP TEST APPARATUS
apparent density (bulk density) of powder and non- It is used for the determination of the consistency of
cohesive materials. It consists of sieve funnel with freshly mixed concrete, where the maximum size of
tripod, unit weight measure 1 liter capacity with the aggregate does not exceed 38mm.
hopper, spatula, straight edge, large spoon. It consists of one slump cone with handles and foot
pieces. The slump cone has internal dimensions
LE CHATELIER MOLD 20cm. dia at base 10cm. top dia. and 30cm height.
Used for determining the expansion of cement. The Foot pieces can be fixed to the clamps on the base
mold consists of a spring tensioned split cylinder 30 plate. The base plate has lifting handle for easy
mm internal diameter, 30 mm high with two transportation. One graduated steel rod 16mm dia x
indicator stems which measure 165 mm from the 600mm long, rounded at one end and graduated in
points of the centre line of the cylinder and O ring. mms.
Two or three molds are required for each test. To BEAM MOLD
perform the test, a water bath is also required. For casting concrete specimens for flexure tests.
LE CHATELIER FLASK Specification: Made of cast iron. The molds are
Used to determine the specific gravity of hydraulic made of 4 plates assembled together. Each mold is
cement and lime. Glass flask supplied complete with base plate. Faces are
250 ml capacity, with graduated neck from 0 to 1 machined flat to
ml and from 18 to 24 ml in 0.1 ml graduation with +/-0.2mm and finished in size to 0.2mm
accuracy of 0.05 ml. CUBE MOLD
CONCRETE TESTING The standard size of cube is 150 mm. Cubes of 100
COMPRESSION TESTING MACHINE mm size are not suitable for concrete having a
This Compression Testing Machine is a hydraulic, nominal maximum aggregate size exceeding 20
electrically operated unit, designed for conducting mm. Cubes of 150 mm size are not suitable for
compression tests on concrete specimens up to 20 concrete having a nominal maximum aggregate size
cm. Diameter (or width and depth) and 30 cm, in exceeding 40 mm.
height and also rocks and various CYLINDRICAL MOLD
FLOW TABLE Hard plastic and steel cylinder molds are
This equipment is used to determine the flow of manufactured in accordance with dimensions and
concrete. The apparatus consists of a flow table, tolerances stated in the related standards. Two part
stainless steel flow mold, tamping bar. and clamp attached base plate cast iron, plastic and
The steel cone, part of the apparatus, has a top dia. steel molds are designed to be durable, corrosion
of 130 mm a base dia. of 200 mm and is 200 mm resistant and easy to clean.
high. All metal parts are protected against corrosion. CURING TANK
Specimens must be cured at a stable temperature spout (or "beak") to aid pouring as shown in the
under water to ensure consistent test results. picture. Beakers are available in a wide range of
AGGREGATE TESTING sizes, from one milliliter up to several liters.
LABORATORY OVEN GRADUATED CYLINDER
It is designed for drying, baking, conditioning and It is a measuring instrument for measuring fluid
moisture determination. volume; a glass container whose sides are marked
MUFFLE FURNACE or divided into amounts.
Aside from the laboratory oven, this one is designed THERMOMETER
for higher temperature heating. The design essentially consists of a lens to focus the
SIEVE infrared thermal radiation on to a detector, which
A sieve, or sifter, is a device for separating wanted converts the radiant power to an electrical signal
elements from unwanted material or for that can be displayed in units of temperature after
characterizing the particle size distribution of a being compensated for ambient temperature.
sample, typically using a woven screen such as a HYDROMETER
mesh or net or metal. An instrument used to measure the specific gravity
SIEVE SHAKER (or relative density) of liquids. It is usually made of
Sieve Shakers save time and effort and improve glass and consists of a cylindrical stem and a bulb
accuracy for particle sizing operations. Shakers weighted with mercury or lead.
agitate a stacked series of test sieves to efficiently SCOOP
separate materials of all different types. A deep bowl for taking something
RIFFLE SAMPLE DIVIDER from a container.
It allows dividing samples into two
representative subsamples with a good MECHANICAL BALANCE
accuracy. It is precisely designed to reduce the bulk It is a measuring instrument used where the most
of material to a convenient representative size for accurate weighing are required.
laboratory analysis. When used properly, it provides TROWEL
an accuracy that is recognized through out the Used to spread building materials such as
industry. plaster or cement.
AGGREGATE CRUSHING VALUE TEST CONCRETE MIXER
APPARATUS Mobile Concrete Mixer - It is ideal if you need to
Aggregate crushing value test apparatus is used for use concrete in more than one place in the same
measuring resistance of an aggregate to crushing. area.
This is made of Mild Steel comprising of: Stationary Concrete Mixer - cannot be moved
Cylindrical Cell, 150mm internal dia x 130 to because they are fixed in only one place.
140mm height. BUCKET
Plunger, 148mm dia x 100 to 115mm height. It delivers concrete by means of a tower crane. It
Base Plate, 200 to 230mm square x 6mm thickness. has a bottom opening to allow concrete to flow out
Tamping Rod, 16mm dia x 450 to 600mm length. when in-place.
Metal Measure, 110mm internal dia x 180mm WHEELBARROW
height. A kind of vehicle that is build to be pushed around
WOOD TESTING with a load inside out.
UNIVERSAL WOOD TESTER
It is a screw type motor driven and its suitable for
determination of shear strength, hardness, Cleavage,
Static bend Plywood Grips Nail/Screw withdrawal
test, compression (parallel-to-grain) and many other
tests on wood plywood.
MOISTURE METER
This is used to measure the percentage of water in a
given substance. The information can be used to
determine if the material is ready for use,
unexpectedly wet or dry, or otherwise in need of
further inspection. Wood and paper products are
very sensitive to their moisture content.
OTHER EQUIPMENT USED IN
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND
TESTING
BEAKER
A beaker is a simple container for stirring, mixing
and heating liquids commonly used in many
laboratories. Beakers are generally cylindrical in
shape, with a flat bottom. Most also have a small