Construction Materials and Testing (Lab)

When undertaking a project, material testing is highly essential for building a new structure or amending & improvising an existing structure. This type of testing helps an engineer in determining the quality, safety, efficacy, and endurance of the materials used for the project. Engineers and builders may not know if the material quality meets the actual requirements without CMT. Therefore, a construction material testing lab can provide the assurance they need along with an estimation of the project’s longevity and life expectancy based on the results obtained.
At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

CLO2. Conduct experiments on common construction materials according to international standards such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

CLO3. Evaluate the results of the test of common construction materials.

CHB MAKING

Concrete hollow blocks are materials used to build internal and external walls for great and sturdy structures. These materials are often made up of a mixture of cement, sand, gravel, and other additional materials depending on their use.
These concrete blocks are popular construction materials that are being used both in residential and industrial buildings due to their flexible design, durability, highly cost-effective, and load-carrying capacity.

Listed below are the procedures to be followed when making Concrete Hollow Blocks:

1. Prepare the materials by following the proportion 1:7 in the mixture of cement and sand respectively.

2. Do the mixture in the hard surface so that the normal ground will not be absorbing the water that needs to be added.

3. Mix the cement and sand

4. Estimate the adding of water by pouring it to the mixture one by one until it achieves a certain consistency.

5.Prepare the molder of CHB and start to pour the mixture in the molder. Make sure that it is compressed to make the form of CHB solid.

6. Carefully put the molder upside down and push the formed CHB on the ground.

7. Wait 7 (seven) days for testing.

Shown below is a video presentation illustrating the process of making concrete hollow blocks:

CHB_Making__Full HD 1080p.mp4

CHB DROP TESTING

Listed below are the procedures to be followed when conducting a CHB Drop test

1. Randomly select one block from the total no. of blocks of the particular batch. Lift the block at about 4 to 4.5 feet which is nearer to your chest level and drop it on the hard ground surface.

2. Make a Vertical and Horizontal Drop. From the chest height, drop the block on a hard surface.

3. Clean the testing area

Shown below are some of our images and video presentation documented during actual CHB testing

CHB Drop Testing.mp4

concrete mixing

Concrete is one of the common construction materials that are used to build structural elements such as foundations, columns, beams and floor slabs in residential, commercial and institutional buildings. They are also used in road surfaces. It is mostly made up of a mixture of cement, fine aggregates, coarse aggregates and water.
It is crucial to test the flowability and consistency of concrete mix by a civil engineer before it will be used in construction. The most common procedure is the slump test. It refers to the process of testing the workability and consistency of concrete, or the slump, before it sets. A concrete mix is a true slump if it has a slump of 20 mm to 100 mm, depending on its intended purpose. Zero slump means drier concrete mix yet it is acceptable in road construction. If the concrete mix collapses after the test, the engineer will reject its use and return the said material to the supplier.

Listed below are the procedures to that needs to be followed when making a concrete

Spread a plastic sheet on the ground
Measure out the materials.
Place the aggregates into a pile on the sheet
Place the cement on top of the pile of aggregates
Shovel the material in the pile to one side, creating a new pile and repeat three times
Make a deep crater in the pile and add water
Fold the mix in from the sides
Continue to fold inwards and “chop” the pile to distribute water through the mix
Clean the mold and place on a base plate
The mould is filled with fresh concrete in three layers. Each layer is tamped with 25 strokes using the tamping rod. The tamping should be done uniformly.
After filling the mould, excess concrete should be removed
When the mould is filled, the base of the mould should be held firmly. Then the mould is lifted gently in a vertical direction.
The decrease in the height at the center point is measured and it is known as the “slump”.

Shown below is a video presentation exemplifying the complete process of concrete making

SLUMP TEST Group 4 Documentation Video.mp4

Rebar and Wood Testing.pdf

rebar and wood testing

Steel reinforcing bar, or rebar, is embedded in concrete to improve the overall strength of the concrete that surrounds it. Material products standards exist to help ensure that rebar produced throughout the world exhibits the same physical, chemical, and mechanical properties regardless of the source. Proper mechanical testing is then necessary for determining if the rebar meets its published specifications, ensuring the quality of the product.
Similarly, wood and timber material undergo simple tension, compression, shear and flexural testing to determine their suitability for a specific application. For tensile testing a wood material is placed into a universal testing machine and loaded in a manner that pulls the sample apart resulting in the sample failing in tension. Compression testing of wood materials is the opposite of tensile testing in that instead of pulling the ends away from each the ends are pushed together. There are two different forms of compression testing: with grain and perpendicular to grain, each of which reveal a different set of characteristics about the tested material.

Aside from the aformentioned field and quality tests for the primary materials used in construction, attached below are the additional minimum test requirements prior to DPWH standard specifications for highways, bridges, and airports.

Minimum Test Requirements.pdf

supplementary videos:

LABORATORY REPORTS:

Classwork #2 (CHB Making) (1).pdf

Classwork #3 (CHB Drop Test) (2).pdf

REFLECTION:

In this subject, I have learned that Construction Materials Testing is highly essential in construction projects. Thus, there are a variety of testing methods used in a comprehensive CMT process as the materials are varied depending on the type and extent of the project. Also, I realized that CMT is a procedure where there is complete quality control and examination of different materials that are used in a project. Conducting both field and laboratory tests are important in order to ensure that the products meet industry standards, abide by the laws, regulations, and quality checks. This ensures reduced risks so that the life span of these properties can be increased. Construction material testing usually involves taking samples of different materials being used and then comparing them to the standard specifications in the construction materials industry to ensure the best quality is used.

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