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Compressive Strength of Concrete Cubes Procedure and Specification

The document describes procedures for testing the compressive strength of concrete cubes over time. Concrete gains most of its strength within the first 14 days as the curing process occurs. Tests are commonly done at 7 days to check if the concrete will meet the 28-day strength requirements. The procedure involves casting cubes of concrete with a specific mix ratio and curing them for 7 or 28 days. They are then tested in a compression testing machine to determine the compressive strength. This measures the concrete's ability to handle compressive loads as required by construction grade specifications.

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802 views3 pages

Compressive Strength of Concrete Cubes Procedure and Specification

The document describes procedures for testing the compressive strength of concrete cubes over time. Concrete gains most of its strength within the first 14 days as the curing process occurs. Tests are commonly done at 7 days to check if the concrete will meet the 28-day strength requirements. The procedure involves casting cubes of concrete with a specific mix ratio and curing them for 7 or 28 days. They are then tested in a compression testing machine to determine the compressive strength. This measures the concrete's ability to handle compressive loads as required by construction grade specifications.

Uploaded by

SHOAIB
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Compressive Strength of Concrete Cubes Procedure and Specification

Concrete is a macro content with Sand, Cement, & Coarse aggregate as its micro-ingredient
(Mix Ratio) and gains its 100% strength over time at the hardened state.

Take a look at the below table.

Concrete Strength Overtime

Days after Casting Strength Gain


Day 1 16%
Day 3 40%
Day 7 65%
Day 14 90%
Day 28 99%

As you can see the concrete gains its strength rapidly tills 7th & 14th Days. Then gradually
increases from there. So we can’t predict the strength until the concrete comes to that stable
state.

Once it attains certain strength at 7 days, then we know (according to the table) only 9% of
strength going to increase. So at sites, we do normally test concrete at this interval. If the
concrete fails at 14 days, then we will reject that batching.

Compressive Strength Table of Concrete at 7 & 28 Days

Grade of Minimum compressive strength Specified characteristic compressive


Concrete N/mm2 at 7 days strength (N/mm2) at 28 days
M15 10 15
M20 13.5 20
M25 17 25
M30 20 30
M35 23.5 35
M40 27 40
M45 30 45

Compressive Strength of Concrete Lab Test

Objective

To find compressive strength value of concrete cubes.


Required Equipment & Apparatus

150 mm Cube Moulds (with IS Mark)

Electronic Weighing Balance

G.I Sheet (For Making Concrete)

Vibrating Needle & other tools

Compressions Testing Machine

Procedure

Cube Casting

Measure the dry proportion of ingredients (Cement, Sand & Coarse Aggregate) as per the
design requirements. The Ingredients should be sufficient enough to cast test cubes

Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients to obtain the uniform mixture

Add design quantity of water to the dry proportion (water-cement ratio) and mix well to obtain
uniform texture

Fill the concrete to the mould with the help of vibrator for thorough compaction

Finish the top of the concrete by trowel & tapped well till the cement slurry comes to the top of
the cubes.

Curing

After some time the mould should be covered with red gunny bag and put undisturbed for 24
hours at a temperature of 27 ° Celsius ± 1. After 24 hours remove the specimen from the
mould. Keep the specimen submerged under fresh water at 27 ° Celsius. The specimen should
be kept for 7 or 28 days. Every 7 days the water should be renewed. The specimen should be
removed from the water 30 minutes prior to the testing. The specimen should be in dry
condition before conducting the testing. The Cube weight should not be less than 8.1 Kgs.

Testing

Now place the concrete cubes into the testing machine. (Centrally)CASTED OPEN FACE SHOULD
BE AT SIDE ON THE MACHINE. The cubes should be placed correctly on the machine plate
(check the circle marks on the machine). Carefully align the specimen with the spherically
seated plate. The load will be applied to the specimen axially. Now slowly apply the load at the
rate of 140kg/cm2 per minute till the cube collapse. The maximum load at which the specimen
breaks is taken as a compressive load.
Calculation

Compressive Strength of concrete = Maximum compressive load / Cross Sectional Area

Cross sectional Area = 150mm X 150mm = 22500 mm2 or 225 cm2

Assume the compression load is 450 KN,

Compressive Strength = (450000 N / 225)/9.81 = 204 kg/cm2

Note – 1 kg is equal to 9.81 N

Observation Result (Lab Report)

Details Samples
Specimen 1 Specimen 2 Specimen 3
Compressive Load (KN) 375 KN 425 KN 435 KN

Compressive Strength (375000/225) / (425000/225) / (435000/225) /


(Kg/Cm2) 9.81 9.81 9.81
= 170 kg/cm 2 = 192.5 kg/cm2 = 197.0 kg/cm2
Average Compressive = (170+192.5+197)/3
Strength = 186.5 Kg/cm2

Notes

The above experiment should be conducted at the temperature of 27° Celsius ± 2°.

As per IS 516, the individual variation in compressive load should not be more than plus minus
15% of the average value.

Frequency of Sampling

According to IS 456:2000, the Minimum frequency of Concrete Sampling

Quantity of Concrete in Work (M3) Number of Samples


01-05 1
06-15 2
16-30 3
31-50 4
51 and above 4 plus one additional sample for each additional 50
m3

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