CEMENT

CompressiveStrength:Compressivestrengthrequirementofeachtypeofcementforvariousgradeswhentestedin
accordancewithIS4031(part6)shallbeasunder:

SettingTime:SettingtimeofcementofanytypeofanygradewhentestedbyVicatapparatusmethoddescribedin
IS4031shallconformtothefollowingrequirement:
(a)Initialsettingtime:Notlessthan30minutes
(b)Finalsettingtime:Notmorethan600minutes

StackingandStorage:
Cementinbagsshallbestoredandstackedinashedwhichisdry,leakproofandasmoistureproofaspossible.
Flooringoftheshedshallconsistofthetwolayersofdrybrickslaidonwellconsolidatedearthtoavoidcontact
ofcementbagswiththefloor.
Stackingshallbedoneabout150to200mmclearabovethefloorusingwoodenplanks.Cementbagsshallbe
stacked at least 450 mm clear off the walls and in rows of two bags leaving in a space of at least 600 mm
betweentwoconsecutiverows.
Stackingshallnotbemorethan10bagshightoavoidlumpingunderpressure.Instacksmorethan8bagshigh,
thecementbagsshallbearrangedinheaderandstretcherfashioni.e.alternatelylengthwiseandcrosswiseso
astotiethestackstogetherandminimisethedangeroftopplingover.
Differenttypesofcementshallbestackedandstoredseparately.
Cement bags shall be stacked in a manner to facilitate their removal and use in the order in which they are
received.
FINEAGGREGATE

Aggregatemostofwhichpassesthrough4.75mmISsieveisknownasfineaggregate.
Fineaggregateshallconsistofnaturalsand,crushedstonesand,crushedgravelsandstonedustormarbledust,
flyashandbrokenbrick(Burntclay).
Itshallbehard,durable,chemicallyinert,cleanandfreefromadherentcoatings,organicmatteretc.andshall
not contain any appreciable amount of clay balls and harmful impurities e.g. iron pyrites, alkalies, salts, coal,
mica,shaleorsimilarlaminatedmaterialsinsuchformorinsuchquantitiesastocausecorrosionofmetalor
affectadverselythehardening,thestrength,thedurabilityortheappearanceofmortar,plasterorconcrete.
Thesumofthepercentagesofalldeleteriousmaterialshallnotexceed5%.

CRITERIAFORSELECTIONOFMASONRYMORTARS

Grade
MM0.7
MM1.5
MM3
MM5
MM7.5

GradeofMasonryMortar
Compressivestrengthat28daysinN/mm2
0.7to1.5
1.5to2.0
3.0to5.0
5.0to7.5
7.5&above

Cement:Sand
1:8
1:7
1:6
1:5
1:4

1.
2.
3.
4.

Thegradeofmortarshallnotbelessthan0.7MMbutshallpreferablybeofgradeMM2.
Wherenorainprotectionisprovided,thegradeofmortarforexternalwallshallnotbelessthanMM2.
Formasonryinbuildingsubjecttovibrationofmachinery,thegradeofmortarshallnotbelessthanMM3.
Forparapets,wheretheheightisgreaterthanthricethethickness,thegradeofmasonrymortarshallnotbe
lessthanMM3.Incaseoflowparapetsthegradeofmortarshallbethesameasusedinthewallmasonry.
COARSEAGGREGATE
Aggregatemostofwhichisretainedon4.75mmISSieve.Coarseaggregateshallbespecifiedasstoneaggregate,
gravel,brickorlightweightaggregate.
Nominalsizesofgradedstoneaggregateorgravelshallbe40,20,16,or12.5mmasspecified.

CHEMICALADMIXTURES
Whenrequired,admixturesofapprovedqualityshallbemixedwithconcrete,asspecified.
Admixturesmaybeanyoneofthefollowingclassesforuseinconcrete:
(a)WaterReducingAdmixtures
(b)RetardingAdmixtures
(c)AcceleratingAdmixtures.
(d)WaterReducingandRetardingAdmixtures.
(e)WaterReducingandAcceleratingAdmixtures.
(f)PermeabilityReducing(waterproofing)Admixtures.
LiquidAdmixtures:Admixturesintroducedintotheconcreteasliquidsgenerallyfallintothefollowingcategories.
(a)AirEntraining.
(b)WaterReducing.
(c)WaterReducingRetarders.
(d)Retarders.
(e)WaterReducing
Dosageoftheseadmixturesmayvaryaccordingtomanufacturersspecification.
Two or more admixtures may not be compatible in the same solution. It is therefore mandatory that when
twoadmixturesmanufacturedbythesamemanufacturersarebeingusedsimultaneously,themanufacturer
shallcertifytheircompatibility.Incasethetwoormoreadmixturesareproducesbydifferentmanufacturers,
then, before their use in concrete, test shall be performed by the manufacturer to establish their
compatibility;allsuchtestreportsshallbefurnishedtotheEngineerinChargeforhisapprovalbeforetheir
useinconcrete.
Some admixture may be in the form of powder, particle or high concentration liquids which may require
mixingwithwaterpriortodosing.Undertheseconditionswaterinsolutionshallbeconsideredaspartoftotal
watercontentinthebatchinordertomaintainthewatercementratio.
Admixturemanufacturersrecommendationshallbecarefullyfollowedsoastoensurecompletesolutionof
theproductortoprepareastandardsolutionofuniformstrengthforeasieruse.

CEMENTCONCRETE
GradesofCementConcrete:Theconcreteshallbeingradedesignatedasunder:

GradesofConcrete
Group
Concrete
Specifiedcharacteristiccompressivestrengthof150mm
Grade
Cubeat28DaysinN/mm2
Ordinary
M10
10
Concrete
M15
15

M20
20
Standard
M25
25
Concrete
M30
30

M35
35
M40
40
M45
45
M50
50
M55
55
High
M6060
60
M6565
65
Strength
Concrete
M7070
70

M7575
75
M8080
80
InthedesignationofconcretemixMreferstothemixandthenumbertothespecifiedcompressivestrengthof150
mmsizecubeat28days,expressedinN/mm2.
Thecharacteristicstrengthisdefinedasthestrengthofmaterialbelowwhichnotmorethan5percentofthetest
resultsareexpectedtofall.

MinimumCementContent,MaximumWaterCementRatioandMinimumGradeofConcretefor
DifferentExposureswithNormalWeightAggregatesof20mmNominal;MaximumSize
Exposure
PlainConcrete
ReinforcedConcrete
Max.Free Min.Grade

Min.
Max.Free Min.Grade
Min.
Cement
Water
of
Cement
Water
of
Content
Cement
Concrete
Content
Cement
Concrete
kg/m3
Ratio
kg/m3
Ratio
Mild
220
0.6

300
0.55
M20
Moderate
240
0.6
M15
300
0.5
M25
Severe
250
0.5
M20
320
0.45
M30
VerySevere
260
0.45
M20
340
0.45
M35
Extreme
280
0.4
M25
360
0.4
M40

ConcreteofgradeslowerthanthosegiveninTableabovemaybeusedforleanconcrete,foundationformasonry
wallsortemporaryreinforcedconcreteconstruction.

WorkabilityofConcrete
The concrete mix proportion chosen should be such that the concrete is of adequate workability for the placing
conditionsoftheconcreteandcanproperlybecompactedwiththemeansavailable.Suggestedrangesofworkability
ofconcretemeasuredinaccordancewithIS1199aregivenbelow:

PlacingConditions
Blindingconcrete:shallowsections:Pavementsusingpavers
Massconcrete:Lightlyreinforcedsectionsinslabs,
beams,wall,columnsfloors
Handplacedpavements:canallining;Stripfooting
Heavilyreinforcedsectionsinslabs,beams,walls,columns
Trenchfill

DegreeofWorkability
Verylow
Low

Slump(mm)
Below25
2575

Medium

50100

High

100150

ConcreteMixProportioning
Thedeterminationoftheproportionofcement,aggregateandwatertoattaintherequiredstrengthshallbemade
asfollows:
(a)Bydesigningtheconcretemix:suchconcreteshallbecalledDesignmixconcrete,
(b)Byadoptingnominalconcretemix:suchconcreteshallbecalledNominalmixconcrete.
Designmixconcreteispreferredtonominalmix.Ifdesignmixconcretecannotbeusedforanyreasononthework
forgradesofM20orlower,nominalmixesmaybeusedwiththepermissionofEngineerinCharge,which,however,
islikelytoinvolvehighercementcontent.

Batching
Volume batching may be allowed only where weighbatching is not practicable and provided accurate used in
concrete have earlier been established. It is important to maintain the water cement ratio constant at its correct
value. To this end, determination of moisture contents in both fine and coarse aggregates shall be made as
frequently as possible, the frequency for a given job being determined by the EngineerinCharge according to
weatherconditions.

Mixing

MachineMixing:Themixerdrumshallbeflushedcleanwithwater.Measuredquantityofcoarseaggregateshallbe
placedfirstinthehopper.Thisshallbefollowedwithmeasuredquantityoffineaggregateandthencement.Incase
fineaggregateisdamp,halftherequiredquantityofcoarseaggregateshallbeplacedinthehopper,followedbyfine
aggregateandcement.Finallythebalancequantityofcoarseaggregateshallbefedinthehopper.Thedrymaterial
shall be mixed for at least four turns of the drum. While the drum is rotating, water shall be added gradually to
achievethewatercementratioasspecifiedorasrequiredbytheEngineerinCharge.Afteraddingwater,themixing
shall be continued until concrete of uniform colour, uniformly distributed material and consistency is obtained.
Mixing shall be done for at least two minutes after adding water. The drum shall be emptied before recharging.
Whenthemixeriscloseddownforthedayoratanytimeexceeding20minutes,thedrumshallbeflushedcleaned
withwater.
HandMixing:HandmixingshouldbespecificallypermittedinexceptionalcircumstancesbytheEngineerinCharge.
Handmixingshallbecarriedoutonasmooth,cleanandwatertightplatformofsuitablesize.Measuredquantityof
sandshallbespreadevenlyontheplatformandthecementshallbedumpedonthesandanddistributedevenly.
Sand and cement shall be mixed intimately with spade until mixture is of even colour throughout. Measured

quantity of coarse aggregate shall be spread on top of cement sand mixture and mixing done by showlling and
turning till the coarse aggregate gets evenly distributed the cement sand mixture. Three quarters of the total
quantityofwaterrequiredshallbeaddedinahollowmadeinthemiddleofthemixedpileandthematerialisturned
towards the middle of pile with spade. The whole mixture is turned slowly over and again and the remaining
quantityofwaterisaddedgradually.Themixingshallbecontinueduntilconcreteofuniformcolourandconsistency
isobtained.Themixingplatformshallbewashedandcleanedattheendoftheday.

TransportationandPlacing:
Concrete shall be transported from the mixer to the place of laying as rapidly as possible by methods which will
preventthesegregationorlossofanyoftheingredientsandmaintainingtherequiredworkability.Duringhotorcold
weather,concreteshallbetransportedindeep containers,othersuitable methodstoreducethelossofwaterby
evaporationinhotweatherandheatlossincoldweather.
Theconcreteshallbedepositedasnearlyaspracticableinitsfinalpositiontoavoidrehandling.Itshallbelaidgently
(not thrown) and shall be thoroughly vibrated and compacted before setting commences and should not be
subsequentlydisturbed.Methodofplacingshallbesuchastoprecludesegregation.
Careshallbetakentoavoiddisplacementofreinforcementormovementofformworkanddamageduetorains.As
ageneralguidance,themaximumfreefallofconcretemaybetakenas1.5metre.
Compaction
Concreteshallbethoroughlycompactedandfullyworkedaroundembeddedfixturesandintocornersoftheform
work. Compaction shall be done by mechanical vibrator of appropriate type till a dense concrete is obtained. To
preventsegregation,overvibrationshallbeavoided.Compactionshallbecompletedbeforetheinitialsettingstarts.
Fortheitemswheremechanicalvibratorsarenottobeused,thecontractorshalltakepermissionoftheEngineerin
Chargeinwritingbeforethestartofthework.Aftercompactionthetopsurfaceshallbefinishedevenandsmooth
withwoodentrowelbeforetheconcretebeginstoset.

Curing
Curingistheprocessofpreventinglossofmoisturefromtheconcrete.Thefollowingmethodsshallbeemployedfor
effectingcuring.
MoistCuring:Exposedsurfacesofconcreteshallbekeptcontinuouslyinadamporwetconditionbypondingorby
coveringwithalayerofsacking,canvas,Hessianorsimilarmaterialsandkeptconstantlywetforatleast7daysfrom
thedateofplacingconcreteincaseofordinaryPortlandcementandatleast10dayswheremineraladmixturesor
blendedcementsareused.Theperiodofcuringshallnotbelessthan10daysforconcreteexposedtodryandhot
weather conditions. In the case of concrete where mineral admixtures or blended cements are used, it is
recommendedthataboveminimumperiodsmaybeextendedto14days.
Membrane Curing: Approved curing compounds may be used in lieu of moist curing with the permission of the
EngineerinCharge.Suchcompoundshallbeappliedtoallexposedsurfacesoftheconcreteassoonaspossibleafter
theconcretehasset.Impermeablemembranesuchaspolythenesheetcoveringtheconcretesurfacemayalsobe
usedtoprovideeffectivebarrieragainsttheevaporation.
Freshlylaidconcreteshallbeprotectedfromrainbysuitablecovering.