How To Check Quality Of Cement & How To Identify Genuine And Fake Cement & Besic Question / Answer

 How to check quality of cement :

Cement is one of the most important materials used in construction.  The strength of a structure depends on many factors, the quality of cement being one of them.  Good quality cement should always be used to obtain the desired strength of concrete and to increase the longevity of the structure. 

You create a structure in your mind, but to build that house, only good quality cement should be used, so that the life of your house will be long.  Also, he was safe and sound for a long time.  Let us know how you can identify good cement. 

1. Colors of cement Test :-

Cement should be in uniform color. Good quality cement should be in brown shade with brown color.

2. Packaging & Dates Test :-

The strength of cement decreases over time. First, check the manufacturing date in the bag before use.  Generally, cement must be used 90 days before the date of manufacturing.  The percentage of decreasing cement strength is given in the table below. 

3. Temperature Test :-

Put your hand in the cement beg, if its quality is good then it should feel cool.  Otherwise, you may feel hot due to the hydration reaction.

4. Lumps Test :-

There should be no lumps in the cement.  The lump is formed due to absorption of moisture from the climate.

5. Float Test :-

Take some cement and put it in water.  The cement floats on top of the water for some time before it sinks. 

6. Rubbing Test :-

The cement should be smooth when rubbed between the fingers if it feels rough which means the cement is mixed with sand.

7. Strength Test :-

 The most common strength test, compressive strength, is performed on a 50 mm cement mortar test specimen.  The test specimen is limited to one compaction load failure.

Prepare cement blocks of 25 mm x 25 mm and 200 mm length.  Now keep it submerged in water for 7 days. Now load it with a weight of 34 kg if it supports more than 15 cm.  No cracks will come in blocks made of good cement. 

8. Setting and Test :-

Make a thick cement paste with water and immerse it in water for 24 hours.  This should be determined and no cracks should develop.

9. Excellence :-

The fineness of cement has a significant effect on the rate of hydration and hence the rate of strength gain and also the rate of heat development.  The greater granularity increases the surface available for burns, causing greater strength and heat.  The fineness of cement plays a major role in controlling concrete properties.  The fineness of cement affects the capacity, functionality, and water content of the concrete mixing space, similar to that used in concrete.

How To Identify Genuine & Fake Cement :-

1.  If there are lumps in the cement when the cement sack is opened, then the              cement is not good.

2.  Cement is good if the cement cools when you hand it in the sack.

3.  The color of the cement should be the same.

4.  The cement should be smooth when rubbed between the fingers.

5.  Cement is good if the cement slips when rubbing with each other.

6.  The specialty of good cement is that it does not sink completely when put in             water, but it floats on top for some time.

Besic Question / Answer :-

1. Can cement be stored and stored ?

Cement can be stored up to 3 months after construction, after which it should not be used.  If anyone still wants to use it, then relevant testing should be done before using that cement. 

2. What is the ideal color of cement ?

The color of cement does not play any role in its use.  The appearance of its color depends on the percentage of raw material added to it, which is used in the manufacture of cement.

3. What is the appropriate field test for cement ?

A ball of cement paste should be made and kept in a shaded environment for 24 hours.  If it hardens, the cement is good.

4. Is OPC the best cement ?

Blended cement (PPC) performs better than OPC in Indian climate and weather.

5. Is darker cement better than light colored cement ?

Color has nothing to do with the strength and durability of cement .

6. Is the cement that sets early ,is it good ?

Any cement, it is controlled by the initial and final setting time.  Indian standards have specified certain times for these.  The initial setting time of cement should not be less than 30 minutes while the final setting time should not exceed 600 minutes.

7. What should be the desirable properties of good cement ?

Strong , durable , accurate setting time and evenly distributed.

BY SHIVAM DWIVEDI