CEMENT TESTING BY W. PURVES TAYLOR, M.S., C.E. Engineer in Charge Philadelphia Municipal NEW YORK THE MYRON C. CLARK PUBLISHING CO 13-21 Park Row 1906 PREFACE. Although during the past year or two, the additions to the literature on cement and concrete have been especially notable, it nevertheless has appeared to the author that a complete description of the methods of handling practical tests of cement has not yet been brought before the public. The methods usually given in text books assume too much knowledge for the use of the student or beginner, while to the practical operator the directions are too general to be of much value. The excellent standard methods of testing recently issued by committees of several technical societies have already done much to promote uniformity in testing, but are of little real assistance either to the novice or the expert in enabling him to increase the accuracy or to simplify the routine of his work. This volume therefore has been designed primarily for the use of the student, the novice, and the practical operator in conducting actual routine tests of cement to determine its suitability for purposes of construction, but it is hoped that both the expert and the engineer who directs this work may also find something of interest in its pages. The general scope of the book covers a description of the properties of cement, the objects of the various tests, the methods of conducting them, the common influences and errors that are most likely to affect the determinations, and the practical interpretation of the results which are finally obtained. No attempt has been made to consider the practical use of cement and concrete except in so far as the conditions of actual work regulate the use of the various tests, while the data given are also applicable more to the conduct of tests than to the final use of the material. In other words, the scope of the book is intended to cover only the methods and the application of the tests of cement commonly employed in routine work, and not to consider theoretical properties, investigations of a research character, nor the use of cement. Chapters I., II. and III. are of an introductory nature, and are included only for the information of the student, and for the logical development of the subject. The constitution of cement is considered very briefly, while the chapter on manufacture is purely descriptive and makes no attempt at being technical. The body of the book, Chapters IV. to XII., is devoted to the conduct of routine tests of cement. The chapter on Chemical Analysis was prepared in collaboration with Mr. Charles S. Reeve, Chemist of the Philadelphia Laboratories. Chapter XIII. deals with simple tests by which the character of a cement may be ascertained with practically no apparatus, and which might be of considerable service to the small consumer or to the expert when it is impracticable to obtain apparatus to make tests in the orthodox manner. The practical operation of a cement laboratory is considered in Chapter XIV., which also describes the organization, the labor required, and the cost of testing. To avoid an endless number of qualified statements, in describing the different properties and tests, the body of the book is devoted entirely to Portland cement, while in Chapter XV. is given a description of the properties and tests of natural, improved, slag, sand, and other varieties of cement. Chapter XVI. is devoted to the subject of cement specifications, while the different Appendices give the standard specifications and methods of testing issued by various scientific bodies. The methods of testing used in the author's laboratory are given at some length throughout the course of the book, and it is hoped that the frequent allusions to them will be pardoned on account of the long and varied experience of the laboratory, and on account of the large amount of testing performed, which has required both development of system and simplification of method. The author wishes to express his appreciation of the kindness. of Mr. George S. Webster, Chief Engineer of the City of Philadelphia, in permitting him to describe the methods employed, and to use data obtained in the Philadelphia Laboratories, and also to acknowledge the interest that has enabled the Laboratories to attain their present stage of development. Acknowledgements for the use of cuts are also due to The Allis-Chalmers Co., J. W. Bramwell, The Bonnot Co., The Brad ley Pulverizer Co., The Cement Age, F. L. Smidth & Co., The Geo. V. Cresson Co., F. D. Cummer & Son Co., The Fairbanks Co., The Kent Mill Co., Lathbury & Spackman, Tinius Olsen & Co., Thos. Prosser & Son, Riehle Bros. Testing Machine Co., Frederick W. Taylor, Henry Troemner and the International Instrument Co. January 1, 1906. W. PURVES TAYLOR. |