NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – MANILA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND

TESTING

LABORATORY REPORT NO. 1

INSPECTION OF MATERIALS TESTING

LABORATORY AND ITS EQUIPMENT
AND APPARATUS

SECTION: CIV214 - A

SUBMITTED BY

NAME: DANAO, KHYLLA DOLLISON

STUDENT NO.: 2021 - 105024
GROUP NO.:
DATE OF LABORATORY: APRIL 17, 2023
DATE SUBMITTED: APRIL 20, 2023

SUBMITTED TO

PROFESSOR: ENGR. EARL JAN D. JUGUETA

 551 M.F. JHOCSON ST., SAMPALOC, MANILA

EXPERIMENT NO. 1
INSPECTION OF MATERIALS TESTING LABORATORY AND
ITS EQUIPMENT AND APPARATUS

OBJECTIVE
This activity aims to:
1. familiarized students with the material testing laboratory, and the available equipment &
apparatus
2. introduce to students the operations of the Universal Testing Machine.

LEARNING OUTCOMES (LOs) COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs)

At the end of the activity, the students should be able to: 1 2 3 4
1. Identify the different apparatus and discuss their uses. ●

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs)

1. Conduct experiments for determining the properties and the behavior of construction
materials for the use in Civil Engineering Projects.
2. Apply appropriate measuring and testing procedure based on local and international
standards.
3. Analyze and interpret the data obtained through standard laboratory procedures.
4. Prepare written reports describing the test procedure, discuss results, and make conclusions
of a Laboratory Experiment.

PROCEDURE
 Visit a Construction Materials Laboratory Lab (virtually). List down the major equipment and
apparatus available.
 Research about Universal Testing Machine (UTM). Determine the parts and the function of the
UTM

REPORT

 Prepare a brief description including the function of each testing machine/equipment and
Apparatus.
 Identify and dicuss the parts of a UTM
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Here are some various Construction Materials Laboratory Lab Machine/Equipment and Apparatus
descriptions and their functions.

Sieve Set
Sieve set is an apparatus that used for environmental monitoring, research and
development and quality control. Sieve has a set of different types and sizes of
sifters that is depending to what type of elements that is needed for separating and
characterizing the particle samples from the material that was sifted such as
cements, soils particles and sands. It has different sizes of the sieves are
depending on how fine the samples that is needed and what samples they are
needing to use, so that you chose to what is going to be and the appropriate type
of sieve to use.

Balance
Balance scale is an apparatus where the particles are being scaled to get properly
and precisely the exact amount of the sample particles that is needed and was
gained. It is used to measure the force exertion, tension, mass, and the resistance
of an object without the need of power supply. This has various types but in
construction the type of balance scale that is mostly used is the digital weighing
scale.

Slump Cone
Slump cone is an apparatus that measures of conducting the concrete consistency
and fluidity, and used for testing the slump of fresh concrete or the essentially
consists of metallic mould in the form of a cone that have an internal dimension.
This is mostly used to measure the fresh concrete mix’s workability in line with
applicable ASTM and AASHO standards. The test that is conducted is to record the
characteristics’ mixture, as an indirect method of knowing the ratio of cement and
water that was added.

Various Moulds
It is a material that is used in slump testing just like the slump cone it is a metallic mould form but has
a different type of shapes or moulds that is useful. It is also uses for testing the workability of the fresh
concrete mix. The various moulds are Cube moulds, Beam moulds and Cylinder moulds but each of
those moulds has different sizes depending to what is needed to be used.
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Graduated Beakers
This is a cylindrical tube with a small pouring lip that is use for transferring or
transporting and mixing solutions, this said beaker has different kinds but the
ones that is usually used is the glass ones. This is also use in measuring the
exact solution just like the balance scale, but this apparatus is more focus on the
liquid particles than the solid ones.

Tamping Rod
This is a material that is round and steel rod that is used with slum cones, unit
weight test and concrete cylinder moulds. And is used to eliminate voids and
excess air by tamping concretes that are fresh into the concrete cylinder moulds,
grout sample boxes and other various moulds and it is used for testing for the
slump, strength of the concrete and the air content.

Calculator
Calculator is a systematic apparatus that is used when we are solving for the
measurements such as height, weight and other measurements that is needed to be
solved. It can also be used in solving negative scientific notations.

Hydrometer
Hydrometer is an apparatus that use to measure the specific gravity or the density of liquids
and is usually made of glass and consists of a cylindrical stem and a bulb weight with mercury
or lead shot to make it float upright.

Thermometer
Is also an apparatus that is used to measure the temperature, and can be used for solid,
liquid and gas. These are the units that is always used when talking about temperatures,
Kelvin, Fahrenheit, and Celsius. It is usually used for experiment monitoring, material
testing, maintaining a sterile work environment and instrument calibration.

Concrete Mixer
It is an equipment where the cement, sand or gravel, and water was mixed to make a
concrete and is using a revolving drum to mix everything that is needed to create some
concrete. This equipment can prepare concrete mixtures of varying strength, exactly
as well as quickly.

Pressure Gauge
Pressure gauge is an apparatus that is used to measure the condition of a fluid or gas
that is specified by force that the fluid can exert when at rest. It is also used to check and
control the pressure especially in industrial processing, because without this the process
system in industrials will be both unreliable and unpredictable.
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Vicat Apparatus
It is an apparatus for determining the normal consistency and the time of the setting of cements
that consists of rod weighing. This apparatus can also determine the initial or final set times
cements and mortar pastes and the consistency of it.

Vibrator
Is an equipment that produce stronger concrete by vigorously shaking the concrete
when pouring which eliminates the air pockets that is left and can ruin the integrity of
the concrete. Without this equipment the concrete might be prone when a calamity came
such as earthquakes and other more. This equipment forces the air that is trapped of
the mixture leaving the result more compact and level slab.

Electric Oven
It is an equipment that is classified as a heating device used to heat materials to
high temperature when an electric current passed through a high resistance
heating element. This equipment is most likely used in a laboratory to heat asphalt
materials for handling and testing and to dry materials at controlled temperature.

Electric Fan
It is an equipment that has a motor to which blasts are fixed for the fan to rotates properly
and used for making the air circulating in the rooms and buildings. It is also used for
cooling the materials and drying materials using the cool breeze that is produced by
electric fan.

Hydraulic Jack
It is an apparatus that is used to lift loads that is heavy by applying a force using a hydraulic
cylinder and uses the force created by pressure in cylinder chamber. It is used to lift heavy
loads over larger distances and commonly use in industrial, constructions and other
industries that needed to lift a heavy load.

Shovel
It is a material that is used to scooped when removing taking up or throwing loose matter.
It is also used dig holes and move materials form one place to another and mixed the
mixture that is used to make some concrete.

Universal Testing Machine

It is an equipment that is used to test the mechanical properties of given test
samples by adding the compressive, tensile, and transverse stress. This
equipment is used to assess the compressive strength and the tensile stress of
an object and helps ensure the accuracy and repeatability of a material.
 551 M.F. JHOCSON ST., SAMPALOC, MANILA

Trowel
Trowel is a material that is considered as small hand tool the is consisting
of a flat blade with a handle that is used to spread the mortar and the plaster
and smoothen it. This material is used for cleaning and smoothens the
surface where the mix concrete is applied and spreading the mortar on the
concrete blocks.

Wheelbarrows
Wheelbarrows is a material that has one wheel at the front and two
supporting legs and two handles, it is typically used for carrying loads
in gardening or in building work. This is used to transfer the blocks,
concretes, cements, sands, soils, and other materials that is used in
building work, and it is design to distribute the weight of the load, it is
carrying between the wheel and the operator which makes the work
easier especially when carrying heavy loads.

UNIVERSAL TESTING MACHINE PARTS AND THE FUNCTIONS

It is used to test the mechanical properties of given test samples by adding the compressive, tensile,
and transverse stress. This equipment is used to assess the compressive strength and the tensile stress
of an object and helps ensure the accuracy and repeatability of a material.

TWO MAIN PARTS OF UNIVERSAL TESTING MACHINE

1. Loading Unit
The arrangement of the test specimen and exertion of the load is what can be found in this part
of the universal testing machine.
a. Long Frame
It is containing a table that is where the compression test’ specimen is placed, upper and
lower crosshead.
b. Upper Crosshead and Lower Crosshead
The upper crosshead, it is used to clamp one end of a sample specimen and the lower
crosshead is moveable where it screws can be loosened for height adjustments and for
tightening.
c. Elongate Scale
An elongate scale that measured the movement of the upper and lower table which is
provided along with the loading unit.
2. Control Unit
What can be found in here is the load being applied and get the respective test results.
a. Hydraulic Power Unit
The said unit consists of an oil pump that gives non-pulsating oil flow into the main cylinder
of the loading unit. The said flow helps in the smooth load’s application on the sample
specimen. The oil pump in a hydraulic power unit is working because of an electric motor
and sump.
b. Load Measuring Unit
The said unit has a small cylinder with a piston which moves with the non-pulsating oil flow
that is from a pendulum dynamometer unit. The pendulum is attached to the piston by pivot
 551 M.F. JHOCSON ST., SAMPALOC, MANILA

lever. The pivot lever diverts based on the applied load to the specimen. This deflection is
converted to the load pointer and displays as the load on the dial.
c. Control Devices
It can be hydraulic or electric. Electric control devices make use of switches to move the
crossheads and switch on/off the unit. A hydraulic control device consists of two valves,
Right Control Valve and Left Control Valve or Release Valve. Applying load on the
specimen is used in right control valve while the left control valve is used to release the
load application.

FUNCTIONS OF UNIVERSAL TESTING MACHINE

1. Tensile Test
Discover the force needed to pull the specimen apart together with how much the material
stretches before it breaks. To proceed on the test; first clamp a single piece of anything (re-bar)
on each end and pull it apart until it breaks. After doing that, it will measure how strong it is
(tensile strength), how stretchy it is (elongation), and how stiff it is (tensile modulus).
2. Compression Test
This test is the opposite of tensile test where an object is being compress between two level
plates until a certain load or distance has been reached or the object breaks. The materials’
compressive strength is calculated as the stress required to break the specimen or deform the
specimen to a given percentage of its height.
3. Puncture Test
In this test, a circular section of material around its perimeter needs to be secured. Then come
down from above and press the material with a “puncture probe” until the material
punctures. Puncture resistance is what the force when the product breaks is called.
4. Pell Test
Here in this test, the two materials that has been bonded together pulls apart for each other. So,
one clamp holds one material, and the other clamp holds the other materials and then pull them
apart for a few inches.
5. Bending Test
In this test, the materials’ length is needed to be supported by spanning it across two supports
on each end. There is nothing supporting the middle portion underneath of it. Next, press
down from above directly in the middle of the span of material until the supported material
breaks or reaches a specific distance. Measuring how strong the material in flexure (flexural
strength) and how stiff it is (flexural modulus) is what this test is focused onto.