Soundness of Cement

To determine the soundness of cement

Le chatliers mould consist of small split cylinder of spring brass or other suitable metal of 0.5mm thickness forming a mould 30mm height.On either side of the split are attached two indicators with pointed ends.The distance from these two ends to the center of the cylinder being 165mm.The mould shall be kept in good conditions with the jaws not more than 0.5mm apart.

Procedure

Prepare a cement paste as in consistency test with 0.78 times the water required to give a paste of standard consistency .Fill the cement paste in the le-chatliers mould taking care to keep the edges of the mould gently together during the operation.Cover the mould with another piece of glass plate and place a small weight over the cover plate.Submerge the whole assembly immediately in water at a temperature of 27 degree celcius.