Lara
Concrete is the most common material used in the construction industry. But again, using the right concrete mix and using it in the right proportion is important so that the concrete structure lies strong. Various variables are used to evaluate the quality of concrete used for the construction of structures, such as consistency, workability, air content, time of setting, and many more. Concrete is available in forms of blocks, cylinders and cubes.
As concrete is used to build foundational structures, it becomes essential to measure its strength by using a wide range of testing equipment and compression testing machines. These machines and equipment come in different mode:
Mannual
Semi-automatic
Completely automatic mode.
It is necessary to use these machines for testing the compressive strength of concrete so that it meets the structural strength and design requirements of the structure.
These machines and equipment are manufactured to measure the strength of one specific material type; however, with various accessories, these concrete compression testing machines can be modified to test material of different types and size. Every concrete testing lab consists of these testing machines and equipment.
Steps to choose the right machine:
- Know about the stiffness and frame capacity of the machine
While selecting the right machine for your lab, you should first determine the machine's frame capacity. As per ASTM C39 and AASHTO standards, the concrete compression testing machine's frame capacity should be 20% greater than the expected load that it will test. ASTM C39 mentions that the loading rate falls within 0.14 to 0.34 MPa/sec (20 to 50 psi/sec). Also, the frame of the machine needs to be structurally stiff both horizontally and vertically. This will help you smoothly load the concrete cylinders, reduce the chance of dangerous failures, and provide you with better service life.
- What are your testing specimens and their strength requirements?
It is very important to determine what type of samples will you be testing in the machine. You need to consider the specimen's size because it will directly influence the maximum strength that the machine can test. You also need to consider whether you will test only one type of specimen (for instance, cubes) or multiple types (cylinders, prisms, blocks). Moreover, you need to decide what range of strength you are planning to evaluate through the machine and whether you need to equip your concrete compression testing machine with guard doors and safety features or not.
- Think about adding adaptive accessories
Once you have finalized the frame capacity, stiffness, specimen type, and range of strength to be tested in your testing machine, the next step is to consider adding some adaptive accessories. These accessories are added as per the model type you selected. They will enhance and optimize the machine's functional features by expanding its capability to test multiple specimens such as different sizes of cylinders, blocks, prisms, and beams.
While choosing accessories, you also need to think about all the changes that will be done in a testing machine to accommodate the accessories. For instance, carrier bracket options need to be used in case you want to install block prisms.
- Decide how to handle and operate the test data
Once you have finalized the right concrete compression testing machine by considering all the points mentioned above, you need to decide how will you manage and operate the test results. If you work with a few concrete specimens, you can manually collect and manage the test results. Else, to handle a large amount of test results data, you would require to adopt a system software that will organize and retain all the log details.
This was all the information you need to know about the concrete compression testing machine. Make sure that while selecting a concrete compression testing machine, consider the factors mentioned above and make the best purchase.
