Standard Method of Test for

Sampling and Fabrication of

50-mm (2-in.) Cube Specimens
Using Grout (Non-Shrink) or Mortar

AASHTO Designation: TP 83-10

1. SCOPE
1.1. This method covers field sampling and fabrication and initial curing of 50-mm (2-in.) cube
specimens of non-shrink grout or mortar materials, or both.

1.2. The values stated in either inch-pound or SI units shall be regarded separately as standard. The
inch-pound units are shown in parentheses. The values stated might not be exact equivalents;
therefore, each system must be used independently of the other.
Note 1—Unit weight was the previous terminology used to describe the property determined by
this test method, which is mass per unit volume.

1.3. The text of this test method references notes and footnotes that provide explanatory information.
These notes and footnotes (excluding those in tables) shall not be considered as requirements of
this test method.

1.4. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use.
It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health
practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
Warning—Fresh hydraulic cementitious mixtures are caustic and may cause chemical burns to
skin and tissue upon prolonged exposure.

2. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
2.1. AASHTO Standards:
 R 60, Sampling Freshly Mixed Concrete
 T 106M/T 106, Compressive Strength of Hydraulic Cement Mortar (Using 50-mm or 2-in.
Cube Specimens)

2.2. ASTM Standards:

 C 109/C 109M, Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of Hydraulic Cement
Mortars (Using 2-in. or [50-mm] Cube Specimens)
 C 1107/C 1107M, Standard Specification for Packaged Dry, Hydraulic-Cement Grout
(Nonshrink)

TS-3b TP 83-1 AASHTO

© 2013 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
3. TERMINOLOGY
3.1. Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:

3.1.1. plastic mix—material viscous enough that an indentation will be left in the surface of the grout
after tamping.

3.1.2. fluid mix—material fluid enough that little or no indentation will be left in the surface after
puddling.

4. APPARATUS
4.1. Specimen Molds Including Cover Plate(s)—The 50-mm (2 in.) cube specimen molds shall be
tight-fitting and made of brass or other suitable material. This material shall not be susceptible to
attack by the cement mortar. The mold portion shall have not more than three cube compartments
and shall be separable into not more than two parts. The parts of the molds (mold halves and cover
plate(s)), when assembled, shall be positively held together. The working surface of the cover
plate(s) shall be plane and shall be positively attached to the side walls of the mold. The interior
faces of the molds shall conform to the tolerances of Table 1.

Table 1—Permissible Variations of Specimen Molds

50-mm Cube Molds 2-in. Cube Molds
Parameter New In Use New In Use
Planeness of sides <0.025 mm <0.05 mm <0.001 in. <0.002 in.
Distance between opposite sides 50 mm ± 0.13 mm 50 mm ± 0.50 mm 2 in. ± 0.005 in. 2 in. ± 0.02 in.
Height of each compartment 50 mm + 0.25 mm 50 mm + 0.25 mm 2 in. + 0.01 in. 2 in. + 0.01 in.
to –0.13 mm to –0.38 mm to –0.005 in. to –0.015 in.
Angle between adjacent facesa 90 ± 0.5° 90 ± 0.5° 90 ± 0.5° 90 ± 0.5°
a
Measured at points slightly removed from the intersection. Measured separately for each compartment between all the interior faces and the adjacent face and
between interior faces and top and bottom planes of the mold.

4.2. Tamper—A nonabsorptive, nonabrasive, nonbrittle material such as a hard rubber compound
having a Shore A durometer hardness of 80 ± 10. The tamper shall have a cross section of about
13 mm by 25 mm (1/2 in. by 1 in.) and a length of 125 to 150 mm (5 to 6 in.). The tamping face
shall be flat and at right angles to the length of the tamper.

4.3. Trowel—Steel bladed, 100 to 150 mm (4 to 6 in.) in length, with straightedges.

4.4. Watertight Container—A 150-mm by 300-mm (6-in. by 12-in.) concrete cylinder mold with lid.

4.5. Other Equipment—Rubber gloves, scoop, clamps to secure the cover plate, light release oil for
oiling the molds, small brush or lint-free cloth for applying and removing excess release oil, and
burlap or wrapping cloth capable of retaining moisture.

5. SAMPLING
5.1. Samples shall be obtained in accordance with R 60 when the batch equals or exceeds 1 m3 (1 yd3).
When the batch is less than 1 m3 (1 yd3), sample from the batch after discharge. If remixing is
required, sample after remixing. Begin molding the specimens within an elapsed time of not more
than 21/2 min from completion of the mixing.

TS-3b TP 83-2 AASHTO

© 2013 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
 Note 2—This test is to be used only for grouts with 100 percent passing the 9.5-mm ( 3/8-in.)
sieve.

5.2. Obtain a representative sample of the mix. Samples shall be a minimum size of 2000 g (4 lb) for
each set of three cubes to be fabricated.

6. PROCEDURE
6.1. Assemble both portions of the mold and the bottom cover plate. All joints shall be watertight. If
not watertight, seal the surfaces where the halves of the mold join by applying a coating of light
cup grease (non-water-soluble). The amount should be sufficient to extrude slightly when the
halves are tightened together. Repeat this process for attaching the mold to the bottom cover plate.
Remove any excess grease. Apply a thin coating of release agent to the interior faces of the mold
and the bottom cover plate. Wipe the mold faces and base plate as necessary to remove any excess
release agent and to achieve a thin, even coating on the interior surfaces. Adequate coating is that
which is just sufficient to allow a distinct fingerprint to remain following light finger pressure.

6.2. Place a layer of grout about 25 mm (1 in.) (approximately one-half of the depth of the mold) in all
of the cube compartments. Consolidate according to the consistency (plastic or fluid) of the mix.

6.2.1. For plastic mixes, tamp the lift in four rounds of 8 tamps for a total of 32 tamps with the rubber
tamper in 10 s. See Figure 1 for tamping sequence of each round. Rounds 1 and 3 and Rounds 2
and 4 shall be the same.

Figure 1—Tamping Sequence

6.2.2. For fluid mixes, puddle the lift five times with a gloved finger. See Figure 2 for puddling
sequence.

TS-3b TP 83-3 AASHTO

© 2013 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
 4

1 2

3 5

Figure 2—Puddling Sequence

6.3. Place the second lift in each of the cube compartments, slightly overfilling each compartment.
Consolidate the material in the same fashion as the first lift with the additional requirement that,
during consolidation of the second lift, any grout forced out onto the top of the mold after each
round will be pushed back onto the compartment by means of the tamper or gloved fingers, or
both, before the next consolidation round. When consolidation of the grout is completed, material
should extend slightly above the top of the mold. After the last round, push any grout forced onto
the top of the mold back into the compartment with the trowel.

6.4. Smooth off the cubes by drawing the flat side of the trowel (with the leading edge slightly raised)
once across the top of each cube at right angles to the length of the mold. Then, for the purpose of
leveling the mortar and making the mortar that protrudes above the top of the mold of more
uniform thickness, draw the flat trailing edge of the trowel (with leading edge slightly raised) once
lightly along the length of the mold. Cut off the mortar to a plane surface flush with the top of the
mold by drawing the straightedge of the trowel (held nearly perpendicular to the mold) with a
sawing motion over the length of the mold. The material shall be flush with the top of the mold.

6.5. Immediately secure the top cover plate to the cube mold.

6.6. Place the molds in a secure location away from vibration and as close as possible to the structure
for initial curing. Cover with wet burlap, towels, or rags; seal it in a plastic sack in a level location
out of direct sunlight; and record the time. These samples shall remain undisturbed and protected
from freezing or overheating for a period of 24 ± 4 h.

6.7. At the end of the initial curing period as required by the agency, either:

6.7.1. Place the sealed plastic sack into a watertight container. Transport the cube samples immediately
to the location of final curing. During transport, the cube samples shall be protected from jarring,
freezing, and moisture loss; or

6.7.2. Disassemble the mold and carefully remove the cube samples. Using a permanent marker, identify
the cube samples. Handling the cube samples very carefully, wrap them in wet burlap or wet
towels and place them into a watertight container. Transport the cube samples immediately to the
location of final curing. During transport, the cube samples shall be protected from jarring,
freezing, and moisture loss.

6.8. Final curing shall consist of removing the samples from the transport container and immersing the
cube samples in a lime-saturated water storage tank. They are to remain in the storage tank until
time of test. (Curing cube samples of material other than hydraulic cement shall be in conformance
with the manufacturer’s recommendations.) The storage tank shall be made of noncorroding
materials.

TS-3b TP 83-4 AASHTO

© 2013 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
Standard Method of Test for

Determining Formwork Pressure of Fresh

Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC) Using
Pressure Transducers

AASHTO Designation: TP 93-12

1. SCOPE
1.1. This method covers the measurement of formwork pressure of fresh self-consolidating concrete
(SCC) using pressure transducers attached to formwork.

1.2. This is a field test with the intention of measuring formwork pressure during placement of SCC.

1.3. The text of this standard references notes that provide explanatory information. These notes shall
not be considered as requirements for this standard.

1.4. The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard.

1.5. This standard may involve hazardous materials, operations, and equipment. This standard does
not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices
and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
2.1. ASTM Standard:
 C 125, Standard Terminology Relating to Concrete and Concrete Aggregates

3. SIGNIFICANCE AND USE

3.1. This method is applicable when there is a concern about SCC form pressures that may exceed the
rated strength of the formwork. SCC shall be defined by ASTM C 125.
Note 1—Formwork less than or equal to 3 m (10 ft) tall constructed of commercial forms rated at
57.5 kPa (1200 lb/ft2) or greater may be able to resist the SCC pressures encountered in the field;
however, the engineer is still responsible for the formwork design.

4. APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

4.1. Pressure Transducer—A suitable pressure transducer for measuring pressure from SCC.

TS-3b TP 93-1 AASHTO

© 2013 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.