HYDRAULIC CEMENTS


 

GENERAL

Portland cement shall meet the requirements of ASTM C150 for the type specified. When blended cement is to be furnished, it shall meet the requirements of ASTM C595. Cement Type I, II, III, IP, IS and IL shall also meet the additional requirements outlined in Section 4101 of the Standard Specifications. Approval of any type of Portland and blended cements will be based on certification by an approved source or upon source sampling and testing before being incorporated into the work. Approved cement sources and distribution terminals are listed in the Materials Approved Products Listing Enterprise (MAPLE) as Appendixes A and B.

 

The available cement types are:

 

ASTM C150

 

Type I           For general use.

 

Type II          For moderate sulfate resistance. C3A less than 8%.

 

Type III         High early strength. Generally, a finer ground Type I cement.

 

White Cement White cement sources shall meet the requirements of ASTM C150, except the maximum Fe₂O₃ shall not exceed 0.5%. Approved sources of white cement are listed in the Appendix B.

 

ASTM C595

 

Type IS         Type I Slag is a Portland cement blended, or clinker interground, up to 35% GGBFS.

 

      Type IP         Type I Pozzolan is a Portland cement blended or clinker interground, up to 25% pozzolan.

 

      Type IL         Type I Limestone is a Portland cement blended or clinker interground, between 5% and 15% limestone.

 

SOURCE APPROVAL

For consideration for approval, the manufacturer shall provide the following to the Construction and Materials Bureau:

 

1.       A quality control program that meets the requirements of Section A.

2.       A copy of the latest CCRL inspection report on quality control laboratory, including documentation of resolution of any discrepancies noted.

3.       A 3-month strength uniformity report prepared in accordance with the requirements of ASTM C917, “Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Cement Strength Uniformity from a Single Source”.

4.       A letter indicating the type of each processing addition, and the percent range that will be used in Type I cement.

 

The manufacturer shall also prepare a 24-hour composite sample of cement from current production according to ASTM C183. This sample will be tested by the Central Materials Laboratory for acceptance.

 

Iowa may approve a source based on another state source approval, provided that state will agree to the terms specified in this IM, and the source meets Section 4101 of the Iowa DOT Standard Specifications.

 

Mixing of cement from different sources, different plants, or of different types in one storage bin or silo will not be allowed.

 

When less than 5% of limestone is used, the manufacturer shall inform the Construction and Materials Bureau in writing on the amount of the addition. The manufacturer shall also supply comparative test data on chemical and physical properties of the cement with and without limestone. The amount of limestone used shall be included in the manufacturer’s Mill Test Reports. Approval of Type IL cement which contains limestone in a range of 5% to 15%, is described in Section C of this IM.

 

A.     Quality Control Program

 

The control of the production from each grinding mill type shall be considered separately. The following minimum testing frequencies are presented as a general guideline:

 

1.     One sample representing 24 hours of production to be tested for air content, false set, and soundness. Determinations of free lime may be used to alter the frequency of testing soundness.

 

2.     One sample representing 4 hours production to be tested for time of set and fineness.

 

3.     One sample representing 48 hours production to be tested for chemical analysis.

 

4.     One sample representing 4 day’s production to be tested for 3- and 7-day compressive strength.

 

The sampling, tests and testing frequencies required may vary from the above guidelines depending of the particular production problems of the plant. In all cases, the quality control procedure used shall be submitted in writing to the District Materials Engineer for approval.

 

Sampling, handling and testing of cement samples shall follow ASTM C183.

 

The plant sample test records shall be available for study by Highway Division personnel for at least seven years after the cement represented has been produced.

 

B.     Quality Control Laboratory

 

The Portland cement plant is required to have a control laboratory compliant with ASTM C1222, Standard Practice for Evaluation of laboratories Testing Hydraulic Cement. The control laboratory shall be AASHTO accredited. This laboratory will perform testing on the applicable types of cement meeting ASTM C150 and C595. Any major difference on test results between the control laboratory and the Highway Division Ames Laboratory shall be resolved quickly. Continued unresolved differences in test results will be considered a basis for discontinuing control laboratory approval.

 

C.    Approval of Type IL Cement

 

To apply for approval of a Type IL cement, manufacturer shall submit test results of two concrete mixtures, one with the Type IL cement and other with the control Type I/II cement of the same source, to the Construction and Materials Bureau. These two concrete mixtures shall be cast per the Iowa DOT Concrete Mix Designation C-3WR-C20. The coarse aggregate used shall be an Iowa DOT approved limestone or dolomite. Fly ash, sand, air entraining agent and chemical admixtures used shall also be from Iowa DOT approval lists. The air content shall be in the range of 5.5% and 7.0%.

 

The tests and approval requirements are listed below:

 

·        ASTM C39, Compressive Strength at 7, 28, and 56 Days: 90% or better of control.

·        ASTM C78, Flexural Strength or ASTM C496, Splitting Tensile Strength at 28 and 56 Days: 95% or better of control or a 28-day 3rd point MR greater than 640 psi.

·        ASTM C157, Concrete Shrinkage up to 56 Days: 95% or better of control or 56-day shrinkage less than 0.040%.

·        ASTM C666, Freeze-Thaw Resistance up to 300 Cycles: 95% or better of control or a durability factor greater than 90%.

·        ASTM C457, Air Void Analysis.

·        ASTM C1202, Rapid Chloride Permeability.

·        ASTM C1012, Sulfate Resistance up to 6 Months.

 

SOURCE APPROVED BY OTHER STATES

Iowa DOT will accept cements and cement blends approved or certified by other state transportation agencies, providing that state agrees to the following terms and that source meets Article 4101 of Standards Specifications.

 

1.          The host state agency will require the cement plant within its boundaries to have a laboratory compliant with ASTM C1222, Standard Practice for Evaluation of Laboratories Testing Hydraulic Cement. This laboratory shall be AASHTO accredited and will perform testing on the applicable types of cement produced (ASTM C 150/AASHTO M 85, C595/AASHTO M 240, C 1157) and shipped for state agencies consumption. Agency laboratories used for verification testing must meet the same criteria.

 

2.          The host state agency will require the cement plant within its boundaries to have a printed, agency acceptable quality control/quality assurance plan for the production of cements used by state agencies. The plan must include commitments to comply with ASTM C1222 and ASTM C183, Standard Practice for Sampling and the Amount of Testing of Hydraulic Cement. The host state agency will verify compliance with the quality control plan.

 

3.          The host state agency will require the cement producer to maintain and provide, for each lot (silo) of cement shipped, a compilation of Mill Test Reports in an electronic form (Excel spread sheet). The applicable data will be provided to the host state agency at least semiannually.

 

4.          The host state agency will require the cement producer to submit split samples of a regular Portland cement (ASTM C150/AASHTO M85) and a blended cement (ASTM C595/AASHTO M240) or performance specification cement (ASTM C1157) if produced, semiannually for verification testing.

 

5.          The host state agency will require the cement producer to submit reports for ASTM C917, Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Cement Strength Uniformity From a Single Source, for both a regular Portland cement and a blended cement, if produced, at least semiannually.

 

6.          The host state agency will require the cement producer to maintain production and quality control/quality assurance records for at least seven years and make those records available if requested.

 

7.          The host state agency will review submittals from the cement producer along with agency test results. If deficiencies are discovered, the state agency will monitor corrective actions taken by the producer until the deficiencies are corrected. The reciprocal agreement state agency will be notified of the deficiencies and of each occurrence.

 

8.          Any test results or submittals collected by the host state agency may be made available to the reciprocal agreement state agency upon request.

 

9.          All cement plant information and data is confidential within the limits of a public agency and is for state agencies information and inspection only.

 

10.       Quality assurance test results of field samples, performed by a reciprocal state, shall be reported to the host state agency when non-compliance occurs. The reciprocal state agency will deal directly with the cement producer. The host state agency will take action as described in Item 7. The host state agency shall notify all reciprocal agreement state agencies when non-compliance occurs.

 

11.       Cement tests or requirements beyond the standards stated above may be provided to reciprocal state agencies by agreement between the host state and reciprocal state agencies.

 

CONTINUED SOURCE APPROVAL

 

A.   DOT Sampling and Testing

 

After initial approval, random samples will be taken and tested at a minimum rate of one sample semiannually.  The samples may be taken at the source or at the distribution terminal if the source is outside the district’s normal area of travel.

 

A split-sample will be obtained from the plant of a Regular Supplier twice a year, preferably in January and July. The sample will be split and tested for complete chemical and physical properties by supplier’s control laboratory and the Highway Division Ames Laboratory, respectively. The date of the split sampling and load out silo number will be identified on the sample identification report for later comparison.

 

Verification samples will be secured at the project site just before incorporation into the work. Test results, which do not comply with the specifications, may be considered sufficient cause to rescind approval to furnish cement. Construction that contains cement represented by verification samples showing deficient test results will be subject to the requirements of Article 1105.04 of the Standard Specifications.

 

B.   Mill Test Reports

 

Mill Test Reports covering cement to be certified shall be submitted to the Cement and Concrete Engineer at the Central Laboratory at Ames, and if requested, to the District Materials Engineer who monitors the plant. An electronic form (Excel spreadsheet) is acceptable.

 

The plant of a regular supplier is required to submit reports for ASTM C917, Standard Test method for Evaluation of Cement Strength Uniformity at least annually.

 

PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

All approved cements shipped for intended use in Iowa shall be clearly identified. The producer of approved cement shall furnish for the project records, two invoices or bill of lading copies, which bear the following certification statement and the signature of an authorized representative of the producer:

 

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

 

The material herein described has been sampled and tested as prescribed by the Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation and complies with the applicable specification requirements for type ____________________________ cement.

 

Bin No.                                                              Signed                                                    

Date                                                               

 

The bills of lading or invoices shall include project number, if available, source name, source location, source code, type, and quantity in the shipments. For blended cements (Types IP and IS), the above type designation shall include the suffix (X), where (X) equals the targeted percentage of slag or pozzolan in the product.

 

In the case of truck shipments, these copies of the bill of lading or invoice shall accompany each load, and shall be retained at the project or ready mixed concrete plant for the project engineer records. In the case of rail shipments, these copies shall be mailed to the project or ready mix plant.