EXAMINATION OF THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF VARIOUS BRANDS OF CEMENT IN NIGERIAN MARKET VIS-à-VIS ESTABLISHED STANDARDS

摘要

Cement is an integral part of concrete. Its properties affect the properties of concrete produced withit. Therefore, there is need to examine the properties of various brands of cement available in theNigerian market with a view to ascertaining their compliance with the set standards. Five brands ofcement: Unicem, Dangote, Ibeto, Elephant and Atlas were selected and tested for Fineness,Consistency, Setting Times (Initial and Final), Soundness and Compressive Strength. For thecompressive strength, two concrete cubes were cast in a 150x150x150mm mould for each brand ofcement and for each curing age of 3, 7, and 28 days. A total of 30 cubes were cast and cured. Theresults revealed that all the tested brands of cement in the Nigerian market met the requirements ofvarious standards: Fineness (Maximum of 10%), Consistency (Plunger penetration distance of 5 to7mm on paste made of 500g of cement mixed with 25 to 75% of water), Setting Times (45minutesminimum and 600 minutes maximum for initial and final setting times respectively), Soundness(10mm maximum expansion). The least compressive strength is more than 30N/mm2 target strength.Thus all the tested cement brands in the Nigerian market met the requirements of the relevantcodes/standards.