Influence of Limestone Fillers on the Properties of Concrete

Introduction

The Marsh cone test was used in order to determine the saturated superplasticizer dosage for each of the cement pastes prepared from the different combinations of cement and limestone.

 

Procedure

The superplasticizer dosage for each mix was varied from 0.2% to 1% in increments of 0.2%. The time recorded for a 500 ml of paste to flow through the Marsh cone was plotted against the superplasticizer dosage. A fixed flow volume was used for each of the mixes. The saturated superplasticizer dosage was regarded as the point beyond which the flow time does not decrease significantly. A graph of flow time against superplasticizer dosage was plotted to determine the saturation dosage. The saturation point is illustrated in the Figure on the right.