4.—Sifting (granulometric composition),
5.—Percentage of silt and character of same,
6.—Percentage of voids,
7.—Character of stone as to percentage of absorption, porosity, permeability, compressive strength, and behavior under treatment.
Physical tests are made to determine the tensile, compressive, and transverse strengths of the cement and mortar test pieces, with various preparations of cement and various percentages of material. Tests are also made to determine porosity, permeability, volumetric changes in setting, absorption, coefficient of expansion, effect of oil, etc.
Investigation of concretes made from mixtures of typical Portland cement, sand, stone, and gravel, includes tests on cylinders, prisms, cubes, and other standard test pieces, with various proportions of materials and at ages ranging from 30 to 360 days. Full-sized plain concrete beams, moulded building blocks, reinforced concrete beams, columns, floor slabs, arches, etc., are tested to determine the effect, character, and amount of reinforcement, the effect of changes in volume, size, and composition, and the effect of different methods of loading and of supporting these pieces, etc.
These investigations include detailed inquiry in the field and research in the chemical and physical laboratories regarding the effects of alkaline soils and waters on structures of concrete being built by the Reclamation Service in the arid regions. It has been noted that on certain of the Reclamation projects, notably on the Sun River Project, near Great Falls, Mont., the Shoshone Project, near Cody, Wyo., and the Carlsbad and Hondo Projects in the Pecos Valley, N. Mex., structures of concrete, reinforced concrete, building stones, brick, and tile, show evidence of disintegration. This is attributed to the effects of alkaline waters or soils coming into contact with the structures, or to the constituent materials used. In co-operation with the Reclamation Service, samples of the waters, soils, and constituent materials, are collected in the field, and are subjected to careful chemical examination in the mineral laboratories at Pittsburg.
