Materials Engineering Responsibilities and Standards

A test used to determine the casting length of regular piles in bridge projects.

A document prepared by the DPWH outlining the quality control procedures that contractors must follow for a project.

This report is key to determining the acceptance or rejection of any construction material.

The Materials Engineer must submit this report to the DPWH by the 25th day of each month.

The process that involves compacting soil topping of cut fills, compacting materials in embankments, and determining & treating unsuitable materials.

The average strength of cores should be 85% of the specified strength (f'c), and no single core should be less than 75% of the specified strength.

The contractor must submit a job-mix formula with supporting lab data and samples at least three weeks before the Engineer approves it.

It is caused by rolling the mixture below temperature requirements, having too much coarse aggregate, or too little binder.

A negative Ground Improvement Index (G.I.) indicates the soil is very good for construction.

If concrete cylinder samples are unavailable for testing and cores are structurally infeasible, the concrete will be paid at an adjusted price.

Scaling of newly constructed concrete pavement is usually caused by excessive bleed water.

Spread the samples on the ground, divide them into four quadrants, and take the samples from two opposite quadrants.

Both abrasion test and sieve analysis are required for quality determination of concrete course aggregate samples.

Manufactured fine aggregates typically require more mixing water.

PCCP construction requires opening to traffic 14 days after the concrete is placed.

Rolling should begin at the sides and proceed longitudinally parallel towards the centerline, overlapping 1/2 the roller width, gradually progressing to the crown.

For small projects, a Mill Certificate is sufficient for accepting steel bars when the quantity is 10,000 kg or less.

The surface of newly placed concrete should be cured for at least 72 hours after finishing operations.

It is not true that one RCPC must be submitted for quality testing for every 50 RCPC if a concrete cylinder sample is unavailable.

A deficiency in core specimen thickness of more than 25mm per lot will not be paid for.

Type I Portland Cement is the recommended type for concreting unless specified otherwise in the special provision.

If the average thickness per lot is deficient by 7mm, then the payment for that lot will be adjusted.

It is true that the higher the plasticity index (PI) of the soil, the weaker the performance of the soil.

If you suspect the delivered materials are different than what was tested and passed, immediately conduct re-testing.

Compaction should be performed when the mixture is still hot and workable to achieve the required density.

Boring tests are typically performed for building projects that are three stories or higher.

Sampling refers to the process of mixing before determining the compliance of delivered or constructed materials with specifications.

Field density tests, slump tests, and other tests are conducted in the field for road construction.

For large buildings, boring should be done at each corner and in the center.

Quality control work refers to work elements carried out to ensure the quality of materials and construction.

The Monthly Materials Report summarizes all field control tests submitted by the contractor each month.

Scheduling the delivery of materials is not the responsibility of the Materials Engineer.

Curing of the pavement is done by covering the concrete with water-saturated mats, thoroughly wetting the pavement, and applying curing compound.

A sample is considered oven-dried when it reaches its constant weight.

Sampling for aggregates in stockpiles should be done at the bottom, middle, and top of the pile.

Concrete cylinder samples should be placed inside a container with sawdust or palay when being delivered to the laboratory for testing.

A slump test for concrete requires the mix to be prepared in three layers, each layer being rodded 25 times.

Cylinder samples are primarily used for building projects.

The Contractor's Materials Engineer is responsible for bringing samples to the DPWH accredited laboratory for materials testing.

As a Materials Engineer, you should start sampling and testing fine and coarse aggregates once the source is identified.

The best evaluation of manufactured RCPC (Reinforced Concrete Pipe) quality involves a test of the concrete pipe itself.

If the ordered asphalt temperature is 20 degrees Celsius lower than the job mix temperature, you should not accept it.

If the concrete testing results show a deficiency of 15%, the payment for the concrete will be made at an adjusted price.

If the average compressive strength of three cement specimens exceeds 27.6 Mpa, even if one fails, the cement passes ASTM 150 specifications.

Emulsifying agents are added to emulsified asphalt to combine water and asphalt.

Curing extends the development time of the concrete's strength, providing long-term durability.

If aggregates base course materials pass all tests except grading, reprocess the material by blending to achieve the correct gradation.