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IS 4031:1996 Part 2 is the Indian Standard (BIS) for methods of physical tests for hydraulic cement - part 2: determination of fineness by blaine air permeability method. This part of IS 4031 covers the procedure for determining the fineness of hydraulic cement using the Blaine air permeability apparatus. The test measures the specific surface area of the cement (expressed in cm²/g or m²/kg), which is a crucial parameter affecting the rate of hydration, heat evolution, and strength development of concrete.
Describes the procedure for determining the fineness of hydraulic cement by the Blaine air permeability method.
Standard Test Method for Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by the 150-μm (No. 100) and 75-μm (No. 200) Sieves
Defines a procedure for determining cement fineness by dry sieving, though using different sieve sizes.
EN 196-6:2018CEN (European Committee for Standardization), Europe
HighCurrent
Methods of testing cement - Part 6: Determination of fineness
Specifies fineness determination by sieving, often with an air-jet apparatus, but shares the 90 µm sieve size.
AASHTO T 128-17AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), USA
HighCurrent
Standard Method of Test for Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by the 150-μm (No. 100) and 75-μm (No. 200) Sieves
Essentially identical to ASTM C184, used for transportation and highway applications.
JIS R 5201:2015JSA (Japanese Standards Association), Japan
MediumCurrent
Physical testing methods for cement
A comprehensive standard for cement testing that includes a method for fineness by sieving on a 90 µm sieve.
Key Differences
≠IS 4031 specifies a sample mass of 100 g, which is significantly larger than the 10 g used in EN 196-6 and 50 g in ASTM C184.
≠The Indian standard mandates a fixed sieving duration of 15 minutes, whereas ASTM C184 uses a performance-based endpoint (sieving until the amount passing per minute is negligible).
≠While IS 4031 describes a manual sieving procedure, EN 196-6 primarily details the use of a more precise and automated air-jet sieving apparatus for its dry sieving method.
≠IS 4031 uses a 90 µm sieve, which differs from the primary sieves of 75 µm (No. 200) and 150 µm (No. 100) specified in ASTM C184.
Key Similarities
≈The fundamental principle of the test is identical: to determine fineness by measuring the mass of cement residue retained on a standard sieve after a defined procedure.
≈The result is universally expressed as the mass of the residue as a percentage of the initial sample mass, reported to the nearest 0.1%.
≈Both IS 4031 and EN 196-6 specify the use of a 90 µm sieve, making comparisons between results from these standards more direct, despite procedural differences.
≈All standards require that the test sieve be thoroughly clean, dry, and verified for conformity (e.g., no damage, correct aperture size) before use.
Parameter Comparison
Parameter
IS Value
International
Source
Primary Sieve Aperture
90 µm
75 µm (No. 200)
ASTM C184-17
Primary Sieve Aperture
90 µm
90 µm
EN 196-6:2018
Test Sample Mass
100 g
50 g
ASTM C184-17
Test Sample Mass
100 g
10 g
EN 196-6:2018
Sieving Procedure
Manual shaking for a fixed time
Primarily automated air-jet sieving
EN 196-6:2018
Sieving Endpoint
15 minutes of continuous sieving
When residue passing in 1 minute is less than 0.10 g
ASTM C184-17
Weighing Balance Accuracy
0.01 g
0.01 g
ASTM C184-17
⚠ Verify details from original standards before use
Key Values4
Quick Reference Values
standard porosity of compacted bed0.500 ± 0.005
testing room temperature27 ± 2 °C
testing relative humidity65 ± 5 %
filter paper porosityMedium retentive (Whatman No. 40 or equivalent)
Key Formulas
W = ρ × V × (1 - e) — Weight of sample to be tested
S = (Ss × √T × √ns) / (√Ts × √n) — Specific surface area calculation
Tables & Referenced Sections
Key Tables
No tables data
Key Clauses
Clause 4 - Apparatus
Clause 5 - Test Sample
Clause 6 - Procedure for determining the bed volume