How to Test Quality of Cement at Construction Site?

How to Know Which is the Best Cement Brand in India

Quality test of cement at construction site is also called the cement field test and are essentially carried out to ascertain the quality of the cement received while construction process is going on. Although you may have procured cement from the best cementmanufacturers in India, it’s critical you do a field test to be sure of the quality of the cement as concrete is one of the most pivotal building construction materials that leads to a strong foundation.

Carrying out this field test on cement quality based on colour, touch and feel and other tests can be done in the following manner:

Cement Test at Construction Site

1.   Colour Test

If you ever get confused as to which is the best cement brand in India, just try out this simple cement colour test to get the answer. Quality of the best cement can be easily ascertained by its colour. If you procured the cement from a leading cement manufacturer in India like M P Birla Cement, their cement’s colour is always uniform grey with a light greenish shade.

2.   Lump Test

The best quality cement should be free of any hard lumps and should have a coarse but smooth texture. Cement forms lumps when it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and such cement is unfit for construction.

3.   Adulteration Test

The cement has to be checked for adulteration too before taking it up for construction. The best quality cement should feel smooth on rubbing between fingers and if it feels coarse, it signals adulteration with sand.

4.   Temperature Test

If you insert a hand inside the cement bag, it should feel cold and not at all warm. This indicates your cement bag is from a leading cement manufacturer in India like MP Birla Cement.

5.   Float Test

Float test is yet another cement field test to know which is the best cement brand in India that offers quality cement. This is carried out by throwing small amount of cement in a bucket of water and see if they settle at the bottom or float above. If they float above for sometime before settling at the bottom, it’s the sign of a premium quality cement.

6.   Setting Test

Setting test is another solid test to know the cement quality at the construction site. Make a thick paste of cement with water on a glass plate and keep it under water for 24 hours. The best quality cement, from a leading cement manufacturer in India like MP Birla cement, wouldn’t crack and stay put after 24 hours.

7.   Strength Test

A block of cement 25 mm × 25 mm and 200 mm long is prepared and it is immersed for 7 days in water. It is then placed on supports 15cm apart and loaded with a weight of about 34 kg. if you’ve bought the cement from a reputed cement manufacturer in India like MP Birla Cement then the block should not show signs of failure.

8.   Packaging Date

It’s no brainer to figure out that the strength of cement reduces over time and thus it gets all the more important to always look for the packaging date on the cement bag. Generally, a bag of cement with less than 90 days of manufacturing date is fit to use.

Why You Should Put Rajasthan in Your Travel Bucket List

India is an incredible country filled with beautiful places to visit. This country has so much to offer in respect of nature, culture, food, values, etc. Some of the amazing destinations in India are Kerala, Himachal, Rajasthan, North-East. Rajasthan has a rich cultural heritage, delicious cuisine, and astounding natural beauty.

If you are looking for a beautiful place filled with serenity and calm, visit Udaipur. The city of lakes attracts visitors from all over the world. The picturesque lakes, medieval forts, and delicious Rajasthani food, all contribute to the charm and beauty of this place. Every tourist visiting the city of lakes wants to stay in the best accommodations. Apart from the mainstream luxury hotels, there are many lesser-known boutique hotels that will surprise you with royal hospitality, mouthwatering food and a closer view of Rajasthani culture. If you like traveling on a budget and looking for a boutique place, check out our recommendations:

Lake Pichola Hotel is a heritage hotel is one of the most beautiful boutique hotels in Udaipur overlooking the pristine lake Pichola. The architecture of this hotel transports you to a fascinating era of Rajasthani culture and tradition. Enjoy a meal under the starlit sky in their al-fresco restaurant, Upre by 1559 A.D. Hotel Fateh Garh is one of the finest luxury hotels in Udaipur offering world-class accommodation experience. This hotel offers interesting activities like zip-lining, jeep safari, or a vintage car sight-seeing.  As most of the hotels in Udaipur are surrounded by water, the cement used for the construction is strong and resilient. Mostly OPC cement is best cement in India for general construction work. Hotel Udai Kothi is rated as one of the best boutique hotels in India. This beautiful property has restaurants, pool, spa, and a concierge service. Enjoy the sunset across the Udaipur skyline with a cup of tea from your room. It is also a popular venue for destination weddings in Rajasthan. The pristine exteriors of this hotel are painted with white cement, that easily blends with the surroundings. Hotel Swaroop Vilas is a haveli style boutique hotel in Udaipur offers a peaceful getaway surrounding the Lake Swaroop Sagar. It is tucked in greenery, offering stunning views of the lake. Indulge in authentic Rajasthani food at the terrace bar while soaking in the serene ambiance. Madri Haveli is a 300-year old property belonged to King of Madri. It has only 14 rooms, which are renovated while restoring the authenticity of the property. The renovation was undertaken by a French designer that took over 6 years to complete. Every corner of this room has a rich heritage, history, and character. Get your camera to capture some captivating moments if you are staying in this magnificent hotel. Jaiwana Haveli is a haveli-style hotel which has 24 rooms with all modern amenities. You can book a lake view room at this hotel. It features a rooftop restaurant that offers delicious Rajasthani cuisine and breathtaking views of Lake Pichola.

There are daily flights to Udaipur that operates from all over the country. Plan your visit today to this beautiful city.

How Sustainable Buildings Can Contribute to a Better Environment?

We are living in an age where the earth is going through an environmental crisis. From global warming to ocean pollution, natural catastrophic events are increasing greatly. We must shift towards sustainable solutions that helps us to address the issue at hand. Eco-friendly and bio-degradable is the way to go. LEED is a voluntary certification that helps architects, designers and engineers to develop sustainable residential and commercial buildings. The focus is to increase the use of recycled, biodegradable and eco-friendly materials for construction. The chief source of energy comes from renewable sources like solar power, wind, and water. Rainwater harvesting is done to conserve water. Terrace gardens and green roof systems are excellent ways to reduce pollution, keep the building cooler and protect the roof from harmful UV rays. Architects design buildings that have access to natural sunlight, thereby reducing the use of artificial lighting and reducing consumption of energy. Choose best cement for concrete and eco-friendly materials for construction. Plant more trees in the campus to fight pollution. Consider these eco buildings that are making a mark in sustainability:

One Byrant Park, New York City is one of the greenest skyscrapers in the world, with a LEED platinum certification. It has CO2 monitors, waterless urinals and LED lighting. The building has its own power plant that produces 4.6 megawatts of clean, sustainable energy. Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China, Shanghai Tower, has a LEED platinum certification. The wind turbines installed on the top floor of the building produce energy that is used for exterior lighting and parking areas. Today, most of the global construction projects are using eco-friendly materials and energy efficient techniques to restore and preserve our environment. The cement used for the construction of eco-friendly buildings are OPC and PSC. Portland Slag Cement is a blended cement rich in reactive silica. Portland cement is the best cement for house construction of foundations, the structure of roofs.

The building also facilitates rainwater harvesting. Cor Building in Miami is a uniquely designed building uses innovative measures to promote sustainability. The exoskeletal structure of the building is used for thermal mass insulation, wind turbines, solar hot water generation, natural shading, and cooling. It also has an efficient waste recycling and management system. Council House 2 in Melbourne, Australia has six green star ratings. It has a wind turbine system, sewage recycling, photovoltaic powered sheets among with many other sustainable features. The power consumption of this building is 85 percent lesser than any other building. It has 65 percent less CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. World Trade Center, Bahrain is a high-rise skyscraper has wind-turbine installed in its design for generation of electricity. Along with being energy efficient, it enables waste management and recycling. This building has been awarded multiple ratings for its sustainable ways.