How to Calculate Rate of Loading for Concrete Cube Testing in Compression Testing Machine

Dnyan Deshmukh said:

Rate of Loading for Concrete Cube Testing in Compression Testing Machine
This is a most interesting question asked by anyone, what is rate of loading for cube testing?
Almost all answer it as, Sir as per IS 516 rate of loading is 140 kg / Sqcm / Minute, The load shall be applied slowly without shock and increased continuously until the resistance of specimen (concrete cube) to increasing load breaks.

Superb, you absolutely know what specified in the IS Code now this is cube testing machine and this is cube. Do test in front of me as you said.
Almost all goes blank and surrender for the thing because they know only what is written in code and never experienced it.

Today, I will tell you, how to do testing as per IS 516.

My cube testing machine measures the load in KN, IS 516 specifies it to in KG – No issue late convert it to Kn

1 Kg is 9.81 n
1000 n is 1 Kn
So it will become (140 x 9.81 / 1000) = 1.373 Kn

Sir my cube testing machine do loading at Kn/sec – No issue convert minute to sec
1 Minute is 60 Sec.

Sir I did conversion, now how do I calculate the required loading rate?

It’s simple, what IS 516 Specifies, 140Kg/Sqcm/Minute (140Kg load on each Sqcm in a minute)

So to know the rate of loading you should know the size of cube and its loading area

Example: if cube is of size 15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm
Your loading surface is 15 cm x 15 cm
So You calculate the loading rate by using formula specified in IS 516
Which is Loading Rate = 140Kg per Sqcm of Cube surface area on which loading applies and loaded in minute time

So what it says exactly

140 Kg load on each Sqcm or 1.373 Kn load on each Sqcm
It means total load on total area will be

1.373 x 225 (Cube surface area in Sqcm 15 cm x 15 cm)
Which comes to 308.925 Kn for 15cm x 15 cm cube surface area

As my cube testing machine measures loading in Kn/Sec and this load is to be applied in minute time, I can precisely calculate loading rate by dividing it with 60
So rate of loading which I need to set in cube testing machine and maintain without jerks, fluctuation is Equals

Rate of Loading for 15 Cm cube = 308.925 Kn / 60 Sec = 5.148 Kn/Sec

Another Example
Cube size is 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm
So total load on this surface area will be
1.373 x 10 x 10 = 137.3 Kn

So rate of loading will be = 137.3 / 60 = 2.88 Kn/Sec

Same way you can calculate rate of loading for each cube size you test at your laboratory.

Kindly note above calculation are done considering your cube testing machine applies load in Kn, if your machine applies load in Kg or Mt kindly change the load on cube surface according to your unit of measurement and then calculate the rate of loading require for your cube testing machine for different sizes of cubes.

Click to expand...

SE-Test Lab Instruments said:

FULLY AUTOMATIC COMPRESSION TESTING MACHINE WITH PACE RATE CONTROLLER
Model No.: SET-1139
Make: SETEST
Origin: India
Product Description: The fully Digital automatic compression testing Machine with an advanced and automatic pace rate controller by SE-test is a user-friendly machine that facilitates and Accurate the process with fine and automatic pace rate control, data logging, data printing, load hold etc. Enabled with a full 3 term PID feedback control, it works by using a high torque Stepper Motor. The engineering of the machine consists of a Loading unit & an Electrically Operated Hydraulic Pump with an intelligent and accurate pace rate controller.
Specifications: A fully welded loading frame comes with a top crosshead, base and solid side walls with the precision ground hydraulic piston fixed to the base of the machine. Also, the machine is super empowering for it works by using two speed pump that allows the fast approach of platens, for daylight closure and also allows automatic, precise control over the load application. There is also a display of pace rate bar which gives timely feedback to the operator on the loading rate.
High Performance Compression Testing Machine: The best thing about this automatic machine is that its controller is incorporated with a four-line digital display and features the integral load pacing bar display, maximum load and stress result display and a RS 232 output. Results from 1000 completed tests can be stored in the memory and these results can be in English, Metric or SI units. The Calibration range of the machine is from 10% to 100% of the machine capacity, over which range the accuracy is ±1% of the applied load

Further information please visit our website: Automatic Compression Testing Machine with Pace Rate Controller India

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Dnyan Deshmukh said:

Rate of Loading for Concrete Cube Testing in Compression Testing Machine
This is a most interesting question asked by anyone, what is rate of loading for cube testing?
Almost all answer it as, Sir as per IS 516 rate of loading is 140 kg / Sqcm / Minute, The load shall be applied slowly without shock and increased continuously until the resistance of specimen (concrete cube) to increasing load breaks.

Superb, you absolutely know what specified in the IS Code now this is cube testing machine and this is cube. Do test in front of me as you said.
Almost all goes blank and surrender for the thing because they know only what is written in code and never experienced it.

Today, I will tell you, how to do testing as per IS 516.

My cube testing machine measures the load in KN, IS 516 specifies it to in KG – No issue late convert it to Kn

1 Kg is 9.81 n
1000 n is 1 Kn
So it will become (140 x 9.81 / 1000) = 1.373 Kn

Sir my cube testing machine do loading at Kn/sec – No issue convert minute to sec
1 Minute is 60 Sec.

Sir I did conversion, now how do I calculate the required loading rate?

It’s simple, what IS 516 Specifies, 140Kg/Sqcm/Minute (140Kg load on each Sqcm in a minute)

So to know the rate of loading you should know the size of cube and its loading area

Example: if cube is of size 15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm
Your loading surface is 15 cm x 15 cm
So You calculate the loading rate by using formula specified in IS 516
Which is Loading Rate = 140Kg per Sqcm of Cube surface area on which loading applies and loaded in minute time

So what it says exactly

140 Kg load on each Sqcm or 1.373 Kn load on each Sqcm
It means total load on total area will be

1.373 x 225 (Cube surface area in Sqcm 15 cm x 15 cm)
Which comes to 308.925 Kn for 15cm x 15 cm cube surface area

As my cube testing machine measures loading in Kn/Sec and this load is to be applied in minute time, I can precisely calculate loading rate by dividing it with 60
So rate of loading which I need to set in cube testing machine and maintain without jerks, fluctuation is Equals

Rate of Loading for 15 Cm cube = 308.925 Kn / 60 Sec = 5.148 Kn/Sec

Another Example
Cube size is 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm
So total load on this surface area will be
1.373 x 10 x 10 = 137.3 Kn

So rate of loading will be = 137.3 / 60 = 2.88 Kn/Sec

Same way you can calculate rate of loading for each cube size you test at your laboratory.

Kindly note above calculation are done considering your cube testing machine applies load in Kn, if your machine applies load in Kg or Mt kindly change the load on cube surface according to your unit of measurement and then calculate the rate of loading require for your cube testing machine for different sizes of cubes.

Click to expand...

Dnyan Deshmukh said:

Rate of Loading for Concrete Cube Testing in Compression Testing Machine
This is a most interesting question asked by anyone, what is rate of loading for cube testing?
Almost all answer it as, Sir as per IS 516 rate of loading is 140 kg / Sqcm / Minute, The load shall be applied slowly without shock and increased continuously until the resistance of specimen (concrete cube) to increasing load breaks.

Superb, you absolutely know what specified in the IS Code now this is cube testing machine and this is cube. Do test in front of me as you said.
Almost all goes blank and surrender for the thing because they know only what is written in code and never experienced it.

Today, I will tell you, how to do testing as per IS 516.

My cube testing machine measures the load in KN, IS 516 specifies it to in KG – No issue late convert it to Kn

1 Kg is 9.81 n
1000 n is 1 Kn
So it will become (140 x 9.81 / 1000) = 1.373 Kn

Sir my cube testing machine do loading at Kn/sec – No issue convert minute to sec
1 Minute is 60 Sec.

Sir I did conversion, now how do I calculate the required loading rate?

It’s simple, what IS 516 Specifies, 140Kg/Sqcm/Minute (140Kg load on each Sqcm in a minute)

So to know the rate of loading you should know the size of cube and its loading area

Example: if cube is of size 15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm
Your loading surface is 15 cm x 15 cm
So You calculate the loading rate by using formula specified in IS 516
Which is Loading Rate = 140Kg per Sqcm of Cube surface area on which loading applies and loaded in minute time

So what it says exactly

140 Kg load on each Sqcm or 1.373 Kn load on each Sqcm
It means total load on total area will be

1.373 x 225 (Cube surface area in Sqcm 15 cm x 15 cm)
Which comes to 308.925 Kn for 15cm x 15 cm cube surface area

As my cube testing machine measures loading in Kn/Sec and this load is to be applied in minute time, I can precisely calculate loading rate by dividing it with 60
So rate of loading which I need to set in cube testing machine and maintain without jerks, fluctuation is Equals

Rate of Loading for 15 Cm cube = 308.925 Kn / 60 Sec = 5.148 Kn/Sec

Another Example
Cube size is 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm
So total load on this surface area will be
1.373 x 10 x 10 = 137.3 Kn

So rate of loading will be = 137.3 / 60 = 2.88 Kn/Sec

Same way you can calculate rate of loading for each cube size you test at your laboratory.

Kindly note above calculation are done considering your cube testing machine applies load in Kn, if your machine applies load in Kg or Mt kindly change the load on cube surface according to your unit of measurement and then calculate the rate of loading require for your cube testing machine for different sizes of cubes.

Click to expand...

Dnyan Deshmukh said:

Rate of Loading for Concrete Cube Testing in Compression Testing Machine
This is a most interesting question asked by anyone, what is rate of loading for cube testing?
Almost all answer it as, Sir as per IS 516 rate of loading is 140 kg / Sqcm / Minute, The load shall be applied slowly without shock and increased continuously until the resistance of specimen (concrete cube) to increasing load breaks.

Superb, you absolutely know what specified in the IS Code now this is cube testing machine and this is cube. Do test in front of me as you said.
Almost all goes blank and surrender for the thing because they know only what is written in code and never experienced it.

Today, I will tell you, how to do testing as per IS 516.

My cube testing machine measures the load in KN, IS 516 specifies it to in KG – No issue late convert it to Kn

1 Kg is 9.81 n
1000 n is 1 Kn
So it will become (140 x 9.81 / 1000) = 1.373 Kn

Sir my cube testing machine do loading at Kn/sec – No issue convert minute to sec
1 Minute is 60 Sec.

Sir I did conversion, now how do I calculate the required loading rate?

It’s simple, what IS 516 Specifies, 140Kg/Sqcm/Minute (140Kg load on each Sqcm in a minute)

So to know the rate of loading you should know the size of cube and its loading area

Example: if cube is of size 15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm
Your loading surface is 15 cm x 15 cm
So You calculate the loading rate by using formula specified in IS 516
Which is Loading Rate = 140Kg per Sqcm of Cube surface area on which loading applies and loaded in minute time

So what it says exactly

140 Kg load on each Sqcm or 1.373 Kn load on each Sqcm
It means total load on total area will be

1.373 x 225 (Cube surface area in Sqcm 15 cm x 15 cm)
Which comes to 308.925 Kn for 15cm x 15 cm cube surface area

As my cube testing machine measures loading in Kn/Sec and this load is to be applied in minute time, I can precisely calculate loading rate by dividing it with 60
So rate of loading which I need to set in cube testing machine and maintain without jerks, fluctuation is Equals

Rate of Loading for 15 Cm cube = 308.925 Kn / 60 Sec = 5.148 Kn/Sec

Another Example
Cube size is 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm
So total load on this surface area will be
1.373 x 10 x 10 = 137.3 Kn

So rate of loading will be = 137.3 / 60 = 2.88 Kn/Sec

Same way you can calculate rate of loading for each cube size you test at your laboratory.

Kindly note above calculation are done considering your cube testing machine applies load in Kn, if your machine applies load in Kg or Mt kindly change the load on cube surface according to your unit of measurement and then calculate the rate of loading require for your cube testing machine for different sizes of cubes.

Click to expand...

Dnyan Deshmukh said:

The article written here in first post itself is self explanatory thing. i have shown the calculations for rate of loading as per Indian Standard which might be different in your country. the rate of loading for concrete cube testing shall be followed as per the standards which govern the work in your area.

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Dnyan Deshmukh said:

I have updated the rate of loading as per the current IS standard in first post.

BS 1881 Part 116 is withdrawn by BSI and it is replaced with BS EN 12390 part 3 in 2002

Current version is BS EN 12390 Part 3 2019 as per the data published by BSI group link for the same is pasted below for the reference

BSI Group - Link to BS 1881 Part 116

The rate of loading as per British Standard is 0.6 +/- 0.2 Mpa (N/mm2) per sec.
What it means, you can have rate of loading of 0.6 N/mm2/sec which can deviate by +/- 0.2 N/mm2/sec

So for 150 mm x 150 mm cube

0.6 N x 150 mm x 150 mm / 1 sec

= 13500 N/s
= 13.5 Kn/Sec

As the range is given to keep either 0.4 Mpa/sec or 0.8 Mpa/sec

For 150 mm x 150 mm cube you can have constant loading rate within +/-10 % variation during loading which to be auto adjustable or to be adjusted manually by driving knob as per the data for rate of loading displayed on screen or gauge.

Lower side = 9 Kn/sec
Standard = 13.5 Kn /sec
Higher Side = 18 Kn/sec

You have a choice to keep rate of loading between lower limit to higher limit, base on the grade of concrete where the rate of loading does not exits 30% of the failure load.

I hope this will help you in understanding rate of loading.

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Dnyan Deshmukh said:

I do not have much idea about how it is prescribed in code which you refer but as per Indian Standards, for calculating compressive strength of the block is Load / Area

So the equation becomes = Load / (480 x 280), i am assuming this dimension are the out to out measurement of your hollow block.

The rate of loading is depends on the type of material. for brick size = 7 +/- 1 Mpa per minute

For light weight blocks - by making cubes of 150mm - rate of loading 1.1 Kn/sec to 4.41 Kn/sec in such a way that failure occurs in 30 sec.

For Solid Blocks - Failure shall occur in 1 to 2 minutes - so rate of loading shall be according to that.


For Gross density = Weight / Volume by taking out to out measurement

For Net Density = Weight / Actual volume of block by deducting volume of hollow portion from the total volume.

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