Designation: C 974 – 87 (Reapproved 2004)
Standard Practice for
Preparing Test Specimens from Basic Refractory Castable
Products by Casting1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C 974; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope 4. Procedure
1.1 This practice covers a procedure for preparing test 4.1 Store the material to be tested at 85 6 2°F (29.5 6 1°C)
specimens from a basic refractory castable by casting prepared for 24 h prior to testing.
material in a mold. Specimens prepared in accordance with this 4.2 Reduce the sample to the desired batch size with a
procedure are intended for use in ASTM test methods. sample splitter or by quartering, taking precautions to prevent
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the segregation. Sufficient material should be batched to provide at
safety problems, if any, associated with its use. It is the least a 10 % excess over test specimen requirements.
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- 4.3 Add the weighed, dry batch to the mixer and dry-mix at
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- low speed for 30 s. Continue to mix at low speed while adding
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. the required amount of water (see 4.3.1) within 30 s. Wet-mix
at low speed for 4 min.
2. Significance and Use 4.3.1 Use the amount of water and mixing time (if different
2.1 This practice defines a procedure that ensures consistent from above) recommended by the manufacturer. The water
preparation of specimens for product testing and evaluation. must be potable and at a temperature of 85 6 2°F (29.5 6
2.2 This practice can be used in the laboratories of produc- 1°C). Measure the water addition to the nearest 0.1 % by
ers, users, and general-interest parties for research and devel- weight.
opment or quality-control work. It is particularly useful for 4.4 Specimens should be cast in a mold immediately after
interlaboratory comparisons or products, for repetitive evalua- the batch is mixed so that all specimens made from a batch are
tions or comparisons of products or product quality, and in cast at the same time. The mold should be securely clamped to
specifying a uniform preparation practice for specimens for the vibration table top. Fill the mold to overflowing distributing
acceptance testing. the material uniformly between each cavity. Vibrate in accor-
2.3 In using this practice it must be recognized that the dance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Approximately 15
structure of laboratory-cast specimens may differ significantly s before the end of the vibration period, remove excess material
from the structure of material cast in field applications. (approximately flush with top of mold).
4.4.1 If the batch is too wet, water will run off the specimens
3. Apparatus while if the batch is too dry, the material will not fill the mold.
3.1 Mixer, bench-type, Hobart or equivalent. In either case the batch must be discarded and another run
3.2 Steel Molds. made at a suitable water content.
3.3 Vibration Table, spring or air-cushioned, with a pneu- 4.5 Test specimens should be air-dried in the molds a
matic or electric driver.2 minimum of 16 h and a maximum of 24 h, and then removed
3.4 Oven, air circulating. from the molds and dried for a minimum of 8 h at 225 6 5°F
(107 6 2.5°C) in a circulating air dryer prior to testing.
1
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C08 on Refractories 5. Calculation and Report
and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C08.09 on Monolithics.
Current edition approved March 1, 2004. Published March 2006. Originally 5.1 In the report on specimen preparation, include the
approved in 1982. Last previous edition approved in 1998 as C 974 – 87 (1998). percent water addition, drying time, and test specimen size.
2
Martin Engineering Model CV35 or Syntron Model VP-80 has been found
suitable.
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C 974 – 87 (2004)
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2
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