Laboratory testing manual 2000

Abstract

The importance of standardized and consistent test procedures in road construction in order to establish quality can not be over emphasized. This Manual describes the procedures for laboratory testing of road construction and building materials carried out at the Central Materials Laboratory (CML). The test procedures are in essence based on British Standard (BS) for testing of soils, aggregates and concrete. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) have been used for asphalt testing. These procedures are in accordance with the requirements referred to in the Ministry of Works, Pavement and Materials Design Manual of 1999 and Standard Specifications for Road Works of 2000. It has been said that, " One test result is worth a hundred expert opinions", but this is only true if such a result is truly accurate and relevant for its application. In practice, it is essential that test procedures are clearly specified and that their fields of application and limitations are clearly understood. It is in this context this Manual has been compiled, although simplified to a more practical approach to make it easier to do the tests. However, after saying so the performances of the tests are in accordance with the relevant standards i.e. BS and ASTM. The described test procedures are standards for testing of road construction materials and shall under no circumstances be diverted from. Hence, consistent and high quality laboratory routines are essential, so are the quality assurance of test results and test equipment. Only these can produce reliable results, which can be used to predict and explain the performance of road construction materials. Preparation of this Manual has been a component under the Institutional Co-operation between the Ministry of Works and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) to support and improve the capacity at the Central Materials Laboratory (CML). The Government of Tanzania and the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD) have jointly financed the project. Central Materials Laboratory, Dar es Salaam June, 2000