Republic of the Philippines

President Ramon Magsaysay State University

(Formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological University)
Iba, Zambales, Philippines
Tel/Fax No.: (047) 811-1683
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

College of Engineering/Department of Civil Engineering

CMT 223: Construction Materials and Testing
2nd Semester of A.Y. 2020-2021

MODULE 9. COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE HOLLOW BLOCKS

Introduction

Concrete Hollow Blocks (CHB), are one of the most extensiv ely used w alling materials in
the Philippines. Some of the reasons for this is their relativ e low cost w hen compared to
other materials and speed of installation by semi-skilled labourers. CHB w alls are very weak
against lateral loads (pushing or pulling forces from typhoon or earthquake). Adding steel
reinforcing bars v ertically and horizontally inside the CHBs can increase their resistance to
lateral loads.

CHBs are best know n for its v arious designs, hollow blocks are know n for its lightweight
status and easy-to-use features. These are usually made from richer mixes w ith holes that
take up about 25-50% of its composition. These holes, also called hollow s, are a great help
in terms of thermal and sound insulation. Best of all, hollow blocks can accommodate
reinforcing materials like steel rods. Ev en w hen stacked, these pieces are easier to carry
than its chunkier counterpart. I t also requires less mortar or plaster to fill in.

To use blocks in construction, the ov erall length and height of the w all must be fixed
accordingly so that it is possible to use a single block or half-length block. The blocks are
av ailable in standard face size of 440 x 215 mm and a thickness of 140 mm and 215 in a
standard finish (suitable for rendering).

Intended Learning Outcom es

This module enable students to:

 Know w hat are concrete hollow blocks, its adv antages, and standards
 Know the proportions for the manufacture of CHBs
 Learn about the how tests are conducted to CHBs

Learning Activitie s

Watch the follow ing videos for additional information:

1) Material Strength and Construction Concrete Hollow Block Test
https://w w w .youtube.com/w atch?v =FXi7yg6Ttks
2) Philippine Hollow Blocks Analyzed
https://w w w .youtube.com/w atch?v =I 1ftCkQjH34
3) Blocks Sampling and Testing Concrete Masonry
https://w w w .youtube.com/w atch?v =niBlhABz7Dg

PREPARED BY: MA. THEREZA R. VICHO 1

 Content

1. INTRODUCTION
Masonry is one of the oldest forms of construction and has been w idely utilized in both
dev eloped and dev eloping countries due to ease of construction, av ailability of materials,
relativ ely low cost of materials, and unskilled w orkers. There are many masonry materials,
such as:
 unfired clay bricks,
 fired clay bricks,
 concrete bricks, and
 hollow concrete blocks.

Among these masonry materials, clay bricks are gradually abandoned, and hollow
concrete blocks are used more and more w idely due to technological adv ancements,
env ironmental protection, and sustainable dev elopment.

Hollow concrete blocks could offer the potential for energy sav ings, decreasing raw
material usage, and reducing env ironmental impact. Therefore, hollow concrete blocks
play an important role in the modern building industry.

2. ADVANTAGES
 Readily av ailable product
 Good thermal and sound resistance
 High fire resistance
 Can be reinforced to increase lateral resistance against earthquakes and typhoons
 20+ years lifespan

3. STANDARDS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Standard product size Length – 40cm, Height – 20cm, Depth 10cm (4”) and 15 cm (6”)
in the Philippines
Product and material Crushed coarse sand or grav el is optimal for the manufacture of
quality CHBs. Av oid sand sourced from riv ers and coastal areas (sea sand).
The quality of CHBs v aries significantly from one supplier to the next.
Sand and gravel: Widely av ailable in the Visayas region from
Suppliers
local suppliers.
Cement: As abov e
CHBs: I t is recommended to procure products from suppliers w ith
products certified by the Department of Trade and I ndustry (DTI )
and Department of Public Works and Highw ays (DPWH). Check for
PS and I CC markings on the cement to ensure product meets
required specifications. (Refer to reference section for further
information).

Environmental Consider more env ironmentally friendly alternatives where

considerations av ailable, eg: I nterlocking compressed earth blocks (ICEB),

PREPARED BY: MA. THEREZA R. VICHO 2

4. EXISTING STANDARDS FOR CHBs IN THE PHILIPPINES
National Building Code of the Philippines and National Structural Code of the Philippines , NSCP.

Load bearing walls 6” CHBs

CHBs used must be Type I Class A or B unit, confirming w ith
ASTM C-90- 70
Minimum compressive 5.41 Mpa (800psi) - For indiv idual CHBs
strength 6.89Mpa (1000psi) - Based on the av erage gross area of 5 units
Non-load bearing walls 4” CHBs
Applications include: w alls, partitions, fences, dividers
To be laid in mortar 1 part of Portland cement and 3 parts of
Steel bars sand (1:3) Vertical and horizontal spacing as specified by a
structural engineer.
Type 1,2,3 or Type 4 Portland Cement confirming to ASTM C-
Mortar and grout
150. Standard mix to the building code specifications

5. PROPORTIONING OF CONCRETE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CHBS

This is done in two By w eight or v olume. The most common method is by v olume
different ways (e.g. using a bucket)
For CHBs: Mix Proportion 1:7, as per structural engineer’s
Mixture
specification
Clean w ater should be used. Shall not exceed 28 litres per 40
Water kilograms per bag of cement, slump test (as per ASTM C-143)
shall not exceed 10cm, unless specified by a structural engineer.

Common CHB mix:

½ bucket water 1 bucket cement 7 buckets sand

Common mortar mix:

1 bucket water 1 bucket cement 3 buckets sand

I f batch mixer is used, use accurate timing and measuring
Mixing time dev ices to operate as per manufacturer’s instructions.
Rev olutions should be betw een 14 and 20 per minute.
After being remov ed from the mould, the CHBs should be
cov ered w ith a plastic sheet or tarpaulin and kept damp and
shaded for at least 7 days in order to effectiv ely cure. This can
Curing be achiev ed by continually spraying them w ith w ater or keeping
them under w ater in tanks. A good curing process leads to less
cracking and a stronger, harder, denser and more durable
concrete.

PREPARED BY: MA. THEREZA R. VICHO 3

6. CHB Tips
 Selection of raw materials for the manufacture of CHBs:
I t is recommended to use good quality, clean ingredients. Av oid using beach sand
as it contains salt w hich significantly compromises the quality of concrete.

 Proportions of materials in mixture:

Mix concrete w ell, using the proportions specified by a structural engineer. Ensure
that an adequate amount of cement is added and av oid adding excessiv e w ater
as it w eakens the mixture. Concrete should stand up w hen mixed, not flow aw ay
due to excessiv e w ater.

 Mixing:
Use a mixing board otherw ise w ater used for mixing w ill percolate into the ground
and impurities such as dirt and grass could become incorporated into the mixture.
I f concrete is mixed in batches, maintain consistent proportions for all batches.

 Pouring and compaction:

Ensure the formw ork is clean before pouring and v ibrate uniformly. The concrete
should be w ell compacted in order to make sure that any air w hich is trapped in the
concrete (w eak points) is remov ed.

 Curing:
Av oid using freshly made, uncured CHBs as they are still in a state of shrinkage.

 Storage:
Store CHBs for at least 14 days after curing before using them. Protect them from
rain and ground w ater, stacking them in a w ay w hich allow s air to circulate around
and betw een them.
 Transportation:
Minimize excessiv e handling and transportation of CHBs to av oid damage

 Selection and quality control of CHBs:

I t is recommended to test the compressiv e strength of CHBs produced/purchased
in order to ensure they meet the required strength. Select only strong CHBs. Blocks
w ith cracks and corners crumbling aw ay w hen handled suggests poor quality. If the
CHB breaks w hen dropped from head height, don’t use it or other blocks in the
same batch.

 Construction:
Dampen CHBs before laying as dry masonry absorbs w ater from the cement,
w eakening the joint. CHBs should alw ays be laid on a full bed of mortar and v ertical
joints should alw ays be filled.

 Earthquake and typhoon resistance:

I n order to increase the building’s resistance against lateral loads (pushing or pulling
forces from typhoon or earthquake), connect CHB w alls to the reinforced concrete
columns and beams w ith v ertical and horizontal steel reinforcing bars, in
accordance w ith structural engineer’s details.

 Maintenance:
Consider plastering/rendering the surface of CH

PREPARED BY: MA. THEREZA R. VICHO 4

7. COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF HOLLOW BLOCKS
Compressiv e strength of concrete Blocks or concrete
masonry units are required to know the suitability of these in
construction w orks for v arious purposes. Concrete masonry
blocks are generally made of cement, aggregate and water.
Which are usually rectangular and are used in construction of
masonry structure. They are av ailable in solid and hollow
forms. The nominal dimensions of concrete masonry block
v ary as follow s:
 Length: 400 or 500 or 600mm
 Width: 200 or 100mm
 Width: 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250 or 300mm.

TEST ON CONCRETE MASONRY BLOCK UNITS

Different tests are conducted on concrete masonry unit to satisfy the all requirements. But
now w e are discussing about three tests conducted on concrete masonry block which are
as follow s. Blocks of same mix shall be taken and div ide them as follow s to conduct the
follow ing tests.

1) Dimension measurement (All blocks)

All blocks should be checked in this step. The length, w idth and height are measured
w ith steel scale. I f it is a hollow block, then the w eb thickness and face shell are
measured w ith caliper ruler. And prepare a report of av erage length, w idth and
height of block and av erage minimum face shell and minimum w eb thickness using
recorded dimensions.

2) Density of block (3 blocks)

As said abov e, 3 blocks shall be taken to conduct this test. To determine the density
of block, first heat the block in the ov en to 100 oc and then cooled it to room
temperature. Now take the dimensions of block and from that find out the v olume
and w eigh the block. The density of block is determined from the below relation and
the av erage density of 3 blocks w ill be the final block density. Density of block =
mass/v olume (kg/m3) Density v alues of different grades of blocks should be as
follow s.

Type of unit Grade Density of block (kg/m 2)

Hollow type unit A(3.5) >/= 1500
A(4.5) >/=1500
A(5.5) >/=1500
A(7.0) >/=1500
A(8.5) >/=1500
A(10.0) >/=1500
A(12.5) >/=1500
A(15.0) >/=1500
B(3.5) 1100-1500
B(5.0) 1100-1500
Solid type unit C(5.0) >/=1800
C(4.0) >/=1800

PREPARED BY: MA. THEREZA R. VICHO 5

3) Compressive strength of block (8 blocks)
Eight blocks are taken to determine the
av erage compressiv e strength of concrete
masonry block. The blocks should be tested
w ith in 3days after collected in lab. The age
of each block shall be 28 days. The
compressiv e strength testing machine consist
of tw o steel bearing blocks, one is in rigid
position on w hich the masonry unit is placed
and another one is mov able w hich transmit
the load to the masonry unit w hen applied. I f
the bearing area of masonry unit is more than
the bearing area of steel blocks, then
separate steel plates are used. The plates are
arranged on steel blocks in such a w ay that
the centroid of masonry unit coincide with the
center of thrust of blocks.

Bearing area of concrete masonry units are capped w ith the Sulphur and granular
materials coating or gypsum plaster capping. After placing the unit in testing
machine, one-half of the expected maximum load is applied at a constant rate,
and the remaining load is applied in not less than 2 minutes. Note dow n the load at
w hich masonry unit fails and the maximum load div ided by gross sectional area of
unit w ill giv e the compressiv e strength of block. Similarly, test the remaining 7 blocks
and the av erage of 8 blocks strength is the final compressiv e strength of concrete
masonry unit. Below table represents the v alue of minimum av erage compressiv e
strength of indiv idual units.

Min average compressive

Type of unit Grade strength of individual units
(N/mm2)
A(3.5) 2.8
A(4.5) 3.6
A(5.5) 4.4
A(7.0) 5.6
Hollow type concrete A(8.5) 7.0
masonry unit A(10.0) 8.0
A(12.5) 10.0
A(15.0) 12.0
B(3.5) 2.8
B(5.0) 4.0
C(5.0) 4.0
Solid type unit
C(4.0) 3.2

PREPARED BY: MA. THEREZA R. VICHO 6

 References
1. Concrete Hollow Blocks (CHB).
https://www.sheltercluster.org/sites/default/files/docs/Key%20Messages%20CHB%20V1.1.pdf
2. Testing of Concrete Masonry Block for Compressive Strength and Density.
https://theconstructor.org/practical-guide/compressive-strength-concrete-blocks-
masonry-units/13966/
3. Hollow Block. https://constructionor.com/hollow-block/
4. Concrete Hollow Blocks v s Concrete Solid Blocks
https://pinoybuilders.ph/concrete-hollow-blocks-vs-concrete-solid-blocks/

PREPARED BY: MA. THEREZA R. VICHO 7