1、Designation: C 860 00 (Reapproved 2005)Standard Practice forDetermining the Consistency of Refractory Castable Usingthe Ball-In-Hand Test1This standard is issued under the fixed designation C 860; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case
2、 of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.1. Scope1.1 The amount
3、 of water used in a castable has a significantinfluence on its performance. This practice covers the proce-dures for determining the consistency of a castable using theBall-in-Hand Test.1.2 This practice applies to regular weight castable refrac-tories and insulating castable refractories which are
4、describedin Classification C 401. It also applies to such castablescontaining metal fibers.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of this standard to establish appropriate safetyand health practices and determ
5、ine the applicability of regu-latory limitations prior to use. (See 6.2.3 for a specific safetywarning.)2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2C 401 Classification of Alumina and Alumina-SilicateCastable Refractories3. Significance and Use3.1 This practice is used primarily to determine if a fre
6、shlymixed refractory castable is of the proper consistency andtherefore would most likely provide optimum performance. Itcan also be used to estimate the correct water addition rate ofa castable when either the manufacturers specified watercontent is not available or when unique circumstances havere
7、ndered that recommendation unusable.3.2 The correct water content is an important factor thatmust be controlled to obtain optimum castable performance.Excess water can reduce strength, increase volume shrinkage,and promote segregation of the castable ingredients. Insuffi-cient water can produce “hon
8、eycombs” (air voids) in thecastable because of the insufficient mobility during placementand in extreme cases can prevent the complete hydration of thecement (if used).3.3 The Ball-in-Hand test is subjective and somewhat de-pends on the skill of the operator. However, it is a universallyaccessible m
9、ethod due to the simplicity of the equipmentrequired, and it is readily used in the field.3.4 The total wet mixing time of a castable influences therheological and final properties and therefore should be moni-tored.3.5 This practice can be performed in a laboratory or on ajob site.3.6 This practice
10、 is not intended to determine the properconsistency for gunning applications, although it may provideinformation of value for interpretation by a skilled operator.4. Apparatus4.1 Castable MixerEither a manually or electrically op-erated (see Fig. 1) mechanical mixer3may be used to preparebatches for
11、 consistency determination in a laboratory. Wetcastable may also be obtained while in the field from the mixerbeing used for installation.4.2 Heavy Rubber Gloves, for castables containing metalfibers.4.3 Clock or Watch, with second hand.5. Sampling5.1 A representative handful of freshly mixed castab
12、leshould be drawn from the center of the mixer while the mixeris not running.6. Procedure6.1 Preparation of Castable:1This practice is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee C08 on Refractoriesand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C08.09 on Monolithics.Current edition approved Dec. 1, 20
13、05. Published January 2006. Originallyapproved in 1977. Last previous edition approved in 2000 as C 860 00.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the stand
14、ards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3The sole source of supply of mechanical mixers known to the committee at thistime is Hobart Corporation, 701 S. Ridge Ave., Troy, OH 45374. If you are awareof alternative suppliers, please provide this information to ASTM InternationalHeadquarters. Your
15、 comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of theresponsible technical committee,1which you may attend.1Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.6.1.1 Load the mixer with dry castable to an appropriatelevel so as
16、 to allow proper mixing action by the mixer but notso much as to cause dry or wet castable to splash out of themixer.6.1.1.1 The amount of water required to reach the consis-tency specified in 6.2 increases as the dry volume loading of amixer drops below 40 % of its capacity. This occurs becausethe
17、percentage of the total water required to wet the mixersurfaces increases with decreased volume loading.6.1.2 Dry mix the castable for the manufacturers recom-mended dry mixing time or until the castable appears to befully mixed.6.1.3 Start the mixer and note the time. Add 90 % of theestimated water
18、 requirement over a period of 30 s. If a watercontent specified by the manufacturer is available, it should beused to calculate this amount. Then add additional water insmall amounts and continue mixing until the batch appears tohave the desired ball-in-hand consistency specified in 6.2.6.1.3.1 The
19、moisture content of lightweight, porous aggre-gates can affect the water demand of a castable. Dry aggregatescan change the consistency of a castable after mixing iscompleted by absorbing the mixing water into its pores. Thiscan cause premature stiffening and poor consolidation of thecastable.6.1.4
20、The total actual wet mixing time, including wateradditions, should be 3 min 6 10 s for dense castables, 5 min 610 s for insulating castables, 4 to 6 min for mixes needingheavy vibration, and at least 5 min for castables containingdeflocculating admixtures (to allow for wet-out) such as lowcement cas
21、tables (LCC) or ultra-low cement castables(ULCC). These recommendations do not override any speci-fied by the manufacturer.6.2 Ball-in-Hand Test:6.2.1 Prepare the castable in accordance with 6.1.6.2.2 While the mixer is off, remove a handful of castablefrom the center of the mixer.6.2.3 Form a fist-
22、sized compact ball of the mix with thehands (see Fig. 2, Fig. 3, and Fig. 4). Toss it upward about 1 ft(300 mm), and catch it in one hand with the fingers spreadslightly apart. The proper consistency and variations areillustrated in Figs. 2-4.(WarningIf the castable containsmetal fibers, the operato
23、r must wear a heavy rubber glove toprevent the needles from cutting or otherwise injuring hishand.)7. Report7.1 Report the following information:7.1.1 The type of mixer used to prepare the test batch,7.1.2 Environmental conditions such as ambient tempera-ture and water quality,7.1.3 The total mixing
24、 time, and7.1.4 The consistency of the castable as observed by theBall-in-Hand test.8. Keywords8.1 ball-in-hand; castable; consistency; mixing; refractory;water demand; wet-outFIG. 1 Five-Quart Hobart MixerC 860 00 (2005)2NOTEThis test shows a mix containing excess water.FIG. 2 Range in Consistency
25、of Castable Mixes as Shown by Ball-in-Hand TestsNOTEThis test shows a mix containing insufficient water.FIG. 3 Range in Consistency of Castable Mixes as Shown by Ball-in-Hand TestsC 860 00 (2005)3ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection
26、 with any item mentionedin this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the riskof infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible t
27、echnical committee and must be reviewed every five years andif not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional standardsand should be addressed to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful conside
28、ration at a meeting of theresponsible technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you shouldmake your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr
29、 Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the aboveaddress or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or serviceastm.org (e-mail); or through the ASTM website(www.astm.org).NOTEThis test shows a mix having proper consistency.FIG. 4 Range in Consistency of Castable Mixes as Shown by Ball-in-Hand TestsC 860 00 (2005)4
