HOW TO REDUCE GROSS AGGREGATE SAMPLE TO TEST SAMPLE BY QUARTERING OR CONING METHOD?

What is Quartering?

Quartering is the process of reducing a representative sample to a convenient size or dividing a sample into two or more smaller samples for testing. It is a non-mechanical method of reducing a sample.

Steps or Process for Quartering

1. Place the original sample in the center of a clean, dry, steel plate or other hard, smooth, non-absorbent surface.
2. Using a scoop or any suitable tool, mix the aggregate well and form a cone-shaped pile.
3. Flatten the pile evenly until the diameter equals about four to eight times the thickness.
4. With a large trowel or other suitable tool, split the sample in half by passing the tool vertically through the center of the pile. Similarly divide each of these halves into two parts, thus quaring the sample.
5. Solder diagonally opposite quarters of the material to the two samples. Store one of these two halves. If the weight of the remaining material is still too much, repeat the entire quarter process until the appropriate test sample size is achieved.

notes

• This method of sample reduction is employed when a mechanical splitter is not available.
• Accuracy is most easily achieved in quartering, both in terms of fines and with damp material overall.