QEST Platform 5.0 Documentation
Applies to QESTLab

This article describes the data entry process and features of the NZS 4407 Test 3.6 Sand Equivalent worksheet.

Qest ID: 10619

Worksheet Layout

Equipment

In addition to the general items described in Sand Equivalent Tests, and the following equipment is available.

Equipment label	Qest ID	Notes
Sedimentation Cylinder (1)	30104
Sedimentation Cylinder (2)	30104
Measuring Container	30016
Timer	30047
Sand Reading Indicator	30175
Reference Disc Used	N/A	When unchecked, Sand Readings are entered directly in the Measurements section. When checked, Sand Readings are calculated from the Reference Disc value in the Measurements section.
4.75mm Sieve	30137

In addition, the Oven is not available on this test.

Data Entry

In addition to the data entry described in Sand Equivalent Tests, the following data may be entered:

The Received Sample Condition may be one of:
- Natural
- Air Dry
- Oven Dry: when selected, comments are automatically added to the Comments section indicating that the sample is invalid.
- Other (see comments): when selected, additional comments should be entered in the Comments section.
The Sample Preparation Method uses a different list to other sand equivalent tests. The only two options are:
- Washed
- Brushed
The Comments section allows additional information to be recorded, which may be optionally reported.
The Measurements section includes data entry for Reference Disc. Entering a reference disc value calculates the sand reading for that trial as the reference disc reading minus 250.

When the Mass of Specimen is less than 500g, a warning is displayed on the worksheet. This does not cause the test to be flagged as out of specification.

Calculated Results

The Sand Equivalent % for each trial is calculated in the same as described in Sand Equivalent Tests.

The Average Sand Equivalent % is calculated as the average of the first and second trials. If the first two trials are invalid, the average is instead calculated as the average of the third and fourth trials.

When the option Add One to Average If Whole Number is set to Yes, if the average would naturally result in a whole number, 1 is added to the result regardless. For example:

Sand Equivalent 1 = 40.0%
Sand Equivalent 2 = 50.0%

The natural average of these is exactly 45%. If the option is set to Yes, then this will be increased by one to 46%.

Bulk Entry

Like other sand equivalent tests, this test only displays calculated fields on the bulk entry. However, a wider range of values are shown.

Reporting

The results from this worksheet can be reported on an Aggregate/Soil Test Report (if required).

Products described on these pages, including but not limited to QESTLab®, QESTNet, QESTField, QEST Web App, Construction Hive, and associated products are Trademarks (™) of Spectra QEST Australia Pty Ltd and/or related companies.

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