4 BULLETIN 230, XT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Several tanks constructed of oil-mixed concrete in the testing lab- 

 oratory of the Office of Public Roads have remained absolutely water- 

 tight since their completion over a year ago. One of these tanks 

 was made of a mixture of concrete composed of 1 part of cement, 

 2 parts of sand, and 4 parts of stone, mixed with 10 per cent of oil 

 based on the weight of cement in the mixture. It is used for storing 

 concrete test specimens and is 14 feet long by 5 feet wide by 4^ feet 

 deep. The bottom of this tank is 4 inches thick and is deposited on 

 the cement floor of the laboratory. The sides are 6 inches in thick- 

 ness and are reinforced with one-half inch deformed steel bars. A 

 second tank was built very successfully merely by plastering oil- 

 mixed Portland cement mortar against one-half inch mesh expanded 

 metal. Although the sides and bottom of this tank are but 1 inch 

 thick, it is absolutely water-tight against about 2 feet of head. 



A number of firms, corporations, and individuals applied to the 

 Office of Public Roads for information in regard to using this oil- 

 cement concrete in various structures. In these cases the office sup- 

 plied the oil specifications and directions for mixing and applying 

 the materials, but no supervision. Later, inquiries were made rela- 

 tive to the success met with where the specifications had been fol- 

 lowed. Many of these inquiries were not answered, but of the 29 

 replies received from persons who had used the oil-cement concrete, 

 only 3 were wholly unfavorable, while 1 was partly so. Of the 3 un- 

 favorable replies, 1 referred to the use of the material for paving blocks, 

 and another to its use in the construction of tanks for holding acids. 



A summary of these 29 replies is given in Table 1. As considerable 

 difficulty was encountered in securing oils that met the specifications, 

 substitute oils were used in some instances. 



Table 1. — Results obtained in the use of oil concrete as a waterproofing material in actual 



service. 



RESULTS FAVORABLE. 



Re- 





Per cent 

 oil used. 



Proportions 



Character of 



Character of waterproofing 



No! 



Nature of work. 



and consist- 

 ency. 



workman- 

 ship. 



required and results ob- 

 tained. 



1C 



Lemon washing tank; floor 



5 





Expert 



Results satisfactory in every 





for toilet; plaster parti- 







way. 





tions on metal lath. 











2C 



Retaining wall 



10 



1:3:5 (wet) 



do 



Waterproof interior against 











damp earth. Results gen- 













erally satisfactory. 



3A 



li-inch finish on exposed 



1 gallon 



Bag cement 



do 



To wa'tcrproof floor against 





floor over water tank. 



to bag 



to 4 bar- 





percolation of rain water. 

 Results good. Oil cement 







cement. 



rows sand. 















laid twice as fast as that 













without oil. 



4A 



Swimming pool, 20-ineh 

 wall, originally water- 



...do 



do 



do 



Scratch coat i inch thick 











plastered on inside of tank. 

 Tile laid on this. Over 2 





proofed with "Ceresit." 











Unsatisfactory (5 feet 









years old and has never 





water in tank). 









leaked. Tile adhered well. 



5B 



Roof of tool house and silo. . 



10 



1:6 



Not expert.. 



Plastered 1 inch on metal 

 lath. Results very good. 



6B 



Cellar of dwelling house 



J gallon 

 to bag. 



1:2:2 



Not expert . . 



1 foot water in cellar before 

 waterproofing. Absolutely 

 water-tight after using oil 























concrete. 



