BULLETIN 230, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Several tanks constructed of oil-mixed concrete in the testing lab- 
oratory of the Office of Public Koads have remained absolutely water- 
tight since then 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 4J 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 
& 
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 
1^-inch finish on exposed 
1 gallon 
Bag cement 
do 
To waterproof floor against 
"floor over water tank. 
to bag 
to 4 bar- 
percolation of ram water. 
cement. 
rows sand. 
Results good. Oil cement 
laid twice as fast as that 
without oil. 
4A 
Swimming pool, 20-inch 
wall, originally water- 
...do 
do 
do 
Scratch coat \ inch thick 
plastered on inside of tank. 
Tile laid on this. Over 2 
proofed with "Ceresit." 
Unsatisfactory (5 feet 
years old and has never 
leaked. Tile adhered well. 
water in tank). 
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 
f gallon 
to bag. 
1:2:2 
Not expert.. 
1 foot water in cellar before 
waterproofing. Absolutely 
water-tight after using oil 
concrete. 
