CEE Oct-Dec 2002

lnc.lia from var1ous parts of the country shou ld be tested with stand a1d sa nd that is to be developed by M/s. TAMIN with res pect to cement mortar, and cement conc rete and various grades. The results so obta ined have to be tabulated @ 20°+/ -2° as well as at '27°+/-2° ambient temperature probably with controlled relative humidity levels. From the resul ts obtained for the parameters, the specifications of the standards have to be refixed. It is quite time cons uming efforts and hence trying to fix various norms in a hurried manner with the intention to complete the assignment of alignment will create several problems. In case we have to export cement conforming to EN or J\STM or any other specifications it can be on the basis of spec ifi cation as agreed to between supp lier and customer with respect to speci!ications as well as the method of testing. 1) Pracica! Diffc u!ties 111 Alignment: The present Indian Standards for cement are based on a long and proven testing data generated by BIS, cement manufacturers, R&D institutions and construction firms in lnd;,L The necessary testing equipments and all raw materials are available locally. Standard sand for testing as per BIS is readily ava ilable for uninterrupted supply to manufacturers even considering the growth in cement production in years to come. Procedures for concrete mix design ha ving a corre lati on between cement and concrete s trength are already in exi stence and laborator ies and cons truction firm s are fully conversant with the procedures. For al ignment of Indi an Standard with EN Standard. the following points need to be looked into:- i) Fo r testing of cement conforming to EN standard, the basic raw material viz. sand is not available and this will call for import. ii) Indi genous testing equipme nt and spares, etc, are not locally available and will be sourced tl·om overseas. iii)Calibrating agencies or calibration procedures are not establ ished or available in the country. iv) Maintaining lab environment. i.e. temperature and humidity vvould itself be a task in a tropical country like ours. v) A st~tndard lab for testing and assessment of cement quality is not available. vi) Possi.ble threat of ready entry by European manufacturers cannot be ruled our. vi i)Data for cement as well as concrete testing for wid e acceptab ility in all areas of cement application will have to be established. viii)Co-relation of data between cement strength and concrete strength are not establi shed. The construction industry wi II be facing a big vacuum while using cement confo rmin g to EN standards . ix) Acceptability of cement will pose a problem since this new standard may not match with long establi shed standard in "different Government depts. Considering the ahove points, !he harmonisation ofEN s/undard with Indian standard is not considered appropriate at this point oftillle. 2) Background I Preamble f or aligning l11dian Standard with EN Standard In the first meeting of working group to study alignment of Indian 42 standard s with EN standard, the convener had opined that in th e overall interest of the cement industry and country , harmoni sation should be attemrted . The aim is to ensure the Indian stand a rd s incorporate all international/ EEC requirements. I r both I ntcrnationa I stand ard (I SO) and EN sta ndard s ex ist. the following procedure could be adopted if: I) Both Internat ional standard (ISO) and EN stanc.lards are id entica l and tec hnically equiva lent then harmon ize Indian s tandard wit h Internati onal standard. 2) Harmonise Indian standard with Intcrnationa l standa rd (ISO) or EN standards whichever is more s tri ngent to meet the spec ificat ion in either, viz ISO or EN. In respect of specificati ons for cement both ISO and EN standards are similar. Howeve r, i11 World Bank sponsored projects, conformity of materi als including cement with international standards is norma lly insisted upon. Th is requirement is an uph ill task to convince the authorities to accept materials con forming to Ind ian standard . Since this is a necessa ry requirement , it had to be proved that Inclian cements meet international requirements like Sardar Sarovar project, etc, and sooner or later, Indi a may have to fo llow international stand ards for various projects. As cemen t is acce pted as product ror expo rt , foc us by Mini st ry of Commerce, th e Government desired that Indian standard should be ali gned with EN standard. It was agreed that the future potential or export of cement conforming to EN I ISO standards in the global market or projects in /" ·- .