ABSTRACT
The bearing surfaces of the testing machine should be wiped clean and any loose grit removed from the bed faces of the specimen. The specimen should be bedded with rapid setting mortar on one corner into a steel or high strength concrete block formed into a 45° vee in the upper surface and dimensioned such that the sides of the vee are one tenth of the height of the specimen (i.e. the length of the side). A plumb line and bob should be used to ensure that the diagonal is exactly vertical in both orthogonal planes. A similar block should be mortared onto the top and such that the top surface is level. Alternatively an equivalent block may be cast in place using a high strength polymer concrete and a suitable mould. A prepared specimen is illustrated in Figure B.6a .
