SAUDI ARAMCO CIVIL CBT INSPECTOR QUALIFICATION TEST

EXCAVATION AND BACKFILLING:

The standard cylindrical specimen is of 300 mm height and 150 mm dia
The standard cubical specimen is of: 150mm X 150mm X 150mm.

Soils shall be classified per ASTM D2487.

 General Fill Material shall consist of gravel, sand and/or marl. The maximum size of the
fill material shall be one-half the lift thickness or 75 mm (3 inches), whichever is less.

Select Fill Material

 6.1.2.1 Select Fill or ‘Structural Fill’ shall be composed only of inorganic material and
shall have 100% passing the 5 cm (2 in) sieve and from 0 to 20% passing the No. 200
sieve.

 6.1.2.2 The portion of Select Fill material passing the No. 40 sieve shall have a maximum
liquid limit of 35 and a maximum plasticity index of 12 per ASTM D4318. Liquid limit
and plastic limit tests are not required for select fill material with less than 15%
passing the No. 200 sieve

 Unless otherwise specified, CLSM shall be in accordance with ACI 229R.

 ACI 229R: The ability to excavate CLSM is an important consideration on many projects.
In general, CLSM with a compressive strength of 0.3 MPa (50 psi) or less can be
excavated manually. Mechanical equipment, such as backhoes, are used for compressive
strengths of 0.7 to 1.4 MPa (100 to 200 psi). Mixtures using high quantities of coarse
aggregate can be difficult to remove by hand, even at low strengths. Mixtures using fine
sand or only fly ash as the aggregate filler have been excavated with a backhoe up to
strengths of 2.1 MPa (300 psi).

 Unless otherwise specified, witness inspection only shall be required for field testing of
CLSM.
 CLSM shall be allowed to harden a minimum of 6 hours prior to proceeding with
construction over the CSLM.

Compaction Water:
  Water used for compaction of fill material shall be reasonably free of salts, oil, acid,
alkalis, organic matter, or other deleterious substances

 Use of water with Total Dissolved Solids of 10,000 ppm or more (i.e. brackish water,
seawater or water obtained from ground pits such as Subkha water) shall align with
environmental exposure requirements set in Tables1and2 of SAES-Q-001.

 Top 150 mm scarified and re-compacted. The density of the top 150 mm in these areas
shall not be less than 90% of the maximum Modified Proctor density (ASTM D1557) or
70%relative density (ASTM D4253 and ASTM D4254) for cohesion less freely draining
soil.

Select Fill Material shall be specified:

 Within 0.6 m of the bottom elevation of foundations, spread footings, slabs-on-grade and
pavements when fill is required to achieve final grade.

 6.3.3.1 Select Fill Material shall be placed in lifts of 200 mm maximum in loose depth.

 6.3.3.2 General Fill Material shall be placed in lifts of 300 mm maximum in loose depth.

 6.3.3.3 General Fill Material and Select Fill Material shall be placed in lifts of 100 mm
maximum in loose depth for hand-operated compaction equipment.

 The moisture content of the material being compacted shall be within 3%, plus or minus,
of the optimum moisture content as determined by ASTM D1557.
 For cohesion less freely draining soils when ASTM D4253/ ASTM D4254 are the
appropriate test procedures, there is no applicable optimum moisture content.

 All Select Fill Material and any fill beneath and/or adjacent to foundations, grade beams,
mats, buildings, lined slopes or drainage channels, and process areas:

 At least 90% of the maximum Modified Proctor density as determined by ASTM D1557,
or (M.P.D)

 At least 70% Relative Density as determined by ASTM D4253 and ASTM D4254 for
cohesion less granular soils that do not exhibit well-defined moisture density
relationship.(M.D)
  Select Fill Material beneath and/or adjacent to foundations with static loads over 320 kpa
and foundations for vibrating or heavy machinery:

 At least 95% of the maximum Modified Proctor density as determined by ASTM D1557,
or(M.P.D)

 At least 85% Relative Density as determined by ASTM D4253 and ASTM D4254 for
cohesion less granular soils that do not exhibit well-defined moisture density
relationship.(M.D)

 Asphalt and concrete pavement subgrades:

 At least 95% of the maximum Modified Proctor density as determined by ASTM

D1557,

 At least 85% Relative Density as determined by ASTM D4253 and ASTM D4254 for
cohesion less granular soils that do not exhibit well-defined moisture density
relationship.

 General Fill Material for areas not designated as open or landscaped:

 At least 90% of the maximum Modified Proctor density as determined by ASTM D1557,

 At least 70% Relative Density as determined by ASTM D4253 and ASTM D4254 for
cohesion less granular soils that do not exhibit well-defined moisture density relationship.

 General Fill Material for areas designated as open or landscaped:

 At least 85% of the maximum Modified Proctor density as determined by ASTM D1557,

 At least 65% Relative Density as determined by ASTM D4253 and ASTM D4254 for
cohesion less granular soils that do not exhibit well-defined moisture density
relationship.(M.D.R)

 Final slopes are steeper than 1 (V) to 5 (H).

 A 500 mm thick layer of fill material placed directly on the Subkha compacted as well as
possible is usually sufficient.

Required tests for cohesive soils:

  Sieve analysis (ASTM C136, ASTM D422, or ASTM D1140)

 Plasticity Index determination (ASTM D4318)

 Modified Proctor Test (ASTM D1557) with corresponding Proctor curve.

Required tests for cohesion less soils:

 Sieve analysis (ASTM C136, ASTM D422, or ASTM D1140)

 Relative Density determination (ASTM D4253 and ASTM D4254).

 Select Fill Material shall be placed in lifts of 200 mm maximum in loose depth.

 General Fill Material shall be placed in lifts of 300 mm maximum in loose depth.

 General Fill Material and Select Fill Material shall be placed in lifts of 100 mm maximum
in loose depth for hand-operated compaction equipment.

Field Control Tests:

 Sand-cone method in accordance with ASTM D1556

 Nuclear method in accordance with ASTM D6938

 Rubber balloon method in accordance with ASTM D2167

 Drive-cylinder method in accordance with ASTM D2937. The drive-cylinder method per
ASTM D2937 may only be used if the compacted layer is only 15 cm or less.

Testing shall be performed at the following frequencies:

 Select Fill Material under all foundations, buildings and process areas - one test every 100
m² of each lift.

 Select Fill Material under roadways, railroads, area pavement and parking areas, and lined
slopes or drainage channels - one test every 200 m² of each lift.
 General Fill Material - one test every 500 m² of each lift.

 Backfill of trenches - one test for every 15 linear meter of each lift.

 Over excavation shall be backfilled with suitable material compacted in accordance with
Section 6.3, CLSM, or lean (1,000 psi minimum 28-day compressive strength) concrete.

 Trenching for pipelines and underground utilities shall conform to SAES-L-450, SAES-L-
460, SAES-L-470 or SAES-S-070 as appropriate.

 ASTM D4253 Standard Test Method for Maximum Index Density and Unit Weight
of Soils Using a Vibratory Table

 ASTM D4254 Standard Test Method for Minimum Index Density and Unit Weight
of Soils and Calculation of Relative Density

 No excavation is permitted under existing foundations. Excavations are not allowed to

intersect a 45 degree plane extending downward from the bottom edge of existing
foundations unless an engineered support system,

 No excavation is permitted under existing foundations.

2.SAES-Q-001- 25 April 2019

 Criteria for Design and Construction of Concrete Structures

 ASTM C39/C39M: Test Methods for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete

Specimens.

 ASTM A767/767M: Specification for Zinc-coated (Galvanized) Steel Bars for Concrete
Reinforcement

 ASTM A775/A775M: Specification for Epoxy-coated Reinforcing Bars

 ASTM A884/A884M: Specification for Epoxy-coated Steel Wire and Welded Wire Fabric
for Reinforcement
 ASTM C39/C39M: Test Methods for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete
Specimens

 ASTM C1240: Standard Specification for Silica Fume Used in Cementitious Mixtures

 American Concrete Institute:

 ACI 117: Standard Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials
 ACI 237R :Self-Consolidating Concrete
 ACI 301-16: Specifications for Structural Concrete
 ACI 304R: Guide for Measuring, Mixing, Transporting, and Placing Concrete
 ACI 305R: Hot Weather Concreting
 ACI 318-14: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete

 Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI)

 AASHTO: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Organization

 Hot Weather Concrete: Can be defined as job-site conditions that accelerate the rate of
moisture loss or rate of cement hydration of freshly mixed concrete, including an ambient
temperature of 29°C or higher, and an evaporation rate that exceeds 1 kg/m²/h.

 Self-consolidating Concrete: Fresh concrete that can flow around and encapsulate
reinforcement and consolidate within formwork under its own weight without any
mechanical consolidation and vibration.

 Marine Structure: Any facility that is in contact with sea water.

 Offshore Concrete Structure: Fixed reinforced concrete, for service in deeper waters far
from the shoreline.

 Subkha: Is a saline (generally coastal) deposit generally consisting of saturated, loose silty
sand, and possibly clay.

 Any placement of concrete designated in the contract documents as mass concrete or any
placement of structural concrete with a minimum dimension equal to or greater than 1,200
mm should be considered mass concrete unless otherwise specified in contract documents
and shall comply with ACI 301-16, Section 8

Cementitious Materials:
 7.1.1 Portland cement shall be in accordance with ASTM C150/C150M, Type I or Type
V.

 7.1.2 Fly ash shall be in accordance with ASTM C618, Class F

 7.1.3 Ground Granular Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) shall be in accordance with ASTM
C989/C989M.

 7.1.4 Natural Pozzolan shall be in accordance with ASTM C618.

 7.1.5 Silica fume shall be in accordance with ASTM C1240.

Reinforcement:

 Coated reinforcements shall be Fusion Bonded Epoxy in accordance with

09-SAMSS-106.

 Welded wire reinforcement shall be plain wire in accordance with ASTM

A1064/A1064M. Rolls of welded wire reinforcement shall not be used.

 Galvanized welded wire fabric shall conform to ASTM A1060/A1060M

 Tie wire shall be black annealed wire, 16 gage (1.29 mm) minimum. Fasten epoxy-coated
reinforcement with tie wires coated with epoxy.

 Manufacturing, fabrication, handling, placement and storage of steel reinforcement shall

be in accordance with ACI 318.

 Concrete paving shall be in accordance with the following:

 Areas subject to spills, wash water, fire water and sidewalk shall be
Paved with a minimum thickness of 100 mm of reinforced concrete.

 Paving slabs subject to vehicular traffic shall be a minimum thickness of

150 mm of reinforced concrete. The design load shall be as specified in
Paragraph 8.6 of this standard.

 Concrete paving slope to the catch basins or trenches shall not be less than
 1:65 (1.5%).The maximum drop to catch basins from high point of paving
Shall be 200 mm.

 Environmental concrete structures, shall have a minimum 28-day

Design compressive strength of 35 MPa (5,000 psi).

 Unreinforced concrete of no significant structural value such as lean

concrete for sub-slabs shall have a minimum 28 day design
Compressive strength (ASTM C39) of 14 MPa (2,000 psi).

 Fly ash or other C618 pozzolans – max: 25 percent.

 Total of fly ash or other pozzolans and silica fume – max: 35 percent.

 Combined fly ash, Pozzolan and silica fume – max: 50 percent with fly ash or Pozzolan
not exceeding 25 percent and silica fume not exceeding 10 percent.

 Ground granulated blast-furnace slag – max: 50 percent

 Silica fume – max: 10 percent

 “Shear key is a structural element which is sometimes used in the footing of retaining
walls to reduce wall's sliding.”

 A shear key is designed to resist the lateral force created by the lateral load from the
soil and seismic force due to earthquake.

1. When shear force at a point is zero, then bending moment is maximum at that point.

2. A beam supported at its both ends is not a simply supported beam

False [Correct Answer]

3. Principle plane is a plane on which the shear stress is?
zero [Correct Answer]
4. The ratio of change in volume to the original volume is called.

volumetric strain [Correct Answer]

 Concrete paving shall have control or construction joints located at a

 Maximum spacing of 6 meters on centers in both directions.

 Unless otherwise specified in the contract documents 20-millimeter

(¾-inch) chamfer strips shall be provided at all corners on permanently
Exposed surfaces.

 Form-release agents shall not be applied if concrete surfaces shall

Receive special finishes (e.g., Architectural Finishes.

 Conduits, pipes and other items made from aluminum shall not be
embedded in structural concrete unless effectively coated to prevent
Aluminum-concrete reaction.

 Equipment made of aluminum alloys shall not be used for pump lines,
Tremies, or chutes used to discharge concrete from a truck mixer.
 Raking shall not be used for movement of concrete after placement.
 Vibrators shall not be used to move concrete inside forms.
 Re-tempering after concrete is mixed shall not be permitted.
 Slabs shall be placed in alternating panels.
 Structural concrete shall be cured in accordance with recommendations
Of ACI 301-16 unless otherwise specified.
 Maximum total dissolved solids in water used for curing shall not
Exceed 1,000 parts per million.
 Water curing shall be continuous until the compressive strength has
Reached 70% of the specified strength, but not less than 7 days.
 SULFUR PIT

 Pipe rack or heavy structures shall not be supported on the roof, or walls of the

Sulfur pits.

 Minimum concrete cover in sulfur pits shall not be less than 75 mm.
 Slump flow shall be 650 ±80 mm in accordance with ASTM C1611.
 Minimum compressive strength shall be50 MPa as measured in accordance
with ASTM C39;
SAES-Q-005 CONCRETE FOUNDATION
 The top of concrete shall be a minimum of 150 mm above finished
Grade or finished paving whichever is higher.
 Anchor rods set in a foundation pedestal shall never extend below the
Bottom of the pedestal into the footing.
 The minimum anchor rod diameter shall be 20 mm (¾”), except when
specified otherwise by the vendor for small equipment or for the
anchorage of small miscellaneous steel items such as; ladder supports,
small piping supports, handrail anchorage, stair stringers, small
Platforms, etc.
 The bottoms of foundations shall be founded on either undisturbed soil
or compacted fill and at least 600 mm below the existing or finished
grade surface of soil
 The allowable soil bearing pressures shall be based on the results of the
geotechnical investigation,
 A geotechnical investigation is required for all new structures and
Foundations as described in SAES-A-113.
 SAES -Q-006 Asphalt and Sulfur Extended Concrete Paving:

 The traffic analysis period shall be twenty (20) years.

 Where existing subgrade materials have a CBR of 5 or less, a subbase with a
minimum CBR of 15 shall be provided with a minimum thickness of 20 cm. (CBR
shall be as determined by ASTM D1883 at 95% compaction according to ASTM
D1557 or AASHTO T180).
 Wearing course thickness to be 5 cm and any thickness less than 8 cm should be
considered as one single layer of wearing course.
 The entire subgrade shall be compacted to not less than 95% of the maximum
dry density per(M.D.D) (ASTM D1557, or AASHTO T180) while within ±1.5% of the
optimum moisture content or to 85% of relative density determined by ASTM D4253
and ASTM D4254
 The subgrade shall be constructed so that after being compacted, it will conform
to the alignment, grade, and cross-section shown on the plans, which shall not vary by
more than ±20 mm as measured with a 3m straight edge from the finished top of
subgrade above or below the grade as required by project construction specification.
Placing
 Granular subbase and base material shall be placed in layers of uniform
thickness with approved spreaders. Layer thickness shall not exceed 150 mm after
compaction.
 The water content of the material shall be maintained during compaction at the
optimum percentage (±1.5%) as determined by ASTM D1557 or AASHTO T180.

Compaction
 The rolling shall continue until the base and subbase are compacted to not less
than (98% for the base and 95% for the subbase) of the maximum laboratory dry
density as determined by ASTM D1557, or AASHTO T180.
 While at optimum moisture (±1.5%) the subbase or base materials.

Finishing

 The surface of the completed aggregate subbase shall not show any deviation in
excess of ±20 mm and ±10 mm for base course.
 The completed thickness of the base shall be within ±6 mm of the thickness
indicated and the average thickness shall not be less than the design thickness.

Specification for Prime Coats and Tack Coats

Prime Coat

 The prime coat shall be applied and shall consist of MC-70 or MC-250
conforming to the requirements.
 Prime coat shall be tested prior to applications and every 10,000 m².
 The atmospheric temperature is 16°C or above.
 Prime coat shall not be applied when the weather is foggy or rainy or in a sand
storm.
 Surface of the base using a pressure distributor at a rate between 0.65 and 1.75
liters per square meter.
 A temperature between 50°C and 80°C for MC-70.
 A temperature between 65°C and 105°C for MC-250.
 Rate of application to be checked using sixty (60) centimeter by ninety (90)
centimeter plywood strips and building paper shall be placed at three (3) randomly
selected roadway locations for each ten thousand (10,000) square meter lot of surface
treatment to be placed.
 The rate of application on each thirty (30) centimeter by sixty (60) centimeter
test pad shall be within ninety and one hundred ten percent (90% and 110%) of the
approved rate.
Tack Coat
 The tack coat shall be RC-70 and or RC 250 shall be tested prior to applications
and every 10,000 m²
 The distributor tank and to be heated to application temperature of 50 to 80°C.
 The tack coat shall be applied by means of bitumen distributor at a maximum rate of 0.25
liters per square meter.
 The atmospheric temperature is less than 16°C.

Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete Paving

The maximum mixing temperature for sulfur extended asphalt mixtures is 140°C.

Loss of Marshall stability by Submerging specimens in water at 60°C for 24 hrs as compared to
stability measured in accordance with ASTM D6927

stability 25% max Base Course 700 min

stability 25% max Wearing Course 700 min

Temperature of sulfur extended asphalt mixtures shall be between 130 and 140°C when it leaves the
plant.

The hot mix asphalt concrete material will not be accepted unless it is covered with tarpaulins until
unloaded,

Unless it has a temperature of at least 115°C at the time of spreading and compaction.

The hot mix asphalt concrete shall be placed only when the ambient temperature is 4°C or above,
The in-place density result on compaction shall be equal to or greater than 95% for the bituminous
base and wearing course of the Marshall density per ASTM D6926,

All compaction shall be completed before the temperature of the mixture drops below 90°C.

After final compaction and rolling, vehicular traffic should not be permitted on asphalt concrete for at
least 24 hours and until pavement has hardened sufficiently.

Asphalt pavement shall not be in contact with pipeline with cathodic protection.

Compaction and thickness of compacted asphalt concrete shall be accepted by lot. Unless otherwise
stated in the project documents, the lot size shall be the lesser of ten thousand (10,000) square meters,
or the production of a single day for each layer constructed.

A minimum of five (5) cores of randomly selected location shall be tested for each lot.

1) The average thickness is equal or greater than the specified thickness;

2) No single core thickness is lower than 10mm or 15% below the specified thickness.

Tolerance: The wearing course surface shall be tested with a four (4) meter straightedge at selected
locations. The variation of the surface from the testing edge of the straightedge between any two (2)
contacts with the surface shall at no point exceed (3mm) three millimeters when placed on or parallel
to the centerline and (6mm) six millimeters maximum when placed perpendicular to the centerline of
the roadway. All humps and depressions exceeding the specified tolerance.

Storage and Mixing of Polymer-Modified Asphalt

Polymer-modified asphalt shall be stored in a tank.

The mixing temperature for the binder shall be 170 +5°C.

The polymer modified asphalt mix shall be placed and compacted at a temperature determined from
the viscosity-temperature relationship which is estimated to be in the range of 155° to 165°C.

When the pavement construction involves two or more courses, successive courses shall have an
overlap of at least 150 mm.
 SAES -Q-007 007 Machinery Foundations and Supporting Structures for
Heavy

Foundations for heavy machinery shall be independent of adjacent

foundations and buildings. Concrete slabs or paving adjacent to the
foundation shall have a minimum 12 mm isolation joint around the
foundation using an approved elastic joint filler with sealant on top

In the event that a foundation size greater than 1.20 meters (48 inches) thick
is required for stability, rigidity, or damping.

The minimum reinforcing steel may be as recommended in ACI 207.2R

with a suggested minimum reinforcement of 22 mm (#7) bars at 30
centimeters (12 inches) on center.

The amount of temperature reinforcing steel in a foundation using grade 60

reinforcing.

The minimum compressive strength of concrete at 28 days shall not be less

than 27.6 MPa (4000 psi).

Main reinforcement in piers shall not be less than 1% nor more than 8% of
the cross-sectional area of the piers. Main reinforcement in pedestals shall
not be less than ½%,

Minimum tie size in piers shall be 12 mm.

Maximum tie spacing in piers shall be the smallest of 8-bar diameters,
24-tie diameters or 1/3 the least dimension of the pier.

Slabs with the thickness of 500 mm or more shall be provided with

shrinkage and temperature reinforcement in accordance with ACI 318.

When foundation thickness is greater than 1200 mm (48 in) thick, the
designer should consult ACI 207.2R and other ACI mass concrete
requirements for concrete mixes and installation.

Expansion joints should be placed at approximately 1.4 m to 2.8 m (4 ft. to

6 ft.) intervals in the grout foundation.