LimsPulse
Construction materials testing

Vicat Apparatus

A weighted sliding rod with interchangeable plunger and needles used to find the standard consistency of cement paste and its initial and final setting times.

  • Cement manufacturing
  • Construction materials testing
  • Ready-mix concrete
  • Admixture manufacturers
  • Academic labs
Photo of a Vicat Apparatus
Photo: Habib M’henni, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Maintenance checklist

Each use

  • Clean plunger, needles and mould
  • Check the rod slides freely and the pointer returns to zero

Monthly

  • Inspect the needles for bending, wear or burrs
  • Clean and lightly oil the bearing (no oil on the attachments)

Six-monthly / annual

  • Needle and plunger dimension check and moving-mass check
  • Check scale graduation against a calibrated rule
  • Check mould dimensions
SAFETY

Safety precautions

Before you work on the Vicat
  • Cement is alkaline and can cause skin burns and eye damage: wear gloves and safety glasses.
  • Avoid breathing cement dust when weighing; use a dust mask if needed.
  • Handle needles carefully; they are sharp and easily bent.
In LimsPulse · Calibration Management

Keep every Vicat in control: usage logs, calibration and maintenance schedules, and automatic blocking of overdue instruments.

See how