UNIT II

LIME – CEMENT – AGGREGATES – MORTAR

PART-A
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
1. Define slaking of lime.(APR/MAY 2019)
The chemical combination of quick lime with water is called slaking lime or hydrated lime.
2. Mention the function of coarse aggregates in concrete.(APR/MAY 2019)
In fact, coarse aggregate is not truly inert because it’s physical, thermal and, sometimes, chemical
properties influence the performance of the concrete, for example, by improving its volume stability and
durability over that of the cement paste.
3. What are called as bogue compounds?(NOV/DEC 2018)
Thornbohms description of the minerals in cement was found to be similar to bogue compound. Hence,
boughs compounds C3S, C2S, C3A, C4AF are sometimes called in literature as alite, belite, celite and felite.
4. What is meant by grade of concrete? What is the lowest grade of concrete allowed for structural
works in buildings? (NOV/DEC 2018)
• Ordinary Portland cement OPC) in 3 grades
▪ Grade 33 IS 269-1989 designated as C-33
▪ Grade 43 — IS 8112-1989 designated as C-43
▪ Grade 53 — IS 12269-1987 designated as C-53
• Portland pozzolana cement PPC) a mixture of OPC and Pozzolanas)
▪ IS 1489 Pan 0 -1991 fly ash -based
▪ IS 1489 Part II -1991 calcined clay -based
• Sulphate -resisting cement—IS 12330-1988
• Portland slag cement—IS 455-1989 PSC)
• Low -heat cement—IS 12600-1989
• Rapid -hardening cement—IS 8041-1990
5. Define quick lime.
Lime used in building construction is produced from calcium carbonates in the form of lime stone, sea
shells, kankar etc. When they are burnt mixed with fuel such as coal, carbon dioxide is given off as gas and
the resulting product is calcium oxide or quick lime.
6. What are the different classifications of lime?
▪ Class A hydraulic lime
▪ Class B semi hydraulic lime
▪ Class C Fat lime
▪ Class D magnesium or dolomite lime
▪ Class E kankar lime
7. List the physical tests on Cement.
• Fineness test
• Consistency test
• Soundness test
• Setting time test
5. What is hydration of cement?
Hydration of cement is a chemical reaction that happens when cement is introduced to water and it
produces heat. In very massive construction, this effect can raise the temperature of concrete as much as 50°C.
In such cases, we should use low—heat cements or adopt cooling methods.

6. Define flakiness index.

 The flakiness or elongation index of an a aggregate is defined as the percentage weight of particles in the
given aggregate which has its length greater than 1.8 times and its least dimension thickness) is less than 3/5
or 0.6 times its mean dimension.
7. What is Impact test?
This test is for aggregates in concrete that undergoes impact as in runways in airports. Materials passing
through 12.5 mm and retained as 10 mm are tilled in the standard cylinder in three layers, each layer tamped
with 25 strokes of an iron rod. A hammer weighing 14 kg is dropped from a height of 380 mm 15 times and
the resulting material is sieved through a 2.36 mm I.S. sieve. The percentage fine is the aggregate impact test
value.
8. Write notes on Abrasion test.
This test is for the stones used in road construction. We use the Deval's abrasion testing machine or the
Los Angeles abrasion machine for this purpose. It should not be more than 16 per cent for a good aggregate.
9. What is curing? State its importance.
It is absolutely essential that moisture should be present in the initial stages for the development of
strength of cement. This process of supplying moisture environment is known as curing. Thus, curing of the
products of cement is very important in all the works connected with cement like construction of masonry.
Plastering, concreting etc.
10. What is White cement and where is it used?
White cement is made from chalk or limestone or shell lime free from impurities and white clays like
china clay free from oxides of iron, manganese, etc. White cement is very much used for making of mosaic
tiles, coloured cements, etc.
11. What are the types of cement produced in India?
• Ordinary Portland cement OPC)
• Portland pozzolana cement PPC)
13. List the tests conducted on aggregates.
• Particle Size, grading shape and flakiness 3tests
• Organic impurities
• Moisture content
• percent fines value
• Water absorption and specific gravity
• Aggregate crushing value
• Aggregate impact value
14. Define mortar.
The mortar is a paste like substance prepared by adding required amount of water to a dry mixture of sand
or fine aggregate with some binding material like clay, lime or cement.
15. What are the types of mortars?
• Mud mortar
• Lime mortar
• Gauged mortar
16. What are the normal ingredients of cement
• Lime 60-70%
• Silica – 17 – 25%
• Alumina 3 – 8%
• Iron – oxide 0.5 – 5%
• Calcium sulphate 3 – 4%
• Magnesia 1 – 3%
• Sulphur tri-oxide 1-3%
 • Alkalis 0.4 – 1. 3%
17. Define Elongation index
The elongation index is calculated as the total weight of the material retained on the various length gauges,
expressed as a percentage of the weight of the sample gauged.
18. Write the setting time of cement
▪ Initial setting time -30minutes
▪ Final setting time -10 hours.
19. What are the important simple tests that you will conduct on lime?
IS 1624 to 1974 gives a number of field tests for building lime as following
• Visual examination
• Hydrochloric acid test
• Ball test
• Impurity test
• Plasticity test
• Workability test
20. Write short notes on plasticity test.
The lime is mixed with water to a thick paste and left overnight .it is spread like butter on a blotting paper
with knife to test its plasticity. Good lime is plastic in nature.
21. List out some varieties of cement.
➢ Ordinary Portland cement.
➢ Rapid hardening cement.
➢ Quick Setting Cement.
➢ High Alumina Cement.
➢ Acid Resisting Cement.
➢ Colored Cement.
➢ Pozzolana Cement.
➢ White Cement.
➢ Low Heat Cement.
22. What is the test used for soundness test.
• Le chatelier’s test
• Autoclave test
23. What are the characteristics of lime?
• Lime possesses good plasticity and is easy to work with.
• It stiffens easily and is resistant to moisture.
• The excellent cementations properties make it most suitable for masonry work.
• The shrinkage on drying is small because of its high water retentively.
24. Explain the uses of lime?
• In construction slaked lime is mainly used to make mortar for laying masonry and plastering.
• When so used quick lime should be completely hydrated by slaking from 3 to 14 days, depending upon
the kind of lime, temperature, and slaking conditions.
• Hydrated lime, although immediately usable, is usually improved by soaking overnight or longer.
• Hydrated lime is often added to Portland cement mortar in proportions varying from 5 to 85 per cent
of the weight of the cement to increase plasticity and workability.

25. Define the hydraulic lime

 It is a product obtained by moderate burning (900°-1100°C) of raw limestone which contains small
proportions of clay (silica and alumina) 5-30 per cent and iron oxide in chemical combination with the calcium
oxide content (CaO + MgO 70-80% with MgO less than 5%). In slaking considerable care is required to
provide just sufficient water and no excess, since an excess would cause the lime to harden.
26. Illustrate the lime putty
It is obtained by adding hydrated lime to water, stirring to the consistency of a thick cream and, allowing
it to stand and mature for a period of about 16 hours in the case of non-hydraulic lime before using. The putty
so obtained should be protected from drying out.
27. What is a laboratory test for le chatelier’s apparatus?
The mould is placed on a glass sheet and is filled with neat cement paste formed by gauging 100 g cement
with 0.78 times the water required to give a paste of standard consistency. The mould is covered with a glass
sheet and a small weight is placed on the covering glass sheet
28. Enumerate the rapid hardening cement
Rapid hardening cement has high lime content and can be obtained by increasing the C3S content but is
normally obtained from OPC clinker by finer grinding (450m2/kg). The basis of application of rapid hardening
cement (RHC) is hardening properties and heat emission rather than setting rate. This permits addition of a
little more gypsum during manufacture to control the rate of setting.
29. Explain the storage of cement?
Portland cement is kept in sacks of 0.035 m3 (50 kg) capacity for local use. These are stored for short period
of time in air tight room avoiding moisture and dampness, at some distance from walls and at some height
from floors. The stack should be covered with suitable coverings to avoid circulation of air through the stack
and not more than ten bags should be stacked one over another.
30. What are the different shapes of Aggregates?
Aggregates are classified as rounded, irregular, angular, and flaky.
31. What are the constituents responsible for producing hydraulicity in lime?
Clay, soluble silica, carbonate of magnesia, alkalis and metallic oxides and sulphate.
32. What are the varieties of lime?
• Stone lime – It is almost pure lime.
• Kankar lime – It ps impure or adulterated lime.
• Shell lime – It is purest form of lime
33. What are the varieties of lime?
• Stone lime – It is almost pure lime.
• Kankar lime – It ps impure or adulterated lime.
• Shell lime – It is purest form of lime
34. What is natural cement?
Natural cement is manufactured by burning and then crushing the natural cement stones. Natural cement
stones are such stones which contain 20 to 40% of argillaceous matter i.e. clay, and remaining content mainly
calcareous matter which is either calcium carbonate alone or a mixture of calcium carbonate and magnesium
carbonate.
35. What is artificial cement?
Artificial cement is manufactured by burning approximately proportioned mixture of calcareous and
argillaceous materials at a very high temperature and then grinding the resulting burnt mixture to a fine
powder.
36. What is the function of gypsum in the manufacture of cement?
In order to delay the setting action of cement, when mixed with water, a little percentage of gypsum is
added in the clinker before gringing them to fine powder.

37. What is known as clinker?

 Artificial cement is manufactured by burning approximately proportioned mixture of calcareous and
argillaceous materials at a very high temperature and then grinding the resulting burnt mixture to a fine powder.
The burnt mixture of calcareous and argillaceous matter is known as clinker.
38. Define lime mortar.
If lime is used as a binding material, the resulting mortar is known as lime mortar.
39. What is meant by grading of aggregates?
Grading of aggregate means particle size distribution of the aggregate. If all the particle of an aggregate
were of one size, more voids will be left on the aggregate mass. Properly graded aggregate produces dense
concrete and needs smaller quantities of fine aggregate and cement. Grading determines the workability of
the mix, which controls segregation, bleeding, water-cement ratio, handling, placing, and other characteristics
of the mix.
UNEXPECTED QUESTIONS
40. What are the methods of proportioning of concrete mixes?
• Arbitrary standard method
• Minimum voids method
• Fineness Modulus method
• Maximum density method
41. Define Abram’s water cement law.
According to Abram’s water cement law, the strength of concrete depends on the water cement ratio used.
42. What are the types of mortars?
• Mud mortar
• Lime mortar
• Gauged mortar
43. What is known as bulking of sand?
• Bulking of sand means increase in its volume. Fine aggregates or sands, increase in volume when they
possess some moisture. Bulking is due to formation of a thin film of water around the fine aggregate
or sand particles.
• Thickness of water film goes on increasing with more and more moisture and consequently increase
in volume continues.
• But after certain percentage of water, volume of sand starts decreasing with increasing amount of water.
At certain percentage of water, increase in volume completely vanishes and volume occupied by sand
becomes equal to the volume of dry sand.
44. Define mud mortar.
When clay is used as a binding material, the resulting mortar is known as mud mortar
45. What are the methods of manufacture of cement
• Dry process
• Wet process
46. Define poor lime.
This lime contains more than 30% clay. It slakes very slowly. It does not dissolve in water. It forms a thin
plastic paste with water. This lime is also known as lean lime or impure lime.
47. Explain the Dry Process method
The dry process is adopted when the raw materials are quite hard. The process is slow and the product is
costly. Limestone and clay are ground to fine powder separately and are mixed. Water is added to make a
thick paste. The cakes of this paste, which contain about 14 per cent of moisture, are dried and are charged
into rotary kiln

48. What are the uses of fat lime?

 • For white washing
• For plastering
• Its mortar with sand may be used for thin masonry works
• Its mortar with surkhi develops good setting and hydraulic properties.
49. What are the ball mills?
Ball mills are used for grinding the clinkers. The ball mills consist of 2 to 2.5m diameter steel cylinder.
The clinkers to be ground are fed into the cylinder and the cylinder is rotated about its horizontal axis to carry
out the grinding action
50. Define flakiness index.
The flakiness index of an aggregate is the percentage by weight of particles whose greatest dimension or
length is greater than one and four fifth or 1.8 times their mean dimension.