Syllabus

Chapter 6 : Cement
1.Introduction- Cement
2.Constituents of OP cement
3. Basic manufacturing process of cement
4.Types of cement
5.Storage of cement
6.Properties of cement and cement mortar
7.Use of Cement- Cement plaster, Cement paints
Introduction
 Cement is a commonly used binding material in
the construction industry.
 The cement is obtained by burning a mixture of
calcareous (calcium) and argillaceous (clay)
material at a very high temperature and then
grinding the clinker so produced to a fine powder.
 The burnt mixture of calcareous and argillaceous
matter is known as clinker.
 It was first produced by a mason Joseph Aspdin in
England in 1824.
 He originated it as Portland cement.
Setting and hardening of cement
 When cement is mixed with water, it forms paste which
remains plastic for short period and with the passage of time,
the plasticity disappears gradually and the cement paste
become stiff or hard (solid mass). This phenomenon is known
as Setting of Cement.
 Initial setting time: The time at which cement paste loses
plasticity after mixing with water.
 Final setting time: The time taken for the cement water paste
to become hard mass.
 Hydration Of Cement
 On setting, cement binds aggregates into a solid mass which
gains strength as a time lapses
 Thus, the phenomenon by which cement paste , which is finally
set, develops strength is known as Hardening of Cement.
 Chemical reaction due to which cement becomes hard when
mixed with water is known as Hydration.
 Heat developed during the process of hydration is called heat
of hydration.
 When cement mixed with fine sand and water, cement mortar
is produced.
 When mixed with fine sand, crushed stone aggregates and
water, the resulting mixture is known as cement concrete.
 Cement is always used in form of mortar and concrete in
construction and never alone.
Composition of Ordinary Portland
Cement
Almost every construction work requires cement.
Composition of cement is a matter of great interest to engineers. To
understand cement composition, one must know the functionality of Cement
ingredients. By altering the amount of an ingredient during cement
production, one can achieve the desired cement quality.
Composition of Ordinary Portland
Cement
Name of constituent Typical Limit of percentage
Percentage

Lime (CaO) 62% 60 - 67%

Silica (SiO) 22% 17 – 25%
Alumina or clay (Al₂O₃) 5% 3 – 8%
Iron Oxide 3% 0.5 – 6%
Magnesium Oxide (MgO) 2% 0.1 – 4%
Sulphur Trioxide 1% 1 – 3%
Alkalies (Soda & Potash) 1% 0.5 – 1%
Calcium Sulphate (CaSO₄) (gypsum) 4% 3 - 5%
1. Lime (CaO)
 Most important ingredient of the
cement
 Its bulk in cement is above 60%
 Presence of lime in a sufficient
quantity is required to form silicates
and aluminates of calcium.
 Lesser than required amount cause decrease in strength of
cement
 Excessive presence of lime cause cement to expand and
disintegrate and destroy the cement property
 Deficiency in lime causes cement to set quickly.
 2. Silica(SiO2)
 Goes into chemical combination with
calcium.
 Its bulk in cement is about 22%
 Forms hard silicates.
 Sufficient quantity of silica helps for the formation of
di-calcium and tri-calcium silicates which imparts
strength to the cement.
 Excess silica in cement will increase the strength of
cement but at the same time setting time of cement
also increased.
3. Alumina or Clay(Al₂O₃)
 Responsible for setting action of the
cement
 Larger the quantity, quicker the setting
 Its bulk in cement is about 5%
 Alumina forms complex aluminates with silica & calcium
and play role in setting property to the cement.
 But alumina when added with cement ingredients it
behaves as a flux and reduces the clinkering temperature
which finally weakens the cement.
4. Iron oxide
 Take part in color to the cement.
 Also goes in chemical combination that helps to increase
strength and hardness to cement.
5. Magnesium oxide(MgO)
 Presence in small quantity, helps in strength and hardness to
cement
 It provides color and hardness to cement.
 Excess magnesia will reduce the strength of the cement.
6. Sulphur Trioxide (SO3 )
 Small % of sulpher renders cement
sound.
 Excess Sulfur Trioxide causes the
cement to unsound.
7. Alkalis (Soda & Potash)
 Used for manufacturing cement
 Presence in small amount
 Excess of alkalies causes efflorescence
in the cement
 Acts as impurities
 During manufacturing process of
cement most of the alkalis are carried
away by the flue gases at the time of
heating. Hence cement contains very
small quantities of alkalis in it.
8. Calcium Sulphate (CaSO₄)
(Gypsum)
 This is present in cement in the form of gypsum(CaSO4.
2H2O)
 Used to retard or prolong the initial setting action of
the cement
 Types of Cement
Ordinary Portland cement:
This cement is also known as normal setting
cement. It is the basic type of cement which is used
on large scale in all general type of construction
works.

Its rate of gaining strength, heat of hydration ,

drying, shrinkage and resistance to cracking are
moderate.

Its initial setting time is not less than 30 minutes

and final setting time not more than 10 hrs
 Rapid Hardening Cement:
 It is that type of Portland cement which attains greater strength in
earlier stage as compared to OPC. Strength developed by RHC in 3
daysand 7 days = Strength developed by OPC in 7 days and 28 days.

 This cement can be produced by increasing lime content and

burning at high temperature while manufacturing cement.

 Though the initial and final setting time of this cement is the same
as that of Portland cement, it gains strength in early days.

 This property helps in earlier removal of form works and speed in

construction activity.

 This type of cement is used in road construction, urgent repair

works and used for precast concrete works.
 Low Heat Cement:
In mass concrete works like construction of dams, heat
produced due to hydration of cement from the surface
is much lower which may give rise to cracks if proper
precautions are not taken.

Thus low heat cement can be advantageous in such

cases.

This cement contains low percentage (5%) of

tricalcium aluminate (C3A) and higher percentage
(46%) of dicalcium silicate (C2S). Which reduces the
heat of hydration and greater resistance to cracking.

Hence, use in Damns, bridge, retaining walls.

 Blast Furnace Cement:
 In the manufacture by grinding specially proportioned
amount of ordinary cement clinkers with granulated blast
furnace slag of selected quality.
 By grinding clinkers of cement with about 60 to 65 per
cent of slag, this cement is produced.
 The properties of this cement are more or less same as
ordinary cement, but it is cheap, since it utilize waste
product.
 Recommended to be used in marine works and other
underground works.
 This cement is durable but it gains the strength slowly
and hence needs longer period of curing.
White Cement:
Ordinary cement having pure white color.

The cement when made free from coloring oxides

of iron, manganese and chromium results into
white cement.

White cement is used for the floor finishes,

plastering, traffic curbs, ornamental works etc.

In swimming pools white cement is used to

replace glazed tiles.

It is used for fixing marbles and glazed tiles.

 Coloured Cement:
The cements of desired colours are produced by
intimately mixing pigments with ordinary cement.

The chlorium oxide gives green colour,

Cobalt produce blue colour.

Iron oxide with different proportion produce brown,

red , black or yellow colour.

Addition of manganese dioxide gives black or brown

coloured cement.

These cements are used for giving finishing touches to

floors, walls, window sills, roofs etc.
 High Alumina Cement:
 Also known aluminous cement, contains 35-40%
of aluminates.

It is manufactured by calcining a mixture of lime

stone or chalk and bauxite and is dark in color.

It is more resistant to sulphate and acid attack.

It develops almost full strength within 24 hours of

adding water.

It is used for under water works and not used for
mass concrete works.
 Quick Setting Cement:
Quick setting cement is produced by reducing the
percentage of gypsum and adding a small amount
of aluminum sulphate during the manufacture of
cement. Sets faster than OPC but the strength
remains the same.

This cement starts setting within 5 minutes after

adding water and becomes hard mass within 30
minutes.

This cement is used to lay concrete under static or

slowly running water.
 Pozzulana Cement:
This cement is produced by grinding together a mixture
of 60-80% of OPC and 40% of pozzolana.

Pozzulana is a volcanic powder found in Italy.

In this cement pozzulana material is 10 to 30%.

It can resist action of sulphate, It releases less heat

during setting.

It increases water tightness.

It is used for mass concrete works. It is also used in

sewage line works.
 Expanding Cement:
This cement expands as it sets.

Cracks can be eliminated by adding suitable

proportion of expansion cement.

This property is achieved by adding expanding

medium like sulpho aluminates and a stabilizing
agent to ordinary cement.

This is used for filling the cracks in concrete

structures.
 Acid Resistant Cement:
This cement is produced by adding acid resistant
aggregates such as quartz, quartzite, sodium
silicate or soluble glass.

This cement has good resistance to action of acid

and water.
It is commonly used in the construction of
chemical factories.
Sulphate Resistant Cement:
By keeping the percentage of tricalcium
aluminate C3A below 5% in ordinary cement,
this cement is produced.

It is used in the construction of structures

which are likely to be damaged by alkaline
conditions.

Examples of such structures are canals, culverts

etc.
Properties of cement and cement
mortar
Physical:
a. Fineness
b. Setting time
c. Consistency
d. Soundness
e. Strength
f. Heat of hydration
Physical properties of Portland Cement
a. Fineness
The size of the particles of the cement is its fineness.
Rate of chemical reaction depends largely upon the
fineness of the cement.
Too much fine sand generates greater heat and
concrete is likely to develop cracks.
Coarser sand also settle down in concrete, which cause
bleeding.
According to IS code specification weight retained on
the filter should not be more than 10 per cent.
Physical properties of Portland Cement
b. Setting time
Cement paste setting time can vary depending on
multiple factors, such as fineness of , cement-water
ratio, chemical content, and admixtures.
Initial set: When the paste begins to stiffen
considerably (typically occurs within 30-45 minutes)
Final set: Occurs when the cement has hardened to
the point at which it can sustain some load. (occurs
below 10 hours) as maximum setting time is specified
by IS code.
Setting Time : Consistency is measured by Vicat
apparatus .
Physical properties of Portland Cement
c. Consistency of Cement
 The ability of cement paste to flow is
consistency.
 It is measured by Vicat Test.
 In Vicat Test Cement paste of normal
consistency is taken in the Vicat
Apparatus. The plunger of the
apparatus is brought down to touch
the top surface of the cement. The
plunger will penetrate the cement up
to a certain depth depending on the
consistency. A cement is said to have
a normal consistency when the
plunger penetrates 10±1 mm.
Physical properties of Portland Cement
d. Soundness
 Once the concrete has hardened it is necessary to ensure
that no volumetric changes takes place.
 The cement is said to be unsound, if it exhibits volumetric
instability after hardening.
 When referring to Portland cement, "soundness" refers to
the ability of a hardened cement paste to retain its volume
after setting without delayed expansion.
 Presence of access quantities of free lime and magnesia in
cement causes it unsound.
 Unsoundness of cement may appear after several years, so tests for
ensuring soundness must be able to determine that potential.
Physical properties of Portland Cement
 Le Chatelier Test
 Autoclave Test
Sound cement should not show expansion
of more than 10mm by Le-chateliar
method and 0.5% by autoclave method.
Physical properties of Portland Cement
IS prescribe a Soundness Test conducted by
using the Le Chatelier apparatus.
 The cylinder (which is open on both
ends) is placed on a glass plate filled with
cement paste of normal consistency, and
covered with another glass plate.
 The assembly is submerged in water for
24 hours at 20+1°C
 It is taken out to measure the distance
between the indicators and then returned
under water and boiled for an hour.
 After cooling the device, the distance
between indicator points is measured
again. In a good quality cement, the
distance should not exceed 10 mm.
Physical properties of Portland Cement
e. Strength of Cement
 Cement paste strength is typically defined in three ways:
compressive, tensile and flexural. These strengths can be affected by
a number of items including: water cement ratio, cement-fine
aggregate ratio, type and grading of fine aggregate, curing
conditions, size and shape of specimen, loading conditions and age.

 Compressive strength is the most common strength test. For this

mortar cubes are made with standard sand and tested in
compression testing machine as per the specification of IS code.

 The minimum compressive strength specified is

16 N/mm2 after 3 days
22 N/mm2 after 7 days of curing.
Physical properties of Portland Cement
e. Strength of Cement
Tensile Strength:Though this test used to be common during
the early years of cement production, now it does not offer any
useful information about the properties of cement.
 The tensile strength is as follows
2N/mm2 after 3 days
2.5N/mm2 after 7 days
 Flexural strength
 This is actually a measure of tensile strength in bending. The
test is performed in a 40 x40 x 160 mm cement mortar beam,
which is loaded at its center point until failure.
Physical properties of Portland Cement
f. Heat of hydration
Chemical reaction between water and cement
compounds is known as hydration.
During hydration of cement, sufficient heat is
generated.
The heat of hydration is affected most by C3S and C3A
present in cement, and also by water-cement ratio,
fineness and curing temperature.
The heat of hydration of Portland cement is calculated
by determining the difference between the dry and the
partially hydrated cement (obtained by comparing
these at 7th and 28th days).
Chemical properties of Portland Cement
i. Tricalcium silicate (C3S)
 C3S causes rapid hydration as well as hardening and is
responsible for the cement’s early strength gain an
initial setting
ii. Dicalcium silicate (C2S)
 As opposed to tricalcium silicate, which helps early
strength gain, dicalcium silicate in cement helps the
strength gain after one week.
Chemical properties of Portland Cement
iii Tricalcium Aluminate (C3A)
Low content of C3A makes the cement sulfate-
resistant. Gypsum reduces the hydration of C3A, which
liberates a lot of heat in the early stages of hydration.
C3A does not provide any more than a little amount of
strength.
Chemical properties of Portland Cement
iv. Magnesia (MgO)
An excess amount of magnesia may make the
cement unsound and expansive, but a little
amount of it can add strength to the cement.
Production of MgO-based cement also causes less
CO2 emission.

v. SulphurTrioxide (SO3)
 Sulphur trioxide in excess amount can make
cement unsound.
Chemical properties of Portland Cement
vi. Iron oxide/ Ferric oxide
 Aside from adding strength and hardness, iron oxide
or ferric oxide is mainly responsible for the color of the
cement.

vii. Alkalis
 The amounts of potassium oxide (K2O) and sodium
oxide (Na2O) determine the alkali content of the
cement.
In slag-lime cement, ground granulated blast furnace
slag is not hydraulic on its own but is "activated" by
addition of alkalis.
Chemical properties of Portland Cement
viii. Free lime
 Free lime, which is sometimes present in cement, may
cause expansion.
v. Alumina
 Cement containing high alumina has the ability to
withstand frigid temperatures since alumina is
chemical-resistant.
It also quickens the setting but weakens the cement.
Storage of Cement
Cement are stored in factories where it is manufactured
& also in construction sites.
Moisture is the greatest enemy of cement.
Should be storage from moisture free space or damp
proof place.
Should store in specially designed and constructed
stores having damp proof floors, water proof walls and
leak proof roofs.
Stocks received in the store should be properly tagged
with bin cards.
Storage of Cement
 Cement stacks should be raised leaving a clear
distance of 30 cm from the walls of the store room.
 Height of the stack should not exceed the height of
15 bags.
 Width of the stack should be limited to 3m.
 The stocks received first should be used first.
 All the doors , windows and ventilations should be
properly sealed to prevent moisture in store.
Uses of Cement
 Cement slurry is used for filling cracks in concrete
structures.
 Cement mortar is used for masonry work, plastering
and pointing.
 Cement concrete is used for the construction of
various structures like buildings, bridges, water tanks,
tunnels etc.
Uses of Cement
 Cement is used to manufacture lamp posts, telephone
posts, piles etc.
 For manufacturing cement pipes, garden seats, dust
bins, flower pots etc. cement is commonly used.
 It is useful for the construction of roads, footpaths,
courts for various sports etc.
Basic Manufacturing process of cement
The basic methods of manufacturing of cement:

 Dry Process (Modern Technology)–

 Wet Process (Old technology)

The selection of manufacturing of cement depend

upon Nature of Raw Material

Hard raw material- Dry Process

Soft raw material-Wet process
Basic Manufacturing process of cement
1.Mixing
2. Burning
3. Grinding
Dry Process
Wet Process
1) Mixing :
 The raw material for cement manufacture is a rock
mixture which is about 70% limestone (which is rich in
CaCO3) and 30% clay or shale (a source of silica,
alumina and Fe2O3).

 Limestone and silica-rich sand or rock is quarried and

crushed, and transported to storage stockpiles near the
kiln.
1) Mixing :
 In dry process, calcareous material such as lime
stone, chalk, shale (calcium carbonate) and
argillaceous material such as clay, sand, slate(Silica,
iron oxide, Alumina) are ground separately in small
size of about 2.5 cm with the help of ball mills and
tube mills.

 Materials are dried, pulverized separately into fine

powder with the help of ball mill and tube mill and
stored separately in hoppers.
1) Mixing :
 In wet process, Calcareous material is crushed in
ball mill which is a rotary steel cylinder with
hardened steel balls and stored in silos. Argillaceous
materials are mixed with water in container called
wash mill.
 Now both materials are mixed to grinding mill. If
necessary, some water is added. This mix is called
Slurry.
1) Mixing :
 Samples of both rocks are then sent off to the laboratory
for mineral analysis. If necessary, minerals are then
added to either the clay or the limestone to ensure that
the correct amounts of aluminum, iron etc. are present.
 All the pulverized materials( powder/slurry) is then
passed into storage tanks, where correct proportioning is
done.
 The prepared mix is kept in silos, ready for feeding into
rotary kiln for Burning.
 Raw mix is dry in dry process and in slurry state in case of
wet process.
 2) Burning:
Burning and Grinding are same in Dry and Wet manufacturing
process of cement.

 The dry mixture or wet slurry prepared is sent for burning in

rotary kiln.

 Rotary kiln is a 150-500 feet long, 8-16 feet in diameter. The kilns
are inclined on a shallow angle and lined with heat-resistant
bricks.

 The kiln keeps on rotating about one revolution per minute.

 2) Burning:
 Mixture is fed at the upper end and hot gases or flames are forced
through the lower end of kiln.
 It meets higher temperature in drying, preheating and burning
zones .
 In drying zone water from water from slurry is evaporated. At this
zone co2 is librated and the mass turn into small lump known as
nodule. Now nodule enter in Burning zone.
 2) Burning:
Pre heater where temperature is increased from 60
degree C – 850 degree C.
Temperature arrangement in burning zone is up to
1500-1700 degree C. Here, nodules are changed into
hot white clinkers varying in size from 5 mm to 10mm.
Clinkers are cooled in another inclined tube similar to
kiln but of lesser length.
Chemical fusion of lime and clay takes place in
Burning zone only.
3) Grinding:
The final process is applied which is grinding
of clinker, it is first cooled down to
atmospheric temperature. The 'clinker' that
has now been produced will behave just like
cement, but it is in particles up to 5mm to 10
mm.
These are ground down to a fine powder to
turn the clinker into useful cement.
3) Grinding:
 Grinding of clinker is done in large ball mill and
tube mills for approximately 30 minutes.
After proper grinding gypsum (Calcium sulphate
Ca SO4) in the ratio of 2-4 % is added for
controlling(retarding)the setting time of cement.
Finally, fine ground cement is stored in storage
tanks from where it is drawn for packing.
Each bag of cement contains 50kg of cement.
 Manufacturing of cement

quarry
crushing
Raw mill
Blending and
storage silo
packing

grinding Clinker storage cooler

Preheater kiln
Write Notes On
1. Constituents of lime
2. Types of Lime
3. Calcinations Of Lime/Lime Cycle
4. Use of lime
5. Classification and uses of sand
6. Bulking of sand
7. Characteristics of good sand
8. Constituents of OP cement
9. Setting and Hardening Of Cement
10. Basic manufacturing process of cement
11.Types of cement
12.Storage of cement
13.Properties of cement and cement mortar
14.Difference Between Lime and Cement