Faulty of Engineering

Cairo University

Building Materials (Cement)

Tutorial (1)

By
Eng. Rahma H. Thabet
Assistant Lecturer of Chemical Engineering
10/12/2021 1
 Content
 Mortar and Solidification of mortar
 Portland Cement Raw Materials
 Production Process
 Cement Components
 Reactions of Cement Components with Water
 Testing of Cement
 Types of Cement

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 Mortar
Function: Coherence of building components (rocks
and gravel)
Types: Aerated or Hydraulic to set and harden
Aerated Mortar Hydraulic Mortar
Reacts with Air to form harder mass Reacts with Water to form harder
mass

Slacked lime(Ca(OH)2 + Sand + CO2 Reaction of Cement with water

(in air) = CaCO3

If the building is not exposed to water If the building is exposed to water

or heavy loads or heavy loads
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 Portland Cement Raw Materials
• Lime stone (CaCO3)
• Clay (Kaolin Al2O3SiO2.2H2O)
• Iron Oxides (Fe2O3)

• There are two types of process: wet or dry process

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 Manufacturing Process
Block flow diagram
Gypsum (5%)

Crushing Grinding Reaction Clinker Clinker

Clinker Packing
Raw in kiln cooling grinding
Materials
Cement
final product
Cooling
Clinker: circular porous product, with a diameter of 3-6 cm air

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 400 C°
1500 C°

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 Production Processes
Cylindrical Rotary Furnace
Length 60 to 120 m- Diameter 3 to 4 m
Tilted from the horizontal by 5 - 6%
Rotation: one revolution per minute

Reactions along the furnace (kiln)

1- Remove physical water 100℃
2- Remove Chemical water ( Al2O3.SiO2.2H2O)
3- Calcination CaCO3=CaO +CO2 (800-900℃)
4- Reaction of Clinker CaO+Al2O3+SiO2 (1400℃)

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 Cement Components
1. Tri calcium silicate C3S
2. Tri calcium aluminate C3A
3. Di calcium silicate C2S
4. Tetra calcium aluminoferrite C4AF

C=CaO F=Fe2O3 S=SiO2 A=Al2O3

Ferric Oxide: to lower clinker formation temperature around 1300 ℃

Calcium Sulphate (gypsum): to retard the reaction of the cement with water

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 Reactions of Cement Components
with Water
1. Tri calcium silicate:
-Reacts in short time with water forming (calcium hydroxide + calcium
hydro silicate).

2. Tri calcium aluminate:

• Reacts with water and some of the calcium hydroxide produced from
the previous reaction producing (calcium hydro aluminate) which
solidifies rapidly within a period of 6 minutes to 3 hours, where the
mortar sets. This is called the setting period.

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 Reactions of Cement Components
with Water
Gypsum retards this period, since it consumes some of the tri calcium
aluminate and forms a weak cohesive compound
3. Di calcium silicate:
- Reacts slowly with water producing (calcium hydroxide + silicone
hydroxide)

- Reaction takes place in the first 4 weeks

- During the next months and years, the reaction of the calcium silicate
proceeds as long as the required humidity is available and thus
hardening increases.
10/12/2021 Eng. R. H. Thabet 10
 Testing of Cement
1.Hydraulic Index

1.7-2.2
If <1.7  CaO ↓  C3S ↓ which is important for the setting process
If >2.2  CaO ↑  free lime CaO + H2O Ca(OH)2 +Heat ( mortar cracks)

Lime Saturation Test

0.66-1.02

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 Testing of Cement
2.Silica Index

2-2.5

<2  SiO2 ↓  C3S & C2S ↓  setting & hardness ↓

> 2.5  SiO2 ↑  C3S & C2S↑ setting & hardness↑

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 Testing of Cement
3. Magnesium oxide percentage:
Should not exceed 5%, since its increase means that the quality of
the used limestone is poor.

4. Powder size ‫النعومة‬:

The prepared cement should be very fine, such that at least 98% of it
should pass through mesh 200 (200 pinch per linear inch).

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 Testing of Cement
5. Setting time:
In this test, the time at which a standard needle loaded with a standard
weight cannot penetrate the prepared sample is measured.

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 Testing of Cement
6. Volatile materials percentage:
• This percent should not exceed 5%,
• indication of the presence of some humidity in the cement before
usage

7. Sulpher trioxide percentage:

Should not exceed 3.5% (equivalent to gypsum%=6.5%), since the increase of
gypsum content retards the solidification process, more than required hardening.

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 Types of Cement
Rapid hardening Portland cement

 Contains high %C3S which causes rapid solidification.

 Very fine, 99.5% of it pass through mesh 320.

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 Types of Cement
Sea water resistant cement:

Silica is added to reduce the amount of C3S formed

This will decrease the formation of Ca(OH)2 in concreate pores

making it more resistance to sulfates in sea water

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 Types of Cement
Iron slag cement:
 Consists of iron slag + Portland Cement

 Lower in quality than OPC as the furnace slag is in the form of bulk
masses which cannot be grinded or converted to fine powder

 Cannot solidify perfectly

 It is not preferable to be used in the reinforced concrete mortar

10/12/2021 Eng. R. H. Thabet 18

 Types of Cement
Chemicals resistant cement:
• Used when the buildings are subjected to chemicals.
• This cement consists of pellets which are mixed with liquid mixture to
produce a resin (which gives the mixture the suitable solidification).
• The carbolic cement
 Solid material: is fine sand or graphite or asbestos
 Liquid material: is a mixture of phenol and formaldehyde, who
condense to form a resin

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