Structure III

Lecture 1
Contents
Cement
Cement Ingredients
Chemical constituents of Portland Cement
Types of cement
Cement hydration
Structural properties of cement





Cement
Cement may be defined as an adhesive
substances capable of uniting fragments or
masses of solid matter to a compact whole.
Cement may also be defined as a hydraulic
binder, which, when mixed with water, forms a
paste which sets and hardens by means
of hydration reactions and processes and
which, after hardening, retains its strength
and stability even under water.


Contd.
Cement was first of all introduced in the year
1824 by Joseph Aspdin, a brick layerer of
Leeds, England. He called it Portland cement,
because after hardening it resembled in
colour to the stone quarried near Portland in
England.
Cement Ingredients
The basic ingredients of an Ordinary Portland Cement
are Lime in the form of calcium oxide and alumina.
The following two raw materials are required for the
manufacture of cement:-
1. Calcareous materials- The materials which contains
calcium or lime as their major constituent are called
calcareous materials such as lime stone, chalk or
shells etc.
2. Argillaceous materials- The materials which contains
alumina as their major constituent are called
argillaceous materials such as shale, laterite etc.
Review questions
What is cement ?
What are the main ingredients of cement ?
Chemical constituents of Portland
Cement
S. No. Ingredients Approx. Proportion Common
proportion
1. Lime (CaO) 60 to 67% 63%
2. Silica (SiO
2
)

17 to 25% 22%
3. Alumina (Al
2
O
2
)

3 to 8% 6%
4. Iron oxide (Fe
2
O
3
) 0.5 to 6% 3%
5. Magnesium oxide (MgO) 0.1 to 4% 2.5%
6. Sulphur trioxide (SO
2
) 1 to 3% 1.75%
7. Insoluble residue Not more than 1.5% 0.25%
8. Loss of ignition Not more than 4% 1.5%
Chemical constituents of Portland
Cement
Lime- This is the main ingredient of cement, its
percentage being about 60 per cent of the total
ingredients. Deficiency of lime causes decrease in the
strength of cement and excess free lime causes
unnecessary expansion and disintegration of the
cement.
Silica- During the manufacturing of cement, silica
undergoes chemical reaction with calcium to form
dicalcium and tricalcium silicates which are responsible
for imparting strength to the cement. Excess of silica
adds strength to the cement but its setting time is
prolonged.
Contd.
Alumina- Alumina forms complex compounds
with silica and calcium to impart setting
property to the cement. Larger quantity of
alumina quickens setting but weakens the
cement.
Iron oxide- This ingredient is mainly
responsible to impart colour to the cement. It
also helps in adding strength and hardness to
the cement to a certain extent.
Contd.
Magnesium oxide- This ingredient is mainly
responsible to impart colour to the cement. It
also helps in adding strength and hardness to
the cement to a certain extent.
Sulphur trioxide- It makes cement sound if
present in very small quantity. Excess quantity
of sulphur trioxide also makes cement
unsound.
Contd.
Alkalies- Large quantity of alkalies (sodium and
potassium oxides) are carried away by flue gases
during clinkering. However, a small quantity is left
behind, excess of which causes efflorescence.
Gypsum- During the grinding process a small
quantity of gypsum is added. The presence of
gypsum retards the setting time of cement so
that there is time for transporting and placing
concrete/mortar for which the cement is used.
Review questions
What are the main chemical constituents of
cement ?
What is the role of gypsum in cement ?
Which constituent in cement is mainly
responsible for the strength?
Types of cement
Main types of cement are-
1. OPC
2. Rapid hardening cement
3. Clinker cement
4. Sulphate resisting cement
5. Oil well cement
6. Portland blast furnace slag cement
7. Portland pozzolana cement
8. White cement
Contd.
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC): Also referred to as grey cement
or OPC, it is of much use in ordinary concrete construction. In the
production of this type of cement in India, Iron (Fe2O3),
Magnesium (MgO), Silica (SiO2), Alumina (AL2O3), and Sulphur
trioxide (SO3) components are used.
Rapid Hardening Portland Cement: The texture of this cement type
is quite similar to that of OPC. But, it is bit more fine than OPC and
possesses immense compressible strength, which makes casting
work easy.
Portland Pozzolona Cement (PPC): As it prevents cracks, it is useful
in the casting work of huge volumes of concrete. The rate of
hydration heat is lower in this cement type. Fly ash, coal waste or
burnt clay is used in the production of this category of cement. It
can be availed at low cost in comparison to OPC.
Contd.
Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement: This cement is beneficial in
the areas where concrete has an exposure to seacoast or sea water
or soil or ground water. Under any such instances, the concrete is
vulnerable to sulphates attack in large amounts and can cause
damage to the structure. Hence, by using this cement one can
reduce the impact of damage to the structure. This cement has high
demand in India.
Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement (PBFSC): The rate of hydration
heat is found lower in this cement type in comparison to PPC. It is
most useful in massive construction projects, for example - dams.
White cement: It is a kind of Ordinary Portland Cement. The
content of iron oxide is maintained below 0.4% to secure
whiteness. White cement is largely used to increase the aesthetic
value of a construction. It is preferred for tiles and flooring works.
This cement costs more than grey cement.
Contd.
Clinker Cement: Produced at the temperature of
about 1400 to1450 degree Celsius, clinker
cement is needed in the construction work of
complexes, houses and bridges. The ingredients
for this cement comprise iron, quartz, clay,
limestone and bauxite.
Oil Well Cement: Made of iron, coke, limestone
and iron scrap, Oil Well Cement is used in
constructing or fixing oil wells. This is applied on
both the off-shore and on-shore of the wells.
Review questions
List various types of cement ?
In what condition, they used as a main binder
?
Cement hydration
When water is added to cement, what happens?
Dissolution of cement grains
Growing ionic concentration in water (now a
solution)
Formation of compounds in solution i.e.
tricalcium silicate (Ca
3
Si), dicalcium silicate (Ca
2
S),
tricalcium aluminate (Ca
3
A), tetracalcium
aluminium ferrite (Ca
4
AlF) etc.
After reaching a saturation concentration,
compounds precipitate out as solids (hydration
products)

Contd.
Aluminates, being highly soluble in plain water, react
immediately and rapidly deposition of calcium
aluminate crystals takes place.
This rapid deposition of calcium aluminate crystals is
responsible for initial setting of cement.
Whereas, C
3
S (Tri-calcium silicate) reacts slower than
C
3
A (tri-calcium aluminates), but faster than C
2
S (Di-
calcium silicate) and is responsible for first 28 days
strength.
C
2
S (Di-calcium silicate) reacts slowly and it continues
for two to three years and contributes to the
development of later strength.
Contd.
C
3
S Tricalcium silicate Hydrates & hardens rapidly,
Responsible for initial set and early strength
C
2
S Dicalcium silicate Hydrates & hardens slowly,
Contributes to later age strength (beyond 7
days)
C
3
A Tricalcium aluminate Liberates a large amount of heat during first few
Days,
Contributes slightly to early strength
development,
Cements with low %-ages are more resistant to
Sulfates,
C
4
AF Tetracalcium
aluminoferrite
Reduces clinkering temperature,
Hydrates rapidly but contributes little to
strength,
Colour of hydrated cement (gray) due to ferrite
hydrates
Structural properties of cement
The strength developed by portland cement
depends on its composition and the fineness to
which it is ground.
The C
3
S (Tri-calcium silicate) is mainly responsible
for the strength developed in the first week of
hardening.
The C
2
S (Di-calcium silicate) for the subsequent
increase in strength.
The alumina and iron compounds that are
present only in lesser amounts make little direct
contribution to strength.
Contd.
Set cement and concrete can suffer deterioration from attack by
some natural or artificial chemical agents.
The alumina compound is the most vulnerable to chemical attack in
soils containing sulfate salts or in seawater, while the iron
compound and the two calcium silicates are more resistant.
Calcium hydroxide released during the hydration of the calcium
silicates is also vulnerable to attack. Because cement liberates heat
when it hydrates, concrete placed in large masses, as in dams, can
cause the temperature inside the mass to rise as much as 40 C (70
F) above the outside temperature.
Subsequent cooling can be a cause of cracking. The highest heat of
hydration is shown by C
3
A, followed in descending order by C
3
S,
C
4
AF, and C
2
S.
Review questions
What do you understand by cement
hydration ?
Name the compounds those forms during
cement hydration process and what is their
role for gain in strength in cement ?
What do you understand by structural
properties of cement ?