Cement : Physical Properties and

Types of Cement
Lecture No. 3
Field Testing
a) Open the bag and take a good look at the cement.
There should not be any visible lumps. The colour of the
cement should normally be greenish grey.
b) Thrust your hand into the cement bag. It must give you
a cool feeling. There should not be any lump inside.
c) Take a pinch of cement and feel-between the fingers. It
should give a smooth and not a gritty feeling.
d) Take a handful of cement and throw it on a bucket full
of water, the particles should float for some time before
they sink.
Physical Properties of Cement

1. Setting Time
2. Soundness
3. Fineness
4. Strength
Setting Time
Cement paste setting time is affected by a number of items
including: cement fineness, water-cement ratio, chemical
content (especially gypsum content) and admixtures.
For construction purposes, the initial set must not be too
soon and the final set must not be too late. Normally, two
setting times are defined:
Initial set. Occurs when the paste begins to stiffen
considerably.
Final set. Occurs when the cement has hardened to the
point at which it can sustain some load.
Setting is mainly caused by C3A and C3S and results in
temperature rise in the cement paste.
Setting Time : Consistency
The consistency is measured by the Vicat apparatus using
a 10mm diameter plunger.
A trial paste of cement and water is mixed and placed in
the mould having an inside diameter of 70mm at the base
and 60mm at the top, and a height of 40mm.
The plunger is then brought into contact with the top
surface of the paste and released. Under the action of its
weight the plunger will penetrate the paste. The depth
depending on the consistency.
Setting Time : Consistency
When the plunger penetrates the paste to a point 5 to
7mm from the bottom of the mould. The paste is
considered to be at normal consistency.
The water content of the paste is expressed as a
percentage by weight of dry cement. The usual range of
values being between 26% and 33%.
Setting Time : Consistency
Setting Time : Setting time
Initial setting time is regarded as the time elapsed
between the moment that the water is added to the
cement, to the time that the paste starts losing its
plasticity.

The final setting time is the time elapsed between the

moment the water is added to the cement, and the time
when the paste has completely lost its plasticity and has
attained sufficient firmness to resist certain definite
pressure.
Setting Time : Setting time
The setting time test is conducted by using the same Vicat
apparatus, except that a 1mm diameter needle is used for
penetration.
The test is started about 15 minutes after placing the cement
paste (which has normal consistency) into the mould. Trials for
penetration of the needle are made.
The final setting time is defined as the length of time between
the penetration of the paste and the time when the
needle(with annular ring) no longer sinks visibly into the paste.
The initial setting time is defined as the length of time between
the penetration of the paste and the time when the needle
penetrates 25mm into the cement paste.
Soundness
When referring to Portland cement, "soundness" refers
to the ability of a hardened cement paste to retain its
volume after setting without delayed expansion. This
expansion is caused by excessive amounts of free lime
(CaO) or magnesia (MgO). Most Portland cement
specifications limit magnesia content and expansion.
The cement paste should not undergo large changes in
volume after it has set. However, when excessive amounts
of free CaO or MgO are present in the cement, these
oxides can slowly hydrate and cause expansion of the
hardened cement paste.
Soundness is defined as the volume stability of the
cement paste.
Soundness: Le Chatelier Test
IS prescribe a Soundness Test conducted by using the Le
Chatelier apparatus. The apparatus consists of a small
brass cylinder split along its generatrix. Two indicators
with pointed ends are attached to the cylinder on either
side of the split.
Soundness: Le Chatelier Test
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 whole assembly is then immersed in water at 20
1oC for 24 hours. At the end of that period the distance
between the indicator points is measured. The mould is
then immersed in water again and brought to a boil. After
boiling for one hour the mould is removed from the
water, after cooling, the distance between the indicator
points is measured again.
This increase represents the expansion of the cement
paste for Portland cements, expansion is limited to
10mm.
Fineness
Fineness, or particle size of Portland cement affects
Hydration rate and thus the rate of strength gain. The
smaller the particle size, the greater the surface area-to-
volume ratio, and thus, the more area available for water-
cement interaction per unit volume. The effects of greater
fineness on strength are generally seen during the first
seven days.
When the cement particles are coarser, hydration starts
on the surface of the particles. So the coarser particles
may not be completely hydrated. This causeslow strength
and low durability.
For a rapid development of strength a high fineness is
necessary.
Fineness : Blaine air-permeability Test
There are various methods for determining the fineness
of cement particles. The Blaine air-permeability method is
the most commonly used method.

In the Blaine air-permeability method, given volume of air

is passed through a prepared sample of definite density.
The number and size of the pores in a sample of given
density is a function of the particles and their size
distribution and determines the rate of air flow through
the sample. Calculations are made and the fineness is
expressed in terms of cm2/g or m2/kg
Fineness : Blaine air-permeability Test
Strength

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.
Strength : Compressive Strength

The cement paste (consisting of 1 part cement+3 parts

standard sand+ water, by weight) is placed in 7cm moulds. And
the specimens are water cured for various ages for testing.
The mortar specimens taken out of the mould are subjected
to compression to determine the strength.
The compressive strength test is conducted on mortar cubes.
After finding the breaking load in compression, Pmax ,
Compressive Strength is calculated by the = Pmax /A, where
A=50cm2 .
The average of the results found by testing six specimen is the
compressive strength of the mortar cubes.
Strength : Compressive Strength
Types of Cement
1) Ordinary Portland Cement :
(i ) Ordinary Portland Cement 33 Grade IS 269: 1989
(ii ) Ordinary Portland Cement 43 Grade IS 8112: 1989
(iii ) Ordinary Portland Cement 53 Grade IS 12269: 1987
2) Rapid Hardening Cement IS 8041: 1990
3) Sulphate Resisting Cement IS 12330: 1988
4) Portland Slag Cement IS 455: 1989
5) Quick Setting Cement
6) Low Heat Cement IS 12600: 1989
Types of Cement
7) Portland Pozzolana Cement IS 1489 (Part I) 1991 (fly
ash based)
8) Air Entraining Cement
9) Coloured Cement: White Cement IS 8042: 1989
10) Hydrophobic Cement IS 8043: 1991
11) Oil Well Cement IS 8229: 1986
12) High Alumina Cement IS 6452: 1989
Types of Cement
1. Ordinary Portland Cement
The manufacture of OPC is decreasing all over the
world in view of the popularity of blended cement on
account of lower energy consumption, environmental
pollution, economic and other technical reasons.

2. Rapid Hardening Cement (IS 80411990)

As the name indicates it develops strength rapidly and
as such it may be more appropriate to call it as high
early strength cement. (Where formwork is required
to be removed early for re-use elsewhere, Road repair
works, In cold weather concrete ).
Types of Cement
3. Sulphate Resisting Cement (IS 123301988)
To remedy the sulphate attack, the use of cement with
low C3A content is found to be effective. (Concrete to
be used in marine condition, in foundation and
basement, where soil is infested with sulphates;
construction of sewage treatment works).
4. Portland Slag Cement (PSC) (IS 4551989)
Portland slag cement is obtained by mixing Portland
cement clinker, gypsum and granulated blast furnace
slag. ( Reduced heat of hydration, Refinement of pore
structure, Reduced permeability)
Types of Cement
5. Quick Setting Cement
The early setting property is brought out by reducing the
gypsum content at the time of clinker grinding. It is used mostly
in under water construction where pumping is involved.

6. Low Heat Cement IS 12600: 1989

Formation of cracks in large body of concrete due to heat of
hydration has focussed the attention of the concrete which
produces less heat, at a low rate during the hydration process.
A low-heat evolution is achieved by reducing the contents of
C3S and C3A which are the compounds evolving the maximum
heat of hydration and increasing C2S.
Types of Cement
7. Portland Pozzolana Cement IS 1489 (Part I)
The history of pozzolanic material goes back to
Romans time. Portland Pozzolana cement (PPC) is
manufactured by the inter grinding of OPC clinker with
10 to 25 per cent of pozzolanic material. A pozzolanic
material is essentially a silicious or aluminous material
which while in itself possessing no cementitious
properties, which will, in finely divided form and in the
presence of water, react with calcium hydroxide. The
pozzolanic materials generally used for manufacture of
PPC are calcined clay (IS 1489 part 2 of 1991) or fly ash
(IS 1489 part I of 1991).
Types of Cement
7. Portland Pozzolana Cement IS 1489 (Part I)
In PPC, costly clinker is replaced by cheaper
pozzolanic material - Hence economical.
Soluble calcium hydroxide is converted into
insoluble cementitious products resulting in
improvement of permeability. Hence it offers,
alround durability characteristics, particularly in
hydraulic structures and marine construction.
It generates reduced heat of hydration and that too
at a low rate.
Reduction in permeability of PPC offers many other
alround advantages.
Types of Cement
8. Coloured Cement: White Cement IS 8042: 1989
For manufacturing various coloured cements either white
cement or grey Portland cement is used as a base. The use
of white cement as a base is costly. With the use of grey
cement only red or brown cement can be produced.

9. Oil Well Cement IS 8229: 1986

It is likely that if oil is struck, oil or gas may escape through
the space between the steel casing and rock formation.
Cement slurry is used to seal off the annular space between
steel casing and rock strata and also to seal off any other
fissures or cavities in the sedimentary rock layer.