CHAPTER 3

Cementing materials,
uses and properties
 3.1 Introduction
• Cementing materials are inorganic substances
(mineral fine powders) that are capable of
producing a plastic pasty mass when mixed with
water and hardens under the effect of different
physical and chemical processes.
• Engineering meaning of cement: Adhesive
substances + H20 = Paste (temporarily
plastic, moldable and later set and hardens
to a rigid mass)
• Cements of this kind are known as
calcareous cements whose principal
constituents are compounds of lime which
might include certain allied compounds of
Mg.
 Calcareous cements

• Non-hydraulic cements(e.g. Gypsum

plasters)
• and Hydraulic- cements(e.g. Portland
cement)
 3.2 Lime
3.2.1 Lime as a cementing material
• Lime is one of the basic building material
used mainly as lime mortar in construction.
• The broad category of lime is non-hydraulic
and hydraulic lime.
• The non-hydraulic lime is called as quick
lime, fat lime or white lime or as lump lime.
• Hydraulic lime sets under water and
• non-hydraulic lime do not set under water.
• Quick Lime is a form of lime is
manufactured by the burning of stone that
has calcium carbonate within it.
• The burning temperature varies, say 900
degree Celsius and above for several hours.
• This process is called as calcination.
• The solid product that remains after the
removal of carbon dioxide in the calcium
carbonate is called as the quicklime.
• CaCO3 (Calcium carbonate) --> CaO
(Calcium Oxide – Quick Lime) + CO2
 3.2.2 Production of Lime
• Raw materials: Lime stone (CaCo3) &
chalk
1. Burn the raw materials –
2. Hydration of lime (Slaking of lime)
1. Burn the raw materials –
• CaCo3 + Heat Ca O + Co2
• Called quick Lime/ caustic lime/ burnt lime
• Note: over burning injures the setting
capacity
2. Hydration of lime (Slaking of lime)
• CaO + H2O =Ca (OH) 2 + Heat
• Called Slaked or hydrated Lime
 There are two types of slaking
• Wet slaking and
• dry slaking depending on the amount of
water added.
 Wet slaking

• Mixing quick lime, this is delivered in lump

form with an excess water to form slaked
lime.
• Un hydrated particles (Slow slaking) must
be reduced (avoided) as these un hydrated
particles might hydrate later in the building
and cause Popping and Pitting and
disintegration, especially objectionable in
the wall plaster or expansion of brick work.
• Thus to reduce un hydrated particles:
1. Slaked lime is made to pass through a fine
sieve and/ or
2. Continuous stirring in water tight box or a
hole dug in the ground is made in slaked lime
• The tendency of lime and cement to expand
is expressed as soundness
 Dry Slaking
• Carefully controlled as is done in a factory.
• Just sufficient amount of water is added to
hydrate the quick lime, the lumps break
down in to a dry powder known as dry
hydrate or hydrated lime.
• The proportion of lime and water and
Stirring are scientifically carried out by
mechanical means, and the product is very
dependable.
 3.2.3 Classification of Lime
1. Fat Lime
2. Hydraulic limen
3. Poor Lime
1.Fat lime/pure lime/white lime/rich lime

• hardens slowly
• high degree of plasticity
• sets slowly in the presence of air
• white in color
• Slakes vigorously.
 2. Hydraulic Lime/water lime
• It can set under the water .
• It contains clay and some amount of
ferrous oxide also. Depending upon the
amount of clay hydraulic lime is classified
into further three categories:
• I. Feebly hydraulic lime
• Ii. Moderately hydraulic lime
• Iii. Eminently hydraulic lime
 The properties of hydraulic limes are:

• Sets under water

• Color is not perfectly white
• Forms a thin paste with water and do not
dissolve in water.
 3. Poor Lime/IMPURE LIME
• Contains more than 30 percent of clay
• It slakes very slowly and also does not
dissolve into water.
• It has poor binding property and its color is
muddy white.
• The mortar made with such lime is used for
inferior work various tests on cement:
 3.2.4 Use of Lime
• For white washing.
• For making mortar for masonry works and
plastering.
• To produce lime sand bricks.
• For soil stabilization.
• As a refractory material for lining open
hearth furnaces.
• Making cement.
 3.3 GYPSUM

• Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral naturally

composed of calcium sulfate dehydrate.
• Its chemical name is CaSO4·2H2O.
• Widely used construction material mainly
in interior designing.
• Used as surface materials.
• Its application is prominent in wall and
ceiling construction.
• Be done at the field in the form of plaster.
• Manufactured as a prefabricated unit, like
gypsum board which is bought at the time
of installation.
 3.3.2 Production of Gypsum

• Gypsum is a white to gray mineral found in

the earth's crust.
• It is chemically known as hydrous calcium
sulfate (CaSO4.2H2O).
• Which are obtained through mining from
vast veins?
• It gains different forms.
• It is seen as sand in certain areas. The
gypsum stone, which is called as alabaster,
have the property to be carved to any
sculpture forms.
• This stone is translucent in nature.
• It consists of around 30% of bounded water
in natural state.
• This water is taken out from it through
continuous heating till its white powder
form is obtained.
 PRODUCTION
1. Excavation
2. Crushing
3. Grinding
4. Calcination(Incomplete & complete)
5. Cooling and Pulverizing
6. Packing
WHAT IS Synthetic gypsum? READING
ASSIGNMENT
 3.3.3 Classification of Gypsum
Products
1. Gypsum Plaster
2. Gypsum Fertilizer
3. Gypsum Board
4. Gypsum Powder
 1.Gypsum Plaster

• It is a kind of white cementing material.

• obtained by partial or complete dehydration
of the mineral.
• thin or hardened material for plaster.
• When water is added to a surface at the
time of application, the material sets in its
own chemical composition and gradually
hardens.
 2.Gypsum Fertilizer
• Gypsum is a soluble source of essential
nutrients, calcium, and sulfur for plant
growth. In addition, Gypsum can enhance
the overall growth of the plant.
 3.Gypsum Board

• Commonly used in construction as drywall,

plasterboard, or wallboard.
• Can be used in walls, ceilings, and floor
parts.
• Advantages.
• Low cost, ease of installation and finishing,
fire resistance, sound control, .
• Has good properties for cutting off sound
transmission.
• Especially used to absorb atmospheric
sounds such as speech and music.
• Fillers for plastics and rubber
• Disadvantages.
• difficulty in the application of curved
surfaces,
• subject to damage by friction and
• low durability
 4.Gypsum Powder

• Naturally occurring material.

• It is found as soft, white mineral rock.
• Dry powder is made by processing it.
• Mainly used in building materials like
drywall.
• Useful for the growth of plants in
agriculture.
 3.3.4. Properties of Gypsum

A .Fire Resistance
B. Thermal Properties
C. Acoustic Properties
D. Non-Combined Properties
 A.Fire Resistance

• Thermal properties
• Stabilizing conditions such as indoor
humidity and temperature.
• Plasterboard or formwork used in
construction as a product of gypsum
enhances the insulation properties.
• Gypsum boards helps to balance the
temperature in the building.
 B. Acoustic Properties
• Gypsum products are used to produce
sound insulation properties in the building.
• Gypsum plasterboard has better properties
than other methods like masonry to reduce
noise and prevent echoes.
• Gypsum board has good noise absorbing
properties.
• If you want to achieve sound absorption
efficiency can be achieved by installing a
75mm thick drywall instead of a 110mm
thick masonry wall.
 C. Non-Combined Properties
• Heating such gypsum products cause water
crystals to form inside the material due to
calcination.
• This in turn helps to maintain the
temperature.
• These water crystals act as an insulating
layer even after cooling.
• This type of product is considered excellent
as a fire extinguisher.
• In addition, it can withstand fire for hours.
 Uses of Gypsum
• Building Materials Industry
• Food Industry
• Agriculture
• Pharmaceutical Industry
 Building Materials Industry

• As building materials.
• As a raw material for the manufacture of
all types of building materials, such as
cement and cementing materials.
• Gypsum partition board, load-bearing
interior board, exterior wall block, wall
covering board, roofing product, etc.
 3.4 CEMENT
• Cement is a binder,
• a substance that sets and hardens and can
bind other materials together.
• Characterized as being either hydraulic or
non-hydraulic, depending upon the ability
of the cement to be used in the presence of
water.
 Non-hydraulic cement
• Not set in wet conditions or underwater,
• Rather it sets as it dries and reacts with
carbon dioxide in the air.
• It can be attacked by some aggressive
chemicals after setting.
 Hydraulic cement
• Made by replacing some of the cement in a
mix with activated aluminium silicates,
pozzolanas, such as fly ash.
• The chemical reaction results in hydrates
that are not very water-soluble and so are
quite durable in water and safe from
chemical attack. (E.G., Portland cement).
 Use of cement
• Cement mortar for Masonry work, plaster
and pointing etc.
• Concrete for laying floors, roofs and
constructing lintels, beams, weather shed,
stairs, pillars etc.
• Construction for important engineering
structures such as bridge, culverts, dams,
tunnels, light house, clocks, etc.
• Construction of water, wells, tennis courts,
septic tanks, lamp posts, telephone cabins etc.
• Making joint for joints, pipes, etc.
• Manufacturing of precast pipes, garden
seats, artistically designed wens, flower
posts, etc.
• Preparation of foundation, water tight
floors, footpaths, etc
 Raw Materials
• Lime (CaO),
• Silica (SiO2),
• Alumina (Al2O3),
• Iron (Fe2O3) with miner amounts of
magnesia and sulfur trioxide.
3.4.2 Production of Portland cement

• Dry process Dry materials are proportioned,

ground to a powder, blended and fed into the
kiln.
• Wet process Involves adding water to the
proportioned of raw materials and completing
the grinding and blending operations in slurry
form.
 Steps of manufacture :

• Quarrying
• Crushing
• Grinding Treatment of Raw Materials
• Mixing
• Calcining
• Addition of retarder
• Packing
 Dry Process

• The four main steps in this process are:

1. Treatment of raw materials
2. Burning of the dry mix
3. Grinding of the clinker
4. Packaging and storage
 1.Treatment of Raw Materials

• The raw materials are subjected to such

processes as: crushing, drying, grinding,
proportioning and blending or mixing
before they are fed into the kiln for burning.
 2. Burning or Calcinations
• The well-proportioned finely powdered
mixture (raw meal) is charged into long
steel cylinder, called rotary kiln.
• Three reactions are take place during the
burning stage
A. Complete dehydration
B. Dissociation of carbonate(CaCO3 →
CaO+CO2 )
C.Compound formation
 3. Grinding of the Clinker

• The completely burnt or calcined raw

materials of cement are converted to lump-
shaped product called clinker, which is
drawn out from the lower end of the rotary
kiln.
 4.Packing and storage of cement

• Cement is most commonly stored after its

manufacture in specially designed concrete
storage tanks called silos where from it is
drawn off mechanically for the market. For
convenience, the cement comes to the
customer in bags.
 Wet process
• Wet process is considered a better and
convenient process for the manufacture of
cement, specifically where limestone of soft
variety is available in abundance.
• Steps in wet process are:
1. Preparation of slurry
2. Burning or calcinations and
3. Grinding of Clinker
 1.Preparation of Slurry
• Raw materials are supplied to the kiln in
the form of an intimate mixture with a lot of
water in it.
• This is called slurry
• The raw materials are first crushed
separately.
• stored in separate tanks or silos
• drawn from the silos in prefixed
proportions in to the wet
grinding mills
• In the presence of a lot of water, thus
ground to a fine thin paste
• The slurry is stored in a silo
• The composition of the slurry is tested once
again and corrected by adding limestone
slurry in required proportions
• Such corrected slurry is then fed into the
rotary kiln
 Burning
• Rotary kiln of almost similar type is used as
described under dry process.
• All the moisture is driven off the slurry as it
passes through the drying zone.
• In the subsequent zones, it undergoes some
transformation as mentioned under dry
process.
 Grinding of Clinker
• As the lump-shaped clinker comes out from the
kiln, it is extremely hot.
• It is, therefore, passed through cooling rotary
cylinders.
• There after it is mixed with 3-5 percent of
gypsum
• and ground to a very fine powder as in dry
process.
• The fine cement obtained is stored and packed
in paper bags.
 3.4.3 Classification of Portland
cement
• The Ethiopian standard ESC.DS.201
classifies Portland cement into:
• Ordinary Portland cement (Type O) and
• Rapid-hardening Portland cement (Type R)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
recognizes eight types of Portland cement under
specification ASTM C150.
• The standard five types of Portland cement are the
types that are usually produced.
1. Type I or Normal Portland cement
2. Type II or Moderate Portland cement
3. Type III or High-Early-Strength Portland cement
4. Type IV or Low - Heat of Hydration Portland
Cement
5. Type V or Sulfate - Resisting Portland cement
• Types IA, IIA, IIIA or air-
entraining cements
1. Type I or Normal Portland cement

• Is a general-purpose cement
• Is used when the special properties
specified for any other type are not required
• Is used where there would be no severe
climate changes
• Is used where there is no severe exposure to
sulfate attack from water or soil
•
• Its uses include reinforced-concrete
buildings, bridges, reservoirs, floors, and
retaining walls
• In general, it is used in nearly all situations
calling for Portland cement.
2. Type II or Moderate Portland cement

• Used when moderate sulfate resistance or

moderate heat of hydration is desired
• It is used in structures of considerable
mass, such as abutments and piers and
retaining walls.
• Its use also minimizes temperature rise
when concrete is placed in warm weather.
 3. Type III or High-Early-Strength
Portland cement
• used when high early strength is desired,
usually less than one week
• usually used when a structure must be put
into service as quickly as possible
• made by changing the proportions of raw
materials, by fine grinding, and by better
burning
• Contains less di-calcium silicate
• and the tri-calcium silicate is greater
 4. Type IV or Low - Heat of Hydration
Portland cement
• Used when a low heat of hydration is
required
• Develops strength at a slower rate than does
than Type I
• It is intended for mass structures such as
large gravity dams where the temperature
rise on a continuous pour is great
5. Type V or Sulfate - Resisting Portland
cement
• I used when high sulfate resistance is
desired
• Used when concrete is to be exposed to
severe sulfate action by soil or water
Contains less C3A
 Types IA, IIA, IIIA
• used in concrete for improved resistance to
freezing and thawing
• action and the action of salt scaling and
chemical attack
• Disintegration due to freezing and thawing is
caused by the expansion of the water, as it
freezes.
• The pressure caused by this expansion forces
the pore open after thawing, the large pore is
re saturated with water and subsequent
freezing increase the pore volume again
 3.4.4. Special types of cement
• Varieties of special cements exist that are
limited for specific uses and purposes.
• The following are few examples:
 Portland-Pozzolana Cement (PPC)

• A pozzolanic material can be a natural or

artificial which contains silica and
aluminous in a reactive form.
• This materials usually does not posses any
cementitious properties, but when it is
mixed with water or moisture or lime to
undergo reaction with calcium hydroxide to
form compounds possessing cement
properties.
 Types of pozzolana materials:
1 Artificial pozzolana:
• Fly ash, silica fume, rice husk, blast furnace
slag.
2. Natural pozzolana:
• Burnt clay, pumicite, diatomaceous Earth.
 Manufacture of Portland pozzolana
cement
• The primary raw materials used for this
cement manufacture are limestone (CaCO2)
and clay (SiO2,AI2,O3,Fe2O3).
• Rocks are loaded into trucks and transported
to the crushers, where the crushed into fine
particles.
• Fine particles of clay and limestone are fed into
the air-swept ball mills in desired proportions
as per requirement and mixed very well before
it is sent to silos for storing.
• This mixture is then pre-heated upto 800-1000c
where calcinations of CACO3 to CaO takes
place.
• The pre heated mixture is then sent into kiln
where the mixture is heated to 1450C in rotary
Kiln.
• The modules formed from the burning process
called clinker.
• The clinker is cooled by a rotary cooler.
• This clinker is now mixed with gypsum and
pozzolana materials in the required proportion
and thus the Portland Pozzolana Cement is
obtained.
 Properties of Portland Pozzolana
Cement
• Initial setting time = 30 min (minimum)
• Final setting time = 600 min (maximum).
• At 3 days 13MPa (minimum)
• At 7 days 22 MPa (minimum)
• At 28 days 33 MPa (minimum)
• Drying shrinkage should not be more than 0.15%
• Fineness should not be less than 300 m2/kg
• Initial strength of PPC is less but final strength is
equal to the 28 days strength of OPC
• PPC has lower rate of development of strength than
OPC
 Uses of Portland Pozzolana Cement
• Used in hydraulic structures, marine
structures, construction near the sea shore,
dam construction etc.
• Used in pre-stressed and post-tensioned
concrete members.
• Used in masonry mortars and plastering.
• As it gives better surface finish, it is used in
decorative and art structures.
• Used in manufacture of precast sewage pipes.
• Used under harsh concreting conditions.
 Portland blast furnance slag
• The mixture of ordinary Portland cement and
fine granulated blast furnace slag obtained as a
by product in the manufacture of steel with
percent under 70% to that of cement.
• Ground granulated blast furnace slag cement
(GGBFS) is a fine glassy granules which
contain cementitious properties.
• GGBFS is obtained as a byproduct in the
extraction of iron from it ore.
• The process of extraction of iron is blast
furnace.
• The slag that is obtained on the iron ore is
separated and cooled down slowly, which
results in the formation of nonreactive
crystalline material.
 Uses of Blast-Furnace Slag Cement
• Used used in ready mix concrete plants
• Or structures meant for water retaining such
as retaining wall, rivers, ports,
• Tunnels for improvement in impermeability.
• Used in mass concreting works such as dams,
foundations which require low heat of
hydration.
• Used in the places susceptible to chloride and
sulphate attacks such as sub-structure, bored
piles, pre-case piles and marine structure
 White Portland cement

• White cement is same as that of grey

Portland cement but the only differ is in the
color and fineness.
• This color of this cement is determined by
its raw materials and the process of
manufacture.
 Manufacture of White Cement
• Manufacturing is same as that of grey cement, but the
selection of raw material is an important part in the
manufacturing process.
• The oxides of chromium, manganese, iron, copper,
vanadium, nickel and titanium imparts the grey color to
the cement.
• In white cement manufacture, these raw materials are
kept to least percentage.
• Limestone and clay is used as a prominent raw material
for the manufacture of white cement. The manufacture
process are same as that of OPC cement, the only
differences are the heat required for the burning of raw
material is more and fineness is more.
 Raw material are used to make
white cement
1. Lime Stone -High Carbonate & Low Iron.
2. Clay - High Alumina and Low Iron
3. Oil / Pet Coke / Rubber
4. Gypsum / Salenile
 Uses of White Cement

• Used for prestige construction projects and

decorative works.
• Used for colored concrete with the use of
inorganic pigments to produce brightly
colored concretes and mortars.
• Due to its whiteness, it finds its application
in architectural beauty, interior and exterior
decorations, floorings, ornamental concrete
products such as idols while grey cement is
mostly used for construction purposes.
• Used in roads due the property of high
reflectiveness to add visibility to highway
medians.
• White cement is also used in a high amount
for manufacturing precast members.
Beautiful precast members are made
utilizing the white Portland cement.
• They are also used widely for making cast
stones of appealing appearance.
• White cement is comparatively a costly
cement type and is, therefore, used only
selectively.
 High alumina cement
• manufactured by grinding the clinkers of
alumina and calcareous material such as
lime by fusing or sintering process.
• This cement is also known as calcium
aluminum cement.
 Manufacture of High Alumina Cement
• Manufacture is different compared to that of ordinary
Portland cement.
• Bauxite and lime are used as the raw material.
• The raw materials are mixed in the required proportion
and grinded into small fragments of 100 mm.
• These lumps are fed in kiln and heated up-to their fusion
point which is 1600°C.
• The molten material fall down on The steel plate and it
is send to cool down in rotary kiln.
• These clinkers are then grounded finely in tube mills
unto the fineness not less than 2250 cm2/gram is
achieved
Properties of High Alumina Cement

• It is very resistant to chemical attacks.

• The pH level is low.
• High resistant to chemical corrosion, due to which it is
used for construction of water pipes, sewage pipes,
factory drains, coastal constructions and in factory
chimneys.
• The refractive index of this cement is high.
• It has high durability in sulphuric acid.
• Hardening property of this cement is fast.
• It acts as a bonding material when added in refractory
castables because it forms ceramic bond at high
temperatures.
 Uses of High Alumina Cement

• Due the property of rapid hardening and

strength, it is widely used in marine
construction and sewer infrastructure.
• Also used in refractory concretes where it
requires more strength at very high
temperature.
 3.4.5 Properties of Portland cement

• Most specifications place specific physical

property and chemical composition
requirements for Portland cement.
• Physical and chemical tests are conducted to
judge the quality of cement.
 1. Physical Properties
1. Fineness:
2. Setting time
3. Soundness
4. Compressive strength
5. Specific gravity
6. Normal consistency of cement
 Fineness
• The fineness of cement has an important
bearing on the rate of hydration and hence
on the rate of gain of strength and also on
the rate of evolution of heat.
• Finer cement offers a greater surface area
for hydration and hence the faster and
greater the development of strength.
• Increase in fineness of cement is also found
to increase the drying shrinkage of concrete.
• Fineness of cement is tested either by
sieving or by determination of specific
surface by air-permeability apparatus.
• Specific surface is the total surface area of
all the particles in one gram of cement
 Setting time
• Setting means becoming finer and harder, changing
from semi liquid state to plastic state and form plastic
state to solid state.
• Mortar or concrete when mixed is in semi liquid state.
The chemical action between cement and water starts,
and the mixture goes into plastic state.
• Initial setting time is that time period between the time
water is added to cement and time at which 1 mm
square section needle fails to penetrate the cement paste,
placed in the Vicat’s mould 5 mm to 7 mm from the
bottom of the mould.
• Final setting time is that time period between the time
water is added to cement and the time at which 1 mm
needle makes an impression on the paste in the mould
but 5 mm attachment does not make any impression.
 Soundness

• Unsoundness of cement means, that the

cement having excess lime, magnesium
sulphates, etc. due to excess of these items
there will be volume changes and large
expansions, there by reduces the durability
of the structures.
 Compressive strength

• The ability of cement specimen to resist the

compressive stress when tested under
Compressive Testing Machine [CTM] at 28
days.
• Compressive strength is the capacity of
material or structure to resist or withstand
under compression.
• The Compressive strength of a material is
determined by the ability of the material to
resist failure in the form of cracks and fissure.
 Specific gravity
• Specific gravity is defined as the ratio
between weight of a given volume of
material and weight of an equal volume of
water.
• To determine the specific gravity of cement,
kerosene is used which does not react with
cement.
 Normal consistency of cement

• Vicat plunger to penetrate to appoint 5 to 7

mm from the bottom of the vicat mould in
this test.
• It is expressed as amount of water as a
percentage [by weight] of dry cement.
• Standard consistency is also called normal
consistency.
• A certain minimum quantity of water is
required to be mixed with cement so as to
complete chemical reaction between water
and cement less water than this quantity
required wood not complete chemical
reaction
• thus resulting in reaction strength and
more water increases water cement ratio
and it reduces the strength. So correct
proportion of w/c is required.
 2. Chemical Properties

• Lime Saturation Factor (LSF)

• Alumina Ratio (AR)
• Sulfur trioxide (SO3)
• Insoluble Residue
 Hydration of Cement

• When water is added, the reactions which

occur are mostly exothermic, that is, the
reactions generate heat.
 Products of Hydration

• During hydration process several hydrated

compounds are formed most important of
which are,
• Calcium silicate hydrate,
• Calcium hydroxide and
• Calcium aluminium hydrates which is
important for strength gain.
Thank you