CEMENT

Cement is a fine gray powder that is mixed with water and other substances to make mortar or
concrete. It is a key building material in both residential and commercial construction work.
Portland Cement is a type of cement, not a brand name. Many cement manufacturers make Portland
Cement. It is a basic ingredient of concrete, made using a closely controlled chemical combination
of calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron and small amounts of other ingredients to which gypsum is
added in the final grinding process to regulate the setting time of the concrete.

TYPES OF CEMENT

Type 1 - Normal portland cement. Type 1 is a general use cement.

Type 2 - Is used for structures in water or soil containing moderate amounts of sulfate, or when heat
build-up is a concern.
Type 3 - High early strength. Used when high strength are desired at very early periods.
Type 4 - Low heat portland cement. Used where the amount and rate of heat generation must be
kept to a minimum.
Type 5 - Sulfate resistant portland cement. Used where the water or soil is high in alkali.

Across all of these cement types, the most commonly varieties of cement used include:

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)

Ordinary Portland Cement, also known simply as Portland cement or Type 1 cement, is widely used
in construction work. It is made of Argillaceous or silicates of alumina (clay and shale) and
calcareous or calcium carbonate (limestone, chalk, and marl). It is used for general construction
purposes and most masonry work.

White Cement

White cement is prepared from raw materials free from Iron oxide and is similar to Portland cement
except for its white color. It is more expensive and is used for architectural purposes such as precast
curtain walls, and interior and exterior decorative work such as facing slabs, floorings, ornamental
concrete products and garden paths.

Water Repellent Cement

Water repellent or waterproof cement consists of ordinary or rapid hardening cement combined with
a small percentage of metal stearates (such as Calcium or Aluminum) while it’s ground. It is used
for the construction of structures that either retain water or will be in constant contact with water in
some other way, such as tanks, reservoirs, retaining walls, swimming pools, dams, bridges, and
piers.

Sulfate Resistant Cement

This type of sulfate resisting cement has a very low heat of hydration, which means it does not
generate much heat when reacting to water, and gains strength at a slower rate. It is used in
applications where the soil has high levels of Sulphate/alkali containing compounds in the
groundwater, sewage systems, piers and platforms on the coast. It reduces the risk of sulfate attack
on concrete and is used in the construction of foundations where the soil has high sulfate or alkali
content, as it also is often alkali-resistant. This includes places where the cement may come into
contact with groundwater, sewage systems, or ocean water. It is also used for canals linings,
culverts, retaining walls, and siphons.

Low Heat Cement

Low heat cement features a lower heat of hydration, and it needs less water to mix and set. This
cement type is made from the same ingredients as portland cement, with some changes in the
proportions of ingredients: it has lower amounts of tricalcium illuminate (around 5%), and higher
amounts of dicalcium silicate (around 46%). Because it has high chemical corrosion resistance, it’s
often used for floors and surfaces in chemical plants; due to its high strength and wear and rupture
resistance, this cement is also used in dams, wind turbine feet, and large footings and raft slabs of
concrete.

High Alumina Cement

High alumina cement is commonly used in marine and sewer construction, as well as in refractory
applications. Created differently from other cements, this material is formed from baking ground up
bauxite and lime in a kiln, then grinding the clinker again. High alumina cement has a low pH,
making it highly chemical resistant, including to sulfuric acid.

Hydraulic Cement

Hydraulic cements, such as the IL, IS, IP, and IT types mentioned above, archetypes of hydrophobic
cement. They are impervious to water and set quickly, leading to their use in underwater and
waterproofing structural applications. It’s also quite strong and is corrosion and rust-resistant.
Hydraulic cement does not, however, do well in colder temperatures.

Rapid Hardening Cement

Rapid hardening cement is comparable to Portland cement. It contains more tri-calcium silicate than
Portland cement and is finer ground. This gives it greater strength development at an early stage
than Portland cement. The strength of this cement after three days is almost the same as Portland
cement’s after a week, with the same water-cement ratio. The main benefit of using rapid hardening
cement is that the formwork can be removed earlier and reused in other areas, lowering formwork’s
overall cost. It is often used in prefabricated concrete construction and road work.

Expansive Cement

Expansive cement does not shrink during and after the time of hardening but expands slightly with
time. It generally consists of Portland cement clinker with added calcium sulfate, and sometimes
tricalcium aluminate. This type of cement is used to help overcome shrinkage loss, and is often an
essential part of sealing joints when used as expansion joint cement. Other applications for this type
of cement include grouting anchor bolts and prestressed concrete ducts.

Air Entraining Cement

Air-entraining cement creates concrete with billions of tiny air bubbles per cubic foot. When the
water in concrete freezes due to low temperature, it expands. With air-entraining cement, the air
voids in concrete provide space for water to expand without cracking the concrete. The air bubbles
take up between four and seven percent of the volume of the cement, but this varies as required by
special conditions. This type of cement is not a high strength cement. It is used in areas where the
temperature is very low and where de-icing chemicals are applied.

What are the ingredients of ordinary portland cement and their functions?

Cement basically constitutes of calcareous (limestone, shells, and chalk or marl) and
argillaceous compounds (shale, clay, slate, blast furnace slag, silica sand, and iron ore).
Cement is manufactured through a closely controlled chemical combination of calcium, silicon,
aluminium, iron and other ingredients.

Compound Formula Shorthand form

Calcium oxide (lime) Ca0 C

Silicon dioxide (silica) SiO2 S

 Aluminum oxide (alumina) Al2O3 A

Iron oxide Fe2O3 F

Water H2O H

Sulfate SO3 S

Chemical composition of clinker

The cement clinker formed has the following typical composition:

Compound Formula Shorthand % by weight

form

Tricalcium aluminate Ca3Al2O6 C3A 10

Tetracalcium aluminoferrite Ca4Al2Fe2O10 C4AF 8

Belite or dicalcium silicate Ca2SiO5 C2S 20

Alite or tricalcium silicate Ca3SiO4 C3S 55

Sodium oxide Na2O N )

Potassium oxide K2O K )Up to 2

Gypsum CaSO4.2H2O CSH2 5

Properties of cement compounds
These compounds contribute to the properties of cement in different ways
Tricalcium aluminate, C3A:- It liberates a lot of heat during the early stages of hydration, but has

little strength contribution. Gypsum slows down the hydration rate of C3A. Cement low in C3A is

sulfate resistant.
Tricalcium silicate, C3S:-

This compound hydrates and hardens rapidly. It is largely responsible for portland cement’s initial
set and early strength gain.
Dicalcium silicate, C2S:

C2S hydrates and hardens slowly. It is largely responsible for strength gain after one week.

Ferrite, C4AF:
Fineness Of Cement

The fineness of cement is a measure of the size of particles of cement and is

expressed in terms of the specific surface area of cement. The fineness of cement
is measured as the % weight retained on a 90µm IS sieve over the total weight of the
sample.

What is the significance of Fineness of Cement?

Fineness of Cement:

It is the property of cement that gives an idea about the size of particle in cement and thus surface
area ratio.
Significance:
1) Increase in fineness, increase in heat of hydration. This is due to an increase in surface area of
cement requires more water content.
2) Bleeding reduces by increasing the fineness of the cement. This is due to an increase in surface
area, adsorb water content.
3)By the increase in fineness, surface increases. Thus, it requires more water, and if calculation not
done properly, dry shrinking possible to occur in concrete structures.
4)If particles are of small size. It’s surface area increase. This adhesion between them is increased.
Fineness test are performed to determine fineness of cement.

Fineness Of Cement

The fineness of cement is a measure of cement particle size and is denoted in terms of the specific
surface area of cement. The weight of cement particle whose size is greater than 90 microns is
determined and the percentage of retained cement particle are calculated. This is known as the
Fineness of cement.

Why Fineness of Cement Test Required?

We know that cement hydrates when cement is mixed with water and a thin layer are formed around
the particle.This thin layer grows bigger and makes cement particles separate. Because of this, the
cement hydration process slows down.

On other hand, cement smaller particles react much quicker than larger particles.

A cement particle with a diameter of 1µm will react entirely in 1 day, whereas the particle with a
diameter of 10µm takes about 1 month.

But, there is a side effect of having too much smaller particles in cement results in a quick setting,
leaving no time for mixing, handling, and placing.

Therefore to increase the setting time of cement, cement must be manufactured in a different range
of particle sizes. The fineness of the cement test measures this parameter of cement.

Setting Time
When water is mixed with cement, a smooth paste is produced that remains plastic for a short time.
During this period, the paste can be disturbed and remixed without injury. As the reaction between
water and cement continues, the plasticity of the cement paste is lost.

Cement has many important properties which are gained by adding required amount of water to
start the reaction between them. When water is mixed with cement, the paste is formed and it
remains in the plastic state for a first few minutes. During these first few minutes the paste can be
moulded in any required shape due to its plasticity. However, within this specific time, reaction
continues between cement and water. During this reaction, paste loses its plasticity and gets
hardened. Afterwards, moulding the hardened paste in the desired shape becomes difficult. This
early time of the hardening of cement paste is known as “Setting Time of Cement”.
Setting time is defined as a specified time required for concrete or mortar to change from liquid
state to plastic state and plastic state to solid state so that surface becomes sufficiently rigid to
withstand a definite amount of pressure. It is necessary to place and consolidate the concrete or the
mortar before initial setting start and do not disturb till the final setting of mortar or concrete has
taken place.

Initial and Final Setting Time of Cement

Two of the setting times are considered as discussed below:

Initial Setting Time of Cement

The time from the moment water is added to the cement to the moment when cement starts losing
plasticity is called the initial setting time of cement.

In other words, IST is the time when the stiffening starts in cement paste. IST is the time until
which the cement paste can be moulded into any desired shape without affecting its strength.

In actual construction practice, time is required for concreting operations like mixing, transporting,
placing, finishing, compacting, etc. The cement should remain in a plastic state until all these
operations are completed.

For ordinary Portland cement, IST is 30 min. hence, all the concreting steps need to be completed
within 30 minutes, else the concrete will start losing plasticity and the full strength of concrete
would not be achieved.

Final Setting Time of Cement

The time when the water is added to cement until the time when the cement paste loses its plasticity
completely is FST.

At FST, the cement attains sufficient firmness and can resist definite pressure. FST is specified as
well as measured so as to ensure normal hydration.

After the handling operations of cement are over, the cement should lose its plasticity at the earliest
so that the vulnerability to the damage due to external factors is reduced.

FST should not be more than 10 hours. For OPC, the value of FST is 6 hours.

Significance of Initial and Final Setting Time:

• The properties of cement are affected if the concrete is not placed and finished within the
initial setting time.
• The cement should not be disturbed till final setting time is over
 • Moulds can be removed after FST as the cement gains enough strength
• FST marks the beginning of the development of mechanical strength of cement
• For removing the forms for various structural members, FST is considered

Initial and Final Setting Time of Cement Types

Type of Cement Initial Setting Time Final Setting Time

Ordinary Portland Cement 30 600
Portland Pozzolana Cement 30 600
Portland Slag Cement 30 600
Rapid Hardening Cement 30 600
Quick Setting Cement 5 30
Low Heat Cement 60 600
Sulphate Resisting Cement 30 600
Super Sulphated Cement 30 600
High Alumina Cement 30 600
Hydrophobic Cement 30 600
Masonry Cement 90 1440

Setting of Cement v/s Hardening of Cement

The setting of cement and hardening of cement are differentiated below:

Setting of Cement Hardening of Cement

Stiffening of cement Gain in strength of cement
Cement loses plasticity upon setting Hardening of cement occurs after setting of cement