CE 209: Construction Materials (For URP Dept.

)
Session : July 2022

Lecture 4

Zahid Hasan Prince

Lecturer, Dept. of CE
Contact: [email protected]
Properties of Cement

Cement properties for which cement is analyzed in the laboratory can

be grouped into the followings:

Sl. Properties Examples

− Normal consistency
− Setting time
1 Physical − Fineness
− Soundness
− Specific gravity
2 Mechanical − Hardening (compressive &tensile
strength)
3 Chemical − Chemical composition
− Heat of hydration
4 Thermal
− Loss on ignition
Normal Consistency (NC) of cement
➢ Normal consistency refers to the relative mobility of a freshly
mixed cement paste or mortar or its ability to flow hence it is the
measure of workability of cement.
➢ NC of cement is a very important quality control parameter and it
is also used for determination of other cement properties

➢ In ASTM standard - Normal or Standard

consistency of cement is determined using
the Vicat’s Apparatus.
Normal Consistency (NC) of cement BDS EN 196-3:2005 €
-
ASTM standard BDS EN -196-3

- No standard value
- Usually 27-32 %
Setting Time
This is the term used to describe the stiffening of the cement paste.
i. Initial setting time
▪ Indicates the beginning of forming of gel or beginning of
solidification.
▪ It represents approximately the time at which fresh concrete can
no longer be properly mixed, placed or compacted.

ii. Final setting time

▪ The final set occurs 5-10 hours after mixing
▪ It represents approximately the time after which strength develops
at a significant rate.
Setting Time

Type of cement Initial setting Final setting time

time

OPC (Type –I & not less than 45 not more than375 mins
III) mins

Blended Cement not less than 45 not more than420 mins

mins
Soundness of cement
• The phenomena under which chemical reactions in hardened concrete
which involve volume expansion and thus lead to the formation of cracks
and disintegration of concrete defines the unsoundness of cement.
• In contrast, soundness of cement is the ability of a hardened paste to
retain its volume after setting without any swelling, cracking, or
disintegration.
• The unsoundness in cement may occur due to number of reasons:
- presence of excess of lime and magnesia
- delayed formation of ettringite either due to presence of excess
gypsum or sulfate attack from external sources)
- Insufficient burning of clinker,
- Poor grinding of cement particles etc.
There are several standard methods of testing soundness of cement.

Sl Test method Measures unsoundness

due to
Le-Chatelier
1 free lime
accelerated test (BDS
EN 196-3: 2013)
Autoclave-expansion
2 excess of magnesia
test (ASTM C151)

Cement mortar bar sulfate attack due to sulfate

3
expansion test (ASTM existing in cement
C1038)
Length change of cement sulfate attack due to external
4
mortar exposed in SO4 sulfate attack
solution
Fineness of cement

▪ Fineness of cement represents the total surface area of cement particles

available for chemical reaction in a given weight or volume.
Fineness of cement
▪ Fineness of cement represents the total surface area of cement particles
available for chemical reaction in a given weight or volume.
▪ More is the fineness of cement more will be the rate of hydration.
▪ Thus the fineness accelerates strength development principally during
the first 7 days.
▪ Most of the cement particles range in size from 75 to 150 microns.

Type of Type - I Type - Type - III Type - IV Type - V

cement II
Fineness 350 350 450 300 350
(m2/kg)
There are number of methods of testing of fineness of cement, such as-
1) Sieve analysis methods – uses 300-μm, 150-μm & 75-μm Sieves (ASTM C786)
2) Air permeability methods – Blaine Air permeability apparatus (ASTM C204)
3) Sedimentation method – Wanger turbidimeter (ASTM C115)
Strengths of cement

▪ Cement paste strength is typically defined in three ways:

- compressive,
- tensile and
- flexural.
▪ 28-days strength is used as design strength for structural uses.
▪ Compressive strength of cement is the most important property
of cement.
Strengths of cement

▪ Compressive strength is determined conducting compression tests

on standard 2-inch mortar cubes in accordance with ASTM C 109
▪ Tensile strength of cement is determined by testing the standard
briquettes made of mortar
▪ Flexural strength is measured on a 40 x 40 x 160 mm prism beam
test under a center-point bending.
Compressive Strength Test of Hydraulic Cement (ASTM)
Compressive Strength Test of Hydraulic Cement BDS EN 196-1
Tensile Strength Test
Flexural Strength Test
Specific Gravity of Cement

▪ Specific gravity is used in concrete mixture proportioning calculations.

▪ The portland cement have a specific gravity of value around 3.15.
▪ For Portland pozzolan cements and Portland blast furnace cements the
value will come near to 2.90
Chemical composition
▪ On chemical analysis both OPC and rapid hardening cement should give
the following result:
➢ Net proportion of lime to silica, alumina and iron oxides, should be as
below:
CaO
2.8(Si02) + 1.2(Al2O3) + 0.065(Fe2O3)

➢ Magnesia should not exceed 2% by weight.

➢ Insoluble residues should not exceed 0.5% by weight.
➢ Total sulfur content should not exceed 2% by weight.
Loss on Ignition

▪ Loss on ignition is calculated by heating up a cement sample to 900 to

1000°C until a constant weight is obtained.
▪ The loss due to moisture and carbon dioxide causes weight loss which
should not be more than 5% for all cements
▪ A high weight loss on ignition of a cement sample is an indication of pre-
hydration and carbonation, which may be caused by:
➢ Improper and prolonged storage
➢ Adulteration during transport and transfer
Cement Manufacturing Process:
Following three operations are involved in the manufacture of all kinds of
cements:
1. Mixing of raw materials
2. Burning
3. Grinding
▪ The process, by which cement is manufactured, depends upon the
technique adopted in the mixing of raw materials (such as limestone or
chalk, clay, iron ore, shale etc.).
▪ Therefore, on the basis of mixing the raw materials, the processes may
be classified as:-
a. Wet Process
b. Dry Process
 Cement Manufacturing Process:
▪ The process, by which cement is manufactured, depends upon the
technique adopted in the mixing of raw materials (such as limestone or
chalk, clay, iron ore, shale etc.).
▪ Therefore, on the basis of mixing the raw materials, the processes may be
classified as:-
a. Wet Process or
b. Dry Process

• Out of these wet process is generally used

a. Wet Process

Stage 1: To prepare cement slurry

i. Obtain the raw materials

ii. Crush the raw materials;
iii. Finely grind the material with addition of necessary quantity of water;
(this mixture is termed as slurry)
iv. Analyze the chemical composition and correct if necessary, by adding
deficit material.
v. Flow slurry through pumping into a tank to feed for burning in the kiln;
Stage 2: To obtain cement clinker

i. Pump the corrected slurry into rotary kiln;

ii. Feed the rotary kiln with slurry and fuel;
iii. The kiln revolves at 2 to 3 rpm;

Stage 3: Grinding of clinker

• Grind cement clinker to very fine powder
• Add gypsum as per requirement
• Elevate and store the cement in silos;
• Fill the bags and store it for sale or use
b. Dry Process
When the available raw materials are quite hard, then this process is used .

Stage 1: Mixing of raw materials

i. The raw materials are broken to small fragments.
ii. The crushed materials are dried by heating at a sufficiently high
temperature usually done in drying kilns.
iii. The drying materials are then grinded by using ball mills and tube mills to
reduce the size of materials to fine powder.
iv. The finely dried materials are mixed in exact proportions . The mixing
may be done either mechanically or by pneumatic methods(e. pumped
under pressure).
Stage 2 & 3 : Burning & Grinding
These operations are same as for wet process.

Comparison of both processes:

• Wet process easiest to control chemistry & better for moist raw materials.
• High fuel requirements for wet process- fuel needed to evaporate 30+%
slurry water.
• Dry process kilns require less fuel
Cement Storage : Cement silos
In factory, cement is stored in large sized vertical cylinders, called
cement silos. Their diameter varies from 7 to 10 m and height from
15 to 24m. Cement is drawn from them at the bottom.