Cement:

Cement is a well grinded mixture of calcareous and argillaceous materials

which is used as a binder in construction industry.

Why Cement is needed?

Cement is better binder as compared to clay. Cement is required in case of following

situations

 Population of world is increasing day by day so more buildings are required for
residency and cement is used as a binder in construction of these buildings.
 In case of natural disasters like floods and earthquakes when there is loss of buildings
so for reconstruction of those structures, cement will be required as a binder.
 Cement is also used in road construction. Due to traffic congestion more roads are
required necessitating the requirement of cement.

Chemical composition of cement:

Raw materials required for manufacturing of cement

are

 Lime (CaO) which is obtained from limestone, marble, calcite, seashell etc.
 Silica (SiO2) it is obtained from clay, sand, calcium silicate etc.
 Alumina (Al2O3) clay, shale, bauxite are its sources.
 Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) it is obtained from iron ore, blast furnace dust etc.
Major ingredients of cements are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Ingredients of cement

The general percentage of these ingredients in cement is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: General percentage of ingredients of cement

Functions of cement ingredients:

The main features of these cement ingredients along with their functions and usefulness or
harmfulness are given below:

1. Lime:

Lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide.

 Presence of lime in a sufficient quantity is required to form silicates and aluminates of

calcium.
 Deficiency in lime reduces the strength of the cement.
 Deficiency in lime causes cement to set quickly.
 Excess lime makes cement unsound.
 Excessive presence of lime cause cement to expand and disintegrate.

2. Silica:

Silicon dioxide (SiO2) is known as silica.

 Sufficient quantity of silica should be present in cement to dicalcium and tricalcium

silicate.
 Silica imparts strength to cement.
 Silica usually presents to the extent of about 30 percent cement.

3. Alumina:

 Alumina (Al2O3) imparts quick setting to the cement.

 Clinkering temperature is lowered by the presence of the requisite quantity of
alumina.
 Excess alumina weakens the cement.
4. Magnesia:

 Magnesia (MgO) should not be present more than 2% in cement.

  Excess magnesia will reduce the strength of the cement.

5. Iron oxide:

 Iron oxide (Fe2O3) imparts color to cement.

 At a very high temperature, it imparts into the chemical reaction with calcium and
aluminum to form tricalcium alumino-ferrite.
 Tricalcium alumino-ferrite imparts hardness and strength to cement.

6. Calcium Sulfate:

 CaSO4 is present in cement in the form of gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O)

 It slows down or retards the setting action of cement.
7. Sulfur Trioxide:

 SO3 should not be present more than 2%.

 Excess Sulfur Trioxide causes cement to unsound.
8. Alkalis:
 Alkalis should not be present more than 1%.
 Excess alkaline matter causes efflorescence.

Main constituents of cement:

Following are the main constituents of cement

 Tri calcium silicate (3CaO.SiO2)

 Di calcium silicate (2CaO.SiO2)
 Tri calcium Aluminate (3CaO.Al2O3)
 Tetra calcium aluminoferrite (4CaO.Al2O3.Fe2O3)

High early strength of cement depends upon quantity of tri calcium silicate. More the
quantity, more will be early strength of cement.

For moderate strength of cement, quantity of di calcium silicate should be enough. For low
heat of hydration, C3A is responsible and C4AF controls color of the cement.

Field tests on cement:

 Date of Manufacturing: As the strength of cement reduces with age, the date of
manufacturing of cement bags should be checked.
 Cement Color: The color of cement should be uniform. It should be typical cement
color i.e. gray color with a light greenish shade.
 Whether Hard Lumps are formed: Cement should be free from hard lumps. Such
lumps are formed by the absorption of moisture from the atmosphere.
 Temperature inside Cement Bag: If the hand is plunged into a bag of cement, it
should be cool inside the cement bag. If hydration reaction takes place inside the bag,
it will become warm.
 Smoothness Test: When cement is touched or rubbed in between fingers, it should
give a smooth feeling. If it felt rough, it indicates adulteration with sand.
  Water Sinking Test: If a small quantity of cement is thrown into the water, it should
float some time before finally sinking.

Types of Cement:

As per ASTM C150, following are the types of cement.

 Type I cement (normal strength cement)

 Type IA cement ( normal strength air entraining cement)
 Type II cement ( moderate sulfate resisting cement)
 Type IIA cement (moderate sulfate resisting air entraining cement)
 Type III cement (high early strength cement)
 Type IIIA cement (high early strength air entraining cement)
 Type IV cement (low heat of hydration cement)
 Type V cement (high sulfate resisting cement)

Type I cement:

This is normal strength cement and is commonly used in our country for
ordinary construction such as houses, commercial buildings etc.

Type II cement:

This is moderate sulfate resisting cement. Usually soils contain sulfates

which in the presence of moisture can travel to other structural members and may be harmful.
So for soils with moderate sulfate contents, this cement can be used.

Type III cement:

This is high early strength cement. If we want to carry out construction as

soon as possible then some precast concrete elements may be used as load carrying elements
of the structure as in case of bridges, we have box girders, or the precast transom as we have
in Metro train orange line project. For such precast members, we need high early strength and
this cement is justified to be used here. Similarly in colder regions where we don’t have much
time for concrete to settle because of colder environment exposure, we need early strength of
cement necessitating use of type III cement.

Type IV cement:

In case of thicker concrete structural members as pile cap in case of bridge

construction, heat generated during hydration process is more. So this more release of heat
will crack the structural members so to avoid cracking, we can use low heat of hydration
cement. Actually reaction is delayed in this case reducing the amount of heat generated. It can
also be used in dam construction as the thickness of structural components is quite enough in
dam construction.
Type V cement:

This is high sulfate resistant cement. It can be used in seawater exposures,

pipes, industrial exposures and in case of soils with higher concentration of sulfates present.
It is abbreviated as SR cements and it is darker in color.