FINENESS AND NORMAL CONSISTENCY OF
PORTLAND CEMENT surface are per unit weight.
PORTLAND CEMENT
● Most common type of cement in general use around
the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar,
stucco and non-specialty grout.
● Originates from limestone
● Developed from other types of hydraulic lime in
England (19th century) by Joseph Aspdin
● It is a fine powder, produced by heating limestone
and clay minerals in a kiln to form clinker, grinding
the clinker, and adding 2-3% of gypsum.
● One of the lowest-cost materials widely used over the
last century.
IMPORTANCE OF CEMENT FINENESS
● The fineness of cement affects the hydration rate
(Rate of Concrete or Cement Paste)(Amount of water
mixed) and in turn, the strength. Increasing fineness
causes an increased rate of hydration, high strength,
and high heat generation.
● Increased surface area-to-volume ratio will ensure a
more available area for water-cement interaction per
unit volume.
Causing the used of less water
● (Too much Water) Bleeding can be reduced by
increasing fineness. However, increased fineness can
also lead to the requirement of more water for
workability, resulting in a higher possibility of dry
shrinkage (Less water than needed).
FINENESS OF CEMENT
Fineness Testing – Maximum size of particles used
● The maximum size of the cement particles if 0.09
mm (0.0035 in.); 85% to 95% of the particles are
smaller than 0.045 mm (0.0018 in.), and the average
diameter is 0.01 mm (0.0004 in.)
● Particle size specification are defined in terms of the
FINENESS TESTING OF CEMENT
● AASHTO T 98 and ASTM C 115 : Fineness of
Portland Cement by the Turbidimeter
● AASHTO T 128 and ASTM C 184 : fineness of
Hydraulic Cement by the 150-mm (No. 100) and 75-
mm (No. 200) sieves
● AASHTO T 153 and ASTM C 204 : Fineness of
Hydraulic Cement by Air-Permeability Apparatus
● ASHTO T 192 and ASTM C 430 : fineness of
Hydraulic Cement by the 45-mm (No. 325) sieve
Higher the number of the sieve, the smaller the holes.
ASTM SPECIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
“Fineness of hydraulic Cement by No. 100 or No. 200 sieve”
(ASTM C 184-83)
Specifications requires that % retained on sieve in:
● Sieve (No. 200) shall not exceed 22%
● Sieve (No. 100) not more than 10%
SIGNIFICANCE OF FINENESS OF CEMENT
● When water is added to cement, the mixture becomes
hydrated. (Cement Paste)
● Less water results to less hydration of cement (Dry
Shrinkage), thus weakens the mixture when it
hardens.
● Excessive water also results to weak mixture once it
hardens (Bleeding). Causes to have water above your
cement.