Manufacture Of

Cement
Chemical composition of
cement:
Lime 63%
Silicon 22%
Oxide
Aluminum 06%
Oxide
Iron Oxide 03%
 Cement can be manufactured
either by Dry process or Wet
process.
 Dry Process
In the dry process, crushed raw materials are dried in a cylindrical rotary drier having a
diameter of 2 m and a length of 20 m. Water is added to make a thick paste. The resultant
mixture is further mixed to make the ingredients uniform, and sent to a rotary kiln. The
product obtained after calcination in rotary kiln is called clinker. The clinker is obtained as a
result of incipient fusion and sintering at a temperature of about 1400- 1500C.
The clinker is cooled rapidly to preserve the metastable compounds and their solid solutions
dispersion of one solid in another which are made as the clinker is heated. Clinker is
then cooled and ground in tube mills where 2-3% of gypsum is added. The purpose of
adding gypsum is to coat the cement particles by interfering with the process of hydration
of the cement particles. Its now a cement-ready to be bagged or shipped in bulk.
 KILN
- a cement kiln is a huge inclined rotating furnace. As the raw materials of limestone, clay & shale tumble
toward 3400F flame. A chemical reaction transform them into clinker which is ground together with gypsum to
form cement.
Wet Process
The operations in the wet process of
cement manufacture are mixing,
burning and grinding. The raw
materials are crushed into a diameter
of 20mm by a crusher and mixed in
an appropriate ratio using an
automatic weigher. The crushed raw
materials are fed into ball mill and a
little water is added.
 On operating the ball mill, the steel balls in it pulverize the raw materials
which form a slurry with water. The slurry is put in a storage tank with a
capacity of several hundred tons, mixed to be homogenized with the
corrective materials and is sent to a rotary kiln for clinker burning. These are
finally burned at 1500-1600C. The nodules change to clinker at this
temperature. Clinker is cooled and then ground in tube mills. While grinding
the clinker, about 3 per cent gypsum is added. The cement is then stored in
storage tanks from where it is supplied.
Testing Of
Cement
Methods of Testing :

Field Testing
Laboratory Testing
 Field Testing
Open the bag and take a good look at the cement, then it should not contain
any visible lumps.
Color of cement should be greenish-gray.
Should get cold feeling when thrusted.
When we touch the cement, it should give a smooth and not a gritty feeling.
When we throw the cement on a bucket of full water before it sinkd the
particle should flow.
 When we make a stiff paste of cement and cut with a sharp edge & and kept
on the glass plate under water, there wont be any disturbance to the shape &
should get strength after 24 hours.
 Laboratory Testing

Standard Consistency Test

Fineness Test
Soundness Test
Strength Test
 Standard Consistency Test
This is a test to estimate the quantity of mixing
water to form a paste of normal consistency defined as
that percentage water requirement of the cement paste,
the viscosity of which will be such that the Vicats
plunger penetrates up to a point 5 to 7 mm from the
bottom of the Vicats mould.
USE: to find out the percentage of water required to
produce a cement paste of standard consistency.
Vicat Apparatus
 Fineness Test
The fineness tests indirectly measures the surface area of the cement particles
per unit mass:
- Blaine Air-permiability Test (ASTM C 204)
- Sieve using No. 325 (45m) sieve (ASTM C 430)
- Wagner Turbimeter Test (ASTM C 115)
Blaine Air-permiability Test

The Blaine Air-permiability method is the

most commonly used method.
In this method, given the volume of air is
passed through a prepared sample of
definite density. The fineness of cement is
represented by specific surface, i.e. total
surface area in cm2 per gram or m2 per
kilogram of cement and is measured by Lea
and Nurse apparatus.
Sieve Method

100 g of cement sample is taken and air-set

lumps, if any, in the sample are broken with
fingers. The sample is placed on a 90 micron
sieve and continuously sieved for 15 minutes.
Break down the air-set lumps and sieve it then
weigh it.
This weight shall not exceed 10% for ordinary
cement.
Wagner Turbimeter Test

L.A.Wagner developed a turbidimeter to estimate the surface area of one

gram of cement. The cement is dispersed uniformly in a rectangular glass
tank filled with kerosene. Then, parallel light rays are passed through the
solution which strike the sensitivity plate of a photoelectric cell. The
turbidity of the solution at a given instant is measured by taking readings of
the current generated by the cell. By recording the readings at regular
intervals while the particles are falling in the solution, it is possible to secure
information regarding the grading in surface area and in size of particle.
Readings are expressed in sq. cm per gram.
 Soundness Test
It is essential that the cement concrete does not undergo large change in
volume after setting. This is ensured by limiting the quantities of free lime
and magnesia which slake slowly causing change in volume of cement
(known as unsound). Soundness of cement may be tested by Le- Chatelier
method or by autoclave method.
It is a very important test to assure the quality of cement since an unsound
cement produces cracks, distortion and disintegration, ultimately leading to
failure.
 Le-Chatelier Method
The mould is placed on a glass sheet and is filled with
neat cement paste formed by gauging 100 g cement with
0.78 times the water required to give a paste of standard
consistency. The mould is covered with a glass sheet and
a small weight is placed on the covering glass sheet. The
mould is then submerged in the water at temperature of
27-32C. After 24 hours, the mould is taken out and
the distance separating the indicator points is measured.
The mould is again submerged in water. The water is
now boiled for 3 hours. The mould is removed from
water and is cooled down. The distance between the
indicator points is measured again. The difference
between the two measurements represents the
unsoundness of cement. Le-Chatelier Mould
 Strength Test
This is the most important of all properties of hardened cement.
Cement is tested for compressive and tensile strengths.
Compressive strength is the basic data required for mix design. By this test, the
quality and the quantity of concrete can be cotrolled and the degree of adulteration
can be checked.
The tensile strength of cement affords quicker indications of defects in the
cement than any other test. Also, the test is more conveniently made than the
compressive strength test. Moreover, since the flexural strength, is directly related to
the tensile strength this test is ideally fitted to give information both with regard to
tensile and compressive strengths when the supply for material testing is small
ThankYou!