Madda Walabu University

Department of Construction Technology &

Management

Construction Materials
(CENG 2101)

Instructor: Elias A.
 Chapter 2
Cementing Materials
Introduction:
• There are various cementing materials available like clay,
gypsum, lime, cement and other materials.
• These materials will not be used as construction material alone
because these are expensive.
• Most of the times binding materials will be used along with the
least expensive materials to get
 the benefit of economy
 adequate strength and
 less shrinkage for the binding media

In this chapter the various binding materials like gypsum, lime,
cement, and mortar are discussed in detail.
Cont’d…
• Cements: are materials with adhesive and
cohesive properties, which make them
capable of uniting or bonding together
fragments or particles of solid matter into a
compact whole.
• For engineering purposes the meaning is
limited to those materials when mixed with
water form a paste, which is temporarily
plastic and later on becomes a rigid mass
after setting and hardening.
Cont’d…
• Cements of this are known as calcareous cements whose
principal constituents are compounds of lime.

Calcareous Cements

I. Non – Hydraulic II. Hydraulic

 Calcareous Cements
I. Non – Hydraulic II. Hydraulic
Either not able to They are able to set and
set and harden in harden in water and
remain stable in water
water (e.g. non-
(Example: Portland
Hydraulic lime or
cement).
fat lime) or  It is used where slow
not stable in water under water setting is
(e.g. gypsum required.
plasters)
Cont’d…
• There are four main groups of binders:

Mineral binders

Bituminous binders

Natural binders

 Synthetic binders.
 
Cont’d…
I) Mineral Binders:
 These can be divided into three categories:

• Hydraulic binders: which require water to harden

and develop strength.
• Non-hydraulic binders: which can only harden in the
presence of air.
• Thermoplastic binders: which harden on cooling and
become soft when heated again.
Cont’d…
II) Bituminous Binders:
• Bitumens are mechanical mixtures of different
hydrocarbons (compounds of carbon and hydrogen)
and a few other substances, and are obtained as a
residue in the distillation of crude oil, either in
petroleum refineries or in nature (in pores of rocks or
in the form of lakes, close to petroleum deposits).
• Bitumens are generally dark black, oily, fluorescent
thermoplastic substances, which are highly viscous to
almost solid at normal temperatures.
Cont’d…
III) Natural Binders:
• Varieties of binders are obtained from plants
and animals, and can be used in their natural
form or after processing.
• Examples of natural binders are plant juices
(e.g. juice of banana leaves; latex of certain
trees).
• Natural binders have played an important role
in traditional constructions since ancient times,
but, nowadays face low social acceptance
Cont’d…
IV) Synthetic Binders:
• These binders are generally produced by
industrial processes and, therefore, often
expensive.
• Some synthetic binders are toxic.
• They can be used as admixtures, as adhesives
or as surface coatings and are either applied
hot, or as an emulsion, or with a solvent.
Cont’d…
• Lime, Gypsum, Portland cement are
used in the construction of buildings
and engineering works either as
components for binding materials
(e.g. mortar) or
as constituents of building materials
(e.g. concrete).
 Lime
• Lime, also called quicklime, is cementing
material obtained from the natural substance,
which consists of a lot of calcareous content in
it like limestone, chalk, and others . which has
to be processed to get the required product.
• Lime is made from calcium or magnesium
carbonate, which are abundant minerals and
occur in limestone rocks (CaCO3).
• The chief constituent of lime is CaCO3
Production of lime
• Lime, also called quicklime, is calcium oxide (CaO),
• The raw materials used for the production of lime is limestone
(CaCO3), but sometimes dolomites (a mineral form of
calcium-magnesium carbonates (CaCO3 (+MgCO3)) is used.

• High - calcium limestone consists of > 90% of CaCO3

while Dolomitic limestone contains about 40 and 43 %
MgCO3.
• Lime reacts vigorously with water to form calcium hydroxide
[Ca (OH)2] known as slaked hydrated lime.
 Production of Quick Lime
• Quick Lime is manufactured by crushing, grinding,
and grading the raw material and then Calcining or
burning it at about 900-1100oC in kilns to drive off
carbon dioxide.
• CaCO3 (MgCO3) heat CaO (quick lime) (MgO) + CO2
• The CaO formed is then called quick lime.
• This lime is having great affinity for
moisture.
 Production of Hydrated or Slaked Lime
 It is made by grinding quick lime(CaO), slacking the
powder with a controlled amount of water, and then air
separating and shifting it to a fine dry powder, so that 98%
will pass through a 200-mesh screen or sieve.
 CaO +H2O Ca(OH)2 + Heat (slaking hydration)
 The water required for slaking is approximately about 2 to
3 times the volume of the quick lime.
• Slaking can be done in two ways:
 Natural or Air Slacking
 Artificial slacking
Cont’d…
• In Natural Slacking quick lime absorbs the moisture
from the atmosphere and slacking will be done
Partial or full depending up on the extent of
moisture present in the atmosphere. Hence this
process is very slow & doesn’t ensure full slaking.
• In Artificial slacking water is added to make
hydrated lime.
• Depending on the amount of water added, there are
two types of slaking: Wet-slaking and Dry-slaking
 Wet-slaking Dry- Slaking
 Under carefully controlled
 Quicklime is mixed operation (as it can be in a
with excess water. factory) just sufficient water is
added to hydrate the quicklime,
 After sieving the lumps break down into a dry
unslaked particles powder known as dry hydrate or
hydrated lime.
the hydrated lime  It is obtained by adding almost
is left to mature for exactly the theoretical quantity of
several days. water required to change the
burnt lime into hydrated lime.

Quicklime must be kept in dry storage and

carefully protected from dampness until used.
 Lime Cycle
The cycle is completed in the chemical changes from
the original limestone, through burning, slaking and
setting as shown below.
1. When burnt, the limestone loses its carbon dioxide
and becomes oxide of lime or quicklime.
CaCO3 +Heat CaO+CO2
2. When slacked, the oxide of lime combine with water
and becomes hydroxide, slacked, or hydrated lime.
CaO + H2O Ca (OH)2 + Heat
Cont’d…
3. When setting, the calcium hydroxide loses its
water through evaporation and absorbs carbon
dioxide from the air, becoming Ca C03 or limestone
once more.
Ca (OH) 2+CO2 CaCO3+ H2O
 Physical and Chemical Properties

• Lime is calcium oxide (CaO), a white or

grayish white in color.
• It is finely crystalline substance that
sometimes has a yellow or brown tint because
of iron impurities.
• Lime reacts vigorously with water to form
calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] known as slaked
or hydrated lime.
Cont’d…
• When lime is used as a cementing agent in
mortar for masonry or plaster, it is used in the
hydrated form.
CaO + H2O Ca(OH)2 + Heat (slaking or
hydration)

• It is easily workable having good plastic

property and stiffens quite easily.
• It has good adhering properties with both
stone and brick. It also gives strength to the
masonry.
Use of lime
 Bedding for laying masonry units (i.e. bricks, concrete
blocks, stone units etc)
 Plastering the surface.
 The presence of lime in a mortar contributes the
following:
 Plasticity and workability
 High water retentivity (hardens slowly)
 Improved bond strength
 A lighter color mortar
 High sand carrying capacity
Gypsum:
 It occurs naturally as a hydrated
calcium sulphate with the chemical
formula CaSO4.2H2O.
 This is generally 76% of CaSO4 and
24% as H2O or as anhydrate CaSO4.
 This gypsum is available in
sedimentary rock form, which have
silica, iron oxide, and other impurities.
 Cont’d…
• To be classified as gypsum rock at least 5% by
weight must be CaSO4.2H2O.
• Pure gypsum is known as alabaster and it is
white translucent crystalline mineral, very soft
that can be scratched with finger nail.
• When heated, it losses its luster and its
specific gravity changes from 2.3 to 2.95.
Mode of Occurrence
 The important commercial deposits of gypsum are those
of rock-gypsum, which occurs as beds with sedimentary
rocks and are deposited from the solution by the
evaporation of sea water.
 Gypsite and alabaster occurs as beds or lenses and
are formed by the evaporation of sea water.
 Salenite and Satinspar occurs as beds and lenses
and are formed due to crystallization from solution.
 It is also available in the form of by-product of power
stations.
Production of gypsum
• Gypsum has a unique property that makes it valuable in
construction.
• When the raw gypsum, (CaSO .2H O), is heated to a
4 2

temperature of about 1600 0C - 2000 0C, it loses about

three-fourths (3/4) of its water of crystallization, giving
a calcined substance commonly called Plaster of Paris,
or hemihydrates.
CaSO4.2H2 O
Hydration Moderate heat

(re-crystallization)
CaSO4. 5/4H2 O
Physical and Chemical Properties of Gypsum

 It is a natural hydrated calcium

sulphate (CaSO4.2H2O)
 Its specific gravity is about 2.30
 If pure, it is white in color, but
more often it is grey, red or
brown because of impurities.
Uses of gypsum
• Gypsum has low coefficient of thermal
conductivity and therefore, it is a very
good material for thermal (fire) proofing
and other special types of structures.
• Gypsum is also used for sound-absorbing
constructions as in acoustical plaster,
plasters boards, partition tile, roof tile and
reinforced plaster decking.
Cont’d…
• Uncalcinated gypsum is an effective, economical
retarder in cement manufacturing, and this is used
to control the setting of Portland Cement and
Concrete.
• Used as a fertilizer for agricultural operations.
• Used as good moisture regulators (1 part of
gypsum: 2 parts of sand)
E.g. bath rooms, kitchen and laundries etc
• Used in the form of gypsum boards for making
economical walls and ceilling.
PORTLAND CEMENT
• Portland cement is a cementing material
which is obtained by thoroughly mixing
together calcareous or other lime
bearing material with argillaceous and/or
other silica, alumina or iron oxide bearing
materials, burning them at a clinkering
temperature and grinding the resulting
clinker.
Manufacture:
• The process of manufacture of cement consists of
grinding the raw materials, mixing them intimately
in certain proportions depending upon their purity
and composition and burning them in a kiln at a
temperature of about 1300 to 15000c, at which
temperature the material sinters and partially
fuses to form a nodular shaped clinker.
• The clinker is cooled and ground to a fine powder
with addition of about 2 to 3% of gypsum.
 Proportioning of Raw Materials
• In order to fix the proportions accurately, chemical analysis
should be made on the raw materials. The results are
usually reported in terms of the oxides of the principal
constituent elements.
• The raw materials used for the manufacture of cement
consist mainly of lime, silica, alumina and iron oxide.
• These oxides interact with one another in the kiln to form
more complex compounds.
• The relative proportions of these oxide compositions are
responsible for influencing the various properties of
cement; in addition to rate of cooling and fineness of
grinding.
 Cont’d…
• Approximate Oxide Composition Limits of Raw
Materials.
Oxide Ingredients Range, %
Lime, CaO 60-66
Silica, SiO2 19-25
Alumina, Al2O3 3-8
Iron,Fe2O3 1-5
Magnesia, MgO 0-5
Sulfur trioxide, SO3 1-3
 Basic Characteristics
1. Chemical Composition:
• Generally four principal compounds are
considered to be important.
Name of compounds Chemical Usual
 
Composition abbreviation
Tricalcium silicate 3CaO.SiO2 C3S
Dicalcium silicate 2CaO.SiO2 C2S
Tricalcium aluminate 3CaO.Al2O3 C3A

Tetracalcium aluminoferrite 4CaO.Al2O3.Fe2O3 C4AF

 Cont’d…
• The two silicates, C3S and C2S together form 70 to 80
per cent of the constituents in the cement and
contribute most to the physical properties of concrete.
• During hydration C3S hydrates rapidly, generating a
considerable amount of heat and making a significant
contribution to the development of the early strength
(initial setting), particularly during the first 7days.
• C2S hydrates slowly and is mainly responsible for the
development in strength after about 7 days.
• Cements rich in C2S result a greater resistance to
chemical attack and a smaller drying shrinkage.
 Cont’d…
• The hydration of C3A is extremely exothermic and
takes place very quickly, producing little increase in
strength after about 24 hours.
• It is the least stable and concrete of a cement rich in
C3A are susceptible to sulphate attack.
• Sulphate combines with C3A to produce an expanding
compound which could result in disintegration of the
concrete.
• C4AF reacts slowly. Its main purpose in Portland
cement is to reduce the temperature required during
burning in the kiln.
 2. Fineness
• The greater the surface area of a given volume
of cement the greater the hydration.
Therefore fine cement will develop strength
and generate heat more quickly than coarse
cement.
• Fine cements, in general, improve the
cohesiveness of fresh concrete and can be
effective in reducing the risk of bleeding, but
they increase the tendency for shrinkage
cracking.
 3. Hydration
• Particles of cement take up water, forming a gel,
which cements the individual particles together. This
chemical process is called hydration. It continues for
months or years as long as water is present.
• The total amount of water required to complete the
hydration of the cement is about 25% of the mass of
the cement.
• The rate of hydration depends on the relative
proportion of silicate and aluminate compounds, the
cement fineness and the ambient conditions
(particularly temperature and moisture).
 4. Setting and Hardening
• The cement paste begins to lose its fluidity when the layers
of gel, formed around each of the cement particles during
hydration, grow to the extent that they come into contact
with each other.
• The beginning of noticeable stiffening in the cement paste
is known as the initial set.
• The stage at which increment in the volume of gel is
completed followed by commencement of final hardening
process responsible for cement strength is known as final
set.
• The times from the addition of water to the initial and final
set are known as the setting times.
 5. Strength
• The cement paste alone is not used
for the strength test because of the
unacceptably large variation of
strength thus obtained.
• Standard aggregates are used for
making prescribed mortar or
concrete test mixes.
 6. Soundness
• It is essential that cement paste, once it has
set, does not undergo a large change in
volume.
• Excessive change in volume of cement is
known as unsoundness.
• Expansion of hydrated cement paste may take
place due to the delayed or slow hydration,
or other reaction, of some compounds
present in the hardened cement, namely free
lime, magnesia and calcium sulphate.
Types of Cement ( Classification)
Ordinary Portland (Type I) cement
• The most common cement used in general concrete
construction when there is no exposure to sulphates in the
soil.
• It is grey in colour. It is the lowest priced cement combines
reasonable rate hardening with moderate heat output.
Modified (Type II) cement
 This type of cement is similar to OPC in rate of gain of
strength.
 It is recommended for use in general concrete construction
exposed to moderate sulphate action, or where moderate
heat of hydration is required.
 Cont’d…
Rapid Hardening (Type III) cement
 Develops strength rapidly (3 days strength = 7 days strength of
ordinary Portland cement). The rapid rate of development of
strength is attributed to the higher fineness of grinding and
higher C3S and lower C2S content.
 The use of rapid hardening cement is recommended in the
following situations:
1. In pre-fabricated concrete construction.
2. Where formwork is required to be removed early for re-use
elsewhere.
3. Road repair works.
4. In cold weather concrete, where the rapid rate of development of
strength reduces the vulnerability of concrete to the frost damage.
 Cont’d…
Low - Heat Portland (Type IV) cement
 For use when low heat of hydration is
required.
 Reducing the contents of C3S and
increasing C2S achieve a low-heat
evolution.
 Used in mass concrete works, such as dam,
where cracks can be formed due to the
rapid rate of hydration.
 Cont’d…
Sulphate Resisting (Type V) cement
 For use when high sulphate resistance is required. It has a
higher content of C2S and a lower content of C3A. It can be
produced by the addition of extra iron oxide before firing.
 The use is recommended under the following conditions.
1. Concrete to be used in marine (structure nearby sea water)
condition.
2. Concrete to be used in foundation and basement, where soil
is infested with sulphate.
3. Concrete used for fabrication of pipes, which are likely to be
buried in marshy region or sulphate bearing soils.
4. Concrete to be used in the construction of sewage treatment
works.
 Portland- Pozzulana Cement (PPC)
• The term pozzulana is used to describe naturally
occurring and artificial siliceous materials, which in
themselves possess little or no cementitious value , but
will, in finely divided form and in the presence of
moisture , chemically react with calcium hydroxide at
ordinary temperatures to form compounds possessing
cementious properties.
 Cont’d…
• Typical Compound Composition and Fineness
of Portland Cements.
 .

END