What is Cement? Know About Its Properties And Common Uses In Construction

Infrastructural development is one of the indispensable parts of human lives. The spaces we live in, the offices we work at, the roads we take, the structures we look at when we go out, everything is part of the infrastructure that works to build spaces and thus lives. At the heart of this infrastructure development lies the cement. Cement is a strong, versatile, and affordable building material that proves to be the most extensively used element in construction or infrastructural development all over the globe. The terms cement and construction go hand-in-hand to help build spaces that are safe, secure, sturdy, and add value to our lives.

What is Cement?

Cement has been historically used as a binding agent for different construction materials and therefore whole structures. In the era of the kaccha house, people used materials such as crushed pottery, cow dung, volcanic ashes, and other things for cement purposes. But then in the year 1824, Joseph Aspdin introduced the kind of cement that we use today, the Portland cement.

If considered in a broad sense, cement refers to any kind of adhesive or binding material that is used in diverse kinds of building construction and civil engineering applications. It typically refers to a fine grey powder made by the close grounding of the compounds of silicon, calcium, aluminium, and iron. It offers superior cohesive and adhesive properties and thus offers versatility in applications. The material of cement is mixed with water to harden it into a hard mass and used to bind aggregates like sand, bricks, or crushed rocks.

What Is Cement Composition?

The cement is the element we depend on for the safety, sturdiness, and durability of our structures, whether it be our homes, tall residential societies, corporate buildings, skyscrapers, roads, or anything else. Every element of the cement composition contributes to its reliability in its own way, lets dive deeper how each element plays an integral role in construction and infrastructure.

• Lime: Calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide is required for the formation of aluminates and silicates in calcium and deficiency of the material can affect the overall strength of your property.
• Silica: Also known as silicon oxide, the material is the hero product that imparts strength and reliability to cement. It is mainly present in dicalcium and tricalcium silicate and contributes to the overall hardness.
• Alumina: Aluminum oxide is the ingredient that provides the quick setting property to the cement. It lowers the temperature cement requires for clinkerization and ensures your cement hardens as soon as possible to prevent the potential issues.
• Magnesia: The magnesium oxide is the material that ensures the cement composition promotes a perfect balance of ingredients. You need the magnesium oxide to be less than 2%, otherwise it will impact the strength of the structures.
• Iron Oxide: It is mainly responsible for the strength and colour of the material. It also participates in a chemical reaction with calcium and aluminium at high temperatures to form tricalcium alumino-ferrite and contributes to the overall hardness of the material.
• Calcium Sulfate: This is the ingredient that is present in the form of gypsum in cement and works to regulate the setting time of the material.
• Sulfur Trioxide: It is another essential ingredient of the composition of cement that helps to make it sound and regulate its setting time. Its presence should not be more than 2% or it can cause the surface to crack or expand.
• Alkaline: It is also an integral element that affects the workability and setting of cement. It should not be more than 1% in cement or it can affect the durability of the structures or cause issues of efflorescence.

How Cement Is Made?

The production of material cement involves a series of steps that help to transform the raw materials such as limestone, clay, and other things into a finely ground powder ready to bind different materials in construction and build sturdy structures. So let’s delve deeper into how cement is made and how it gets all the incredible properties to make a difference in the industry.

1. Extraction And Crushing: The first step includes the explosion of the rock quarries to extract materials such as limestone and clay. Once the materials are in hand, they are crushed into smaller pieces of sizes less than 50 mm.
2. Grounding And Mixing: The raw materials are then ground into a fine powder and combined with other essential ingredients such as silica, iron oxide, alumina, magnesia, and others to create the specific type of cement you need. The cement composition of the raw mix is then correctly precisely in its formulation to prevent any potential concerns.
3. Heating: The formulation is then fed to a large rotary kiln that heats the mixture at extremely high temperatures i.e. between 1400 to 1450 degrees Celsius. This process is called clinkerization and results in the formation of the material called clinker. The clinker is typically shaped like balls of diameter around 10-20 mm.
4. Cooling And Grinding: Then the clinker is cooled down and stored in silos. The process is followed by the grinding of the material into a fine powder. 5% of gypsum is added at this stage of the process to ensure that the cement does not set too quickly.
5. Creation Of The Final Product: The different raw materials are properly mixed and ground to create the cement. Once it is done, the cement is packed and ready for use in diverse applications.

What Are The Properties Of Cement?

The key properties of the material cement are strength and hardness which makes it an inevitable component of construction and infrastructure development. However, there are numerous other properties or features of cement as well, some of which are as follows:

• Consistency: Consistency is one of the most essential cement properties to be considered as it determines its ability to be used in versatile applications and its long-term performance.
• Fineness: The fineness refers to the size of the particles that make up the cement. One of the key qualities of cement is that it can be ground to the desired size of particles or fineness with a few changes in the grinding process. The fineness affects the overall strength and also the rate of hydration of the material.
• Strength: It determines the durability of your property over an elongated period. Therefore you should determine the cement properties in terms of compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength to ensure its ability to support structures.
• Soundness: Soundness typically refers to the ability of the cement to resist or withstand shrinking as it hardens. It ensures the cement does not crack and offers long-term reliability of structures. The soundness of the cement can be analyzed with the help of the Le-Chatelier test and the Autoclave test.
• Setting Time: The setting time refers to the amount of time the cement requires to transform itself from a liquid state to a plastic state and then from that to a solid, hardened state. The cement must be set within a specific period to ensure its proper application and curing.
• Loss of Ignition: This refers to a process that helps to measure the change in weight of the material once it has been heated. The loss of ignition is a reliable indicator to detect whether the material is adulterated by transportation or other circumstances.
• Heat Of Hydration: The heat of hydration refers to a chemical process that takes place when the cement comes in contact with water. The process releases energy and a sense of heat as well. The heat of hydration should be necessarily considered as it is a critical component of the curing of concrete.
• Specific Gravity: The specific or relative density of the cement refers to the ratio of the mass of cement to the mass of the reference material which is usually water.
• Bulk Density: The bulk density is a measurement unit that measures the mass of a material in relation to a certain volume. This states the cement in “kilograms per cubic meter” and helps to determine the volume of the cement and if there are any air particles caught between the cement.
• Durability And Workability: Durability refers to the ability of the material to withstand extreme environmental conditions, including moisture, temperature variations, and others. The cement should also have the property to be easily mixed, placed, or compacted to create reliable, sturdy structures.

What Are The Most Popular Cement Uses?

Cement is an extensively used material in the building construction and civil engineering industry. It is a key ingredient in concrete construction and its combination with sand, water, and gravel is widely used for the building of strong, reliable structures. The versatility and flexibility promote the creation of a long list of cement uses, some of which are as follows:

1. Concrete Production And Placement Of Roads

We all know concrete, is a strong material used in the construction of diverse structures. Cement is an indispensable component of concrete and is thus used for the development of foundations, slabs, beams, and columns. The different kinds of highways, sidewalks, streets, and roads are often constructed using reinforced concrete, that features steel bars embedded with concrete. The cement-based concrete pavements often offer high standards of durability and resistance to cracking and therefore excellent load-bearing capability and reliability making the material ideal for road pavement.

2. Masonry Work

We all know the role of cement in masonry work, and how it is used to bind stones, bricks, or blocks that are then used for the construction of walls, partitions, and other essential structures. The different kinds of cement-based mortars and grouts offer high standards of durability and strength making it ideal for masonry construction. The ability of cement to adhere to diverse surfaces and withstand even the most extreme weather conditions makes it perfect for numerous residential and commercial applications.

3. Precast Structures

The pre-case structures, as the name suggests, refer to the kind of structures that are first cast into form and then transported to the construction site for their specific applications. This includes elements such as pipes, tiles, panels, water tanks, septic tanks, beams, partition walls, concrete lamp posts, and many others that are made with the features of cement that ensure the reliability and durability of these structures.

4. Hydraulic And Marine Structures

Concrete along with cement is also built in the building of a variety of hydraulic and marine structures such as reservoirs, dams, ports, piers, and other structures. These structures have regular exposure to water and its potential damage and the cement is designed to prevent that. The hydrophobic cement, Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), and Portland Slag Cement (PSC) are commonly used materials for these structures.

5. Sealing Applications

One of the key features of cement is that it can help with diverse moisture or leak-related issues. Cement-based products are widely used as sealants that help to protect structures from water penetration and damage. These products help to provide a protective barrier preventing water from seeping into the building.

6. Aesthetic Element of Architecture

Cement is a versatile material that plays a role in more than just structural integrity, it is also an excellent choice for a variety of decorative and architectural applications. Whether you wish to create textured coatings on walls, stamped concrete finish, or anything else, the different options for cement finishes can help you with excellence. Even for the creation of elements such as facades, arches, and columns, cement-based materials prove to be some of the best choices due to high standards of durability and performance in creative workmanship.

7. Industrial And Commercial Applications

Cement is an inherent component of almost all domains of the construction industry whether it be residential, commercial, or industrial. The cement properties find their effectiveness in the building of diverse kinds of factories, warehouses, flooring, parking lots, fence posts, and other things due to their high level of strength, resistance to abrasion along low maintenance needs. It is also used extensively in the construction of commercial buildings like shopping malls, gaming complexes, offices, and other things along with infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, lighthouses, etc. Cement ensures long-term structural stability and longevity of structures thereby a reliable material.

8. Rehabilitation Of Existing Structures

Along with building structures and offering a smooth finish to them, cement also helps with the repair and rehabilitation of these. The fine material of cement can help to effectively patch and fill cracks and restore the structural integrity of the structures by repairing the damaged elements. The cement prices offer an affordable solution that can help to extend the lifespan of the deteriorating infrastructure also contributing to the sustainability of the built environment.

Build Strong, Sturdy, And Durable Structures With Quality Materials

It is a universally known fact that cement is one of the most important components of building or renovating a space. It is the element that imparts strength, reliability, and durability to the structures. The unique properties and wide-ranging application of cement make it one of the fundamental materials that support the infrastructure industry all over the world. You just need to find the highest-quality reliable cement to build a space that can stand tall for generations to come.

Read Also: Top 10 Best Cement Companies In India

FAQ’s

Q:1 What is cement vs concrete?
A:1 Cement refers to the binding agent that is made of limestone, clay, shale, and other materials that can harden when mixed with water while concrete refers to a building material made with a meticulous mixture of cement, water, sand, gravel, and other things to be used for the construction of diverse structures.

Q:2 Is cement waterproof?
A:2 The standard cement, in its nature, is not waterproof. However, you can either go for a waterproof cement or include additives or admixtures into the mixture to make it water resistant.

Q:3 What are the different grades of cement?
A:3 The most commonly used grades of cement include the 33, 43, and 53 Grade OPC, Portland Pozzolana Cement, and Portland Slag Cement with their unique set of properties and capabilities. Ordinary Portland cement is the most widely used type of cement in India.

Q:4 What factors affect the composition of cement?
A:4 There are a variety of factors that influence the composition of the cement, some of them often include the following:

• The quality of raw materials can affect cement properties.
• The temperature or residence time in the kiln can affect clinker
• Grinding parameters can affect the properties.
• The additives can impact composition.