Gambella University

Department of Civil Engineering

Cementing Material

Chapter Two
CEMENTING MATERIALS
 CEMENTING MATERIAL
• These are materials with adhesive and cohesive
properties and are capable of uniting or bonding solid
particles together.
• For engineering purposes the meaning of the term
cement is restricted to one group of adhesive
substances, namely, to those materials which when
mixed with water form paste.
• The paste is temporarily plastic and may be molded or
deformed. But later it sets and hardens to a rigid mass.
• Cements of this king are known as calcareous
cements.
 Cementing material …Cont.

• Calcareous cements can be classified as

– Non-hydraulic and
– Hydraulic.
Non-hydraulic cements
• are cements which are not able to set and harden in water (e.g.
non-hydraulic lime) or which are not stable in water (e.g.
gypsum plasters).
Hydraulic cements
• are cements that are able to set and harden in water, and give a
solid mass that does not disintegrate,
i.e., remain stable in water (e.g. Portland cement).
Therefore, lime, gypsum and Portland cement are the cementing
materials in building construction and engineering works.
 Lime
• It is found in its natural form as a rock of
varying degree of hardness.
• It is mainly composed of calcium oxide (CaO).
• However, lime deposits are generally found
mixed with impurities such as CO2, Fe2O3, and
MgCO3.
• Depending on the impurities lime deposits
acquire different colors.
 Production of Lime
• It involves burning of the raw material and then
slaking.
• Depending on the amount of heat and the
method of slaking, the product is hydraulic or
non-hydraulic lime.
•  The raw material is burnt in a vertical kiln like
the one shown in the figure below.
Lime Kiln
 A) Quick lime/ Commercial lime

• It is by burning the limestone in some form of

vertical kilns to a temperature of 900oC-1000oC.
• The CO2 is driven off, leaving the CaO that is
known as quick lime or caustic lime.
• It is white in color and having a specific gravity of
about 3.40.
 B) Hydrated/Slaked lime
• Quick lime can never be used as such for construction
purposes but must be mixed with water. This process
is called slaking or hydration of lime.
• The resulting product is calcium hydroxide [Ca (OH) 2]
and is called slacked or hydrated lime.
• It is ready to be made into plaster or mortar by
adding water and sand to form a temporary plastic
mass.
• There are two types of slaking:
– Wet-slaking and
– Dry-slaking, depending on the amount of water added.
 Wet-slaking
• Lime is slaked or hydrated at the building site by
mixing quick lime with an excess of water and the
resulting slaked lime should be passed through a fine
sieve to remove slow slaking particles and then left to
mature for several days.
• This can be made in a watertight box or a hole dug in
the ground.
• The lime must be continually stirred by a shovel or a
stick during the slaking process to reduce all
anhydrated particles which might hydrate later in the
building and cause popping, pitting and disintegration.
 Dry-Slaking
• It is by adding just sufficient water to hydrate
the quick lime. It is manufactured in a factory
under controlled condition.
• Depending on the impurities present, the
specific gravity of hydrated lime varies from
2.08 to 2.40.
 Setting and Hardening of Lime
• Slaked lime hardens or sets by gradually losing its water
through evaporation and absorbing CO2 from the air, thus
changing back from Ca (OH) 2 to CaCO3 or limestone.
• The cycle is completed through burning, slaking and
setting.

Burning
CaCO3 + Heat CaO + CO2

Slaking
CaO + H2O Ca (OH)2 + Heat

Setting
Ca (OH) 2 + CO2 CaCO3 + H2O
Complete Cycle in Lime used as a Cementing
Material
 The Use of Lime

• In construction, slaked lime is chiefly used to

mortar for building brick and stone masonry and
for plastering walls of buildings. When so used,
quick lime should be completely hydrated.
• Otherwise, particles left un slaked will absorb
water from the atmosphere and become slaked
in the building; this will create pockets on the
surface of the wall.
 TESTING
VISUAL INSPECTION
A sample of lime is examined for its color and lumps:
1. White color indicates fat or pure lime.
2. Lumps of lime indicate quick lime or unburnt lime
FIELD TEST
• The field tests usually performed on lime at site is as below
• Test for physical properties: Hydraulic limes are brush grey,
brown, or dark colored.
• Hydraulic lime stones have a clayey taste and give out earthy
smell.
• White color of lime is an indication of pure variety of limestone.
• Shining particles on the surface of limes tones indicate the
presence of free salt
 Preserving Quicklime

• Quicklime has so much affinity for water and will

quickly absorb moisture from the atmosphere
and becomes air-slaked, and loses its cementing
qualities.
• It must therefore be kept in dry storage and
carefully protected from dampness until used.
 Gypsum
• Gypsum is a non-hydraulic binder occurring
naturally as a soft crystalline rock or sand.
• It is used in arts and in building construction.
• Gypsum is a combination of sulphate of lime
with water of crystallization.
• It occurs naturally as either hydrous sulphate of
lime (CaSO4.2H2O) that is generally 75% CaSO4
and 24% H2O, or as unhydrate (CaSO4).
 Gypsum …Cont.

• The gypsum rock usually contains:

• silica,
• alumina,
• lime carbonate,
• carbonate of magnesia,
• iron oxide, and other impurities.
• When heated to pure gypsum, its specific gravity
is increased from 2.3 to approximately 2.95 due
to the loss of water of crystallization.
 Gypsum …Cont.
• Gypsum items have a number of valuable properties
like:
• relatively small bulk density,
• incombustibility,
• good sound absorbing capacity,
• good fire resistance,
• rapid drying and hardening with negligible shrinkage,
• superior surface finish,
• resistance to insects and rodents and low energy input
during burning to produce gypsum plaster.
• The major shortcomings are its poor strength in wet
state and high creep under load. Gypsum plaster, e.g.,
Plaster of Paris
 Manufacture of Plasters
• Gypsum plasters are manufactured by heating
the raw material gypsum at either moderate or
high temperatures, the results being
• plaster of Paris or
• hard-finish plaster.
A) Plaster of Paris (Stucco)
• Gypsum contains a good deal of water of
crystallization (as much as 24% by wt.).
 …Cont.
• If some of the water is driven off at a temperature
just above the boiling point of water-100oC, a semi
hydrated plaster is obtained which is known as
plaster of Paris.
(CaSO4.2H2O) + Moderate heat CaSO4.½ H2O+ ½ H2O

• Plaster of Paris is a white powder having a specific

gravity of 2.57.
• This plaster is also known as low-temperature
gypsum derivative or semi-hydrated plaster

Ins. Birhan M. (M.Sc.)

 …Cont.

B) Hard-finish plaster
• By burning gypsum to a considerably higher
temperature, anhydrous sulphate that is known
as anhydrous plaster or high-temperature
gypsum derivative is produced.
(CaSO4.2H2O) + High heat CaSO4+2H2O

• When mixed with water, plaster of Paris sets

very rapidly whereas hard-finish plaster sets too
slowly.
Portland Cement
 Manufacture of Portland cement
Manufacturing of Portland cement involves the following
processes
– Quarrying
– Crushing
– Grinding
– Mixing
– Calcining
– Addition of retardant /Gypsum/
– Packing
Portland cement is made by burning calcareous & argillaceous
materials up to about 1500 o C then ground to a very fine powder
with a very small amount of gypsum (3 to 5%) as a retardant
Cement Production Process
 Steps in the Manufacture of Portland
cement
Based on the hardness & moisture content of the raw materials we
may follow dry or wet process
Dry Process: Wet process:
1. Treatment of raw materials 1. Preparation of slurry
2. Burning of the dry mix 2. Burning or calcinations and
3. Grinding of the clinker & 3. Treatment of clinker.
4. Packaging & storage 4. Packaging & storage

The main difference between the two processes is that in dry

process the raw materials are fed into the burning kiln in a
perfectly dry state. In the wet process, however, these materials
are supplied to the kiln in the form of slurry (a liquid of creamy
consistency, with a water content of between 35 & 50%).
Generally there are four steps that need to be
followed
Step 1 – Quarrying
The raw material for cement manufacture is a
rock
about 80% limestone (Which is rich in CaCO3)
20% clay or shale (a source of silica, alumina
and Fe)
.

Ins. Birhan M. (M.Sc.)

Step 2 - Raw material preparation
There are two main cement manufacturing processes
currently used: dry process and wet process
The dry process
• quarried clay and limestone are crushed separately
• samples of both rocks are tested for optimum mineralogical
constituents & corrections if necessary
• The clay and limestone are ground together in the mill till
more than 85% become 90mm
The wet process
• The clay & crushed lime are mixed to a paste in a washmill -
a tank in which the clay is pulverized/ground in the presence
of water
• The slurry is then tested to ensure that it contains the
correct balance of minerals
Step 3 - Clinkering
 The kiln
 The kiln shell is steel
 Can be extended to
more than 200m
 inclined at an angle of
1 in 30
 The shell is supported
on 2 or 3 roller
 weighs over 1100 T
Breaking the reaction processes into a number of simple zones, we
can make some approximations about the cement formation process

Zone 1: 0 - 35 min, 800 - 11000C

• De-carbonation
CaCO3 + heat CaO + CO2
• Formation of 3CaO.Al2O3 above 9000C.
• Melting of fluxing compounds Al2O3 and Fe2O3.

Zone 2: 35 - 40 min, 1100 - 13000C

• Exothermic reactions and the formation of secondary silicate
phases as follows:

2CaO + SiO2 heat 2CaO. SiO2

 
Zone 3: 40 - 50 min, 1300 – 14500C
• Sintering and reaction within the melt to form ternary
silicates and tetracalciumaluminoferrates:
2CaO.SiO2 + CaO heat + time 3CaO.SiO

3CaO.Al2O3 + CaO + Fe2O3 heat + time 4CaO.Al2O3.Fe2O3

Zone 4: 50 - 60 min, 1300 - 10000C

Cooling and crystallization of the various mineral phases
formed in the kiln.
The cooler
 Immediately following the kiln is a large
cooler designed to drop the temperature
of the clinker (as the fused material is
now called) from 10000C to 150oC
Step 4 - Cement milling
To produce the final product the clinker is mixed
with gypsum (CaSO4.2HO), which is added as a
set retarder, and ground for approximately 30
minutes in large tube mills
 Properties of the main compounds in cement clinker
The four major compounds of cement produced are:
3CaO.SiO2 (Tri-calcium silicate), abbreviated C3S
2CaO.SiO2 (Di-calcium silicate), abbreviated C2S
3CaO.Al2O3 (Tri-calcium Aluminate) abbreviated C3A
4CaO.Al2O3.Fe2O3 (Tetra calcium Alumino-ferrite) abbreviated C4AF
1. C3S (Tri-calcium Silicate)
• most desirable constituent
• it hardens rapidly and accounts for the high early
strength of the cement
• When water is added to tri-calcium silicate
2C3S + 6H2O 3CaO.2SiO2.3H2O + 3Ca (OH)2
• 3CaO.2SiO2.3H2O gives cement its strength
• The proportion of C3S ranges from 25-60%.
2. C2S (Di-calcium Silicate)
 hardens slowly & contributes to strength increase at ages
beyond one week
 di-calcium silicate (2CaO.SiO2) hydrates slowly and forms a
hydrated calcium silicate (2CaO.SiO2. xH2O)
 the proportion of C2S ranges from 13- 50%
3. C3A (Tri-calcium Aluminate)
 liberates a large amount of heat (heat of hydration) during the
first few days of hardening [about 50% of the total heat of hydration ]
 contributes to early-strength development
 Tri-calcium aluminate hydrates with water to form
hydrated tri-calcium aluminates 3CaO.Al2O3.6H2O
4. C4AF (Tetra calcium Aluminoferrite)
reduces the clinkering temperature
contributes very little to strength
the proportion of C4AF ranges from 8-15%

Characteristics of Four Compounds of Clinker

Characteristics C3S C2S C 3A C4AF

Rate of hydration Medium Slow Fast Slow

Strength -early High low Medium low
- high high low
ultimate low
Amount of heat Medium low high low
liberated
Resistance to chemical
attack Good Good Poor Good
Factors Affecting the Rate & Heat of
Hydration

i. Cement Composition
ii. Fineness of the cement
iii. Water/cement ratio
iv. Age of paste
v. Ambient condition
 Types of Portland cement
European Description American description
Ordinary Portland Type I
Modified Cement Type II
Rapid-Hardening Portland Type III
Extra Rapid-Hardening Portland ----
Low-Heat Portland Type IV
Sulphate Resisting Portland Type V
Portland-Pozzolana Type IP
White Portland ----
Portland Blast –furnace Type IS
 Types of Portland cement …cont.
 The difference in properties of the various kinds of
cement arises from the relative proportions of the four
major compounds
 ASTM recognizes eight types of Portland cement

Type I or Normal Portland cement

• is general-purpose cement
• No special properties
• used where there would be no severe climate changes
or severe exposure to sulfate attack
• used in nearly all situations calling for Portland cement
Type II or Moderate Portland cement
• used when moderate sulfate resistance or moderate heat
of hydration is desired
• used in structures of considerable mass, such as
abutments, piers and retaining walls
• Its use also minimizes temperature rise when concrete is
placed in warm weather
Type III or High-Early-Strength Portland cement
• used when a structure must be put into service as quickly
as possible
• is made by
 changing the proportions of raw materials,
 by fine grinding, and
by better burning, such that di-calcium silicate is less
and the tri-calcium silicate is greater
Type IV or Low-Heat of Hydration Portland cement
 Used when a low heat of hydration is required
 develops strength at a slower rate than does Type I
 is intended for mass structures

Type V or Sulfate-resisting Portland cement

o used when high sulfate resistance is desired

The three types of air -entraining cements, Types IA,

IIA, IIIA as given by ASTM C150, are used in concrete
for improved resistance to freezing and thawing action
and the action of salt scaling and chemical attack.
 Other Types of Portland Cement
1. Portland-Pozzolana Cement (PPC)
 Portland-pozzolana cement is manufactured by blending 10-
30% by weight of pozzolanic material with ordinary Portland
cement (OPC) either by simple mixing or by inter-grinding with
cement clinker
 the term pozzolana 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 cementitious
properties
the use of PPC in Concrete Construction Work are accompanied by
• Improved workability & water tightness
• long continued gain in strength
• No increase in dry shrinkage
• Improved resistance to sulfate attack etc.

Special types of Portland Cement

2. White Portland cement
3. Colored Cements
4. Oil-Well Cements
5. Regulated cements
6. Waterproofed Cement
7. Hydrophobic cement
8. Antibacterial cements
9. Barium and Strontium cements etc.
 Storage of Cement
• Cement, also known as Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)
is produced from limestone and clay. It is normally sold
in paper bags containing 50 kg each.
• Storage; cement does not set store cement in a shed,
preferably without windows. A boarded floor or wooden
platform raised above the ground is advisable. Bags:
– should not be stocked above man-height,
– should not touch the walls of the shed so
– must be off-loaded by hand in order to keep the paper bags
unbroken, and
– should be used up in rotation (first stocked - first used).
• Hardened lumps found when opening the bag should be
removed by sieving the cement.
Cement storage
 Properties and testing of cement

Fineness:-
• the rate of chemical reaction is largely dependant up
on the fineness of the cement.
• Finer the grinding the greater is the rate of reaction
which increases the early development of
strength ,though final strength is not affected by
fineness.
• Coarser cement particle always settle down in
concrete which causes bleeding.
• However the shrinkage and cracking of cement id
greater for fine cement.
 Properties and testing of cement …cont.

Soundness :-
• It is the ability of a hardened cement paste to retain its
volume after setting.
• Unsoundness is caused by the presence of free lime and
magnesia in the cement.
• Soundness of cement can be tested by Le-chatelier
apparatus
• it is very important test to assure the quality of
cement since unsound cement produces:
– cracks
– distortion and
– disintegration, ultimately leading to failure.
 Properties and testing of cement …cont.

Consistency test :-
• This test is a test to estimate the
quality of mixing water to form a
paste of normal consistency
defined as that percentage water
requirement of cement paste ,
the viscosity of which will be such
that the vicat plunger penetrates
up to a point 5 to 7 mm from
bottom of the vicats mould. vicats apparatus
 Properties and testing of cement …cont.

Test procedures
1. 300 gm of cement is mixed with 25% water and form
cement paste
2. Fill the paste in mould of vicat’s apparatus and the
surface of filled paste is smoothened and levelled.
3. A square needle attached to the plunger is then
lowered gently over the cement paste surface and
released quickly
4. Then the reading on scale is recorded,
5. When the reading is 5-7mm from the bottom of the
mould the amount of water added is correct for
normal consistency. If not the water added is
corrected.
 Properties and testing of cement …cont.
Initial and final setting time
• When water is added to cement ,the resulting paste starts to
stiffen and gain strength and loose consistency simultaneously.
• The term setting implies solidification of the plastic cement paste.
• Initial and final setting time may be regarded as the two stiffening
states of the cement.
• The beginning of solidification, called initial set, marks the point in
time when the paste become unworkable.
• The initial setting time is the period which elapses between the
time when water is added to the cement and the thin needle does
not penetrate beyond appoint of 5mm from bottom of the mould.
• The final setting time is the period which ranges from the
moment of adding water to the cement up to the moment the
needle attachment fails to form any impression on the cement
paste.
 Properties and testing of cement …cont.

The initial and final setting time of cement are determined as shown in the
following steps:-
1. Weight about 300gm of cement accuratly.
2. Mix it with water equal to 0.85times i.e the water required to make a
paste of normal consistency.
3. Place the paste in mould.
4. The needle (for initial set) is brought in contact with the cement paste
and reading is noted.
5. The needle is then released gently and penetration of needle is noted,
the initial set is said to have occurred when the needle ceases to pass
appoint, 5mm above the glass plate below the mould.
6. For final setting time the needle is replaced by another needle and
brougth in contanct with cement paste and released gently. The final set
is siad to have occoured when the needle does not penetrate into the
paste.
The penetration is tried many times until a final state is reached.
 Properties and testing of cement …cont.

Strength:
• The quality of cement for its strength in
compression is judged by finding the
compressive strength of cement – sand mortar
(1:3).
Heat of hydration:
• It is the heat produced by the chemical
reaction between cement and water –
hydration.
 Properties and testing of cement …cont.

Loss on ignition:-
• It is the chemical properties and measures the freshness
of cement.
• During and after the manufacture of cement, it may
absorb some moisture or carbon dioxide.
• It is carried out by heating one gram of cement for 15
min. at a temperature of 900 oC to 1000 oC, cooled and
weighed again.
• Weight should not decrease by more than 4% on ignition.
• If decrease in weight is more, it shows cement is not
fresh and more hydration and carbonation has taken
place.
 uses of cement
Today cement finds extensive use in all types of construction
work i.e
• Cement mortar for:
– masonry
– plaster and
– pointing of wall
– laying sub floors and floors
• Cement concrete for:
– all RCC(reinforced cement concrete)
– constriction of slabs.
– tanks,
– water retaining structure,
– water treatment plants ,
– waste water treatment plant, etc.
 uses of cement …cont.

• Constriction of hydraulic structure like:

– dams ,
– canals ,
– cross drainage work ,
– outlet structures etc.
• Manufacture of solid and hollow cement blocks ,
cement concrete tiles
• Manufacture of miscellaneous precast elements like:
– rail way sleepers,
– electric pole,
– drainage pipes of concrete etc.
 Comparison of cement and lime

Parameter Cement Lime

Color Grey White
Setting time 10-30 min Very long time
Hardening With in 3days Very slow
Concrete strength High Low
Curing takes place In water In air
Corrosion Protect Corrodes
Binding Better Low
Etc…
 MORTAR
• Mortar is the name given to a mixture of
cementing material such as (cement, lime,
gypsum), fine aggregate (sand) and water and
which has the capacity of hardening into a
rock like mass.
• In general the maximum size of the fine
aggregate in mortar is less than 5 mm, and the
cementing material is Portland cement and/or
lime.
 Classification of mortar
Cement mortar:-
 In this mortar, cement is used as binding material.
 Mortar once prepared from cement should be used
within 30 minutes of adding water.
 Cement mortar has high strength, greater durability
and greater water resisting properties.
 Hence cement mortar is used widely for construction of
 masonry in foundation,
 super structure,
 in damp climates and
 in water retaining structures made of masonry.
 Cement mortar is the best form of mortar for plastering
and /or pointing walls.
 Classification of mortar …cont.
Preparation of cement mortar:-
• Small quantities are mixed manually; while
mechanical mixer may be used for large
quantities.
• For manual mixing sand is sieved, cleaned with
water to remove dirt and dust and dried.
• This dry sand is laid uniformly on a platform
over which cement is uniformly spread.
• The whole mass is then thoroughly mixed with
spades till it become uniform in colour.
• A depression is then made in the middle of the
mix and required quantity of water is added.
 Classification of mortar …cont.

• The wet mix then worked with spades to give

a uniform consistency to the mortar.
• For mechanical mixing the calculated quantity
of cement, sand and water are fed in to the
cylindrical container of the mixer.
• A rotary with blades inside the container
rotates and thoroughly mixes the ingredients.
 Classification of mortar …cont.

• The mix proportion of cement mortar of

different work
s.no Type of work Cement Sand

1 Masonry 1 4-5

2 Plastering a) interior 1 4
b) exterior 1 5-6

3 Pointing 1 1-3

4 Reinforced brick work 1 3

5 Foundation work 1 3-4

 Classification of mortar …cont.
Lime mortar :-
In lime mortar, lime is used as a binding material.
• The lime can be fat lime or hydraulic lime.
• Fat lime shrinks to a great extent, and hence requires sand equal to 3 to 4
times its volume.
• It is not suitable for its use in damp conditions or water logged area.
• On the hand hydraulic lime requires sand equal to only 2 times its volume.
• The resulting mortar is also quick setting and hence it should be used
within 1 hour of its mixing.
• Mortar with hydraulic lime is stronger and can be used even in damp
conditions than mortar of fat lime.
• In general lime mortar posses greater plasticity is not harsh and is quite
suitable for masonry works in which voids of the joint are filled easily
because of high plasticity.
• It hardens slowly.
 Classification of mortar …cont.

The mix proportion of lime mortar for various types of work

s.no Type of lime Type of work Lime Sand

1 Fat lime Plastering 1-2 2-3

2 Hydraulic lime Pointing 1.5 2-3

Masonry 2-3 1.5-2.5
 Classification of mortar …cont.

Compo-mortar (gauged mortar):-

• It is the mortar obtained by adding cement to
lime mortar to improve its qualities with
respect to gain of early strength, ultimate
strength and water tightness.
• Such mortar has both properties
– plasticity of lime mortar
– early gain of strength of cement mortar
 Classification of mortar …cont.

Preparation of compo-mortar :-
i. for low lime content ,cement and sand are
mixed dry ;
ii. lime is dissolved in water and added to the
dry mix.
iii. The mix is then worked thoroughly with
spades till uniform consistency is obtained.
iv. For high content of lime , lime mortar is
made first and then cement is mixed with
lime mortar in batches to be consumed in an
hour time.
 Classification of mortar …cont.

The mix proportion of compo-mortar

s.no location Cement Lime sand

1 Out side wall 1 1 6
1 2 9

2 Inside wall 1 2 9
1 3 12
 Classification based on the nature of
application
Masonry mortar :-
– these mortar s are used for construction of masonry.
Finishing mortar :-
– finishing mortar are those which are used for finishing
works such as plastering ,pointing ,ornamental
finishing ,etc.
– such mortar should have strength , mobility , water
retentivity ,and resistance to atmospheric action
Special mortar:-
– are intended for specific purpose such as acoustics, x-
ray shielding, fire resisting and etc.
 Classification based on bulk density

Light weight mortar :-

– these mortars , prepared from light weight sands
from pumice and other fine aggregate ,have bulk
density less than 1500 kg/m3
Heavy weight mortar :-
– these mortars are prepared from heavy quartz and
sands having bulk density more than 1500 kg/m3
End of Chapter
Two!!