Basic Details of Cement and its Requirement

What is Cement?

Cement is used a binder, a substance that can easily set and hardens when it dries out. It has the ability to react with carbon dioxide in the air and can bind other material along with it. The word cement originates from the Latin word ‘Opus Caementicium’ which is used to explain the mixture of crushed rock and burnt lime as a binder. Later in years, a mixture of the volcanic ash and brick additives along with burned lime were used to obtain a hydraulic binder often called as cementum. Now, it is called as cement.

Why cement is required?

Cement is a binder and used in constructionwork  inorder to bind all the material particles together. The presence  of the binder will make the structure strong and solid. Cement is an essential part of any construction work. There is no stronger binder as cement. Cement price in Bangalore varies once in a month.

What are the different types of cement ?

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC)

Ordinary Portland is  manufactured for the purpose of  dry- lean mixes, ready- mix purpose and also for the pre- cast and pre- stressed concrete.

OPC 33 grade indicates the 28 days of compressive strength which is not less than 33/N mm2 (Mpa). In the same way, OPC 43 and OPC 53 grade cement should have 28 days of compressive strength and should not be less than 43 and 53 mpa.These are introduced according to the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS).

Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC):Portland Pozzolana Cement is nothing but Portland cement blended with  fly ash, burnt clays and siliciousearths.This type of cement is prepared by grinding Portland clinker,gypsum and pozzolanicmaterilas with water. It gives more strength and resistence to wet cracking and thermal cracking. It offers a high degree of cohesion and workability in case of concrete and mortar.

Portland Slag Cement (PSC):Furnace slag contains granulated blast-furnace slag, silicates and alumino-silicates of calcium. Having these particles in the cement, brings lighter colour, concrete workability, better finishability, high level of compressive strength,lower permeability and more resistance to chemical reactions. This cement is the mixture of clinker and blast furnace slag having glass content and gypsum along with optimum PSD (Particle Size Distribution).

Rapid Hardening Portland Cement: This type of cement contains higher level of tri- calcium silicates and finer grinding. It provides higher strength than OPC.

SulphateResisting Portland Cement (SRC):SRC contains tricalcium aluminates less than 5% and can be used for the purpose met byPortland Pozzolana Cement, Slag Cement and Ordinary Portland Cement

Low Heat Portland Cement: The heat evolution is slow in the low heat Portland cement in the initial level. But, after sometimes, setting and hardening become faster than OPC.

Hydrophobic Cement: It is obtained by grinding Portland cement clinker with oleic acid.It is also called waterproof cement since a water- repellent is added to it.