What is in cement?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Cement is one of the main building materials used in this area since ancient times. The composition of cement includes a number of inorganic substances, which, when interacting with water, form a so-called solution. Due to a set of certain physical qualities, this solution hardens when dried.

Cement is produced in several ways, but for the most part two main ones are used: dry and wet. Its manufacture is a rather expensive and energy-intensive process. The so-called sludge in its original form is loaded into a special furnace, after which the clinker is sintered. During the manufacturing process, the kiln rotates continuously, so that the clinker is evenly mixed in it. This allows you to make the mixture more homogeneous and evenly melted.

The cement contains iron oxide. It has a very large influence on the overall quality of the resulting cement mixture. Cement of the highest quality - with an iron oxide content of about 10%. With this ratio, oxides have the most favorable effect on the formation of minerals. But everything needs a measure, therefore, with an increase in the amount of iron oxide in the composition of cement, its overall quality also decreases.

Maximum allowableThe norm is 25% iron oxide. As you know, cement is also used to build or form heat-resistant structures and structures. In this case, the presence of iron oxides is unacceptable. In addition, the amount of iron directly affects the color of the cement: the lighter it is, the lower the percentage of additives. Gray cement, on the contrary, has the highest content of iron oxides in its composition.

If you continue to analyze the chemical composition of cement, you can also find aluminum oxide in it. The largest amount of aluminum oxide contained in the composition of the cement, gives it the properties of heat resistance. In high-quality cement, the content of this substance is about 60%.

In addition to the above oxides, cement contains oxides of calcium, silicon, and magnesium. Cement manufacturers are actively fighting to ensure that their products do not contain oxides of chromium, which is an active metal and enters into unwanted chemical reactions.

Depending on the composition of the cement, it is divided into types with different physical properties: gypsum-slag, quick-setting, ash, aluminous, gypsum-aluminous and waterproof.

Various active mineral additives are added to the composition of cement to improve its qualities. They are either artificial or natural. Additives to cement give it various properties: improve its workability and increase fluidity, improve extensibility, reduce shrinkage, change plasticity and density. In addition, the addition of these substances contributes todurability and strength of cement mortars.

Additives in cement are used not only to improve some of its individual physical properties, but also to change, for example, color. For these purposes, you can use regular paint.