Cement: types and how it is made

In this work we are going to provide the general description of cement as a building material. The work will cover such issues as the definition and the importance of cement, process and features of cement production, and cement manufacturing. This work is an introduction to the study of cement and provides the basic knowledge on the topic. The theory is supported by images and illustrations to make the understanding of the processes clear. Basic definitions: cement, concrete, and aggregates? The role of cement in modern society cannot be overestimated. People who know little about cement can doubt its importance, but just look around and you will see concrete structures everywhere: buildings, bridges, dams, roads etc. One may ask what the relation is between cement and high buildings around us. Such materials as cement and concrete are usually mixed-up or misunderstood, so let us analyze the main definitions to make it clear. Cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. It is a mixture of compounds made by burning limestone and clay together at very high temperatures ranging from 1400 to 1600 C. Portland cement is by far the most common type of cement in general use around the world. This cement is made by heating limestone (calcium carbonate) together with clay at very high temperatures ranging from 1400 to 1600 C in a kiln. In this process the substance called clinker is created, which is then ground with a small amount of gypsum into a powder to make 'Ordinary Portland Cement' (OPC). Portland cement may be of grey or white color. The most common use for Portland cement is in the production of concrete. Concrete is a strong building material. It is a mixture of paste and aggregates. The paste, composed of cement and water, coats the surface of the fine and coarse aggregates. Aggregates are chemically inert, solid bodies held together by the cement. Aggregates come in various shapes, sizes, and materials ranging from fine particles of sand to large, coarse rocks. Cobbles, pebbles, sand, natural gravel and crushed stone are mainly used.

Image :.The difference between cement (left) and clinker (right).1

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How cement is made The starting point of cement production is the quarry. The basic constituents, limestone and clay, are extracted from the quarry, then crushed to powder and then blended in correct proportions to make a homogeneous powder. This blended powder is called the 'raw feed' or 'kiln feed'. The raw material then goes to a rotary kiln where it reaches a temperature of about 1400 C to 1600 C. The kiln itself is a special rotating steel cylinder up to 6 meters in diameter and up to 200 meters in length. The 'kiln feed' enters at the high end of the cylinder and slowly moves along the kiln due to its inclination and constant rotation. At the low end of the kiln, a fuel is injected and burned, which creates the necessary heat to make the materials react. The process can take up to 2 hours for the mixture to pass through the kiln. The raw feed passes four stages of transformation when moving down the cylinder. The process starts with dehydration when free water in the powder is lost by evaporation. Then decomposition occurs from the loss of bound water and carbon dioxide, the process is called calcination. Calcium silicates are created during the third stage, which is called clinkering. The final stage of the process is cooling. Please consider the schematic diagram of rotary kiln (Fig. 2)

Image 2: Schematic diagram of rotary kiln 2

The marble-sized material produced in the kiln is described as 'clinker'. The size of rounded nodules is between 1mm and 25mm across.

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Minerals in Portland cement Portland cement clinker contains four main minerals: Alite: approximately tricalcium silicate (typically about 65% of the total) Belite: approximately dicalcium silicate (typically about 15% of the total) Aluminate: very approximately tricalcium aluminate (typically about 7% of the total) Ferrite: very approximately tetracalcium aluminoferrite (typically about 8% of the total) After cooling, the clinker is either temporarily stored or passeddirectly to the cement mill. In the cement mill, clinker will be ground to a fine powder. A small amount of gypsum is added to make the mixture, which now can be called Portland cement, ready. The function of gypsum is to control the setting properties of the cement when it is mixed with water. Portland cement Production The scheme below presents a simple and clear description of the process of Portland cement production:

Image 3. The process of cement production3 Interesting facts about cement Cement as we know it was first developed by Joseph Aspdin, an enterprising 19thcentury British stonemason. He heated a mix of ground limestone and clay in his kitchen stove, then pulverized the concoction into a fine powder. The cement industry makes more than 1.8 billion tons of cement each year. Cement is a ubiquitous raw material used in modern day infrastructure. Its produced in almost every country in the world.

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The Egyptians used a cement-like material (containing gypsum) to make the Great Pyramid in 2600 B.C. Five states produce nearly 50% of all the cement made in America. They are (in order): California, Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Missouri. Conclusion

This work provides technical description of cement and provides detailed description of its manufacturing. The most popular Portland cement is the vital ingredient of the strong building material concrete. Just try to think about concrete constructions you have seen in the last 12 hours. All these concrete constructions are made of cement and water! Now you understand that the role of cement cannot be underestimated. The process of cement production is not an easy one. It is a multistep process that starts from quarry, where raw materials are extracted, then the materials are grinder and heated at a temperature of about 1400 C-1600 C in a special cylinder called kiln. The result of this process is a substance called clinker, which is later mixed with gypsum and ground into the mixture that can be called Portland cement.

Works Cited Hewlett, P. C., and Young, J. F. "Physico-Chemical Interactions Between Chemical Admixtures and Portland Cement". Journal of Materials Education. Vol. 9, No. 4, 1987. How Cement Is Made. Americas Cement Manufacturers. Web.19 March 2014. http://www.cement.org/cement-concrete-basics/how-cement-is-made Mineral Education Coalition, 2013. Web.18 March 2014. http://www.mineralseducationcoalition.org/ Scientific Principles. Materials Science and Technology Teacher's Workshop. Web.19 March 2014. http://matse1.matse.illinois.edu/concrete/prin.html Sedgwick, J. "Strong But Sensitive". The Atlantic Monthly. Vol. 267, No. 4, April 1991, pp 70-82. Understanding Cement. WHD Microanalysis Consultants Ltd. Web. 18 March 2014. http://www.understanding-cement.com