An overview of cement and its uses

Posted by pooja late on January 17th, 2022

Cement is a fine powder that is widely used in construction and engineering field works. Cement is used by mixing it with water, sand, and other ingredients to make strong concrete. It can be made in any shape like circle, square, triangle, etc. for attractive and different designs and styles in the buildings and its best infrastructure. It is used in making concrete for laying smooth floors, strong roofs, and constructing lintels, beams, comfortable stairs, long-lasting pillars, etc. Cement is an excellent building material that possesses good plasticity in the construction field and can be easily workable by all people.

Various types of cement:

Different types of cement have their unique usage and different properties in the construction field. Ordinary cement is used in the construction of the building and for giving a perfect finishing to the walls. Blended cement used in concreting and plastering. Type II cement can be used in structures of considerable mass and heavy, such as large piers, heavy abutments, and heavy retaining walls. Plaster of Paris is a type of fire resistance gypsum that is used with cement for making attractive decorative and designs in buildings. Other types of cement such as high alumina cement high-temperature buildings and workshops, sulfates resisting cement used in soil or groundwater construction works, etc.

Manufacturing process:

Cement is manufacture from a combination of various chemical ingredients such as clay, marl, shale, chalk, sand, bauxite, and iron ore. It undergoes various production processes such as extraction of raw materials by mining from quarries or by drilling using heavy machinery. Then the extracted materials are crushed into small particles and then dried and grinded in the industries which are known as a kiln. Then it undergoes a sintering process in which the kiln is heated above 1400°c which results in recombining into new compounds that form a substance called clinker. The clinker is mixed with other additives for producing the different types of cement, which is a final ingredient.

Properties and nature of cement:

Cement is a powdery substance mixed with various ingredients to make strong concrete. It provides good strength to the building and gets stiffen easily when blended with other materials. It is an excellent building material that lasts for a longer period and suitable for all weather conditions. Cement has high durability and high bonding power that make buildings more strong and long-lasting. The main advantage of using cement is it can be converted into any form of shape and has quick setting nature and ensures faster hardening of surfaces. It can withstand all temperatures and is easy to handle by all people. It also has high consistency and bulk density.

Bottom lines:

The production and usage of cement have been increasing nowadays due to its various advantage and nature in building strong and long-lasting buildings. It is a mixture that provides good shelter and water resistance after made into concrete. Thus it is the main element in building a stronger foundation and better building.