Subject:- Building Material

UNIT -5
Materials For Cement
Concrete.

INTRODUCTION
The cement concrete is a mixture of cement,
sand,pebbles or crushed rock and water, which, when
placed in the skeleton of forms and allowed to cure,
become hard like stone.
The cement concrete has attained the status of major
building materials because of following reasons.
1. Its set quickly as compared to lime.
2. It has good compressive strength.
3. It can be readily moulded into desire size and
shape.
4. It binds rapidly with steel and as it is weak in
tension, the steel reinforcement is placed in cement
concrete to resists tensile stresses. This is termed as
R.C.C(reinforced cement concrete).

Different Types Of Cement.

1.Acid-resistant
cement.
2.Blast furnace
cement.
3.Coloured cement.
4.Expanding cement.
5.Quick setting
cement.
6.Hydrophobic cement.

7.Low heat cement.

8.Pozzolana cement.
9.Extra rapid hardening
cement
10.Sulphate resisting
cement
11.White cement
12.Air entraining
13. High alumina
14. Water proof cement

Details of different cement with their uses

1.Acid-resistant cement:-It is composed of the

following.
Acid-resistant aggregates such as
quartz,quartzites,etc
Additive such as sodium fluosilicate Na2SiF6 and
Solution of sodium silicate or soluble glass.
By adding 0.5% of linseed oil it resistant to water
is increased and it is known as acid and water
resistant cement.
USES:-In chemical industry its used as heat
resistant & acid resistant coating.

2. Blast furnace:-For this cement, the slag as obtained from

blast furnace is used. Slag is a waste product in the
manufacturing process of pig iron.
Uses:- Construction in cold regions like marine and under
ground works.
3.Coloured cement:-Cement of desired colour may be
obtained by mixing pigments with ordinary cement.
Uses:- Widely used for floor finishing, stair treads,artifical
marble, window sill slab etc.
4.Expanding cement:-Contain sulpho aluminate stabilizing
agent, expands on setting.
Use:-It is used for construction of water retaining
structures and also for repairing the damaged concrete.

5.Quick setting cement:-This cement is produced by

adding small % of aluminum sulphate and finely grinding
the cement. And less % of gypsum is added. The setting
action setting starts within five minutes and becomes hard
in 30 min.
Uses:-It is used in under water construction & running
water.
6.Hydrophobic cement:-This type of cement contain
admixtures which decrease the wetting ability of cement
grains.
Uses:-Can be stored for long periods. Thus frost
resistance and water resistance is increased.
7.Low heat cement:-It contains less C3S and C3A
percentage, and higher percentage of C2S.this cement
posses less compressive strength.
Uses:-It is mainly used for mass concrete work.

8.Pozzolana cement:-It contains volcanic ash, pozzolana. Heat

of hydration is low. And high tensile strength.
USE:-Hydraulic structures i.e. dam, Sewage works.
9.Extra Rapid hardening setting cement:-This cement is
obtained by adding calcium chloride with rapid hardening
portland cement. This type of cement should be
transported,placed,compacted and finished within 20 minutes
after mixing.
10.Sulphate resisting cement:-The sulphate resistant cement

is made with low C3A content is found to be effective. Such

cement with low C3A and comparatively low C4AF content
is known as sulphate resisting cement. This cement has a
high silicate content. The specification generally limits the
C3A content to 5 percent.

Uses:-In foundations where soil contain sulphate.

In marine construction.

11. White cement:-It is prepared from pure lime

stones, free from iron oxides.
USES:-swimming pools, decorative works etc.
12. High alumina:-Its contain alumina, lime,
bauxite. Compressive strength is more.
Use:-Cold region, frosts area, sea water etc.

Grade of cement
Grade

refers to the strength of cement at 28

days, when tested as per IS: 4031-1988.
If the 28 days strength is less than 33 N/mm2, it
is called 33 Grade Cement.
If the 28 days strength is lies between 33 to 43
N/mm2, it is called 43 Grade Cement.
If the 28 days strength is lies between 43 to 53
N/mm2, it is called 53 Grade Cement.

Field test of cement.

The

colour of cement should be

uniform. Its colour should be gray or
green.
Cement should sink and should not
float when thrown in water.
It should be in the form of fine powder.
There should be no lumps in bag.
The cement should feel smooth when
touched or rubbed in between fingers.
No cracks should be observed on
paste after setting.

Laboratory Test
Laboratory test are

Chemical composition

Fineness
Compressive
strength
Tensile strength
Consistency
Setting time

Soundness

Chemical composition
The following are the chemical requirements of
ordinary portland cement as per IS-269-1998.
i.
ii.

i.

ii.
iii.
iv.

Ratio of % of alumina to that of iron oxide should be

less than 0.66.
Ratio of percentage of alumina,silica,iron oxide should
be between 0.66 and 1.22,when calculated by following
formula:
CaO 0.7SO3
2.82 + 1.223 + 0.6523
Loss on ignition should not be greater than 4%
Sulphur content should be greater than 2.75%
Weight of insoluble residue should not me greater than
1.50%
Weight of magnesia should not exceed 5%

Fineness
This test is carried out to check proper
grinding of cement. The fineness of
cement particles may be determined by
sieve test.
In sieve test, the cement weighing
100gm is taken and it is continuously
passed for 15 min through standard BIS
sieve no 9.
The residue is then weighed and this
weight should not be more than 10% of
original weight.

Soundness
Soundness of cement is determined by LeChatelier method as per IS: 4031 (Part 3)
1988.
Volumetric changes after setting of cement are
responsible for causing cracks, distortion and
disintegration of concrete.

Le chaterlier apparatus

Procedure to determine soundness of cement:

i)

Place the mould on a glass sheet and fill it with the cement paste formed
by gauging cement with 0.78 times the water required to give a paste of
standard consistency.

ii)

Cover the mould with another piece of glass sheet, place a small weight
on this covering glass sheet and immediately submerge the whole
assembly in water at a temperature of 27 2oC and keep it there for 24hrs.

iii)

Measure the distance separating the indicator points to the nearest 0.5mm
(say d1 ).

iv)

Submerge the mould again in water at the temperature prescribed above.

Bring the water to boiling point in 25 to 30 minutes and keep it boiling for
3hrs.

v)

Remove the mould from the water, allow it to cool and measure the
distance between the indicator points (say d2 ).

vi)

(d2 d1 ) represents the expansion of cement.

Dimension of Le-Chatelier Apparatus.

CONSISTENCY TEST

The basic aim is to find out the water content

required to produce a cement paste of standard
consistency as specified by the IS: 4031 (Part 4)
1988.
The principle is that standard consistency of
cement is that consistency at which the Vicat
plunger penetrates to a point 5-7mm from the
bottom of Vicat mould.
Apparatus Vicat apparatus conforming to IS:
5513 1976, Balance, whose permissible
variation at a load of 1000g should be +1.0g,
Gauging trowel conforming to IS: 10086 1982.

Procedure to determine consistency of cement

i) Weigh approximately 400g of cement and mix it with a
weighed quantity of water. The time of gauging should
be between 3 to 5 minutes.
ii) Fill the Vicat mould with paste and level it with a
trowel.
iii) Lower the plunger gently till it touches the cement
surface.
iv) Release the plunger allowing it to sink into the paste.
v) Note the reading on the gauge.
vi) Repeat the above procedure taking fresh samples of
cement and different quantities of water until the
reading on the gauge is 5 to 7mm.
Reporting of Results
Express the amount of water as a percentage of the
weight of dry cement to the first place of decimal.

INITIAL AND FINAL SETTING TIME

We need to calculate the initial and final setting time as per
IS: 4031 (Part 5) 1988. To do so we need Vicat apparatus
conforming to IS: 5513 1976, Balance, whose permissible
variation at a load of 1000g should be +1.0g, Gauging trowel
conforming to IS: 10086 1982.
Procedure to determine initial and final setting time of
cement
i) Prepare a cement paste by gauging the cement with 0.85
times the water required to give a paste of standard
consistency.
ii) Start a stop-watch, the moment water is added to the
cement.
iii) Fill the Vicat mould completely with the cement paste
gauged as above, the mould resting on a non-porous plate
and smooth off the surface of the paste making it level with
the top of the mould. The cement block thus prepared in the
mould is the test block.

A) INITIAL SETTING TIME

Place the test block under the rod bearing the
needle. Lower the needle gently in order to
make contact with the surface of the cement
paste and release quickly, allowing it to
penetrate the test block. Repeat the
procedure till the needle fails to pierce the
test block to a point 5.0 0.5mm measured
from the bottom of the mould.The time period
elapsing between the time, water is added to
the cement and the time, the needle fails to
pierce the test block by 5.0 0.5mm
measured from the bottom of the mould, is
the initial setting time.

B) FINAL SETTING TIME

Replace the above needle by the one
with an annular attachment. The cement
should be considered as finally set when,
upon applying the needle gently to the
surface of the test block, the needle
makes an impression therein, while the
attachment fails to do so. The period
elapsing between the time, water is
added to the cement and the time, the
needle makes an impression on the
surface of the test block, while the
attachment fails to do so, is the final
setting time.

Some places get plenty of rainfall in the

rainy season and have high humidity in
other seasons.The transportation and
storage of cement in such places cause
deterioration in the quality of cement. In
such far off places with poor
communication system, cement perforce
requires to be stored for long time.
Ordinary cement gets deteriorated and
loses some if its strength, whereas the
hydrophobic cement which does not lose
strength is an answer for such situations.

Portland pozzolana cement produces

less heat of hydration and offers
greater resistance to the attack of
aggressive waters than ordinary
Portland cement. Moreover, it reduces
the leaching of calcium hydroxide
when used in hydraulic structures. It is
particularly useful in marine and
hydraulic construction and other mass
concrete constructions.
Uses:

Sulphate attack is greatly accelerated if accompanied by

alternate wetting and drying which normally takes place in
marine structures in the zone of tidal variations. Sulphates
react both with the free calcium hydroxide in set cement to

form calcium sulphate

Extra rapid hardening cement accelerates
the setting and hardening process.
A large quantity of heat is evolved in a very
short time after placing.
The acceleration of setting, hardening and
evolution of this large quantity of heat in
the early period of hydration makes the
cement very suitable for concreting in cold
weather.

Storage Of Cement.
The cement should be stored carefully. Otherwise it may absorb
moisture from the atmosphere and may become useless for
structural work. Following precautions are to be taken for the
storage of cement.
Place of storage should be dry.
Floor walls and roof should be water proof.
Storage place should be at higher level.
Fitting of shutter of doors,windows,ventilators should be
proper.
Cement bags should be protected from rain and winds.
Bags should be stacked in piles.number of bags should not be
more than 10 to 12 in pile.
A distance of about 300 mm should be kept between the pile of
cement bags and exterior.
Period of storage should not be more than 3 months under
nomal circumstances.
While removing bags from piles, steps should be formed by
taking two or three bags.

ADDIMTURES
Properties of cement or concrete can be improved by mixing
admixtures.
Accelerators speed up the hydration (hardening) of the concrete.
Typical materials used are CaCl
2, Ca(NO3)2 and NaNO3. However, use of chlorides may cause
corrosion in steel reinforcing and is prohibited in some countries, so
that nitrates may be favored.
Retarders slow the hydration of concrete and are used in large or
difficult pours where partial setting before the pour is complete is
undesirable
Air entrainments add and entrain tiny air bubbles in the concrete, which
reduces damage during freeze-thaw cycles, increasing durability.
However, entrained air entails a trade off with strength, as each 1% of
air may decrease compressive strength 5%.
Plasticizers increase the workability of plastic or "fresh" concrete,
allowing it be placed more easily, with less consolidating effort. A typical
plasticizer is lignosulfonate. Plasticizers can be used to reduce the
water content of a concrete while maintaining workability and are
sometimes called water-reducers due to this use. Such treatment
improves its strength and durability characteristics