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In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and

can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed rock with burnt lime as binder. The volcanic ash and pulverized brick additives that were added to the burnt lime to obtain a hydraulic binder were later referred to as cementum, cimentum, cment and cement. Cement used in construction is characterized as hydraulic or non-hydraulic. Hydraulic cements (e.g., Portland cement) harden because of hydration, chemical reactions that occur independently of the mixture's water content; they can harden even underwater or when constantly exposed to wet weather. The chemical reaction that results when the anhydrous cement powder is mixed with water produces hydrates that are not water-soluble. Nonhydraulic cements (e.g.gypsum plaster) must be kept dry in order to retain their strength. The most important use of cement is the production of mortar and concretethe bonding of natural or artificial aggregates to form a strong building material that is durable in the face of normal environmental effects. Concrete should not be confused with cement, because the term cement refers to the material used to bind the aggregate materials of concrete. Concrete is a combination of a cement and aggregate.

Types of cements
# Ordinary Portland Cement # Rapid Hardening Cement # Extra Rapid Hardening Cement # Sulphate Resisting Cement # Quick Setting Cement # Super Sulphated Cement # Low Heat Cement # Portland Pozzolana Cement # Air-Entraining Cement # Coloured Cement # Hydrophobic cement # Masonry Cement # Expansive Cement # IRS-T 40 Special Grade Cement # Oil-Well Cement # Rediset Cement # High Alumina Cement # High Early Strength CementVarieties of Cement in India

There are some varieties in cement that always find good demand in the market. To know their characteristics and in which area they are most required, it will be better to take a look at some of the details given below.

* Portland Blast Furnace slag cement (PBFSC): The rate of hydration heat is found lower in this cement type in comparison to PPC. It is most useful in massive construction projects, for example - dams.
* Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement: This cement is beneficial in the areas where concrete has an exposure to seacoast or sea water or soil or ground water. Under any such instances, the concrete is vulnerable to sulphates attack in large amounts and can cause damage to the structure. Hence, by using this cement one can reduce the impact of damage to the structure. This cement has high demand in India.

* Rapid Hardening Portland Cement: The texture of this cement type is quite similar to that of OPC. But, it is bit more fine than OPC and possesses immense compressible strength, which makes casting work easy.

* Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC): Also referred to as grey cement or OPC, it is of much use in ordinary concrete construction. In the production of this type of cement in India, Iron (Fe2O3), Magnesium (MgO), Silica (SiO2), Alumina (AL2O3), and Sulphur trioxide (SO3) components are used. * Portland Pozolona Cement (PPC): As it prevents cracks, it is useful in the casting work of huge volumes of concrete. The rate of hydration heat is lower in this cement type. Fly ash, coal waste or burnt clay is used in the production of this category of cement. It can be availed at low cost in comparison to OPC. * Oil Well Cement: Made of iron, coke, limestone and iron scrap, Oil Well Cement is used in constructing or fixing oil wells. This is applied on both the off-shore and on-shore of the wells.

* Clinker Cement: Produced at the temperature of about 1400 to1450 degree Celsius, clinker cement is needed in the construction work of complexes, houses and bridges. The ingredients for this cement comprise iron, quartz, clay, limestone and bauxite.

* White cement: It is a kind of Ordinary Portland Cement. The ingredients of this cement are inclusive of clinker, fuel oil and iron oxide. The content of iron oxide is maintained below 0.4% to secure whiteness. White cement is largely used to increase the aesthetic value of a construction. It is preferred for tiles and flooring works. This cement costs more than grey cement.

Apart from these, some of the other types of cement that are available in India can be classified as:
* Low heat cement * High early strength cement * Hydrophobic cement * High aluminium cement * Masonry cement Ordinary cement

It is uncertain where it was first discovered that a combination of hydrated nonhydraulic lime and a pozzolan produces a hydraulic mixture (see also: Pozzolanic reaction), but concrete made from such mixtures was first used by the Ancient Macedonians[1][2] and three centuries later on a large scale by Roman engineers.[3] They used both natural pozzolans (trass or pumice) and artificial pozzolans (ground brick or pottery) in these concretes. Many excellent examples of structures made from these concretes are still standing, notably the huge monolithic dome of the Pantheon in Rome and the massive Baths of Caracalla.[4] The vast system of Roman aqueducts also made extensive use of hydraulic cement.[5] Although any preservation of this knowledge in literary sources from the Middle Ages is unknown, medieval masons and some military engineers maintained an active tradition of using hydraulic cement in structures such as canals, fortresses, harbors, and shipbuilding facilities.[6][7] The technical knowledge of making hydraulic cement was later formalized by French and British engineers in the 18th century.[6]Types of modern cement

Cement is made by heating limestone (calcium carbonate) with small quantities of other materials (such as clay) to 1450 C in a kiln, in a process known as calcination, whereby a molecule of carbon dioxide is liberated from the calcium carbonate to form calcium oxide, or quicklime, which is then blended with the other materials that have been included in the mix. The resulting hard substance, called 'clinker', is then ground with a small amount of gypsum into a powder to make 'Ordinary Portland Cement', the most commonly used type of cement (often referred to as OPC). Portland cement is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar and most non-specialty grout. The most common use for Portland cement is in the production of concrete. Concrete is a composite material consisting of aggregate (gravel and sand), cement, and water. As a construction material, concrete can be cast in almost any shape desired, and once hardened, can become a structural (load bearing) element. Portland cement may be grey or white.

You may often wonder why concrete behaves the way it does: why does it give off heat when setting, why does concrete gain strength differently with different cements, why does it shrink, why are some concretes more resistant to deterioration? Most of the properties of fresh and hardened concrete are affected to some extent by the cement properties. Therefore, an understanding of cement characteristics can provide insight to the many materialrelated questions that arise in concrete construction.

In the manufacture of cement, limestone, sand, clay, and iron ore are blended, ground, and heated to 1400C 1550C (2550F - 2825F) in a rotating kiln. The resulting material, called clinker, is cooled, pulverized, and mixed with gypsum to create what is known as portland cement, a hydraulic material primarily made up of calcium silicates. Cements differ from plant to plant due to changes in raw material properties, kiln temperatures, and fineness upon grinding. These changes can significantly affect concrete properties when different cements are used in concrete. Besides the main constituents used in the manufacture of portland cement, minor components are naturally present. Important minor components include the alkalies, sodium and potassium. Although present only in small amounts, the alkalies can affect the setting time, strength development, reactivity with fly ash or slag, and the durability of concrete. Other minor components oxides other than the main oxides comprising the four clinker phases C3S, C2S, C3A, and C4AF are derived from raw materials, fuel, refractory material and wear parts from manufacture equipment, and generally do not affect the portland cement.

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