Introduction to Concrete

Concrete is a major construction material used in buildings, bridges, airfields, highways, dams, and silos. It is valued for strength, durability, and versatility in many structural designs. A concrete mix usually includes Portland cement, coarse gravel, fine sand, and water.

Concrete can be mixed by hand or made at industrial plants with computer control. The mix has aggregates and a paste made from water and Portland cement. This paste coats the aggregates. Through hydration, a chemical...

Portland cement is the main binding material in concrete. It is made from finely ground ingredients that include lime, iron, silica, and alumina. These materials give cement the properties it needs to hold concrete together.

The raw ingredients come from several common natural sources. Lime is obtained mainly from limestone, marble, marl, seashells, and clays. Those same clays can also supply iron and alumina. Silica is sourced from sand, chalk, and bauxite.

Making Portland cement starts by...

Cement setting and strength formation begin when water is added to cement particles. The main reaction is called hydration. During hydration, the anhydrous cement compounds react with water and form new solids that help harden the material.

Hydration can happen by two main paths: through-solution and topochemical. In through-solution, anhydrous compounds dissolve into their parts, hydrates form in the liquid, and then they come out of a supersaturated solution. In topochemical hydration,...

Cement hydration produces heat and builds strength at the same time. Hydration is an exothermic reaction, which means it releases heat as cement reacts with water. That heat of hydration is a key part of how cement develops strength.

Most of the heat is released early in the process. About half is given off in the first three days, and about 75% is released in the first week. The rate of heat release also affects how much the temperature rises during hydration.

Some cement compounds...

Cement particle size changes how cement behaves in concrete. Finer cement has more surface area, so hydration starts faster at the particle surface. This affects the rate of hardening and also influences workability, gypsum requirement, and long-term behavior.

Cement fineness is usually described by its specific surface area. This is the total surface area of cement particles per unit mass, and it is often measured in square meters per kilogram. Several methods can be used to determine it,...

Cement setting time describes how cement paste changes from a plastic state to a solid state. This change matters in construction because it sets the window for placing, compacting, and finishing concrete. The first stage is called the initial set. At that point, the paste becomes unworkable.

The next stage is the final set. By then, the paste has solidified completely, and further handling can no longer change its shape. Cement strength is still very low at this stage because hydration of...

Cement soundness is the ability of cement paste to keep its volume after it sets. If cement is unsound, it can expand later and damage a structure. This problem can come from free lime, magnesia, and calcium sulfate in the cement.

Free lime hydrates very slowly. As it reacts, it can expand and cause unsoundness. It is also hard to detect because it intercrystallizes with other compounds in the cement structure.

Magnesia can also react with water. It forms crystals that may disrupt the cement...

Cement strength is measured with standard tests that use mortar, not neat cement paste. Cement paste alone is hard to shape into specimens that give consistent and reliable results. For that reason, the test samples are usually made with cement and sand.

For compressive strength, ASTM C 109-05 uses a cement-sand mix ratio of 1:2.75 and a water/cement ratio of 0.485. The mixture is cast into 2-inch cubes and cured in saturated lime water at 23°C until testing. This method measures how well the...

Portland cement comes in several grades with different properties and uses. Its chemical composition and hydration behavior help determine how it performs in concrete. These differences matter in general construction, fast repairs, large structures, and places where sulfate exposure is a concern.

Type I, or Ordinary Portland Cement, is the common choice for general construction. It is used when special properties are not required. This type has moderate sulfate resistance and moderate heat of...

Special Portland cements are made for specific building needs, such as added durability, color, or lower cracking risk. One major example is Portland blast-furnace cement. It is made by blending Portland cement clinker with granulated blast-furnace slag, which makes up about 25 to 65 percent of the cement by weight.

Portland blast-furnace cement sets at about the same rate and has about the same fineness as ordinary Portland cement, which is Type I cement. Its early strength is lower, but it...

Pozzolans are siliceous or aluminous materials used with Portland cement to improve concrete performance. They react with the calcium hydroxide formed during cement hydration. This reaction helps increase strength and durability.

The usefulness of a pozzolan is measured by its pozzolanic activity. One common test is the strength activity index from ASTM C 618-93. It compares the compressive strength of cement mixtures made with and without pozzolan.

Fly ash is a common artificial pozzolan. It...