2022 May

There is nothing called pure concrete. At best, it is a mixture of portland cement, coarse aggregates, sand, and water. Depending on what properties one desires of the final product, the mixture can vary in composition. Those materials added to the cement to change its properties are commonly referred to as the Supplementary Cementitious Materials.

The terms cement, concrete, and mortar can confuse many people, who may lump them all together as messy substances used in masonry that harden to form a flat surface or bind one object to another. The terms are often used interchangeably and incorrectly.

Cement clinker is an intermediary product produced in the manufacturing of Portland Cement. It is solid and occurs as nodules or lumps measuring between 3 mm to 25 mm or 0.12 inches to 0.98 inches in diameter. It is formed by fusing limestone and aluminosilicate materials without melting them to the point of liquefication.

Portland cement is a fine powder made by heating limestone and clay minerals in a kiln and forms a clinker. The clinker is ground to a fine powder with the addition of a small number of other materials. It is the most commonly used type of cement in the world.