CEMENT TECHNICAL INFORMATION
It is a material used for bonding gravel, bricks, briquettes and others, the main raw materials of which are limestone, clay and mineral parts. The cement must be mixed with water for the reaction.
Limestone, clay, iron ore, sand are crushed into a powder. This material is then baked in rotating ovens at 1400-1500°C. This resulting product is called "clinker".
Portland cement is obtained by grinding into a very fine clinker powder (4-5%), to which a small amount of gypsum is added. Production of alloyed cement (materials vary depending on the type of cement.) materials used for clinker, gypsum, blast furnace slag, ash, silica, etc.
The smallest part of the volume in the concrete mix is occupied by cement. The preferred types of cement according to its characteristics are Portland cement, alloyed cement, slag cement and sulphate cement, except for special purposes when white Portland cement and some other types of cement are used.
Inert fine-grained elements are the most durable in conventional concrete. These elements determine the strength and adhesion of the cement mixture. The strength of the cement mixture depends on the ratio of components. The types of cement used in concrete are standardized in the TS EN 197 series.
Table 1: Cement Types According to TS EN 197-1
Cement Standards, Aggregates, and Concrete Production Guidelines
Materials Definition
Sand, gravel, and crushed stone used in concrete production are known as inert materials. These aggregates occupy about 60% to 75% of total concrete volume, establishing its primary skeletal strength and overall structural durability in modern infrastructure.
Categorization By Size
Inert materials are generally divided into fine aggregates, like sand, and coarse aggregates, including gravel. Selecting the correct particle size is highly critical for achieving optimal concrete workability, ensuring the mixture remains completely homogeneous during pouring operations.
Natural Resources
Most concrete manufacturers engage in direct quarry extraction to secure high-quality raw materials that meet strict market regulations. Creating dedicated divisions for material harvesting allows producers to control quality, avoid external supply shortages, and document every production phase.
Bonding Process
Cement acts as the essential hydraulic binder that fuses aggregates together when combined with water. Produced by heating limestone and clay at extremely high temperatures, the resulting clinker is finely ground with gypsum to make the final construction powder.