Properties of Concrete: Properties of Concrete, 5th Edition

Chapter 1. Portland cement

Cement, in the general sense of the word, can be described as a material with adhesive and cohesive properties which make it capable of bonding mineral fragments into a compact whole. This definition embraces a large variety of cementing materials.

For constructional purposes, the meaning of the term ‘cement’ is restricted to the bonding materials used with stones, sand, bricks, building blocks, etc. The principal constituents of this type of cement are compounds of lime, so that in building and civil engineering we are concerned with calcareous cement. The cements of interest in the making of concrete have the property of setting and hardening under water by virtue of a chemical reaction with it and are, therefore, ...