ement is a class of ceramic materials used in the construction world. It is as if cement is not included in
the ceramic world because it does not use the combustion process at high temperatures. But that's not
right. During the cement manufacturing process, the combustion process is carried out in the range of
1548°C. So based on the definition of ceramics at first, cement is included in the category of ceramics.
In the world of construction, of course, the mechanical properties of cement are the main things to
consider. Cement in the construction world is not designed to accept tensile loads because the tensile
load will be accepted by steel. Cement mixed with other components is used to cover steel, known as
reinforced concrete, to accept compressive loads. So that the compressive strength is the main
mechanical property required.
Some examples of cement [Reference : https://civilread.com/14-different-types-cement-must-know/] :
- Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)
It is the most widely used cement in construction, its maximum shrinkage is low and its crack resistance
is high. The compressive strength can reach 33 MPa.
The OPC illustration is shown in Figure 1.
Reference : https://gharpedia.com/blog/manufacturing-process-ordinary-portland-cement-opc/
- Rapid Hardening Cement
This cement is a development of OPC with the addition of C3S in OPC cement to increase its compressive
strength. The minimum compressive strength is in the range of 28 MPa. Its compressive strength at 3
days can match the compressive strength of OPC at 7 days so in terms of time to reach the desired
specifications this will be advantageous.
Reference : http://www.sketchup3dconstruction.com/const/rapid-hardening-cement.html
- Pozzolama Cement
This cement is based on 80% clay. And added with limestone. The compressive strength at 3 days
reached 3 MPa and at 28 days it reached a minimum of 33 MPa. This cement is often used in dam
applications.
Reference : https://theconstructor.org/concrete/portland-pozzolana-cement/23161
b. Refractories (Source: TTPM Records – Ceramics)
Refractory materials are materials that are able to maintain their properties when used at high
temperatures. This material is usually a ceramic material because of its very high thermal stability. This
can be seen by observing the interatomic energy vs. interatomic distance curve. From the energy curve
as a function of distance, it can be seen that the energy required to break the bonds of ceramic
constituent elements is generally higher than that of metals and polymers