What is Cement Used For? The Varied Uses of Cement
Cement is used for various applications in building, ornamentation, and vital infrastructure. Cement has an exceptional ability to solidify and hold various components together. Because of these qualities, cement plays a vital role in the production of concrete, mortar, and other construction materials.
Builders use cement to create towering skyscrapers, robust infrastructure, and delicate sculptures; it is the building block that enables artistic innovation as well as the most practical designs.
Cement has the strength necessary to make sure that all of these projects last.
Uses of Cement
The primary use of cement is as a binding agent in the production of substances like concrete, mortar, and stucco. Building uses are the most common, but other applications including environmental and artistic give it a wide application in other areas of life.
Concrete Production
Concrete is one of the most essential building blocks of construction. Cement is a primary component of concrete. In concrete production, cement acts as a binder that provides the mixture with cohesion and strength.
Cement, along with the aggregate, provides the bulk in concrete. Once the concrete mixture undergoes hydration, builders can pour it into forms or molds to shape it into the desired structure. Next, the concrete undergoes a curing process during which the cement continues to gain strength and durability. Different cement types are used in specialized applications like high-pressure structures, intense weather environments, buildings in and around the water, and buildings or components exposed to harsh chemicals.
Mortar
Cement is a vital ingredient in mortar, which is used to bind masonry units like bricks or stones together. Mortar serves as a paste-like material that fills the gaps between these units, giving them adhesion, weather resistance, and structural stability.
To prepare the mortar, mix cement and sand together and then add water to form a workable paste. The exact proportion of cement to sand depends on the type of mortar you need regarding the load-bearing capacity, weather resistance, or historical preservation considerations. Different types of cement are used to make mortar including ordinary Portland cement, lime-based cement, or specialized mortar cement.
Stucco
Stucco is a plaster-like substance that builders use to finish exterior walls, create decorative coatings, and provide architectural detailing. Cement is one of the primary ingredients in stucco. Cement gives stucco durability, weather resistance, and strength.
Stucco is made by mixing ordinary Portland cement, sand, and water. Other cement can also be used according to their specialized application regarding climate and desired finish texture.
Grout
Grout is the binder that fills the gaps in tiled surfaces between each individual tile. Cement provides grout with structural stability, durability, and customizability. Cement companies make specialized cement that has been dyed to present different aesthetic options. Moisture resistance is another quality that cement provides to grout. During the hydration process, the grout forms a dense, impermeable structure that protects the underlying substrate from water damage.
Precast Concrete Products
Precast concrete products are those that manufacturers create off-site and then transported and assembled at the building site. These offer builders greater precision, more oversight over quality control, and greater building efficiency. Builders use precast pipes, columns, walls, flooring systems, staircase and elevator shafts, bridge components, etc.
Cement is vital in the precast concrete mixture because of its ability to provide cohesion and structural integrity. Cement in the concrete mixture allows manufacturers more design flexibility, consistency, and greater control over the process.
Road Construction
Cement is an essential component in the concrete pavement for roads. Concrete pavements consist of cement, aggregates, water, and other additives. Common additives in concrete pavements are plasticizers which improve the workability and flowability of the concrete.
Cement is vital in creating sustainable roads that will last in harsh weather conditions, heavy wear, and over long periods.
Soil Stabilization
Cement is useful as a soil stabilizer to increase the mechanical properties of soil like its strength and durability. This is an important step for road construction, foundations for buildings, and embankment and slope stabilization.
One of the most important uses for cement as a soil stabilizer is when soil has been contaminated. Cement in the soil creates a solid matrix that contains the contaminants, reduces toxin leakage into a water supply, and once mitigation measures are complete, it allows builders to reuse the contaminated site for other purposes.
Art and Sculpture
Cement plays a significant role in avant-garde works of visual art. The cohesive and strengthening properties of cement allow artists to express themselves in creative and unique ways. Artists mold cement to construct intricate yet sturdy designs. These creations will last for many years and endure all kinds of weather conditions.
Environmental Protection and Restoration Projects
Engineers use cement-based materials in a variety of environmental projects for protection and restoration. Some of these projects include radiation shielding in the nuclear industry, cutoff walls in remediation activities, and waste immobilization. Cement is invaluable in these applications because of its effectiveness and the low cost of the material.
Thermal Insulation
Cement can be a valuable component in thermal insulation. Many manufacturers use cement as a binding material in materials such as insulating mortars, insulating concrete forms, cement composites with fillers, and surface coatings with insulating additives such as insulating beads or fibers.
Cementitious Material
Cement provides the bonding and strength in cementitious materials such as cement boards, cement tiles, and cementitious coatings. Cement also helps to increase the durability of these materials by providing resistance to corrosive chemicals like alkalis, acids, and salt.