Properties of Rapid Hardening Cement
What does rapid hardening cement contain?
Rapid hardening cement is a type of cement that is widely used in construction. It is used in places where there is a need for fast hardening of cement and because of its affinity of achieving strength faster than traditional cement.
The initial setting time of rapid hardening cement is 3 times faster than traditional cement. In this blog, we will take about Rapid hardening cement in detail.
What is Rapid hardening cement?
Rapid hardening cement is a kind of cement that can achieve strength 3 times faster than traditional cement.
This is because rapid hardening cement has high percentage of tricalcium silicate (CS3) in its compound. Rapid hardening cement is also called high-early strength portland cement.
Rapid Hardening Cement Properties
- It gains strength faster than traditional cement.
- It releases heat during the setting.
- The rapid hardening cement is much lighter than OPC and PPC
- The cement starts to solidify even with little moisture.
Uses of Rapid Hardening Cement
Rapid hardening cement uses are as follows :-
- For making busy roads and highways where traffic can’t be stopped for long.
- It is used widely in cold weather countries.
- Used for making slabs, pillars, and poles for efficient development work.
- For instant repair of roads, buildings, and drains.
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What does rapid hardening cement contain?
If we analyze the composition of the rapid hardening cement we found out that rapid hardening cement primarily contains.
- Tricalcium silicate - 40 to 60%
- Tricalcium illuminate- 10%
- Tertacalcium aluminoferrite- 8%
It also contains some substances similar to cement.
- Clay
- Silicate
- Calcite etc
Advantages and Disadvantages of Rapid Hardening Cement
The use of rapid hardening cement is wide but it too has some of its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of Rapid Hardening Cement
- Due to its fine grounds, rapid hardening cement has an impervious structure which allows it to repel chemicals and water.
- It does not need a very long time to set.
- It is most suitable for cold regions.
- Rapid hardening cement is much lighter than OPC and PPC hence, it is suitable for mortar and plaster purposes.
- Some roads and highways can’t be left close for long, here rapid hardening cement saves the day because of early attainment of strength in rapid hardening cement.
- Rapid hardening cement releases a lot of hydration heat which makes it a perfect choice for cold regions.
Disadvantages of Rapid Hardening Cement
- As rapid hardening cement release a lot of heat it is vulnerable to cracking hence, it is only used underwater or in contact with water.
- Rapid hardening cement is very hard to store as it solidifies rapidly in presence of very little moisture.
- The rapid hardening of cement’s cost is higher than OPC and PPC due to which it is not considered an economic option.
- Due to its affinity to crack rapid hardening cement is not used for the construction of large structures.
So these were advantages and disadvantages of rapid hardening cement.
They are available in a variety of colors and patterns.
Extra Rapid Hardening Cement
- It is formed by mixing Cacl2 with rapid hardening cement.
- Cacl2 should not be added in excess of 2% of the weight of the rapid-hardening cement.
- This cement should allow for the transportation, placement, compacting, and completion of concrete within 20 minutes.
- Strength is higher than 25% than that of rapid hardening cement at 1 or 2 days.In comparison to rapid hardening cement, strength is greater by more than 25% after 1 or 2 days.
- Has a larger percentage of tri-calcium silicate (C3S), making it ideal for structures where loads are applied quickly and for repairing roads.
- Due to the increased heat of hydration, it contains a significant amount of tricalcium silicate (C3S), which increases the strength gain in the early phases.
Parting Words
So this was all about rapid hardening cement, due to rapid hardening cement’s setting time it is very useful but has some risks as well.
But in a cold environment with an abundance of water rapid hardening cement performs exceptionally well.
