Publication

Pre-hydration as a technique for the retardation of Roman cement mortars

Christophe Gosselin
2013
Journal paper
Abstract

The setting of Roman cement is so rapid as to make the use of retardation essential in most practical mortars. This work reports an approach to retardation of Roman cement mortars by means of a pre-hydration process in which pre-determined amounts of water (de-activation water) are added to the cement prior to subsequent mortar formation. It is shown that this process yields both monocarboaluminate and a carbonated AF(m) phase, the balance of which is modified by storage time; the belite phases are not affected. Increases in both de-activation water and pre-hydrated mix storage time yield a longer workable life and slightly lower strength of the mortar. An increase in de-activation water also yields an increase in shrinkage whilst an increase in storage time results in a reduction in shrinkage. Other parameters such as mixing protocol and re-mixing affect workable life without compromising the strength. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Related concepts (29)
Cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixed with fine aggregate produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces concrete. Concrete is the most widely used material in existence and is behind only water as the planet's most-consumed resource.
Portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout. It was developed from other types of hydraulic lime in England in the early 19th century by Joseph Aspdin, and is usually made from limestone. It is a fine powder, produced by heating limestone and clay minerals in a kiln to form clinker, grinding the clinker, and adding 2 to 3 percent of gypsum. Several types of portland cement are available.
Lime mortar
Lime mortar or torching is a masonry mortar composed of lime and an aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. It is one of the oldest known types of mortar, used in ancient Rome and Greece, when it largely replaced the clay and gypsum mortars common to ancient Egyptian construction. With the introduction of Portland cement during the 19th century, the use of lime mortar in new constructions gradually declined. This was largely due to the ease of use of Portland cement, its quick setting, and high compressive strength.
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