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.
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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 of that 56% additional tricalcium silicate is present in its compound. Rapid hardening cement is also called high-early strength portland cement.
Properties of rapid hardening cement. ● ● ● ●
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 has a plethora of uses some of them 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.
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.
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.