Cement is a fine mineral powder that, mixed with water, undergoes a chemical reaction called hydration to bind aggregate into the hardened composite known as concrete. Modern Portland cement, made by heating limestone and clay in a kiln to form clinker and then grinding the clinker with a small amount of gypsum, was patented in 1824 by Joseph Aspdin and is now the most widely manufactured material on Earth by mass, underlying nearly all modern concrete construction.
Facts
Disputed
Origin YearJoseph Aspdin patented modern Portland cement in 1824; hydraulic cements go back much further, including Roman pozzolanic cement from around the second century BCE and John Smeaton hydraulic lime of 1756. Primary UseBinding agent in concrete and mortar for virtually all modern construction, from foundations and pavements to dams and high-rise structural framing. 1 Classification
Material Class Connections
Associated With
Concrete, Materials Cement is the binding agent that, mixed with water and aggregate, hardens into concrete.
Portland cement is the most common type of cement
In Field
Sources
1. A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954material-class sentenceQuote, material-class sentence
Cement is a fine mineral powder that, mixed with water, undergoes a chemical reaction called hydration to bind aggregate into the hardened composite known as concrete.
Cement (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia: Cement, lead section, first paragraph
Cement mixed with fine aggregate produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces concrete.
In Group: Cement and Concrete, Introduction
A cement is a binder used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together.
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