When walking through the urban landscape, you will always be within a few feet of cement-based structures. Cement is the foundation of virtually the entire world’s infrastructure. It is an effectively cheap binder that can be introduced into a diverse range of building materials.
In spite of its ubiquity, cement is a complex mixture and fine balance of ingredients such as lime, silica, alumina and others. Knowing the fundamental make-up of cement is an essential part of its quality and strength.
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In September 2021, LECO launched a 4-part webinar series for a detailed evaluation of cement and other affiliated building materials.
First, Lloyd Allen, Ph.D., LECO’s Director of the Technical Services Laboratory, discussed how to determine sulfur and carbon levels in cement and raw materials.
Jeffery Gast, LECO’s Lead Analytical Chemist, presented an exploration of moisture and LOI (Loss on Ignition) testing for cement, fly ash, gypsum and lime with the application of thermogravimetric analyses.
Click here to read 'Understanding the Many Faces of Cement'
LECO Applications Chemist Fred Schultz introduced how determining carbon and nitrogen levels in adhesives, laminates, and cement fiber board contributes to the quality and longevity of such products.
Steve Reilly, LECO’s Metallurgist, concluded the series with a discussion on how to prepare and microscopically evaluate cement clinkers to carefully track the cement-making process.
Each webinar can be viewed directly on LECO’s website.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by LECO Corporation.
For more information on this source, please visit LECO Corporation.