Savoury Traveller

  • Home
  • Auto
  • Business
    • Business Ideas
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Family
    • Shopping
  • Fashion
  • Health
    • Beauty
  • Home Improvement
  • Main
  • Sport
  • Technology News
    • Apps Marketing
    • Digital Marketing
    • Internet Marketing
    • Social Media
    • Web Design
  • Travel
  • Wedding
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
Home  /  Main  /  What is Cement Curing?

What is Cement Curing?

Tommo July 25, 2018 Main Comments are off

There’s a lot more to making concrete than meets the eye. Ever wondered what the process of curing means? It’s an essential part of the process of making strong, durable concrete but what does it involve and why does it need to occur?

When you add water to cement, a chemical reaction begins called hydration. Over time, this process of hydration changes the cement and water into calcium silicate hydrate compounds. This is a fancy name for the glue that makes the cement stick together. It becomes the binding agent, holding the aggregate together and forming the tough, solid substance that we rely on for our roads, pavements and buildings. Other compounds also form during this hydration process, but they do not make the cement stronger like the calcium silicate compounds.

Curing is needed to maintain this vital process of hydration. It maintains the moisture levels deep inside the concrete to let the hydration process continue. You wouldn’t imagine so much was happening after concrete had been laid! If moisture and unhydrated cement are present inside the concrete, it will continue to harden, get stronger and denser. In a nutshell, curing is the method of keeping cast concrete moist, so the process of hydration can continue. For Concrete Pumping Gloucestershire, visit http://www.monstermixconcrete.co.uk/concrete-services.php

Image credit

As the concrete continues to hydrate, its porosity declines as it gets stronger. The reason this is important is that newly laid concrete is much more porous than older concrete, which has had longer to hydrate. The higher the porosity of new concrete, the more moisture evaporates from its surface. This lowers the moisture levels inside that are so vital for hydration to continue. If your concrete dries out too quickly, it will not be as strong. That is why you should never cover over freshly cast concrete.

Concrete is not fully cured until most of the cement has been hydrated. This can actually take months, or even years! Normally, concrete is cured just long enough for it to reach its desired strength. Therefore, the time for curing depends greatly on the purpose of the concrete. The temperature, mix design and required strength are all factors to be decided when embarking on construction with concrete.

Image credit

Concrete that is needed quicker will have its mix design tailored to reflect this need. After all, customers are not going to want to for months for their delivery! Mix designs have been tailored to have early high strengths, enabling the concrete to be cast, cured, processed and out for delivery in a matter of days. Construction grade concrete is designed to achieve very high levels of strength in under a month. Advanced mixes can achieve desired strength in just a few hours if necessary.

Temperature also has a significant impact on curing times. Cold temperatures mean strength levels are achieved much slower than in warm conditions. Strength is vital in concrete as it is used to build some of our most important infrastructure. Weak concrete is dangerous as it can crack, soften or chip.

Previous Article
Next Article

About Author

Tommo

Related Posts

  • Surprising facts about sewers

    February 11, 2021
  • The simple joy of a nice chair.

    February 9, 2021
  • Everything you need to know about stainless steel

    February 9, 2021

Tweets

Recent Posts

  • How to Keep a Mobile Phone Safe From Harm February 25, 2021
  • Części rowerowe i ich ochrona anodowaniem February 19, 2021
  • Do you know what the difference is between a mortgage valuation and a building survey February 11, 2021
  • Surprising facts about sewers February 11, 2021

Popular Posts

  • How to Keep a Mobile Phone Safe From Harm February 25, 2021
  • diet
    Do not consume dairy products? Some alternatives to add calcium to your diet April 2, 2016
  • The mimic hormone affecting our health April 16, 2016
  • Four simple home business ideas for women! April 20, 2016

Random Posts

  • Easy Diet Plans
    One Easy Diet Plans Is All You Need November 27, 2016
  • The Benefits of Wearing Designer Clothes January 26, 2021
  • HP mobile printing
    HP mobile printing depth guide for printing from mobile devices or remote April 29, 2016
  • Gender Fender Bender January 13, 2017

Categories

  • Auto
  • Beauty
  • Business
  • Business Ideas
  • Digital Marketing
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Family
  • Fashion
  • Foreign Article
  • Health
  • Home Improvement
  • Internet Marketing
  • Lifestyle
  • Main
  • Reviews
  • Social Media
  • Sport
  • Technology News
  • Travel
  • Web Design
  • Wedding

Recent Posts

  • How to Keep a Mobile Phone Safe From Harm
  • Części rowerowe i ich ochrona anodowaniem
  • Do you know what the difference is between a mortgage valuation and a building survey
  • Surprising facts about sewers
  • The simple joy of a nice chair.

Tags

10 Tips to attract visitors affecting a gaming legend and saving tips Blizzard business calcium company configuration customers to your website dairy products deep learning diet Does it matter what processor DSM 6.0 Beta 2 Guide shared printers in the office: installation gym health HP mobile printing depth guide for printing Installation and commissioning Installing and configuring the network printer Internet Marketing IP addressing printers MediaTek mimic hormone mobile devices or remote money Optimize your site Other printing applications HP please register position in major search engines Print from anywhere Saving tips when using network printers Shoulder Pain Silicon society Software and functionalities Specifications and features success Synapse of Activision Tennis Serve Drills The future of mobility through the The living room to the Internet of Things video games Warcraft becomes much more