Cement manufacturing: chemistry of raw materials, the production process and cement mineralogy

Cement hydration: what happens when cement and water are mixed, cement hydration products, strength development.

Deleterious processes and their causes: alkali-silica reaction, sulfate attack.

Troubleshooting cementitious systems: cement variability, low concrete strengths, colour problems (NB: this part of the site is still being added to).

Training courses: seminars, books and other training materials on the subject of cement.

Coming Soon: The 'Understanding Cement' book and e-book - see our 'Books/seminars' page for more information.


***Last updated 29 October 2007*** If you have reached this site, thank you for visiting. We're still adding pages to this site, so if you can't find what you want just now, please come back in a few days time. Even better, tell us using the Contact Page what you are looking for.

Cement - some basic definitions Definitions of some basic terms used in cement and concrete.

History of cement Cement history, in brief, from the Greeks and Romans to the development of Portland cement.

Cement manufacturing - components of a cement plant Cement manufacturing process - components of a cement plant from quarry to kiln to cement mill.

Portland cement clinker Portland cement clinker overview

Variability of cement Why cement from a particular source may vary over time, with particular emphasis on strength variability.

Analysis of cement Outline of analytical techniques used for cement, clinker and raw materials, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis and microscopy.

Microscopy of cement clinker Cement clinker microscopy overview - summarizes the capabilities of the powerful technique of cement microscopy and how it can help make better cement at less cost.

Cement hydration Summarises the cement hydration process and describes the principal cement hydration products.

Strength development in concrete Overview of concrete setting, hardenening and strength development.

Deleterious processes in concrete Overview of deleterious processes in concrete with links to pages showing more detail.

Alkali-silica reaction in concrete Alkali-silica reaction in concrete: what it is, how it happens and what it looks like.

Sulfate attack in concrete Overview of sulfate attack in concrete, describing conventional sulfate attack, delayed ettringite formation and thaumasite.

Courses and seminars - Understanding Cement training Training - Understanding Cement seminars and courses

Seminar - Understanding Cement Understanding Cement: the one-day intensive seminar

Cement - related conferences, exhibitions and meetings This page contains details of forthcoming cement and concrete conferences, exhibitions and meetings.

Notice - important Warning notice concerning cement alkalinity and disclaimer regarding site content.

Contact 'Understanding Cement' Contact details for 'Understanding Cement.'

About Understanding Cement About - Understanding Cement is produced by WHD Microanalysis Consultants Ltd

Cement Glossary Glossary of terms used in cement and concrete science.

Site Policies Privacy and Terms of Use policies

Cement books and training material Cement books: the 'Understanding Cement' book, e-book and e-seminar