Cement clinker is a solid material collected during the production of Portland cement. These lumps or nodules act as a binder in many cement products. It is a cornerstone of modern construction demanded by people worldwide.
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If you want to know cement clinker in detail, then read this article. We’ll discuss cement clinker, its types, uses, and composition.
Cement clinker is an intermediary product produced during the manufacturing of cement. It looks solid and dark grey in colour. It is collected as lumps or nodules appear in 3mm to 25mm in diameter. The cement clinker is produced by heating clay and limestone together at a temperature range of to degrees Celsius. When ground finely and mixed with gypsum, cement is manufactured.
Cement clinker is categorised into 5 different types and is explained below:
Sulfate resistant clinker contains 1% free calcium oxide, 2% tricalcium aluminate, 5% belite, 16% tetracalcium aluminoferrite, and 76% alite. The primary purpose of using this type of clinker is sulfate resistant capacity. However, its production has drastically decreased in recent times, as this functionality is easily obtained by granulated furnace slag during cement production.
The composition of this clinker is 29% alite, 2% tricalcium aluminate, 54% belite, and 15% tetracalcium aluminoferrite. It has very little amount of free lime. This type of clinker is no longer under production. Because the same low heat properties are being taken from the ordinary clinker and granulated blast furnace slag.
The white clinker is composed of 7% tricalcium aluminate, 76% alite, 2% free lime, 15% belite, and no tetracalcium aluminoferrite. These compositions may vary according to the requirements. White clinker is a primary material to produce white cement, which can elevate the overall space look in construction. It is primarily used in pre-cast concrete applications.
The alkali content in the clinker can be achieved in two different ways, such as:
Replacing the source of raw-mix alumina with another component. In this way, you will receive a more expensive product from a distant source.
Another way is to install an alkali bleed, which involves removing high-temperature gases. The primary drawback of this method of wastage of heat.
These days, cement manufacturers are also emerging to take part in environmental responsibility. BCT is one type of green clinker that has 30% less carbon dioxide emissions than other types. Its manufacturing process is energy-efficient and consumes around 15% less electricity.
The primary purpose of clinker is to produce cement. It is a hard nodular substance and is essential to store in a dry condition for several months. Cement manufacturers around the world demand clinker for their cement plants where the raw materials are unavailable.
Clinker is used as a binder in cement products by combining it with some additives and crushed into a fine powder. Based on the desired properties of cement, the materials are adjusted. Meanwhile, the constant core substance is “gypsum,” which helps avoid immediate setting of the tricalcium aluminate.
Beyond regulating the setting time, it also improves the compressive strength of the cement. The most common additives used in the clinker are ethylene glycol, oleic acid, Triethanolamine, and dodecyl-benzene sulphonate. These ingredients with clinker produce other types of cement, such as
The four major components of clinker are as follows:
Alite approximately contains tricalcium silicate, which is typically about 65% of the total composition. This is the abundant material responsible for the rapid hardening of cement.
Clinker contains almost 15% of dicalcium silicate of the total amount, which contributes to enhanced durability and strength of the cement.
For more information, please visit What Is Clinker Used For.
This mineral is about 7% in the total composition of clinker, which helps for rapid setting. When this component reacts with sulfate, it may lead to expansion and cracking.
Clinker contains approximately 8% of tetracalcium aluminoferrite, which includes iron, calcium, and aluminum. It plays a crucial role in the heat of hydration and controlling the setting time of cement.
Apart from major components, clinker also contains some other substances in smaller amounts and are listed in the table:
Clinker is a fundamental material in cement production, which is a mix of minerals and limestone. Its properties can be tailored according to the desired requirements. This article includes complete information about clinker, its types, properties, uses, and composition. It will be useful when manufacturing the Portland cement for the construction industry.
The idea to reuse, re-purpose and recycle may seem modern, but a century ago, architects found the appeal in “trash” bricks and put them to beautiful effect in Arts and Crafts homes and other buildings. These so-called clinker bricks are enjoying a revival in the 21st century as home-builders seek to add a unique touch to their homes by incorporating salvaged clinker bricks into such features as fireplaces, patios or garden walls.
If straight lines, uniform bricks and solid colors of the modern era leave you feeling cold, maybe you can find yourself in the not-so-perfect world of arts and crafts construction.
What Are Clinker Bricks?
The first order of business is to explain what clinker bricks are for the uninitiated. Clinker bricks, named for the distinctive sound the hard bricks make when banged together, formed when left too close to the heat of a coal-fired kiln. The bricks often twisted and broke, leaving them worthless to brick-makers, who prized uniformity. Over-baking also produced rich, warm colors, from dark reds and oranges to purple and black. Each clinker brick was unique and seemingly useless.
However, in the early 20th century, modern architects discovered the uniqueness of these bricks and began incorporating them into designs, sometimes building entire houses from clinker bricks. The Arts & Crafts period saw an emergence for clinker bricks as they were used in porch posts, garden walls and chimneys. Charles and Henry Greene may have discovered the bricks in Boston during their MIT years but made them famous by building clinker brick homes in California in the early s.
East Coast architects also found the appeal of clinker bricks and incorporated them into Colonial Revival designs. The pre-industrial look of the clinker bricks attracted the architects as they sought to recreate homes from the colonial period that would have been constructed from hand-made bricks.
Another example of extensive use of salvaged clinker bricks can be found in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City, which features a massive wall of blackened bricks that circles the burial ground.
Scavenging for Clinkers
“In these days of automated manufacturing, when perfectly identical bricks are produced thousands at a time, clinkers are all but non-existent,” Susan VanHecke writes in the article “The Accidental Charm of Clinker Bricks” in Old House Journal.
Gavin Historical Bricks scavenges the country looking for the old rejects, searching historical society records to find old brick factories. Gavin will fly over the sites in search of discard piles from the closed kilns then begin digging. Salvage companies also rescue bricks from demolition sites. To meet the demand, Gavin about a decade ago began manufactures clinkers, attempting to intentionally create what once were the bane of brick-makers. Gavin bakes the bricks in century-old, coal-fired kilns that are fired to 1,850 degrees for three weeks.
Building with Clinkers
An important aspect to remember about construction with clinker bricks is that masons must be willing to experiment and follow the lead of their clinkers. Clinkers can be laid is a straight row as are traditional bricks, but they lose their appeal and uniqueness. The mason must be aware of the unique feature of each brick and frame it in a way to draw out the beauty of the various bricks and create what amounts to a work of art in brick.
Clinkers also can be mixed with traditional bricks as a way to save money while still adding an interesting design feature to your building project.
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