ABSTRACT
Portland cement is most widely used as the binder in high-performance concrete. However, not all types of Portland cement perform equally well. The properties of Portland cement produced in a given plant are not absolutely constant, but vary within a certain range. Even differences that are not as great as those common in existing plants may cause distinct variations in the rheology of the fresh concrete mix produced with such a cement, even though they do not cause unacceptable variations in the strength of the hardened material (Sarkar and Baalbaki, 1992). The use of a cement with an elevated C2S content may be indicated in applications in which fast strength development is not required and a slower release of heat of hydration is desired. Such cement also exhibits higher strength development at later ages, compared with ordinary Portland cement (Kato et al., 1997). Fine grinding of the cement increases the strength that is achieved, but also increases the demand for the superplasticizer (Sarkar, 1992; Nehdi et al., 1998). Table 18.1 indicates the effect of cement composition on the strength of high-performance concrete.
