Cement, Ceramics, and Composites

Abstract

Cement and its applications as concrete (a composite of cement and aggregate) are known throughout the world. The most common cement used today is Portland, named after the gray rock of Portland, England, which it resembled. World production of Portland cement increased from 133 million tonnes in 1950 to about 1,000 million tonnes in 1985 and over ten times the 1950 value in 1995. The energy usage during this period dropped from 9.6 MJ/kg to about 5.7 MJ/kg in 1990. Table 17.1 shows the world and US production of Portland cement from 1970 to 1990. Research continues in all aspects of cement from quick setting to increase in strength—the predictability of which is still a major problem.