ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

AAiT
SCHOOL OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERIGN

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS (CENG-2111)

CHAPTER-3: CEMENTING MATERIALS

3.1 LIME

(Selam Y.)

Lecture prepared by Ato Nasir B.

CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION

 PRODUCTION OF LIME

 Quick lime

 Hydrated lime

 SETTING AND HARDENING OF

LIME
 USE OF LIME

 STANDARDS ON LIME

 TESTS ON LIME
 1. INTRODUCTION
GENERAL
 In general sense, Cements are materials with adhesive and cohesive
properties which make them capable of uniting or bonding together
fragments or particles of solid matter into a compact whole.
 For engineering purpose, the term cement is restricted to those
materials when mixed with water form a paste.
 The paste is temporarily plastic but later it sets and hardens to a rigid
mass. cements of this kind are known as calcareous cement whose
principal constituents are compound of lime.
 Calcareous cements are classified into Non-hydraulic cements and
hydraulic cements.
A. Non-Hydraulic cements: are cements which are either not
able to set and harden in water (E.g. Non-hydraulic lime) or
which are not stable in water (e.g. gypsum plasters).
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 1. INTRODUCTION
GENERAL
B. Hydraulic cements: are cements which are able to set and harden in
water, and give a solid mass which does not disintegrate, i.e. remain
stable in water. E.g. Portland cement.
 Lime, gypsum and cement are used in the construction of buildings and
engineering works as:
 Components for binding materials, E.g. Mortar, or
 Constituents of building materials, E.g. Concrete.
 Lime was used throughout the world by the ancient civilizations as a
binding agent for brick and stone.
 Lime is found in many parts of the world in its natural form as a rock of
varying degree of hardness.
 Lime is mainly composed of calcium oxide (CaO) which in its pure form
associates with CO2 to give white CaCO3.
 Lime deposits are found mixed with impurities such as CO 2, Fe2O3, MgCO3,
etc.
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 2. PRODUCTION OF LIME
 The production of lime involves burning of the raw material and then
slaking.
 The mineral is quarried, crushed, ground, washed and screened to
the required size range.
 The limestone is burnt at approximately 1000-1300°C in either
horizontal rotary kilns or vertical shaft kilns which drive off the
carbon dioxide to produce quicklime or lump lime (calcium oxide).
 The amount of heat applied and the method of slaking depend on
whether the product is hydraulic or non-hydraulic lime.

Heat

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 2. PRODUCTION OF LIME

Cover of fine sized material

Lower ground level where

Lime kiln burnt lime is collected
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 2. PRODUCTION OF LIME
A. Quick lime
 The manufacturing of Non-hydraulic lime (Commercial or building
lime) consists in burning the limestone at a temperature of 1000°c. The
CO2 is driven off, leaving the CaO which is known as quick lime or
caustic lime.
 White in color and have S.G. of about 3.4.
 Highly caustic and posses a great affinity for water.
 It must be kept in dry storage and carefully protected from dampness.
B. Hydrated lime (Slaked lime)
 The controlled addition of water to quicklime produces hydrated lime
as a dry powder.
 The mixing of water with quick lime is called slaking or hydration of
lime.
 the addition of water to quicklime – is a highly exothermic reaction.
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 2. PRODUCTION OF LIME
B. Hydrated lime (Slaked lime)

 The resulting product is calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and is called

slaked lime or hydrated lime.
 The hydrated lime is ready to be made into plaster or mortar by
adding water and sand to form a temporary plastic mass.
 There are two types of slaking based on the amount of water add.
I. Wet-slaking: An excess of water is added and the resulting slaked
lime is passed through a fine sieve to remove slow slaking particles
and then left to mature for several days.
 The lime must be continually stirred by a shovel or a stick
during the slaking process to reduce unhydrated particles.
 Unhydrated particles might hydrate later and cause popping ,
8 pitting, and disintegration or expansion of brick work.
 2. PRODUCTION OF LIME
B. Hydrated lime (Slaked lime)

Arrangement for wet slaking

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 2. PRODUCTION OF LIME
B. Hydrated lime (Slaked lime)
II. Dry-slaking: It is obtained by adding almost exactly the
theoretical quantity of water required to change the burnt lime
into hydrated lime.
 The proportion of lime and water and stirring are scientifically
carried out by mechanical means.
 It is a better product and is of uniform quality because it is
manufactured under controlled conditions.
 Depending on the impurities present; The S.G. of hydrated lime
varies from 2.08 to 2.4.

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 3. SETTING AND HARDENING OF LIME
 Slaked lime hardens or sets by gradually losing its water through
evaporation and absorbing CO2 from the air, thus changing back
from Ca(OH)2 to CaCO3.
 The cycle is completed in the chemical changes from the original
limestone, through burning, slaking, and setting as shown below.

CaCO3

Drying Heating
CaCO3 CaO+CO2
Ca(OH)2 CaCO3 + H2O

Ca(OH)2 CaO

CaO + H2O Ca(OH)2 + Heat

Slaking 11
 4. THE USE OF LIME
 Slaked lime is chiefly used:
 To make mortar for building brick and stone masonry
 Plastering walls of buildings
 When used for the above purpose, quick lime should be
completely hydrated by slaking for several days depending upon:
 Kind of lime,
 Temperature, and
 Slaking condition.
 In plastering hard burnt particles left unslaked will absorb water
from the atmosphere and become slaked in due course creating
pockets on the surface of the wall plaster.
 As a result the pockets will ultimately peel off from the wall
(popping and pitting).
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 4. THE USE OF LIME
 If lime is used alone as plaster or mortar unmixed with other
materials , wide cracks will occur on account of the shrinkage of
lime.
 Sand is commonly used to mix with the lime to reduce the shrinkage
and for economy of the cost.
 The usual mixtures for mortar are 1 part of lime to 3-6 parts of sand
by volume.
 Lime mortar will not harden under water, and in all cases exposure to
air is necessary for prompt setting.
 Lime mortar without addition of cement should never be used in
foundations or where exposed to moisture.
 Hydrated limes are often added to Portland cement in proportions
varying 5-85% of the cement to produce compo-mortar to increase
plasticity and workability.
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 5. STANDARDS ON LIME
Chemical requirement for Quick lime (ES.C.D5.002)

Type of Quick Lime

Constituent High-Calcium Magnesian
limes Limes
(%) (%)
1. Carbon dioxide, CO2
♦ If sample is taken at the place of 4 4
manufacture, ≤
♦ If sample is taken at the place of delivery, ≤ 8 8
2. Insoluble matter, ≤ 3 3
3. Lime plus magnesia, CaO + MgO, ≤ 85 85
4. Magnesia, MgO, Not more than 5 -
Not less than - 5

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 5. STANDARDS ON LIME
Chemical requirement for Hydrated lime (ES.C.D5.003)
Type of Quick Lime
Constituent High- Hydraulic Magnesian
Calcium lime lime Lime
(%) (%) (%)
1. Carbon dioxide, CO2
♦ If sample is taken at the place of 5 4 5
manufacture, ≤
♦ If sample is taken at the place of 10 8 10
delivery, ≤
2. Insoluble matter, ≤ 1 1 1
3. Lime plus magnesia, CaO + MgO, ≤ 60 50 50
4. Magnesia, MgO, Not more than 4 4 -
Not less than - - 4
5. Soluble silica, SiO2 - 5 -

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5. STANDARDS ON LIME
Physical requirements for Quick lime (ES.C.D5.002)

Type of Quick Lime

Test
High-Calcium Magnesian
Lime Lime
1. Residue on slaking
♦ Residue on 1.0mm fine mesh sieve, ≤ 5% 5%
♦ Total residue (including residue on
1.0mm) on 250μm fine mesh test sieve, ≤ 7% 7%
2. Putty of standard consistence density, ≤ 1.45 g/cm3 1.45 g/cm3
Workability, bumps not less than 14 14

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 5. STANDARDS ON LIME
Physical requirement for Hydrated lime (ES.C.D5.003)

Type of Quick Lime

Constituent High- Hydraulic Magnesian
Calcium lime Lime
lime
1. Fineness
♦ Residue on 180μm fine mesh test sieve, ≤ 1% 1% 1%
♦ Total residue (including residue on 180μm
sieve) on 90μm fine mesh test sieve, ≤ 6% 6% 6%
2. Soundness, average of three test samples, ≤ 10mm 10mm 10mm
3. Putty of standard consistence density, ≤ 1.5 g/cm3 1.5 g/cm3 1.5 g/cm3
4. Compressive strength sand lime mortar
(1:4)
♦ At the age of 7days, not less than - 0.7N/mm2 -
♦ At the age of 28days, not less than - 2.1 N/mm2 -

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 6. TESTING OF LIMES
 Certain tests specified by ES on quick lime and hydrated lime are:
 Determination of residue on slaking
 Preparation of lime putty of standard consistence
 Determination of density
 Determination of workability
 Determination of compressive strength
 Determination of fineness
 Determination of soundness

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 THANK YOU!

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