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Concrete and Concreting. >> >> non-cement binders
- Non-Cement Binders
- Materials other than Portland cement that can be used as binders for concrete, grouts and mortars.
- Pozzolan
- A siliceous and aluminous material, which in a fine powder form chemically reacts with hydrated lime and water at to form a cementitious binder, mortar or concrete. It can make strong, dense and water resistant mixes. The material in it's natural form comes from volcanic ash and was first used by the Romans in their ancient concrete.
- Fly ash
- A by product of coal fired power stations and the like, pelleted fly-ash as an aggregate. when ground to a powder It performs similarly to Pozzolan.
- Silica fume
- A fine Pozzolanic material that is a by product in the production of silicon and ferrosilicon alloys made by the reduction of high-purity quartz with coke in electric arc furnaces . It is extremely fine and when added to a Portland cement concrete it can increase compressive and bond strengths and increase abrasion resistance.
Adding silica fume to a concrete mix also increases the concrete's resistance to permeation by chloride ions and so it is used in sulphate resistant cements to stop corrosion of reinforcing steel in coastal environments.
- HRM High Reactivity Metakaolin.
- A high performance, mineral admixture, similar in performance to silica fume, additionally comparable in cost. In a pure white form it will not darken concrete as silica fume does and so it is used in white cement and coloured cements in decorative concrete. It gives little or no bleed water, better workability and less plasticiser is required than silica fume.
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| A feature panel in a floor made with clear epoxy resin as a binder rather than cement. |
- Epoxy Resin
- There are a large range of construction chemicals available and one of them is epoxy resin. Used in concrete repairs it can be made into mixes with aggregates that adhere to the base concrete far better than a standard patch up using ordinary Portland cement. In the form of mortars and putties they can do quick repairs or be used to bed machinery and to fix bolts into concrete.
- Other Resin non-cement binders
- Polyester resin is a cheap base for for the mix that is often used for fixing bolts to concrete. Other resins are being used with various aggregates to form decorative panels in floors and counter tops. It seems like the use of two pack resins as binders for concrete type products is only limited by the imagination of the designers.
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Adam Smith 1723-1790
"When we build, let us think that we build for ever."John Ruskin 1819-1900
