How is cement made and what is in it?
It's actually kind of a complicated chemical process, where certain mineral compounds are crushed into a powder and, when you add water and mix it, this causes the mineral compounds to slightly change their chemistry such that they bond together into a hard rock-like substance. This process is called curing (concrete doesn't actually dry to become hard - the concrete cures, like epoxy). And, the exact minerals that are used can vary. Concrete is cement with some kind of mineral aggregate mixed in with it. This could be sand, coarser gravel, or even larger river rock pebbles. Reinforced concrete is where they lay out some kind of steel framework structure in the concrete mold prior to pouring the concrete. This could be sheets of steel mesh, lengths of rebar wired together, or both.
I worked at a cement factory in Humboldt Kansas . I was an electrician. There are different kinds of cement .Mort-er , and all kinds of mixes .It was very hot there .They had a kilm . They had a smoke stack that was hot enough to burn tires . So they did . I don't know what all goes into cement .I do know it is very dry and water just beads up on top of it and doesn't soak in till you agitate it.
Let's work backwards... CONCRETE is Cement, water, sand and aggregate (gravel or rock). When the water is added to the cement, sand and rock, it forms a chemical bond that turns it into concrete. It does not dry but rather cures. You can pour concrete under water. Mortar is cement, sand and water. No rock. It is used to bind brick together. So, Cement is the common item. Cement (also called Portland Cement - that name comes from it being similar to stone that comes from the Isle of Portland, in Dorset, England ) is made by heating LIMESTONE in a kiln, the result - called KLINKER - is then ground into a fine powder and some Gypsum is added. That is than bagged as Cement.
