Today, cement is extremely popular on the construction materials market — dry powder acts as a binding component for a number of fillers and additives, which allows you to create mixtures that are unique in their physical and technical characteristics and properties.
However, the production of this building material is an expensive and energy-intensive process. In this regard, the plant is located near the extraction site of structural components. Only specialized equipment and a full-fledged raw material base will make it possible to produce powder in the amount that it is necessary for consumers. Further, the article contains information on how exactly the procedure for producing the cement component of concrete and masonry mortars occurs.
Production technologies
The general technological procedure, during which a high-quality cement powder mass is obtained, involves the sequential execution of a number of actions. This algorithm looks like this:
- a granular clinker element is produced;
- then it is crushed;
- various additives are included in the crushed structure, due to which many characteristics of the composition are formed.
Important! Approximately 70% of the cost of building materials is occupied by the production of clinker base.
It all starts with the extraction of raw materials:
- Carbonate rocks: chalk, marl and shell limestone (does not contain silicon), dolomite rocks, calcareous toph.
- Clay rocks. Clay, loam (high sand content is important), forest and forest-like loam, clay shales.
Of course, the choice of a particular structural element is made based on the proximity of its deposit (soft rocks are excavated, chalk and clay substances are washed out by water).
The traditional ratio of calcareous to clayey rocks is 3 to 1 parts. The setting time of building materials is regulated by adding gypsum to the final production procedure (up to 6%). As an additional structural element, some ferrous inclusion, fluorite, phosphorite, sodium silicofluoride, granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash or coal, as well as sedimentary, volcanic or rock formations are often used.
Raw materials are crushed and mixed. The dry powdery or wet mixture (suspension) obtained in this way is called sludge. Its type determines the dry method and wet method of production of building materials. It is the mixed raw materials that are fired in furnaces to obtain a granular clinker base. Past roasting, the substance is combined with basic additives. Let’s take a closer look at the key stages of the integrated production procedure.
Grinding of raw materials
Close attention is paid to the crushing of raw materials, because grinding (its quality level) is very important for obtaining excellent building materials. This stage of the complex procedure is implemented in crushers, after which the slurry base passes through the millstones. After mixing the materials, their compound enters the firing section – a rotating furnace. The production scheme is then transformed into steps directly related to the processing of powdered raw materials.
Features of the wet method
Solid particles are crushed into fractionated elements, the size of which does not exceed 10 mm. Clayey and cretaceous rocks in a lumpy state (~10 cm) dissolve in a liquid. When mixing, a slurry suspension is formed (humidity level up to 40%).
Advantages of this procedure:
- less expensive at the grinding stage;
- industrial dust emissions are significantly lower;
- easier and more eco-friendly;
- the chemical structure should not have such a property as uniformity.
Steps in the dry manufacturing process
In this case, the production stages differ in that they involve already over-dried raw materials. They are aimed not only at grinding, but also at operations related to thorough homogenization (mixing, which causes the formation of an absolutely homogeneous powder).
This method with the method of grinding dried raw materials has advantages of a different plan:
- energy is saved during the burn-out stage;
- the productivity of furnace installations is significantly higher;
- Gases at the outlet of furnace installations are formed in a smaller volume;
- there is no need for liquid (you do not need to install a filter or equipment for its supply).
Possibility of combined production of building materials
Both wet cement production and dry cement production have a number of disadvantages. You can compensate for them if a combination of two procedures is used: either adding liquid to the limestone-clay base, or furnace drying of the slurry base supplied under the influence of temperature.
Attention! In fact, the evaluation of cement production methods can be made only if the manufacturer has special installations and consumables. At the same time, the dry and wet method of manufacturing cement powder guarantees the formation of building materials of optimal quality.