The key difference between clinker and cement is that clinker appears as marble-like nodules, whereas cement is a very fine powder.
Earlier, people did not have sophisticated homes; therefore, they used simple things found in the environment to build houses. But today there are many advanced materials and equipment, which assist in constructions. Cement is a marvellous material among them. Before developing high standard cement, which is in the market today, there were primitive types of cement made out from limestone. Earlier, types of cement were not that stable, and they were not a great binding agent. However, today cement has evolved in such a way it has become a reliable building material.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Clinker
3. What is Cement
4. Side by Side Comparison – Clinker vs Cement in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Clinker?
Clinker is the material that we use as the binder of cement, and it is a nodular material. Usually, the lumps or nodules of clinker has its size in the range of 3 millimetres to 25 millimetres in diameter and are dark grey in colour. This material forms during the cement production, inside the kiln. There, clinker forms as a result of sintering limestone and aluminosilicates such as clay during the cement kiln step. Above all, we produce cement via adding gypsum to clinker and grinding finely.
Figure 01: Hot Clinker
Furthermore, we can store this material for a long period in a dry condition. There, the storing does not degrade the quality of clinker. When considering the composition of this material, there are two major groups as mineral components and chemical components. There, the four major components are alite, belite, aluminate and ferrite.
What is Cement?
Cement is an important substance that we use in constructions as a binder to adhere materials to other materials. Often we use cement along with sand and gravel rather than using it alone. We can use this material mainly in two purposes, as mortar in masonry and as concrete; there, we can produce mortar by mixing cement with fine aggregates whereas we can produce concrete by mixing cement with sand and gravel.
Figure 02: Cement
The cement that we use in construction purposes is inorganic; manufacturers use lime or calcium silicate in producing this type of cement. We can characterize this material as either hydraulic and non-hydraulic cement, depending on the ability of this material to set in the presence of water or the absence of water respectively. Therefore, non-hydraulic cement sets as it dries and reacts with carbon dioxide. Moreover, it is chemical resistant after setting.
What is the Difference Between Clinker and Cement?
Cement is an important substance that we use in constructions as a binder to adhere materials to other materials. Clinker is a component in cement. It is the active binding component in cement. Therefore, the key difference between clinker and cement is that clinker appears as marble-like nodules, whereas cement is a very fine powder. Moreover, particles in clinker size are in the range of 3 millimetres to 25 millimetres in diameter while in cement there are very fine particles. Apart from that, clinker forms inside the kiln during the cement manufacturing whereas we can produce cement via adding gypsum to clinker and grinding finely.
Below is an infographic on the difference between clinker and cement.
Summary – Clinker vs Cement
Cement is a major building material that we use in constructions. Clinker is a major component in cement. The key difference between clinker and cement is that clinker appears as marble-like nodules, whereas cement is a very fine powder.
Reference:
1. Hasan, Syeda Tahsin. “What Is Cement Clinker? Composition, Types & Uses.” Civil Engineering. Available here
2. “Cement.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov. 2018. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.”Hot Clinker 2″By Addicted04 (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2.”USMC-110806-M-IX060-148″By United States Marine Corps with the ID 110806-M-IX060-148 (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia