As the name indicates, rapid hardening cement hardens earlier than ordinary portland cement. It has a few advantages which make it useful in different construction situations. In this article, all advantages, and disadvantages of rapid hardening cement are presented.
Advantages of Rapid Hardening Cement
Rapid Hardening Cement has a number of benefits. Some advantages of RHC are given below-
- RHC has a lower drying shrinkage rate as most of the water is used up for the hydration process. As a result, it creates fewer pores in concrete structures. So cracks do not form and moisture can't hamper the RCC structures.
- RHC has higher resistance against chemical attacks like sulfate. Hence, the structure attains high durability and requires less repair work.
- In the construction industry, time is money. RHC achieves sufficient stiffness and hardens in a shorter period of time. Therefore, it ensures faster construction.
- RHC requires less curing time than OPC. So it implies that finished construction work will need less water, less care, and less money.
- Less carbon-di-oxide is emitted during the production process of RHC in comparison to OPC. Therefore, RHC is more environment-friendly.
- Again in the dry process of production, less fuel and less heat are required. So the manufacturing process of RHC is economical.
Disadvantages of Rapid Hardening Cement
Even though Rapid Hardening Cement has supremacy over OPC, it has some disadvantages too. They are given below-
- For water retaining or underwater structures like dams and dikes, RHC should not be used. RHC is a hydraulic cement that emits a high amount of heat for hydration reaction. This rapid hydration process in contact with an enormous amount of water can create shrinkage cracks. In the long run, this can cause rust in reinforcement and reduce the longevity of the concrete structure.
- In mass concreting of large concrete structures, RHC should be avoided as it creates a large amount of heat. Therefore, cracks are created because of the huge difference of heat in the internal and external parts of the structure.
- The cost of the RHC is 10% higher than OPC. So it is expensive to use.