Last season I was building and, of course, there was a surplus of materials. Five bags of cement were "lying around" in the shed. Who wants the good to be lost? So I didn't want to. Therefore, he carefully packed the cement in polyethylene, hoping that he would live safe and sound until spring. But alas! Having recently opened the bags, I found hardened cement in them.
I immediately started looking for ways to restore the cement. Some of the options that the Internet gave me seem too absurd, others have a right to life. But, perhaps, about everything in order.
1. On one of the forums, I readthat the cement can be broken down to a powder, and then added to the solution. Allegedly, this will not affect the strength of the finished concrete in any way. But there is a nuance here, it is necessary to mix the cement into the solution in an amount not exceeding 10%. Otherwise, the concrete will turn out to be less reliable and of high quality.
2. One of the most common options on the Internet is to roast concrete that has turned to stone. Unfortunately, this is extremely problematic to do at home.
In order for the cement to recover at least 90%, it should be heated to a temperature of 1500 degrees. Naturally, it is impossible to heat the stove to such indicators.
Assuming that you can build a turbo-blown oven that reaches 1500 degrees, how much fuel would you need? I think an immeasurable amount! It turns out that it is more profitable to just buy a new bag of cement!
3. After a long search I finally found a way to use petrified cement. I share with you the knowledge I have gained. Cement can be broken up into 5 cm pieces and then added to concrete as an aggregate. Please note that such a solution is suitable for structures that do not experience heavy loads. For example, for paths, blind areas, platforms, etc. In this case, cement will not act as the main component, but only as an additive. The ratio of materials is as follows: sand (crushed stone) - three parts, old cement - one part.
Remember that petrified cement is strictly forbidden to be added to the mortar for the construction of load-bearing structures. It serves solely as an additive and nothing more!
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