Technical All Purpose Final New 5/16/05 1:45 PM Page 1

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

Holcim All Purpose Cement CEM II A-L 32,5 N; CEM II B-V 32,5 N; CEM V A 32,5 N
Portland Cement can be blended with approved mineral components such as fly ash, ground granulated blastfurnace slag and limestone. These mineral components are added to enhance properties such as durability, workability and strength. This has positioned Holcim as the market-leader in providing high-performance composite cements that are formulated to provide specific properties.

Product features, applications and benefits

Feature Economical mix design Applications and benefits The utilisation of mineral components allows cost savings in general concrete, mortar and plaster applications. Improved workability and finishability of concrete mortar and plaster. Improved resistance of concrete, mortar and plaster to aggressive environments.

Specification
Holcim All Purpose Cement is manufactured in accordance with three of the classifications provided for in SABS ENV 197-1: CEM II A-L 32,5 N Portland-limestone cement
Descriptor CEM II A-L Meaning II Denotes that the product contains a d d i t i o n a l m i n e ra l c o m p o n e n t s . A Denotes that the additional mineral components comprise 6-20% of the blend by mass. L Denotes that the mineral component is limestone. Denotes the minimum allowable 28-day strength (in MPa) of a mortar prism tested in accordance with SABS EN 196-1. Denotes the early strength when tested in accordance with SABS 196-1.

Performance
SABS EN 197 Conformance. The typical performance of Holcim All Purpose Cement in relation to the criteria specified in SABS EN 197-1 is tabulated below. Actual values may vary slightly.
Physical properties
CEM II A-L* CEM II B-V** SABS EN 197-1 requirement for class 32,5 CEM V A (S-V)***

Typical chemical composition

The chemical characteristics of Holcim All Purpose Cement listed in the following table are approximate. Actual values may vary slightly.

Increased cohesiveness

Chemical compound
(as a percentage by mass LOI free basis)

All Purpose Cement

Product description
Holcim All Purpose Cement fully complies with the SABS EN 197-1 cement specification for common cements. The fineness and chemical composition of this specialist product is carefully controlled to ensure consistent performance in the 32,5 MPa strength class. Dependent on the region, it is supplied as a Portland composite cement containing either fly ash (CEM II B-V 32,5 N) or limestone (CEM II A-L 32,5 N) or as a Composite cement (CEM V A (S-V) 32,5 N) containing slag and fly ash.
Reduced permeability

Initial set (minutes) Soundness (mm)

ISO Strength results

> 60 < 10

140 1

140 1

175 1

CEM II A-L *

CEM II B- V **

CEM V A (S-V) ***

Loss on ignition Free lime

16 35 25 24

7.5 1.3 20.7 4.2 2.4 65.0 2.6 0.8 0.3 0.02 2.1 0.9

1.5 0.95 30.1 12.1 3.4 48.1 1.5 0.5 0.9 0.06 2.0 0.5

1.0 1.0 28.1 12.1 2.6 49.9 3.8 0.6 0.5 0.02 2.1 0.7

Economic mix design The use of mineral components allows the production of an economical All Purpose Cement which can be used in all general building applications. Improved cohesiveness Due to the filler effects characteristic of fly ash and limestone containing cements, they generally exhibit a slightly lowered paste water demand. This increases the cohesiveness of the mix, which improves its workability. Reduced permeability Mineral component cements can improve the permeability properties of concrete, especially in cements with a high C3A (> 10%) content. The pore size distribution and, more specifically, the mean pore size affect the gas permeability and the water absorptivity of the concrete. This enhances the durability of concrete. Consistent quality The manufacturing facilities of Holcim South Africa are ISO 9001 certified and have stringent Quality Management Systems which subject the cement manufacturing process to strict quality control at every stage. These controls ensure a high level of product consistency, resulting in minimal adjustments to mix designs during construction.

Early strength at 7 days (MPa) Standard strength at 28 days (MPa) Chemical results Sulphate content (% SO3) Choride (% CI-)

32,5

SiO2
32,5 52,5 44 44 44

AI2O3 Fe2O3

3.5 0.1

2.1 0.1

2.0 0.1

2.1 0.1

Product availability
Holcim All Purpose Cement is available from Holcim factories and blending plants, as well as depots serviced by these facilities. It is also available at reputable builders merchants in the areas where Holcim distribute this product.
Holcim product availability All Purpose Cement Facility Bag Dudfield Lichtenburg Mokopane Roodepoort Brakpan Middelburg Waltloo Swaziland Ulco Bloemfontein Bulk

CaO MgO K2O TiO2 Na2O SO3 Mn2O3

CEM II B-V 32,5 N Portland-fly ash cement

Descriptor CEM II B-V Meaning II Denotes that the product contains a d d i t i o n a l m i n e ra l c o m p o n e n t s . B Denotes that the additional mineral components comprise 21-35% of the blend by mass. V Denotes that the mineral component is siliceous fly ash. Denotes the minimum allowable 28-day strength (in MPa) of a mortar prism tested in accordance with SABS EN 196-1. Denotes the early strength when tested in accordance with SABS 196-1.

Typical concrete results achieved with a standard laboratory test at a constant w:c of 0.67

3 days (MPa) 7 days (MPa) 28 days (MPa)

N/A N/A N/A

16 23 30

12 17 28

10 16 28

* Selected limestone ** Fly ash *** Ground granulated blastfurnace slag and fly ash

* Selected limestone ** Fly ash *** Ground granulated blastfurnace slag and fly ash

32,5

Typical physical characteristics

The physical characteristics of Holcim All Purpose Cement listed in the following table are approximate. Actual values may vary slightly.
Physical characteristics

Typical ISO mortar strength data

Typical ISO Mortar Prism strength gain curves when Holcim All Purpose Cement is tested in accordance with the SABS EN 197-1 standard are shown below. Holcim All Purpose Cement Concrete strength vs time
45 40

CEM V A (S-V) 32,5 N Composite cement

Descriptor CEM V A V Meaning Denotes that the product contains a d d i t i o n a l m i n e ra l co m p o n e nt s . A Denotes that it contains a combination of slag and fly ash as mineral component 36-60% of the blend by mass. S-V Denotes that it contains a combination of slag and fly ash as mineral component.

Relative density. Loose bulk density when fluidised. Loose bulk density after consolidation. Residue on 90 m sleve.

3.05 1 100 kg/m3 1 500 kg/m3 2.0%

Note: w:c ratio of concrete = 0,667

35

30

strength (MPa)

25

20

15

32,5

Maseru Queenstown East London Windhoek

Denotes the minimum allowable 28-day strength (in MPa) of a mortar prism tested in accordance with SABS EN 196-1. Denotes the early strength when tested in accordance with SABS 196-1.

10

0 1 3 7 28 56 90

Age in days

These curves are based on a specific test method under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. More realistic real life performance can be seen when tested as a concrete under site conditions.

Composite

Technical All Purpose Final New 5/16/05 1:45 PM Page 2

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

Typical concrete strength

Typical concrete strength gain graphs for Holcim All Purpose Cement 28-day concrete strength vs (w:c). Holcim All Purpose Cement 28-day concrete strength vs w:c ratio
60

Technical services
Holcim South Africa offer a wide range of technical assistance, including mix designs. This allows clients to fully exploit the entire spectrum of strength, durability and workability properties that are possible with Holcim All Purpose Cement.

50

40

28-day strength (MPa)

Holcim Customer Service PO Box 6367 Weltevredenpark 1715 South Africa Phone: 0860 141 141 email: customer.service-za@holcim.com Website: www.holcim.co.za

30

20

10

0 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75 0.80 0.85 0.90

w:c ratio

The compressive strength of concrete depends primarily on the w:c ratio of the mix. As the w:c ratio increases, so the concrete strength decreases proportionately. A graphical illustration of this based on Holcim All Purpose Cement is given above. This graph should be used for trial mix design purposes only.

All Purpose Cement

Cement product guide of Holcim (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd

Admixtures
Trial mix evaluation is recommended to optimise performance if Holcim All Purpose Cement is required to be used with specific admixtures.

Health and safety

Occupational exposure limits to cement are recommended in the Occupational Health and Safety Act. In terms of the time weighted average occupational exposure limit, the recommended limit for total inhalable dust is 10 mg/m3 whilst the respirable recommended limit is 5 mg/m3. Direct skin contact with wet concrete for extended periods can result in severe alkaline burns. It is therefore recommended that suitable attire be worn to prevent dust inhalation and direct skin contact. A detailed Safety Data Sheet and Guide to the safe use of cement and concrete is available on request.

Handling of bulk cement

Maximum loading temperature may be as high as 90C. When cement is hot, it is very fluid and in some instances provision needs to be made for this by restricting its normal flow in batching plants. For further information on the handling of bulk cement, please refer to the detailed brochure on this subject.

Colour coding
This product is colour coded with a blue flash on the cement bag and the seal on the tanker is blue when it is supplied in bulk.

Composite

Johnson Haydenbry Advertising 10706