Cement quality control system: application of X-ray diffractometry
Microscopy has been widely used for phase identification and estimation in cement mineralogy. Over time, a few variations of microscopic methods particularly for strength predication have been reported by different laboratories. Recently attempts have also been made to utilize X-ray Diffractometry (XRD) for quality control in cement manufacturing process. This paper presents the salient points of these methods.
1 Introduction
The main features of a cement quality control system involve raw mix composition, burning of the cement clinker, fineness and finally the strength of the cement produced. The ultimate quality of cement primarily depends on the quantity and characteristics of different mineral phases present in it, which in turn are controlled by the raw mix composition and burning process. Identical raw mix compositions even with a more or less similar burning process may not be expected to produce the same mineral assemblages. Hence evaluation of the clinker mineral phases is regarded as very...
