[rtoni]

Hope this isn't a stupid question. Just reading this from PCA website:

http://www.cement.org/basics/concretebasics_faqs.asp

"Will concrete harden under water?
Portland cement is a hydraulic cement which means that it sets and hardens due to a chemical reaction with water. Consequently, it will harden under water."


that makes sense. but reading several posts here and elsewhere, hydraulic cement is typically described as a 'special purpose" type of cement that hardens very quickly (e.g. plugging a hole in a leaky block wall, etc.)



according to this PCA description, any type of Portland cement is "hydraulic cement" since it uses hydration (water) to cure. So the stuff I'm using to build a pier at camp is hydraulic cement (Portland type II).



sorry for the noise, but I'm just curious as to what is (or isn't) the proper use of the term "hydraulic cement". Or if it really matters...?


thanks

 

[diy'er on LI]

I'll preface this by stating that I'm a total amateur, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know for a fact that there are dozens of posters who know tons more than me about concrete.

That being said, from my limited understanding, portland cement is much like other standard cements in that there is an optimal amount of water added to the mix to maximize strength. I bet if it were submerged it would cure, but would be partially washed away, and the remaining bit a weak crumbly mess, and not something structurally sound.

Then again, I never heard portland cement described as hydraulic

 

[Bondo]

that makes sense. but reading several posts here and elsewhere, hydraulic cement is typically described as a 'special purpose" type of cement that hardens very quickly (e.g. plugging a hole in a leaky block wall, etc.)

Ayuh,... You're confusing the terms Hydraulic Cement,+ Hydraulic Grout...

Cement is a Hydraulic compound....
Hydraulic Grout is the Name of a type of cement mixture....