Why does cement go from porridge to hard unbreakable stone just by drying?
In: Chemistry
The cement does not dry, it sets. The water does not evaporate from the slurry, it stays there and undergoes a chemical reaction with the cement particles, binding them together (hydration) and to concrete/bricks/etc, like glue.
This is so cool. It’s *water* that creates cement, and makes it *harder* because the paste and aggregates in the cement mix react to the water, chemically, to make the new, harder substance – concrete.
Think about it this way – If cement came from a drying process, what might happen to it every time it rains?
And to the Sheldons of the world, I said that the ingredients react with the water. Step off. This is ELI5. Not BAPA. I will let you guess what that stands for.
It’s actually not the drying process that makes the cement hard, it’s the hydration process.
Water reacts to all the components of the cement and bonds them all together, and as a result, cement is hard as a rock.
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