A material for protection and quality of life

The history of cement is the story of man and his search for a place to live with maximum security, protection and comfort. From its inceptionuntil today, technical advances have transformed this material into an essential element for social development and to improvepeople’s quality of life.

Temples, palaces, museums, infrastructures ... are the result of the restlessness and the effort that underpins the progress of humanity. Since the earliest remnants of cement, thousands of years of discoveries and advances have been decisive in creating a new physiognomy of the world: buildings, streets, avenues, roads, dams and canals, factories, workshops and houses... they have given us a world to work, grow, progress ... and ultimately enjoy well-being.

Portland cement

Since themid-18th century, a number of investigations and procedures related to cement and concrete began. In 1824, James Parker and Joseph Aspdin patented a new artificial hydraulic cement, manufactured by the joint combustion of limestone and coal, which they called Portland Cement for its dark color, similar to the stone of Portland Island. In the beginning, this material was not widely used, due to its complex manufacturing procedure, which made its production expensive.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the process of industrialization and the introduction of rotary kilns widespreadits use for all types of applications. Today, despite all the technical improvements, Portland cement is, in essence, very similar to the first patented.

80 centuries of history

8,000 years ago, mixing cements with water, sand and aggregates resulted in a new material that could be easily molded and, upon hardening, attained remarkable solidity, strength and durability. This new material was dubbed concrete, an element that would play a key role in the evolution of the construction technique. According to historical sources, the oldest concrete construction is the floor of a hut in Lepensky Vir (Yugoslavia), dating to 5600 B.C. Egyptian people were already using a mortar - a mixture of sand and cement - to join stone blocks and erect their magnificent buildings. Part of one of the pyramids in Giza (2600 BC) was erected with concrete, and on Thebes mural (1950 BC) scenes of men making concrete and applying it to a work are preserved.

A multipurpose product

Nowadays, concrete made from Portland cement supports many applications. Its diversity of characteristics brings society a wide range of modalities to choose from: mass (for example, prey), armed, prestressed, high density or lightweight; dense or porous; with smooth or rough textures; with low or high initial resistances; with various features, etc.

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