Thursday, September 25, 2008

Plaster of Paris

You would be amazed to know that the simple looking material called Plaster of Paris (POP) has such diverse uses and applications. POP is not only abundantly available, it is also very inexpensive making it a convenient option for all income segments. POP is manufactured from Gypsum, a naturally occurring material.

Many of us might have used POP in school activities. It is often preferred by teachers for school activities as the material is safe on skin. And since it is not expensive, no one objects to it being wasted. With its short setting time, POP is perfect for creative object making by school children.

But it is in home interiors where POP is used most extensively. POP work by a skilled artisan can do wonders to the appearance of your home. Various kinds of molds are used to develop beautiful POP patterns on walls and ceilings. However it is essential to make sure that the quality of POP that you use is fine enough to avoid any occurrence of cracks in future.

Besides home interiors, another popular application of POP is in creating sculptures. The easy availability, low cost and minimal setting-time make POP an ideal substance for creating beautiful sculptures.

Nowadays Plaster of Paris is being commonly manufactured by cement companies and other companies producing construction inputs. In fact, with increased consumer demand, companies have begun distributing Plaster of Paris in small packs that are very convenient for use in minor applications.

In fact plaster of paris is a better choice.

Author :- Jack Albert is a dedicated writer, writes for JK Lakshmi, which is a brand cement industry and provides concrete calculator to calculate the ratio of concrete.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Know the Logic behind Cement Variant Names

Cement is being manufactured in many variants today. This often confuses the layman who does not know which cement to use. Besides Portland cement, the market offers blended or PPC cement as well.


You would find many variants within Portland cement itself – 33, 43 and 53. Some manufacturers also produce cement varieties in forms such as masonry cement, high strength cement and sulphated cement.


The important thing to remember is that there is no good or bad cement, the choice should depend upon the intended application. It is interesting to note that while in the earlier times, only Portland cement used to be available, the abundant supply of fly ash resulted in the development of Pozzolana cement.


The demand from rail companies for high strength cement to be used for manufacturing sleepers put a pressure on cement manufacturers to produce special variants of cement. Such high grades of cement are also required in the construction of long span bridges, high rise structures and other structures of gigantic magnitude.


Broadly speaking:

• 33 Grade cement meets the requirement of small constructions

• 43 Grade cement is used for pre-cast concrete production and sleeper manufacture

• 53 Grade cement is used for heavy infrastructure and civil engineering applications.


One important point that must be remembered is that for most industrial and heavy applications, cement is not used directly but is rather an important input for concrete. Blended varieties of cement provide higher levels of strength and durability. While 53 Grade OPC has its own specific applications, it is not advisable to be used for ordinary structures.

Author :- Jack Albert is a dedicated writer writes for Jklakshmi, which is a brand cement industry also one of the best manufacturer in plaster of paris.