CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS
ABOUT CEMENT
Portland Cement is not a brand, but a type of cement used almost universally today in North America and throughout much of the industrialized world. It emerged in the early 19th century as one of the major technical discoveries of the industrial age.
In 1824, an English bricklayer patented the product. He called it "portland" cement because he thought it resembled natural building stone found on the Isle of Portland in the south of England. Today, portland cement, stone, sand, and water are the basic ingredients of the concrete products with which we build highways, bridges, commercial buildings, dams, residential homes, and many of the other structures fundamental to America’s economic vitality and quality of life.
The Portland Cement Association provides information on cement and concrete basics.
Cement Manufacturing Process
The modern manufacturing process required to produce portland cement requires complex equipment and machinery, efficient consumption of heat and energy and sophisticated computer and instrumentation technology. Throughout the process, each step is carefully monitored and tested to ensure that the finished product meets our quality specifications and that the environmental effects of our operation are in compliance with governmental regulations.
WHAT WE OFFER / OUR SERVICES
TECHNICAL SERVICES
Ash Grove’s Overland Park, Kansas, headquarters is home to a world-class laboratory established in the 1960s to carry out research and advanced testing of cement, pozzolans, concrete, aggregates, and lime. One of the best-equipped, privately owned laboratories in the country, the Ash Grove Cement Solutions Center is CCRL and AASHTO accredited for cement and concrete materials testing. The Solutions Center also conducts a variety of environmental-related analyses by meticulously following applicable EPA methods.
The Solutions Center provides vital, value-added services to the cement manufacturing plants, customers, and markets we serve. For Ash Grove Cement’s customers in need of customized technical service, it delivers timely, responsive support to:
Troubleshoot issues related to cement, concrete, and aggregate field performances
Satisfy customers’ needs on special tests and new material sources evaluation
Promote optimized concrete mix design for performance and economy
For Ash Grove cement manufacturing plants, the Solutions Center consistently helps the production facility to:
Ensure full product specifications compliance
Maintain rigorous environmental compliance
Improve the competitiveness and consistency of products
Develop and test new products
Perform environmental sample analysis
TROUBLESHOOTING
Every day, Ash Grove’s technical service managers are in the field helping our customers solve the common – and uncommon – challenges that may arise with their construction projects. As materials and field experts, our technical service managers have in-depth knowledge and experience with cement and concrete properties and construction practices. They are capable of expedited problem identification, along with providing technically meaningful and pragmatic solutions to get your projects back on track.
CONSULTING
While some are LEED-certified, all of Ash Grove’s technical service managers are LEED-educated and work with our customers to achieve their project’s environmental goals. These experts can advise on a wide variety of building materials and project solutions including:
Soil stabilization
Roller compacted concrete
Paving and parking lot solutions
Pervious concrete
Building materials life-cycle cost analysis
Ash Grove’s technical service managers are actively involved in local and national cement and concrete technical associations, including the American Concrete Institute and ASTM International.
BUILDING PRODUCTS
Ash Grove Cement is constantly innovating product solutions to meet an emerging industry need or meet needs unique to your project. These are some of the Ash Grove products proven to meet the most common, or challenging, situations.
Type IL
Portland-limestone cement (PLC) Type IL is formulated with a higher limestone content and manufactured with less embodied energy than ordinary portland cement (OPC). Portland-limestone cement (PLC) Type IL is governed by ASTM C595 or AASHTO M 240 Standard Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements. It is a blended cement manufactured with a limestone content between 5% and 15%. Optimized particle packing and enriched nucleation sites allow PLCs to match the performance of ASTM C150 Standard Specification for Portland Cement Types I and II.
Type I-II
Type I-II meets the specification requirements for both ASTM C150 Type I and Type II, the most widely used cement for many kinds of concrete construction.
Available in the West, Midwest, Texas, U.S. Great Lakes and Florida.
Type III
This cement provides high strengths at an early age. It is chemically and physically similar to Type I cement, except that its particles have been ground finer. It is used when forms need to be stripped as soon as possible or when the structure must be put into service quickly.
Available in the West, Midwest and U.S. Great Lakes.
Type II-V
This type of cement gains strength more slowly than Type I cement and is used primarily in concrete exposed to severe sulfate attack - where soils or groundwaters have a high sulfate content. This cement is particularly effective for structures such as sewage treatment plants and septic tanks.
Available in the Western United States and U.S. Great Lakes.
Durabase®
Durabase® uses CKD (cement kiln dust) and is effective in soil stabilization projects, extending the service life of our nation’s roads and parking surfaces. Formerly landfilled, creating a high-value use for this product is part of Ash Grove’s overall commitment to sustainable development.
Durapoz® F
Duracem® F is ground, Class F fly ash which is sold as a stand-alone product.
Duracem® F
Duracem® F is an ASTM C595 blended cement that also meets ASTM C1157 performance specifications. It is made with interground Class F fly ash. Note, the fly ash addition rate varies.
Duracem® N
Duracem® N is a blended cement with calcined clay. This natural pozzalon comes for the Class N designation for natural pozzolan in ASTM C618.
DURA SLAG®
DURA SLAG® is a slag cement which has latent hydraulic cement properties. Using slag cement as a partial replacement of the portland cement can enhance plastic and hardened properties of concrete. DURA SLAG® meets specifications in ASTM C989 Grade 120 and AASHTO T302.
Type S Masonry / Type N Masonry
Lab tests show our products have excellent bond strength and adhesion with masonry units, resulting in less droppage waste and high water retention that resists rapid loss of moisture from the mortar, reducing the need for retempering.