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A puzzling question has been asked: Why add sugar to cement? It sounds strange, but in fact, this seemingly outlandish approach has its own unique chemistry. We need to go back to the end of the 19th century, when cement first introduced to the mainland and began to be widely used in the construction industry. Over time, the main components of cement were gradually recognized, including calcium oxide, silica, iron oxide and aluminum oxide. When workers add sugar to cement during construction, their aim is to make the cement's solidification process slower, making it easier to handle.
This seemingly peculiar approach actually hides a clever chemical principle. The main mineral components of cement include tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate and tetracalcium ferroaluminate. Among them, tricalcium silicate will be rapidly converted into hydrated calcium silicate after contact with water, causing rapid solidification of cement. However, by adding a very small amount of white sugar, the solidification time of cement can be doubled, from the initial 18 hours to 36 hours. This simple chemical treatment makes cement easier to handle and handle, especially when more time is required to complete engineering tasks.
The practical application of adding white sugar to cement goes far beyond that. For example, in 2014, there was a shocking accident on the London Underground: cement accidentally flowed into the control room. If no immediate action is taken, the cement will solidify quickly, covering critical lines and switches, potentially causing serious accidents. The measures taken by the workers turned out to be to sprinkle white sugar on the cement, which surprisingly prevented the cement from solidifying. Instead, the cement becomes like mud, with no sign that it is about to solidify. In the end, the cement was cleared and the crisis was successfully resolved.
Not only that, workers will also use similar methods during the driving of concrete trucks. When the vehicle encounters traffic jams, drivers will add some white sugar to the concrete to prevent the cement from solidifying prematurely, thereby wasting resources. The key to this method is that the amount of white sugar used is very limited, and only a small amount is needed to delay the coagulation effect.
However, it should be noted that the amount of white sugar should not be used too much. In some cases, excessive addition of white sugar will fundamentally change the properties of cement, and more than 1% of white sugar addition may even cause cement to become a piece of waste. This phenomenon occurred in France during World War II, when the French people tried to stop the German army's military construction work by adding sugar to the cement of the German garrison.
In addition to white sugar, cement can also be added with other kinds of additives to change its properties and characteristics. For example, the sugar water sprinkled on the surface of the cement can be brushed off after the cement has dried, so as to achieve the purpose of rough and matte surface. In addition, some people also try to add laundry detergent to cement to improve the lubricity of cement and make it easier for workers to apply. However, this method also comes with some problems, such as the possibility that the wall surface may be whitened or peeled off.
In addition, there is a common practice to add straw to cement, which can enhance the toughness and thermal insulation effect of cement. However, this can also lead to moth and oxidation problems. In addition, the addition of salt can improve the heat preservation of cement, but because cement usually contains steel bars, salt will accelerate the corrosion of steel bars, so the state prohibits adding salt to cement.
Overall, cement is a versatile material that can change its properties by adding different kinds of additives. However, additives must be carefully selected to avoid destroying the original properties of cement or causing unstable properties, and it is best to use cement-specific additives that meet national standards to ensure engineering safety and quality. In architecture and engineering, these seemingly inconspicuous chemical changes can play a key role in ensuring the smooth and successful completion of a project.
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