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B
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C
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E
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F
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I
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L
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M
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N
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P
B
- Bauxite
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Bauxite is an aluminum ore. It is named after the village of Baux-de-Provence, France, where it was discovered.
- Bituminous concrete
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Bituminous concretes are made of gravel, sand, filler and bitumen (a petroleum product), which acts as a binder. They are generally used as the top layer of road surfaces.
C
- Cement
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Cement is a hydraulic bonding agent which is obtained by heating, then grinding, a mixture of limestone and clay. Most cements are made from clinker and additives and are usually used in the form of a powder. Cement sets when mixed with water. Combined with sand and aggregates (sand or gravel), it turns into rock-hard concrete or mortar.
- Cement paste
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An unhardened or hardened mixture of finely divided hydraulic cementitious material and water
- Cementitious
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Called "cement additions", these minerals are used in varying proportions during the last phase of the cement production process. The additives make it possible to obtain a range of cements with different properties. They can be:
- of natural origin, for example limestone or volcanic and sedimentary rock (pozzolanic rock),
- of industrial origin, for example by-products of the steel industry (slag from blast furnaces), the microchip industry (silica fume), and coal-fired power plants (pulverised fuel ash).
The use of cementitious additives reduces CO2 emissions:
firstly, because using additives in cement production automatically reduces the proportion of clinker (the decarbonation phase of clinker production releases a lot of CO2), secondly, because it uses industrial waste which would otherwise have been discarded and treated by the local authority. - Compressive strength
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Amount of "pressing" pressure a material can resist. It is measures in mpa, PSI or PSF.
E
- Early stiffening
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Rapid loss of plasticity or rapid development of rigidity in freshly mixed hydraulic cement paste, mortar, concrete
- Early-day strength
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Compressive strength measured on the first, third and seventh day
F
- False set
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Early stiffening with little evolution of considerable heat, which cannot be dispelled by further mixing without the addition of water
- Final Setting Time (FST)
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The number of minutes it takes for cement, concrete or mortar to harden and start developing strength
I
- Initial Setting Time (IST)
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The number of minutes it takes for cement, concrete or mortar to start to lose its plastic properties
L
- Later-day strength
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Compressive strength measured on the 28th and 56th day and beyond
- Life Cycle Assessment
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A building's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) quantifies its environmental impact according to several criteria:
- primary energy consumption,
- greenhouse gas emissions,
- air pollution,
- water consumption,
- transport,
- waste production,
- a material's lifecycle (from extraction to recycling or landfilling).
LCA is now a part of the Group's research methods. A truly scientific approach, this objective analysis uses a standardized methodology (ISO 14040), and questions many concepts taken for granted in construction.
M
- Mechanical resistance
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A material's mechanical resistance is its resistance to tearing off, bending, water steam diffusion and various physical constraints.
N
- Normal consistency
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A degree of plasticity of a hydraulic cement paste that is appropriate for testing as measured by a stipulated method
P
- Physico-chemical resistance
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A material's physico-chemical resistance is its resistance to various physical constraints such as impacts, abrasion wearing effects, corrosion by chemical agents, destruction by water, high temperatures, frost, wind, etc.
