Table of Contents
Flo transportation of cement and concrete
Cement is the collective name of a large group of artificial, inorganic, powdery (mostly hydraulic) binders that, when mixed with water, aqueous solutions of salts or other liquids, form a plastic mass that solidifies over time and turns into a solid stone-like body.
Cement is one of the most important building materials intended for the manufacture of concrete and mortar, fastening individual elements of structures (bricks, stones, etc.), waterproofing. It is the finest gray powder obtained by grinding the clinker. The range of cement is very extensive, various types of it have different requirements (depending on the purpose): setting time, grinding fineness, compressive strength, plasticity or rigidity of the mortar, thermal conductivity, water resistance, etc. It has marks (ultimate loads that fully petrified concrete must withstand, in kg/cm2), characterizing its quality.
Flo Flo process features
Portland cement is the most common and most frequently applied for sea transportation. Cement is a pronounced moisture-mode load, which should be protected from moisture. Under the action of water, it loses its petrifying properties, turns from a powder into a monolith and cannot be used for its intended purpose anymore. Heavy dusting load – despite all the measures taken, the smallest cement dust covers everything around at a distance of 100-150 m from the place of cargo operations.
Cement (like dust) is characterized by abrasive properties: getting on the rubbing parts of reloading and other mechanisms, it helps accelerate their wear. A load does not require ventilation. Cement is presented for sea transportation either in bulk (usually on specialized cement vessels), or in a paper, six-layer bags, with a standard weight of 50 kg, sometimes in fabric bags or barrels. The temperature of the cement at the time of packing (filling) bags should not exceed 40 °C. In exceptional cases, if the temperature of the cement is 41-65 °C, it can be presented for sea transportation only after keeping it at the warehouse of the sender until it cools completely (the duration of cooling can be up to 12 days). Cement with a temperature at the time of packing over 65 °C is not allowed to sea transportation, because the bags from the effects of high temperature lose elasticity and are easily torn during cargo operations and under the action of the pressure of the overlying layers.