CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL -

LIME

PREPARED BY
AR. THARANGINI
LIME – the time tested chemical
Limestone
 Definitions

 Calcination – The heating to redness in contact with air is

known as calcination.
 Hydraulicity – It is the property of lime by which it sets or
hardens in damp places, water or thick masonry walls where
there is no free circulation of air.
 Lime – Due to calcination of limestone, the moisture and carbon
dioxide are removed from it. The product that remains thereafter
is known as the lime. Its chemical composition is (CaO) oxide of
calcium.
CaCO3 = CaO + CO2
(limestone) (lime) (carbon dioxide)
 Definitions

 Quick Lime – The lime that is obtained by the calcination of

comparatively pure limestone is known as the quick lime or
caustic lime.
 Its chemical composition is (CaO) oxide of calcium and it has
great affinity for moisture.
 Setting – The process of hardening of lime after it has been
converted into paste form is known as the setting.
 It is quite different from mere drying. In case of drying, the water
evaporates only and no setting action takes place.
 Slaked Lime

 Slaked Lime – The product obtained by slaking of quick lime is

known as slaked lime or hydrate of lime. It is in the form of white
powder and its chemical composition is Ca(OH)2 or hydrated
oxide of calcium. The chemical reaction is as follows:
CaO + H2O Ca(OH)2 + Heat
(Quick Lime) (Water) (Hydrated Lime)

The theoretical amount of water required for lime slaking is about

32% of the weight of CaO. But in practice, the amount of water
required is about 2 to 3 times greater because of the composition
of lime, degree of burning, method of slaking and mainly due to
the evaporation of the water by the released heat.
 Slaked Lime

 The rate of slaking is affected by the size of lime lumps and

temperature. It accelerates with the rise in temperature. It can be
carried out very speedily by steam under pressure in closed
drums. A thin pourable suspension of slaked lime in water is
known as the milk of lime.
 The slaked lime should always be used as fresh as possible
because it has the tendency to absorb carbonic acid from the
atmosphere in presence of moisture and to form particles of
carbonate of lime as shown by the following chemical reaction:
H2CO3 H2O + CO2
(Carbonic Acid) (Water) (Carbon dioxide)
Ca(OH)2 + CO2 CaCO3 + H2O
(Slaked lime) (Carbon dioxide) (Carbonate of lime) (Water)
 Slaking

 Definition:
 When water is added to the quick lime in sufficient
quantity, a chemical reaction takes place.
 Due to this, the quick lime cracks, swells and falls into a
paste form which is the calcium hydrate Ca(OH)2 and it is
known as the hydrated lime.
 This process is known as slaking.
Lime – The Cycle
 Sources of Lime

Lime is not usually available in nature in free state.

It is produced by burning one of the following
materials;
 Lime stones from the stone hills
 Boulders of lime stones from the beds of old rivers
 Kankar (impure limestone) found below the
ground &
 Shells of sea animals.
 Constituents of limestone

 The properties of lime depend on the composition of the limestone from

which it is produced.
 The constituents of lime stones are as follows;
 Clay:
 It is responsible for producing hydraulicity in lime.

 If excess it arrests slaking & if less, it retards slaking.

 8% to 30% is desirable for making a good lime. Clay also makes lime
insoluble in water.
 Soluble Silica:
 It is essential to develop hydraulicity in lime.

 The silicates of calcium, magnesium & aluminum are responsible for

hydraulicity.
 They are inert or inactive at low temperatures & become active &
combine with lime at high temperatures.
 Constituents of limestone
 Magnesium Carbonate:
 This constituent allows lime to slake & set slowly, but imparts more strength.
 30% of carbonate of magnesia renders hydraulicity to lime, even in the
absence of clay.
 Alkalies & Metallic oxides:
 These when present about 5% or so, develop hydraulicity.

 Sulphates:
 Its presence in small quantities, accelerates the process of setting & reduces
slaking action.
 Iron:
 If present in small quantity, it develops a complex silicate at high
temperature, but excess is objectionable.
 Pyrites:
 Undesirable to have pyrites in lime stones. Such lime stones should be
rejected.
 Classification of lime

 Lime obtained by calcinations of limestone is classified as;

 Fat lime

 Hydraulic lime

 Poor lime
 Fat lime

 This lime is also known as High Calcium lime, Pure lime, Rich lime
or White lime.
 It is popularly known as Fat lime.
 It slakes vigorously & its volume increases about 2 to 2 ½ times the
volume of quick lime.
 It is prepared by calcining pure lime composed of 95% of calcium
oxide.
 Impurities in such limestone are less than 5%.
 Fat lime

Properties
 Hardens very slowly
 High degree of plasticity
 Soluble in water
 Colour is perfectly white
 Sets slowly in presence of air, and
 Slakes vigorously.
Uses
 White washing & plastering walls
 With sand, it forms lime mortar which is used for brickwork &
stonework.
 With surkhi, it forms lime mortar used for thick masonry walls,
foundations, etc.
 (surkhi: powder obtained by grinding of burnt brick).
 Hydraulic lime

 This lime is also known as ‘Water lime’ as it sets under water.

 It contains clay & some amount of ferrous oxide & depending
upon the percentage of clay, hydraulic lime is divided as;
 Feebly hydraulic lime

 Moderately hydraulic lime

 Eminently hydraulic lime

 Hydraulic lime

Properties
 Increase in percentage of clay makes slaking difficult & increases
the hydraulic property.
 With 30% of clay, hydraulic lime resembles natural cement.
 Can set underwater & in thick walls with no free circulation of
air.
 Colour is not perfect white.
 Forms a thin paste with water & does not dissolve in it.
Uses
 Used for plaster works
 Hydraulic lime is ground to a fine powder & then mixed with
sand & kept aside for 1 week.
 It is grounded again & then used for plastering work.
Hydraulic lime
 Poor lime

 It is also known as ‘Impure lime’ or ‘Lean lime’.

Properties
 Contains more than 30% of clay & slakes very slowly.
 Forms a thin paste with water but does not dissolve in it.
 Sets or hardens very slowly & has poor binding properties.
 Colour is muddy white.
Uses
 It makes a very poor mortar, that can be used for inferior type of work
or places where good lime is not available.
Comparison
between fat
lime and
hydraulic
lime
Classification of lime – IS 712 1973
REVIVAL OF LIME
 Mortar

 Definition:
 The term mortar is used to indicate a paste prepared by
adding required quantity of water to a mixture of binding
material like cement or lime and fine aggregate like sand.
 The above two components of mortar, namely, the
binding material and fine aggregate are sometimes
referred to as matrix and adulterant respectively.
 The matrix binds the particles of the adulterant and as
such, the durability, quality and strength of mortar will
mainly depend on the quantity and quality of the matrix.
LIME MORTAR
 Lime Mortar

 The lime which is used as a binding material, may be fat lime

or hydraulic lime.
 The fat lime shrinks to a great extend and hence it requires
about 2 to 3 times its volume of sand. The lime should be
slaked before use. This mortar is unsuitable for water logged
areas or in damp situations.
 For hydraulic lime, the proportion of lime to sand by volume
is about 1:2. This mortar should be consumed within one hour
after mixing. It posses more strength and can be used in damp
situations.
 The lime mortar has high plasticity and it can be placed easily.
 It possesses good cohesiveness with other surfaces and
shrinks very little.
 It is sufficiently durable, but it hardens slowly.
 It is generally used for lightly loaded above parts of buildings.
 Surkhi Mortar

 Surkhi is the popular substitute for sand. It is obtained by finely

grinding burnt clay. It should be clean and free from any
impurities.
 This type of mortar is prepared by using fully surkhi instead of
sand or by replacing half of sand in case of fat lime mortar.
 The powder of surkhi should be fine enough to pass BIS No.9
sieve and the residue should not be more than 10% by weight.
 The surkhi mortar is used for ordinary masonry work of all kinds
in foundation and superstructure.
 It plays the same functions as those of sand. But in addition, it
gives strength and improves hydraulic property of the mortar.
 As it disintegrates under the action of air and humidity, mortar
with surkhi should not be used for external plaster or pointing
work.
 Gauged mortar

 To improve the quality of lime mortar, cement is sometimes added to it.

This process is known as gauging.
 It makes lime mortar economical, strong and dense.
 Usual proportion of cement to lime by volume is about 1 :6 to 1 :8.
 It is also known as a composite mortar.
 Proportions and Applications

 Construction work in waterlogged areas and exposed positions -

lime mortar prop. 1 :3, lime being eminently hydraulic lime.
 Stone masonry with best varieties of stones - Lime mortar prop.
1:2, lime being eminently hydraulic lime.
 Stone masonry with ordinary stones, brickwork, foundations, etc.
- Lime mortar prop. 1 :2 or cement mortar prop. 1:6. Lime should
be eminently hydraulic lime or moderately hydraulic lime.
 Thin joints in brickwork - Lime mortar prop. 1 :3, lime being fat
lime.
 Lime Plaster
 Lime plaster is a mixture of calcium hydroxide and sand (or other inert
fillers). Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes the plaster to set by
transforming the calcium hydroxide into calcium carbonate
(limestone). Whitewash is based on the same chemistry.
 To make lime plaster, limestone (calcium carbonate) is heated above
approximately 850 °C to produce quicklime (calcium oxide). Water is then
added to produce slaked lime(calcium hydroxide), which is sold as a wet
putty or a white powder. Additional water is added to form a paste prior to
use. The paste may be stored in airtight containers. When exposed to the
atmosphere, the calcium hydroxide very slowly turns back into calcium
carbonate through reaction with atmospheric carbon dioxide, causing the
plaster to increase in strength.
 Lime plaster was a common building material for wall surfaces in a
process known as lath and plaster, whereby a series of wooden strips on
a studwork frame was covered with a semi-dry plaster that hardened into a
surface.
 Lime Plaster

 The plaster used in most lath and plaster construction was mainly lime
plaster, with a cure time of about a month. To stabilize the lime plaster
during curing, small amounts of plaster of Paris were incorporated into
the mix. Because plaster of Paris sets quickly, "retardants" were used to
slow setting time enough to allow workers to mix large working quantities
of lime putty plaster. A modern form of this method uses expanded metal
mesh over wood or metal structures, which allows a great freedom of
design as it is adaptable to both simple and compound curves. Today this
building method has been partly replaced with drywall, also composed
mostly of gypsum plaster. In both these methods, a primary advantage of
the material is that it is resistant to a fire within a room and so can assist
in reducing or eliminating structural damage or destruction provided the
fire is promptly extinguished.
 Lime plaster is used for frescoes, where pigments, diluted in water, are
applied to the still wet plaster.
 USA and Iran are the main plaster producers in the world
 Lime putty

 More popularly known as Calcium hydroxide, it is used as a base

material for a number of different applications in building
construction.
 It is prepared by mixing lime chalk with required quantity of
water & heated to a high temperature that helps the mixture to
thicken.
 Once the desired consistency is reached, lime putty is allowed to
settle & mature over several methods.
 In order to keep the product from drying out, a thin layer of
water is applied over the top level of the putty & the container is
sealed.
 It can be used in a thick composition for plastering & grouts &
also as the base for plastering techniques.
 Whitewashing

 Fresh lime is slaked at site of work and is mixed thoroughly with

sufficient quantity of water in a tub.
 It is then screened through a clean cloth. Clean gum dissolved in hot
water is then added at the rate of 2 kg per m3 of lime.
 Rice may be used in place of gum.
 The surface to be whitewashed should be cleaned before the work is
started.
 For whitewashing walls which are whitewashed before, the old loose
whitewash is to be first removed and repairing to plaster is carried
out, if necessary.
 The whitewash is applied with jute brush and the brush is so worked
that a surface with uniform colour is obtained.
 Three coats are generally applied, each after the previous coat has
completely dried.
 Colourwashing

 This is prepared by adding the colouring pigment to the

screened whitewash.
 It should be seen that colouring pigment is not affected
by the presence of lime.
 Ordinarily yellow earth is popular for colourwashing.
Generally, the walls are colourwashed and ceilings are
whitewashed.
 The mixture is to be kept constantly stirred during use.
 The colourwash is applied in the same fashion as the
whitewash.
 A satisfactory work does not give out powder when the
finished surface is rubbed with the fingers.
 Uses of lime

 Chemical raw material in the purification of water & for sewage

treatment.
 Flux in the metallurgical industry
 Matrix for concrete & mortar.
 Refractory material for lining open-hearth furnaces.
 Production of glass
 Making mortar for masonry work
 Plastering of walls & ceilings
 Production of artificial stone, lime – sand brick, foam – silicate
products, etc.
 Soil stabilization & improving soil for agricultural purposes.
 White washing & as a base coat for distemper.
 When mixed with Portland cement, can be used in place with costly
cement mortar.
LIME BLOCKS
ADVANTAGES OF LIME
ADVANTAGES OF LIME
ADVANTAGES OF LIME
ADVANTAGES OF LIME
ADVANTAGES OF LIME
ADVANTAGES OF LIME
ADVANTAGES OF LIME
ADVANTAGES OF LIME
 Cement and lime

 Following points of differences may be noted

between ordinary cement and lime:
(1) Cement can be used under conditions and
circumstances which are not favorable for lime.
(2) Cement, when converted into a paste form, sets
quickly.
(3) Colours of cement and lime are different.
(4) When water is added to cement, no heat is
produced and there is no slaking action.