Cement Manufacturing
Cement Chemistry and Quality
Physico-Chemistry of Cement, Part 3
Part three: durability. The chemical attacks that destroy hardened cement, and what resists them.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Contact hours
- 30
- Level
- Intermediate
- Fee from
- US$1,500
Overview
Part three takes the hydrated material from part two and asks how it fails. It covers transport through the pore structure, which governs almost everything else, then the major mechanisms in turn: carbonation and reinforcement corrosion, chloride ingress, sulphate attack, alkali aggregate reaction and freeze thaw damage. Each is treated as a chemical process with conditions and a rate, so that the mitigation discussed at the end follows from the mechanism rather than from a rule of thumb.
Who should attend
Laboratory and quality staff, product development engineers, concrete technologists and durability specialists, and technical staff advising on exposure classes.
What you will be able to do
- Explain transport through hardened cement paste.
- Describe the mechanism and rate controls of each attack.
- Interpret durability test results.
- Select binder composition appropriate to an exposure.
- Diagnose a deterioration from its evidence.
How it is taught
Short input, then work, across 5 days of roughly 6 teaching hours each. Exercises run on situations delegates bring rather than on a case study written for a different organisation. Cohorts are capped so that everybody is asked something.
Available as classroom, live online, in house.
Programme outline
Day 1
Transport
- Pore structure and permeability
- Diffusion, absorption and capillary suction
- Why transport governs durability
Day 2
Carbonation and corrosion
- Carbonation front and pH drop
- Reinforcement depassivation and corrosion
- Cover, and why it is the main defence
Day 3
Chlorides and sulphates
- Chloride ingress and binding
- Sulphate attack, internal and external
- Thaumasite and delayed ettringite formation
Day 4
Aggregate and physical attack
- Alkali silica reaction
- Freeze thaw and air entrainment
- Abrasion and leaching
Day 5
Resistance
- Supplementary materials and their mechanisms
- Binder selection by exposure class
- Testing and service life prediction
What you leave with
- A deterioration diagnosis from a real case.
- A binder selection rationale for a stated exposure.
- A durability testing plan.
Dates and fees
| Dates | Location | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Port Louis, Mauritius | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026 | Lagos, Nigeria | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 7 to 11 December 2026 | Nicosia, Cyprus | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya | Classroom | US$1,500 |
Fees are per delegate and cover tuition, all programme materials and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and visas are arranged by the delegate. Registration closes two weeks before a programme starts.
Certificate
A GATI certificate recording what was attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended. Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record.
It records participation. and GATI does not claim one it does not hold.