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ABSTRACT
Lime, a widespread mineral product, is suitable for various uses according to its hydraulic or air hardening properties. As an introduction, this article presents a general, geological, historical and chemical presentation of lime and firstly describes limestone, its raw material. Used for a long time without any knowledge of the chemical mechanisms at work in its preparation and setting, lime has been used in an empirical and yet subtle way for instance, the addition of volcanic ashes has been a common practice since the times of ancient Greece. In order to define lime and its various states this empiricism has generated a profuse terminology which this article aims at clarifying. As lime is an essential binder in the construction and architecture sectors, this article evokes its use in this field since ancient times. From the 18th century on, the building of great civil engineering structures all over Europe has stimulated research on the quality of lime as a lasting binder for masonry. This article presents the development of the rational knowledge of lime, and especially of its air hardening, hydraulic or even pozzolanic setting. It finally explains the chemical definitions acquired during this period of time.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Gilles MARTINET: Managing Director, LERM, Materials Research Laboratory
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Philippe SOUCHU: Documentalist at LERM, Materials Research Laboratory
INTRODUCTION
Lime is both the most important mineral binder in the history of construction and one of the most widely used mineral products since the beginning of the industrial era. Lime was preceded by plaster, the first material fired for building purposes. Derived from gypsum, an evaporitic rock, it was mastered as far back as the Old Kingdom and the Pharaonic era. Later, mixtures with carbonated materials appeared.
This article will not attempt to retrace the history of mineral binders, and will focus on lime alone. The appearance of so-called "natural" cements and "Portland" cements will follow in time, even if this linear chronology is not so simple: all these products have sometimes cohabited and still do.
After presenting the raw material, this document will trace the evolution of lime's use in construction, the age-old experiments it has been the subject of, and the contribution of science to its understanding.
The final section will simply list the data, reactions and chemical definitions acquired, and will attempt to make the link with two documents in this collection, one dealing in detail with air lime, the other with hydraulic lime.
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Lime
Limestone and limestone stone
References
Websites
Technical association of the hydraulic binder industry (ATILH)
Chambre syndicale nationale des fabricants de chaux grasses et magnésiennes (National chamber of fatty and magnesium lime manufacturers)
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