Rosendale cement

Rosendale cement
Seal of the New York and Rosendale Cement Company.

Rosendale cement refers to a type of natural cement produced in and around Rosendale, New York from argilaceous limestone. The fast-setting Rosendale natural cement mortars proved to be more efficient than the traditional mortars based on lime and sand. Because of its reputation, "Rosendale Cement" has also been used as a generic term to refer to natural hydraulic cement produced elsewhere. It was used in the construction of many of the United States most important landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, Federal Hall, and one of the wings of the United States Capitol building.

Natural cement is produced in a simple process that begins with the calcination of crushed carbonate sedimentary rocks in kilns. The resulting clinker is ground into a fine powder before being shipped to market. Historically, this natural cement product was packaged in paper-lined wooden barrels or heavy canvas bags. Rosendale natural cement was produced from dolostone extracted from the Rosendale and Whiteport members of the Late Silurian Rondout Formation. The natural levels of magnesium and clay in the dolostone from the Rondout Formation are ideally suited for cement production and required none of the chemical additives characteristic of modern Portland cement production.

While Rosendale cement was extremely popular for the foundation of buildings (e.g. Statue of Liberty, Capitol Building, Brooklyn Bridge) and lining of water pipes, its long curing time of at least one month made it unpopular after World War I in the construction of highways and bridges, and many states and construction firms turned to the use of Portland cement. Because of the switch to Portland cement, by the end of the 1920s only one of the 15 Rosendale cement companies had survived. But in the early 1930s it was soon discovered that Portland cement, while it had a faster curing time, was not as durable, especially for highways, to the point that some states stopped building highways and roads with cement. An engineer, Bertrain H. Wait, whose company had worked on the construction of the New York Cities Catskill Aqueduct, and was impressed with the durability of Rosendale cement, came up with a blend of both Rosendale and synthetic cements which had the good attributes of both: i.e. was highly durable and had a much faster curing time. Mr. Wait convinced the New York Commissioner of Highways to construct an experimental section of highway near New Paltz, New York, of one sack of Rosendale to six sacks of synthetic cement. It proved a success, and for decades hence the Rosendale-synthetic cement blend became common use in highway and bridge construction.[1]

Many of the original cement plants in the Rosendale area are preserved in the Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District.

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rosendale, New York — Infobox Settlement official name = Rosendale, New York settlement type = Town nickname = motto = imagesize = image caption = image |pushpin pushpin label position = pushpin map caption =Location within the state of New York pushpin mapsize =… …   Wikipedia

  • Cement — In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance which sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The name cement goes back to the Romans who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry… …   Wikipedia

  • Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District — Infobox nrhp name = Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District nrhp type = hd caption = Houses of Andrew (left) and Charles Snyder along Route 213, 2008 lat degrees = 41 lat minutes = 50 lat seconds = 50 lat direction = N long degrees = 74… …   Wikipedia

  • All Saints' Chapel (Rosendale, New York) — Infobox nrhp name = All Saints Chapel nrhp type = caption = East profile and south elevation, 2008 lat degrees = 41 lat minutes = 50 lat seconds = 44 lat direction = N long degrees = 74 long minutes = 04 long seconds = 32 long direction = W… …   Wikipedia

  • Portland cement — is the most common type of cement in general usage in many parts of the world, as it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non specialty grout. It is a fine powder produced by Portland cement clinker (more than 90%), a… …   Wikipedia

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Ulster County, New York — Location of Ulster County in New York Ma …   Wikipedia

  • Delaware and Hudson Canal — U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark …   Wikipedia

  • Rondout Creek — Geobox|River name = Rondout Creek native name = other name = category = etymology = nickname = image caption = Rondout Creek at the eastern edge of the Catskills, between Napanoch and Rondout Reservoir. country = United States state = New York… …   Wikipedia

  • Brown's Station, New York — is a village that no longer exists. It was located in the Esopus Valley of southeastern Ulster County, New York (USA), and it was submerged by the waters of the Ashokan Reservoir, an artificial lake built between 1906 and 1915 to supply fresh… …   Wikipedia

  • Ashokan Reservoir — Infobox lake lake name = Ashokan Reservoir image lake = Ashokan Reservoir.jpg caption lake = Ashokan Reservoir from the spillway image bathymetry = caption bathymetry = location = Ulster County, New York coords =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”