Dear Larry,
You asked,
>
> Perhaps a stupid question, but an interesting one:
> Will the block eventually dry to the 16 1/2 pounds of inert materials?
>
> Larry in NE Arizona
>
The answer is that the dried matter will always weigh more than 14 1/2
pounds of inert matter.
This is because when water comes in contact with cement, which is a
three component molecule, the cement molecule expands to trap water
molecules inside them.
This trapping of water molecules pushes the three components of cement
molecules very tightly against each other and thus impart strength to
cement.
Unless the cement is heated to very high temperatures, when it
crumbles because then water evaporates from inside the molecules, it
will retain water inside it.
Do you want links to technical discussion of this mechanism?
Regards
Ashok
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:papercreters-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:papercreters-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
papercreters-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
