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There are four major chemical components that make up the clinker. They are shown with their short hand notations below. The various types of Portland cement generally require different proportions of these four major components. This is done by controlling the proportions of raw materials entering the kiln.

Major Components of Portland Cement Clinker:

· Tricalcium Silicate: 3CaO SiO2 (Alite, C3S)

· Dicalcium Silicate: 2CaO SiO2 (Belite, C2S)

· Tricalcium Aluminate: 3CaO Al2O3 (C3A)

· Tetracalcium Aluminoferrite: 4CaO Al2O 3 Fe2O3 (C4AF)