Chapter 40 The Ultimate Level of Muddying the Waters! With cement arriving, I rule the world! ^……

After a sleepless night of deliberation, Lin Yue's determination to manufacture cement grew even stronger.

Lime mortar made from quicklime and sand is much stronger than pure mud and can handle some simple masonry needs, but compared to real cement, it's a complete dwarf! Strength, durability, waterproofing... it's utterly inferior in every aspect!

If you want to build a truly sturdy, durable red brick house that can withstand all kinds of evil winds and rains in the cursed land, cement is the only way!

"Am I, Lin, destined to be a construction foreman mixing mud for the rest of my life in this strange world?" Lin Yue asked a question that came from the depths of his soul.

No! He absolutely cannot give up!

Since I can't afford the official textbooks for the time being, I guess I'll just have to figure it out myself!

He vaguely remembered that the main components of cement were tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate, and tetracalcium aluminoferrite, etc.

Lin Yue: Don't ask me how I remember so clearly, it's all thanks to Baidu... even though Baidu doesn't exist anymore.

These materials are mainly made by burning limestone, clay, and a small amount of iron ore powder at high temperatures to form clinker, which is then ground into powder to become cement.

The key lies in the high temperature! And the proportions!

They now have limestone and clay, and iron ore powder... can be ground from the slag left over from previous iron smelting or from low-quality iron ore.

As for high temperatures... their ugly-looking brick kiln only reaches a maximum of around 800 degrees Celsius, which is passable for burning lime, but far from enough for burning cement clinker! It needs to be at least 1300 or 1400 degrees Celsius!

This temperature is almost as high as when iron is being smelted!

Looks like we'll have to trouble Uncle Stone Fist, this human-shaped high-temperature controller, again!

"Uncle Shi Quan!" Lin Yue scurried up to Shi Quan, who was hammering away at a new hoe in the blacksmith's shop. "Can we talk about something?"

Without raising his fist, Shi continued to swing his massive iron hammer: "Spit it out! Don't delay my blacksmithing!" His passion for forging was now even greater than Lin Yue's passion for food.

"It's like this," Lin Yue said, rubbing his hands together with a forced smile, "I'd like to... improve our kiln a bit more, to raise its temperature! Ideally, it should reach... well, a temperature similar to that of an iron smelting furnace!"

"Huh?" Stone Fist stopped hammering and looked at Lin Yue suspiciously. "What are you up to now? Why are you using such a high temperature to fire bricks? Are you trying to melt and deform them into useless lumps?"

"It's not about making bricks!" Lin Yue quickly explained, "It's about making another kind of... even more powerful 'glue'! A 'glue' a hundred times more powerful than lime mortar! With it, we can build a truly sturdy house!"

He embellished his ideas about cement and told Shi Quan about them.

Shi Quan listened, stunned. He stroked his thick beard, his eyes filled with doubt: "...Powder made from burning stones and mud can be more effective than lime? Kid, are you daydreaming again?"

"Whether it's a pipe dream or not, we'll know once we try it!" Lin Yue tempted. "Uncle, think about it. If we could really make it, how convenient would it be for us to build walls, pave roads, or even build a dam? And this stuff can definitely be exchanged for good things, just like salt!"

The words "change for something better" successfully struck a nerve with Shi Quan. His eyes lit up, and he pondered for a moment before saying:

"...Hmm, that sounds...interesting. However, to reach such a high temperature, an ordinary earthen kiln won't do; we'll have to modify it using the methods of an iron smelting furnace! And the fuel will have to be the best charcoal!"

"No problem! There's plenty of material! We'll rely entirely on you for technical guidance!" Lin Yue quickly pledged his loyalty.

Thus, with Uncle Shi Quan personally overseeing the project and Lin Yue, Gray, Amu, and others putting in a lot of hard work, the super high temperature experimental kiln for cement clinker was officially launched!

This new kiln is basically a scaled-down and simplified version of the previous improved smelting furnace. The furnace chamber is smaller, but the insulation layer is thicker, and the air duct design is more sophisticated, striving to maximize the temperature under limited conditions!

The construction process was naturally chaotic once again. Uncle Stone Fist's roars and Lin Yue's complaints rose and fell, becoming the new construction symphony of the small restaurant.

After finally completing the construction of the new kiln, the next step is to prepare the raw materials.

The limestone was crushed, the clay was dried and ground into powder, and the iron ore was also ground into fine powder. This process was the most laborious, and it almost wore out the stone millstone.

Then, Lin Yue carefully mixed the three powders together according to the vague proportions in his memory, added a small amount of water, and kneaded them into fist-sized mud balls.

These mud balls are the future reserve of cement clinker.

Everything is ready, light the fire! Burn the fuel!

This firing process was much more complicated and lengthy than burning lime!

The first stage is preheating, where a low flame is used to slowly dry the moisture inside the clay balls. Then comes the heating stage, where the heat is gradually increased to raise the kiln temperature little by little.

Finally, there is the high-temperature firing stage, which is also the most crucial stage! The kiln temperature must be maintained above 1300 degrees Celsius for a period of time to allow the raw materials to fully undergo chemical reactions and form the silicate minerals required for cement clinker.

This process requires extremely precise control over the heat!

Lin Yue and Gray took turns pulling the nearly falling-off animal-hide bellows, their eyes fixed on the color of the flames at the kiln opening and the constantly fluctuating temperature data on the system interface.

Shi Quan, like a seasoned old captain, sat calmly on the fishing platform, occasionally issuing commands: "Strengthen the wind! The fire is a bit weak!" "Add two good pieces of charcoal! Don't skimp!" "The temperature is about right! Hold it steady! Don't let it fall!"

Inside the kiln, flames roared, turning the clay balls a bright red and even slightly whitish, emitting a peculiar, slightly sulfurous, burnt smell.

[System notification: The kiln temperature has reached 1350℃! The raw materials are undergoing complex physicochemical changes! Silicate minerals are beginning to form!]

Lin Yue's heart was in his throat! Success or failure hinged on this moment!

The high-temperature firing continued for several hours. Only when the surface of the clay balls inside the kiln began to show slight signs of melting, and the color turned dark gray or blackish-brown, did Shi Quan finally breathe a sigh of relief and wave his hand: "...That's about it! Stop the fire! Seal the kiln! Let it cool slowly!"

The subsequent cooling process was equally long and arduous.

Everyone waited with trepidation for the moment the kiln would be opened.

Finally, on the afternoon of the second day, after the kiln had completely cooled down, Lin Yue, with trembling hands, removed the mud sealing the kiln opening.

A slightly pungent smell, still warm from the previous day, wafted towards us.

Inside the kiln, those mud balls that were originally the size of fists had turned into pieces of dark-colored, hard, and somewhat rough-surfaced "stones".

These are cement clinker!

[System Notification: Successfully produced the first batch of [Silicone Cement Clinker (Crude)]! Quality: Medium to low (contains a small amount of unreacted raw materials and overburnt lumps). Main components: Tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, etc. Possesses basic cementing properties.]

[Gained 1000 experience points and 200 system points! Significantly increased proficiency in Chemistry/Materials Science/Firing skills!]

"Success! It's cement clinker!" Lin Yue was so excited he almost performed a kneeling slide for Uncle Stone Fist on the spot! Although the system's evaluation wasn't high, this was cement! Cement they had made themselves!

Next comes the final step – grinding!

Only by grinding these hard cement clinker into fine powder can they truly become cement!

This process once again highlighted the tragedy of outdated tools. They didn't have ball mills, so they could only use the most primitive method—stone mills!

Lin Yue and Gray took turns pushing the heavy stone millstone, grinding the cement clinker with great effort. Shi Quan was in charge of sifting, returning any particles that weren't ground fine enough to the millstone.

Dust filled the air, and sweat poured down like rain.

After a long day of hard work, they finally got... a small half-bag of gray, fine powder with a peculiar smell!

This is the first batch of cement produced by their small restaurant! Although the output is modest, it is of great significance!

[System notification: Successfully ground the first batch of [silicone cement (coarse)]! Quality: Poor (coarse particles, moderate activity). However, it already possesses basic cementing and hardening properties.]

Lin Yue held the small half-bag of cement powder, which was more precious than gold, and was so excited that he couldn't speak.

He couldn't wait to test the effects of this magical glue!

He had someone bring some sand and water, and then mixed the cement, sand and water together in a certain proportion, stirred it evenly, and made cement mortar!

Its color was dull and grayish, and it didn't look particularly eye-catching, but Lin Yue knew that this thing could create miracles!

He personally took charge and used the red bricks they had previously fired and the freshly baked cement mortar to build a small section of experimental wall on the open ground!

He carefully applied mortar, placed red bricks on top, applied mortar again, and placed red bricks on top again... Although his movements were clumsy, his eyes were incredibly focused!

Soon, a short section of red brick wall, about half a meter high and one meter long, appeared in front of everyone!

Although it was built crookedly and the gaps were not very even, it stood there steadily, exuding a kind of solidity that was completely different from the mud wall!

Lin Yue let it dry for half a day. After the cement mortar had initially solidified, he walked over and pushed that section of the wall with his hand.

It didn't budge an inch!

He put in even more effort!

The wall remains as solid as a mountain!

"Holy crap! This is so strong?!" Lin Yue was stunned! The adhesive effect was worlds apart from the pure mud they used before!

Gray stepped forward and curiously tapped the wall, producing a dull, solid sound. His eyes were filled with amazement!

Stone Fist's eyes widened as he circled the small section of red brick wall, occasionally poking and pressing it with his thick fingers, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"...This grayish-black powder...and the mud it produced...is actually this hard?! Kid, just how many strange and wonderful things are in your head?!"

The Budd family and the refugees also gathered around, looking at the red brick wall that stood out so brightly in the sunlight, and exclaimed and discussed it.

"My God! This wall is made of mud? How can it be so sturdy?"

"It's much better than the mud walls we used to build!"

"If we used this to build a house, we definitely wouldn't have to worry about wind and rain!"

The revolution in building materials came to Lin's Restaurant so unexpectedly!

Looking at the shocked, excited, and eager expressions on everyone's faces, Lin Yue felt a surge of pride!

Although the process was full of hardships and failures, the result was gratifying!

Lin Yue could almost see it: rows of brand-new red brick houses rising from the ground under the sun in the cursed land, inhabited by peaceful and contented residents, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys and laughter filling the air…

"Everyone!" Lin Yue took a deep breath, raised the bag of cement powder that was almost empty, and announced loudly, "The era of reinforced concrete for our little restaurant has officially arrived!"

Although no one understood what reinforced concrete was, that didn't stop everyone from cheering for this historic moment!