ALY ELBANNA
Film · animated scientific atlas

How Concrete Is Made

An animated scientific atlas that follows one calcium atom, Ca-01, from a limestone quarry to a concrete slab twenty-eight days old: blasted, burned, ground, batched, poured, hydrated and tested. Every number on screen is sourced.

2 min 15 s · with sound · 1080p
7
plates
1
calcium atom
135 s
running time
0
unsourced numbers
Seven plates

Quarry to slab, one plate a stage.

Plate I, Quarry: Drill, blast pattern and the primary jaw crusher
I QuarryDrill, blast pattern and the primary jaw crusher
Plate II, Kiln: Calcination at 900 °C, clinker at 1,450 °C
II KilnCalcination at 900 °C, clinker at 1,450 °C
Plate III, Cement Mill: Clinker ground with about 5% gypsum
III Cement MillClinker ground with about 5% gypsum
Plate IV, Batch Plant: A recipe by weight, and the slump test
IV Batch PlantA recipe by weight, and the slump test
Plate V, The Pour: Ninety minutes to place, then finish and cure
V The PourNinety minutes to place, then finish and cure
Plate VI, Hydration: The water disappears into crystal
VI HydrationThe water disappears into crystal
Plate VII, Twenty-Eight Days: Strength is a curve that keeps rising
VII Twenty-Eight DaysStrength is a curve that keeps rising
How it was made

Drawn in code, frame by frame.

Canvas 2D

Hand-coded, no footage

Every line, hatch, label and moving part is drawn by JavaScript on a Canvas 2D surface, seeded so each frame renders the same every time. No image or video assets.

Score

Synthesised in the browser

The ambient bed is generated with the Web Audio API and rendered offline with the frames: no samples, no recorded music.

22 min

Built with Claude Code

Written plate by plate with Claude Code against a storyboard, an art bible and a sources file. 135 seconds, 4,050 frames, rendered in 22 minutes.

Sources

Every number, and where it comes from.

Sources, plate by plate PCA · ACI · ASTM · NIST · NRC · BGS

Plate I · Quarry

  • Limestone share of raw meal about 79% by mass verifiedBGS Mineral Planning Factsheet: Cement, raw materials
  • Clay/shale share the balance, about 21% verifiedsame
  • Raw meal per tonne of clinker about 1.6 t (brief said 1.5) correctedverifiedBGS, raw materials and clinker
  • CaCO3 the carrier at this stage verifiedchemistry, CaCO3 = limestone
  • ELAPSED T+0, TEMP 55 °F, STATE rock, STRENGTH 0 psi plate values; rev 2 names the temperature where rev 1 read ambient verifiedbrief rev 2 §3. 55 °F is a plate value and sits inside the ACI 301/306 placing band 50 to 90 °F already carried for plate V
  • Blast pattern: bench height brief draws 30 to 50 ft — the source gives 10 to 15 m (33 to 49 ft), and its worked pattern uses 12 m (39 ft) correctedrangecementequipment.org, Bench Blasting in the Cement Quarry — see Reference material
  • Blast pattern: hole diameter brief draws 4 in (102 mm) — the source's production holes run 102 to 251 mm (4 to 9.9 in): DTH 102 to 165 mm, rotary tricone 115 to 251 mm, top-hammer 64 to 102 mm for secondary and trim rows. Its worked pattern uses 115 mm (4.5 in) rangesame page
  • Blast pattern: hole spacing brief draws 10 to 15 ft — the source's rule is S = 1.1 to 1.3 x B with B = 30 to 40 x d, which for a 4 in hole gives 11 to 17 ft; the worked pattern uses 4.2 m (14 ft) with B 3.5 m (11.5 ft) correctedrangesame page
  • Blast pattern: stemming 0.7 to 1.0 x B of crushed stone or drill cuttings; worked pattern 3.0 m (10 ft) verifiedsame page
  • Blast pattern: ANFO charge ammonium nitrate 94% + fuel oil 6%; worked pattern 9.3 kg/m and 93 kg per hole verifiedsame page; backed by Orica's ANFO product page (dry blast holes only)
  • Powder factor (this doc only) 0.45 kg of explosive per t of limestone verifiedsame page
  • Primary jaw crusher the first reduction stage: the blast breaks rock to a size the primary crusher accepts, and the jaw feeds the raw mill verifiedsame page
  • Ca-01 reticle ring in the blast frame #D9773A, not magenta verifiedbrief rev 2 §5, rev 1 carry-over defect
  • Yellow bracket at the plate's right edge deleted verifiedbrief rev 2 §5, rev 1 carry-over defect

Plate II · Kiln

  • Raw mill limestone and clay ground together to raw meal (flour) and fed to the kiln verifiedcementequipment.org, raw milling; the source describes the raw meal as the kiln's flour-fine feed
  • Calcination temperature about 900 °C verifiedTaylor, Cement Chemistry; kiln process literature
  • Clinkering temperature about 1,450 °C verifiedTaylor; kiln process literature
  • CaCO3 to CaO + CO2 the "lost molecule" verifiedcalcination stoichiometry
  • CO2 per tonne of cement (on screen) about 0.6 t correctedverifiedcement sector intensity figures (CEEW/industry)
  • Process CO2 per tonne of clinker 0.52 t (this doc only) verifiedprocess chemistry / EPA
  • Gross CO2 per tonne of clinker about 0.87 t (this doc only) verifiedindustry gross intensity
  • Kiln temperatures in °C per brief §6 verifiedbrief
  • ELAPSED T+2 h, TEMP 1,200 °C, STATE clinker plate values; rev 1 and the brief drew 1,100 °C correctedverifiedbrief rev 2 §3; kiln exit per cementkilns.co.uk, accepted at the step 1 gate (build-log STEP1-01)

Plate III · Cement Mill

  • Clinker nodule size 10 to 25 mm verifiedcementequipment.org, clinker coolers; NCDOT mix design manual: hard spherical nodules "approximately 25 mm or less"
  • Grate cooler duty cools the clinker from kiln temperature to ambient +50 to 100 °C, with cooling air across the grate verifiedcementequipment.org, clinker coolers
  • Gypsum addition about 5% by mass, interground with the clinker to control setting verifiedNCDOT Concrete Mix Design Manual: "finely ground along with small amounts of gypsum (i.e. 5%) to control setting"; NIST SP 958: "intergrinding of clinker with a mass fraction of about 5 % gypsum"
  • Blaine fineness brief draws 350 to 400 m²/kg — the source band for Type I and II cements is about 300 to 400 m²/kg, and ASTM C150 sets only a floor of 260 m²/kg correctedrangeNCDOT manual, fineness; ASTM C150 physical requirements, specific surface ≥ 260 m²/kg
  • Ball mill clinker plus gypsum ground together, the step that turns clinker into cement verifiedNCDOT manual; NIST SP 958
  • ELAPSED T+6 h, TEMP ambient, STATE clinker plate values verifiedbrief rev 2 §3
  • Ca-01 rides a clinker nodule into the mill and leaves as a single grain of cement verifiedbrief rev 2 §3 — the plate device, not a measurement

Plate IV · Batch Plant

  • Aggregate by volume 60 to 75% rangePCA, Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures; NRMCA
  • Cement by volume 10 to 15% correctedrangesame — the brief's 7 to 15% did not match
  • Water by volume 15 to 20% correctedrangesame — the brief's 14 to 21% did not match
  • Air by volume 5 to 8% correctedrangesame — the brief said "up to 8%"
  • Unit strength f'c 4,000 psi verifiedACI 211 design table, Design of 3,000 to 6,000 psi — the 4,000 psi row: concrete.org
  • Weight stack, cement 560 lb/yd3 (table: 564) — typical verifiedsame row. Rounded to the nearest 10 lb per the brief
  • Weight stack, water 310 lb/yd3 (table: 37.5 gal = 313 lb) — typical verifiedsame row
  • Weight stack, coarse aggregate 1,800 lb/yd3 — typical verifiedsame row
  • Weight stack, fine aggregate 1,260 lb/yd3 — typical verifiedsame row
  • w/c ratio, design 0.45 verifiedMnDOT Concrete Manual 5-694.213 Figure B: air-entrained at w/c 0.45 gives about 4,300 psi: dot.state.mn.us
  • w/c ratio, the 4,000 psi row 0.56 verifiedACI table above — the same row the weights come from
  • Air content, design 6% on the batch ticket; target band 6 to 7% verifiedACI deck batch ticket reads Air 6% beside a 564 lb cement ticket; MnDOT 5-694.221 Type 3 (air-entrained) specifies a 6.5% target and holds 6 to 7%, limits 5 to 8%
  • Discharge limit 90 minutes or 300 drum revolutions verifiedASTM C94
  • Slump test, drawn beside the truck the cone is filled in three lifts, rodded each lift, the cone is lifted and the drop is measured against the cone; labelled ASTM C143 verifiedASTM C143 / AASHTO T119; procedure described by the University of Arkansas CTTP test page and Iowa State's Intrans slump sheet — see Reference material
  • ELAPSED T+7 h, TEMP 70 °F, STATE paste plate values verifiedbrief rev 2 §3

Plate V · The Pour

  • Slump 4 in rangeASTM C143 measures it; 4 in is typical for a slab mix. Rev 2 draws the test itself on plate IV, so this row is now shown as a measured value
  • Placement temperature 50 to 90 °F rangeACI 301 / ACI 306, hot and cold weather placing limits
  • Drum revolutions 300 verifiedASTM C94
  • 90-minute deadline clock stops at 88:24 verifiedASTM C94, 90 min limit
  • Finishing sequence bull float, then steel trowel verifiedbrief rev 2 §3; standard slab practice — the float brings the mortar to the surface before the trowel closes it
  • Curing compound sprayed from a wand, labelled ASTM C309 verifiedASTM C309, Liquid Membrane-Forming Compounds for Curing Concrete — the compound holds mixing water in the slab while it hydrates: store.astm.org
  • ELAPSED T+8 h, TEMP 75 °F, STATE paste plate values verifiedbrief rev 2 §3

Plate VI · Hydration

  • Initial set 2 to 4 hours rangePCA, hydration and set times; ASTM C403 defines the test method
  • Final set 6 to 8 hours rangesame
  • Hydration heat peak about 11 h after mixing, at about 97 °F rangePCA, heat of hydration — the peak falls in the first day; the plate draws it at 11 h and reads 95 °F at 8 h
  • The reaction, on screen as C3S + H2O → C-S-H + Ca(OH)2 alite hydration, the strength-giving reaction verifiedTaylor, Cement Chemistry, alite hydration; PCA, hydration products
  • Microscope field width 200 µm across, with a 50 µm scale bar drawn verifieda plate value fixed by the subject: cement grains run from about 10 to 50 µm (PCA Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, particle size; Taylor), so a 200 µm field holds a few grains with room for the fuzz between them. The drawn bar sets the scale at 6.05 px per µm
  • Log values: ELAPSED T+8 h, TEMP 95 °F, STATE PASTE → GEL, STRENGTH 0 to ~50 psi plate values, read at the end of the first day verifiedbrief §2, plate VI row (gel / T+8 h to T+1 d / 95 °F / ~50 psi). The temperature rise and the paste-to-gel change are PCA, heat of hydration and hydration products; ASTM C403 defines initial and final set by penetration resistance, not by compressive strength, so the strength ramp is a reading of the first day and is not offered as a test value
  • Mass concrete temperature limit 160 °F (71 °C) correctedverifiedACI 301-20 mass concrete — the brief's 158 °F is the older metric-derived value
  • C-S-H, Ca(OH)2 products named, not numbered verifiedPCA hydration products
  • w/c inset: the 0.45 column 0.45, the air-entrained slab mix's ratio, drawn as the tighter paste verifiedMnDOT 5-694.213 Figure B, the same row plate IV already carries
  • w/c inset: the 0.65 column 0.65, a real design row: ACI 211's table for a 3,000 psi air-entrained mix is w/c 0.65 — 470 lb cement and 36.5 gal (304 lb) water per yd3 verifiedACI 211 design table in the ACI deck already cited for plate IV
  • Rule the label states: MORE WATER, MORE PORES, LESS STRENGTH water beyond what the cement consumes stays as capillary porosity: more water in the mix means more capillary volume left when the water leaves, and the paste is weaker as that porosity rises verifiedPowers' model: Bentz, Irassar, Bucher and Weiss, Limestone Fillers Conserve Cement, Part 1: An Analysis Based on Powers' Model (NIST) — capillary porosity computed from w/c and degree of hydration; ACI, New Strength Model Based on Water-Cement Ratio and Capillary Porosity; and the pore structure handed down from Powers and Brownyard: capillary pores are the residue of the water-filled space in the fresh paste

Plate VII · Twenty-Eight Days

  • Strength at 3 days about 40% rangePCA strength-age data; ACI 209 model
  • Strength at 7 days about 65% rangesame
  • Strength at 14 days about 90% rangesame
  • Strength at 28 days 100%, f'c 4,000 psi rangesame, and the definition of design strength
  • Moist cure 7 days verifiedACI 308R, curing concrete
  • Cylinder test ASTM C39 verifiedtest method
  • Coda: AND IT KEEPS GAINING FOR YEARS label only, no number drawn, with the x-axis extended past day 28 to 1 yr and 10 yr verifiedbrief rev 2 §3. The claim itself is sourced below
  • Strength gain after 28 days the curve has not finished: ACI 225R-91 Figure 6.1 typical strength development (Type II, moist cured) reads 28 d 3,450 psi, 90 d 4,200, 180 d 5,200, 1 yr 5,650, 2 yr 6,200, 5 yr 6,500 — ratios to the 28-day value of 1.22, 1.51, 1.64, 1.80 and 1.88. Field data are documented to 50 years, and after about 5 years the gains become small verifiedUS NRC, Crystal River Unit 3, design calculation S-00-0047, post-90-day strength gain section, quoting ACI 225R-91: nrc.gov
  • Measured 28-to-90-day gains (this doc only) 1.12 to 1.34 across three mixes at one plant verifiedsame document
  • ELAPSED T+28 d, TEMP 60 °F, STATE gel, STRENGTH 4,000 psi plate values verifiedbrief rev 2 §3

Reference material

  • PCA, Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures (EB001) — proportions, hydration, set times, strength-age.
  • NRMCA, Concrete in Practice series — volume proportions, air content.
  • ASTM C94 — ready-mixed concrete: 90 minutes, 300 revolutions.
  • ASTM C403 — time of setting by penetration resistance.
  • ASTM C39 — compressive strength of cylindrical specimens.
  • ASTM C143 — slump.
  • ACI 308R — curing; ACI 301 — specifications, mass concrete limit; ACI 209 — strength-age.
  • Taylor, Cement Chemistry — kiln temperatures and clinker phases.
  • IEA and GCCA cement sector data — CO2 intensity.
  • BGS Mineral Planning Factsheet: Cement — raw materials and clinker factors.
  • ACI, Laws and Principles of Concrete Mixture Design (Convention session deck) — the design table for 3,000 to 6,000 psi, and the air-entrained batch ticket: concrete.org
  • MnDOT Concrete Manual, Chapter 2 — 5-694.213 Figure B (w/c against strength, air-entrained) and 5-694.221 (Type 3 air-entrained, 6.5% target): dot.state.mn.us
  • cementequipment.org, Bench Blasting in the Cement Quarry — bench height 10 to 15 m, hole diameter classes (top-hammer 64 to 102 mm, DTH 102 to 165 mm, rotary tricone 115 to 251 mm), burden B = 30 to 40 x d, spacing S = 1.1 to 1.3 x B, stemming 0.7 to 1.0 x B, ANFO 94/6, the worked pattern (12 m bench, 115 mm holes, 3.5 m x 4.2 m, 93 kg per hole, powder factor 0.45 kg/t), and the primary crusher's role: cementequipment.org
  • cementequipment.org, Cement Kiln Coolers and kiln-systems pages — clinker nodules 10 to 25 mm, the grate cooler's duty, and the 1,300 to 1,450 °C kiln-to-cooler transfer.
  • cementkilns.co.uk — "clinker leaves the kiln at 1,200 °C or more".
  • NCDOT, Concrete Mix Design Manual (Rev 08-19) — clinker nodules "approximately 25 mm or less", grinding with "small amounts of gypsum (i.e. 5%)", and Blaine fineness of modern Type I/II cements "about 300 m2/kg to 400 m2/kg": connect.ncdot.gov
  • NIST SP 958, Calculation of Compounds in Portland Cements — "intergrinding of clinker with a mass fraction of about 5 % gypsum": nvlpubs.nist.gov
  • ASTM C150 — portland cement, physical requirement specific surface (Blaine) 260 m2/kg minimum.
  • ASTM C309 — liquid membrane-forming compounds for curing concrete: store.astm.org
  • ASTM C143 / AASHTO T119 — slump; procedure descriptions at the University of Arkansas CTTP test method page (cttp-dyn.uark.edu) and Iowa State's Intrans slump sheet (intrans.iastate.edu).
  • US NRC, Crystal River Unit 3, design calculation S-00-0047 — post-90-day strength gain, quoting ACI 225R-91 Figure 6.1: nrc.gov
  • Bentz, Irassar, Bucher and Weiss, Limestone Fillers Conserve Cement, Part 1: An Analysis Based on Powers' Model (NIST) — Powers' model and capillary porosity: tsapps.nist.gov
  • ACI, New Strength Model Based on Water-Cement Ratio and Capillary Porosity — strength against capillary porosity rather than w/c alone.
  • Orica, ANFO product data — dry blast holes only, and the 94/6 ammonium nitrate / fuel oil composition.
ELBANNA PRODUCTIONSA film by Aly ElBanna · 2026
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