Composite roofing structures can include mineral fiber roof cover boards with high concentration of mineral wool or mineral wool and perlite. The roofing structure may include: a roof cover board including a dried base mat including: 8-25% mineral wool, 40-65% perlite, 9-15% binder, 9-15% cellulosic fiber, and 0.25-2% sizing agent, all % by weight; an insulation layer; and a roofing membrane. The roof cover board is over the insulation layer, the roofing membrane is over the roof cover board. The roof cover board is attached to the insulation layer. The roofing membrane is attached to the roof cover board. Alternatively dried base mat may include: 30-70% mineral wool, 10-50% perlite, 5-15% binder, 2-20% cellulosic fiber, and 0.25-2% sizing agent. Alternatively the dried base mat may include: 60-90% mineral wool, 0-10% fiber, 0-10% perlite, 4-10% binder, 0-5% gypsum, and 0.25-2% sizing agent.

A method of making a structural lightweight and thermal insulating concrete is described. The concrete has a coarse aggregate partly replaced by recycled plastic pieces. This enables the concrete to maintain a high compressive strength, low thermal conductivity, and low weight, while providing a use for waste plastic. The waste plastic pieces may comprise polyethylene in the form of flakes, fibers, or granules. Due to its low unit weight, adequate compressive strength and high thermal resistance the developed concrete can be used as a structural lightweight and thermal insulating concrete. The use of this concrete leads to economic and environmental benefits.

A method for designing a cement composition may include: providing a target compressive strength and a target composition density; selecting at least one cementitious material from a plurality of cementitious materials; calculating a required amount of water to produce a cement composition with the target composition density, the cement composition comprising the water and the at least one cementitious material; calculating a compressive strength of the cement composition based at least in part on a model of compressive strength; comparing the calculated compressive strength to the target compressive strength; and preparing the cement composition with the calculated compressive strength.

A method of designing a cement composition may include: minimizing an objective function subject to a plurality of constraints to produce a cement composition including at least one cement component and water; and preparing the cement composition.

A method may include providing a cement composition comprising ground vitrified clay, hydrated lime, and water; and introducing the cement composition into a subterranean formation.

A production line and process including a moving carrier web for transporting the panel, and a device for controlling thickness of a formed, but not yet set, fiber reinforced cementitious panel slurry on the web. The thickness control device may include an angled rigid plate for contacting a downstream end of the angled plate with the slurry on the moving carrier web and a mounting stand for mounting the angled rigid. The thickness control device may include a flat horizontal plate at a fixed height over the moving carrier for contacting the entire lower surface of the horizontal plate with a facer on the slurry on the moving carrier web. Or, the thickness control device may include the angled plate and include the horizontal plate that contacts the facer.

Cement slurries, cured cements, and methods of making cured cement and methods of using cement slurries are provided. The cement slurry contains water, a cement precursor material, an alcohol surfactant having from 10 to 20 carbon atoms and a carboxylic acid comprising an aliphatic chain having from 16 to 18 carbons. In some embodiments, the alcohol surfactant may comprise the formula R—(OC.sub.2H.sub.4).sub.x—OH where R is a hydrocarbyl group having from 10 to 20 carbons and x is an integer from 1 to 10. The cured cement contains water, cement, an alcohol surfactant having from 10 to 20 carbon atoms and a carboxylic acid comprising an aliphatic chain having from 16 to 18 carbons. In some embodiments, the alcohol surfactant may comprise the formula R—(OC.sub.2H.sub.4).sub.x—OH where R is a hydrocarbyl group having from 10 to 20 carbons and x is an integer from 1 to 10.

Cement slurries, cured cements, and methods of making cured cement and methods of using cement slurries are provided. The cement slurry contains water, a cement precursor material, an alcohol surfactant having from 10 to 20 carbon atoms and a carboxylic acid comprising an aliphatic chain having from 16 to 18 carbons. In some embodiments, the alcohol surfactant may comprise the formula R—(OC.sub.2H.sub.4).sub.x—OH where R is a hydrocarbyl group having from 10 to 20 carbons and x is an integer from 1 to 10. The cured cement contains water, cement, an alcohol surfactant having from 10 to 20 carbon atoms and a carboxylic acid comprising an aliphatic chain having from 16 to 18 carbons. In some embodiments, the alcohol surfactant may comprise the formula R—(OC.sub.2H.sub.4).sub.x—OH where R is a hydrocarbyl group having from 10 to 20 carbons and x is an integer from 1 to 10.

A low-density, high-strength concrete composition that is lightweight and self-compacting or non-self-compacting, with a low weight-fraction of aggregate to total dry raw materials, and a highly-homogenous distribution of a non-absorptive and closed-cell lightweight aggregate such as glass microspheres or copolymer polymer beads or a combination thereof, and the steps of providing the composition or components. Lightweight concretes formed therefrom have low density, high strength-to-weight ratios, and high R-value. The concrete has strength similar to that ordinarily found in structural lightweight concrete but at a lower density, such as an oven-dried density as low as 40 lbs./cu.ft. Such strength-to-density ratios range approximately from above 30 cu.ft/sq.in. to above 110 cu.ft/sq.in., with a 28-day compressive strength ranging from about 3400 to 8000 psi.

A composite product comprising a metakaolin-based mineral polymer. The composite product has a number of applications including use as a fire resistant material, use as a thermally insulating material and use as an impact resistance material. Methods of preparing a composite product according to the present invention and a kit of parts for preparing the composite product are also disclosed.