Vicat Prompt natural fast-setting Roman cement

Vicat Prompt Roman cement can be placed between natural hydraulic lime NHL 5 and Portland cement in terms of strength and hydraulic properties.

Thanks to the special composition of the clinker, it is a fast-setting cement that also hardens under water. In order to ensure the appropriate workability time, it requires a variable amount of natural setting retarder, e.g. citric acid.
The English engineer Smeaton first experienced in 1756 that burning limestone with a certain amount of clay and sand results in lime with increased strength, setting under water, and special properties, which he called Roman or Romanian cement.

The first practical application is attributed to Louis Vicat, who in 1822 used this material to build a bridge called "Pont Angouleme" over the Dordogne River in France according to a modified recipe, which was considered a technical feat at the time. Shortly afterwards, in the 1840s, the first building based on this technology was completed in Hungary, which was none other than the pillars of the Chain Bridge.
The use of Roman cement in Hungary reached its peak between 1870 and 1910.