In their 112-year history, the many special characteristics of Calcium Aluminate Cements have led to their use in all kinds of applications that are beyond the capabilities of other cements, such as Portland cements. This encompasses characteristics such as chemical resistance, rapid hardening properties, high temperature resistance, and an ideal component for blended systems and many more. The first International conference on calcium aluminate cements was held in London in 1990 and since then there have been further events in Edinburgh (2001) and twice in Avignon, France (2008 and 2014). This volume presents the fifth conference in this series and once again provides essential reading for anyone interested in the subject. This volume contains over 60 international contributions with the most up to date information about calcium aluminates and their unique properties. Topics covered include new types, hydration and durability studies including blended systems, the latter are now widely used and some of these have significantly different hydration chemistry to the pure calcium aluminates. A variety of applications of these interesting cements is covered, including traditional applications such as concretes for contrasting marine situations (seabed and coastal), temperature-resistant refractory applications, formulated blended systems within the building chemistry sector along with the necessary admixtures and the many uses in corrosive biogenic situations that give sewage system infrastructure a considerably longer lifespan. Other new applications are also explored including 3D printing, thermochemical storage encapsulation, oil well cements, and ettringite-based repair systems. The peer-reviewed papers presented in these proceedings include a wide variety of techniques used by the authors to deliver new understanding of aspects of these cements and will undoubtedly drive future research into the various aspects of these cements.
