pengerasan

Pengerasan is a term used in Indonesian and Malay to describe the process of making something harder, stronger, or more rigid. The precise meaning depends on the field, but it generally refers to inducing hardening, strengthening, or stiffening of a material or substrate.

In geotechnical and construction contexts, pengerasan often refers to soil stabilization or ground improvement. This involves adding binders such as cement, lime, or other additives to soil and using compaction or curing to increase strength, reduce ductility, and improve durability. The goal is to raise bearing capacity, reduce settlement, and enhance performance of foundations, pavements, or earthworks.

In materials science and engineering, pengerasan can describe concrete curing, where hydration reactions between cement, water, and aggregates increase strength and durability over time. It also covers heat treatment processes in metals, where methods like quenching and tempering, as well as surface or case hardening, raise hardness and wear resistance.

Etymologically, pengerasan derives from the root keras, meaning hard, with affixes that convey the act or process of making something harder. The term is common in technical texts in Indonesia and Malaysia and is used across civil engineering, construction, and materials science to denote intentional hardening or strengthening actions.