Hydration Characteristics and Microstructure of Alkali-Activated Slag Concrete: A Review

Alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC) is a new green building material. The amount of CO_(2) produced by AASC is 1/5th of that produced by ordinary Portland cement concrete (OPCC). In addition, AASC promotes the reuse of slag and other wastes and saves resources. Furthermore, the scope of use of slag has been expanded. The progress of the research on the hydration characteristics, microstructure, interfacial transition zone, and pore structure of AASC based on the relevant literatures was analyzed and summarized in this study. The influences of the slag composition, the type and dosage of the alkali activator, and the curing conditions on the hydration characteristics and the microstructure of the AASC were discussed. Relatively few research results on the microstructure of AASC are available, and the relevant conclusions are not completely consistent. Moreover, there are many constraints on the development of AASC (e.g., complex composition of raw materials of slag, large shrinkage deformation, and low fluidity). Therefore, further research is required.

Utilization of Recycled Concrete Powder in Cement Composite:Strength,Microstructure and Hydration Characteristics

Recycled concrete powder(RCP)is used more and more in cement-based materials,but its influence on the hydration process is still unclear.Therefore,this paper studied the influence of recycled concrete powder(RCP)on the hydration process of cement and provides a theoretical basis for the hydration mechanism of cement composite materials.The hydration heat method was used to systematically analyze the thermal evolution process of cement paste with or without RCP.Hydration products were identified using X-ray diffraction(XRD)and thermal analysis(TG–DSC).The pore structure change of cement pastes was analyzed by mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)method.The mechanical properties of mortar were also evaluated.Four recycled concrete powder(RCP)dosages,such as 10%,20%,30%and 40%are considered.The results indicate that with the increase of RCP content,the hydration heat release rate and total heat release amount of paste decreased,but the second heat release peak of hydration reaction advanced;the proportion of harmful pores and more harmful pores increases,the total porosity and the most probable pore size also increase;the fluidity and mechanical strength of mortar decrease,but the crystal type of hydration products does not change.When the content of RCP is less than 20%,it has little effect on the mechanical strength of mortar.When fly ash and silica fume are mixed,the fluidity difference of mortar decreases,and when the content of fly ash is the highest,the fluidity of mortar is the highest,which is 15mm higher than that of the control group.When RCP content is 15%,fly ash and silica fume content is 15%(FA:SF=3:2),the hydration heat of the clean pulp is the highest among all the compounding ratios,and the hydration reaction is the most complete;the proportion of harmless pores increased by 9.672%,the proportion of harmful pores and more harmful pores decreased,and the compactness of material structure increased;the compressive strength and flexural strength of mortar reached 50.6 MPa and 9 MPa respectively,both exceeding those of control mortar.

Pore structure formation and hydration characteristics of cement paste with temperature rising inhibitor

The early-age thermal cracking easily generates and severely impairs the durability of concrete.The temperature rising inhibitor(TRI)was utilized to regulate the temperature evolution by controlling the cement hydration process.This paper aimed to investigate the pore structure formation and hydration characteristics of cement paste containing TRI by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance.The experiment showed that the T_(2) peak of cement paste shifted from 7.32 ms to 0.23 ms regardless of TRI addition.But the pattern of pore structure formation was changed with TRI addition,that is,the pore structure formation was delayed,and the pore successively shifted to left in two parts.In addition,TRI addition significantly prolonged the duration of gel pore formation and greatly decreased the increase rate of gel water,which implied that TRI introduction hindered the growth of C-S-H,and subsequently decreased the hydration rates and delayed the main hydration peak.Meanwhile,TRI dissolved and diffused rapidly at 40℃,delaying the hydration of cement paste seriously.Moreover,TRI brought about the C-S-H nucleation homogeneous and the ion concentration uniform,which might reduce the localized curvature occurring on the sheet of C-S-H,and then decreased the T_(2) intensity of capillary water and gel water.

Resource utilization of drinking water treatment aluminum sludge in green cementing materials: Hydration characteristics and hydration kinetics

As a byproduct of water treatment,drinking water treatment aluminum sludge(DWTAS)has challenges related to imperfect treatment and disposal,which has caused potential harm to human health and the environment.In this paper,heat treatment DWTAS as a supplement cementitious material was used to prepare a green cementing material.The results show that the 800℃ is considered as the optimum heat treatment temperature for DWTAS.DWTAS-800℃ is fully activated after thermal decomposition to form incompletely crystallized highly activeγ-Al_(2)O_(3) and active SiO_(2).The addition of DWTAS promoted the formation of ettringite and C-(A)-S-H gel,which could make up for the low early compressive strength of cementing materials to a certain extent.When cured for 90 days,the compressive strength of the mortar with 30% DWTAS-800℃ reached 44.86 MPa.The dynamic process was well simulated by Krstulovi′c-Dabi′c hydration kinetics model.This study provided a methodology for the fabrication of environmentally friendly and cost-effective compound cementitiousmaterials and proposed a“waste-to-resource”strategy for the sustainable management of typical solid wastes.

Immobilization of Co(Ⅱ) Ions in Cement Pastes and Their Effects on the Hydration Characteristics

The immobilization of Co（Ⅱ） in various cement matrices was investigated by using the solidification/stabilization（S/S） technique.The different cement pastes used in this study were ordinary Portland cement in absence and presence of water reducing-and water repelling-admixtures as well as blended cement with kaolin.Two ratios of Co（Ⅱ） were used（0.5% and 1.0% by weight of the solid binder）.The hydration characteristics of the used cement pastes were tested via the determination of the combined water content,phase composition and compressive strength at different time intervals up to 180 d.The degree of immobilization of the added heavy metal ions was evaluated by determining the leached ion concentration after time intervals extended up to 180 d.The leachability experiments were carried out by using two modes：the static and the semi-dynamic leaching processes.It was noticed that the concentration of the leached Co2＋ ions in the static mode of leachability was lower than the solubility of its hydroxide in all the investigated cement pastes.

Migration and accumulation characteristics of natural gas hydrates in the uplifts and their slope zones in the Qiongdongnan Basin,China

Various factors controlling the accumulation of natural gas hydrates(NGHs)form various enrichment and accumulation modes through organic combination.This study mainly analyzes the geological and geophysical characteristics of the NGHs occurrence in the uplifts and their slope zones within the deep-water area in the Qiongdongnan(QDN)Basin(also referred to as the study area).Furthermore,it investigates the dominant governing factors and models of NGHs migration and accumulation in the study area.The results are as follows.(1)The uplifts and their slope zones in the study area lie in the dominant pressure-relief direction of fluids in central hydrocarbon-rich sags in the area,which provide sufficient gas sources for the NGHs accumulation and enrichment through pathways such as gas chimneys and faults.(2)The top and flanks of gas chimneys below the bottom simulating reflectors(BSRs)show high-amplitude seismic reflections and pronounced transverse charging of free gas,indicating the occurrence of a large amount of gas accumulation at the heights of the uplifts.(3)Chimneys,faults,and high-porosity and high-permeability strata,which connect the gas hydrate temperature-pressure stability zones(GHSZs)with thermogenic gas and biogenic gas,form the main hydrate migration system.(4)The reservoir system in the study area comprises sedimentary interlayers consisting of mass transport deposits(MTDs)and turbidites.In addition,the reservoir system has developed fissure-and pore-filling types of hydrates in the pathways.The above well-matched controlling factors of hydrate accumulation enable the uplifts and their slope zones in the study area to become the favorable targets of NGHs exploration.

Effect of Limestone Powder on Microstructure of Concrete

The effect of limestone powder on microstructure of concrete was studied by using mercury intrusion porosimetry （MIP）, backscattering scanning electron（BSE）, scanning electron mi- croscopy （SEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD） techniques. The experimental results show that the compressive strength of concrete containing 100 kg/m3 limestone powder can meet the strength requirement. Limestone powder has not pozzolanic activity; it is still unhydrated at the age of 28 days. But its filling effect can make the paste matrix and the interfacial transition zone between matrix and aggregate denser, which will improve the performance of concrete.

Research methods and devices for hydrate characteristics during oil and gas transportation:A review

Due to the high-pressure and low-temperature exploitation environment,the characteristics of hydrates are directly related to the safety of pipeline transportation,which is an important research topic for deep-sea flow assurance.In this review,six kinds of extensively used experimental equipment and three types of hot computer simulation methods,which are employed to explore the hydrate characteristics under deep-sea conditions,are comprehensively summarized,covering micro to macro research scales.The experimental equipment includes rotational rheometer,flow loop,high-pressure reactor,differential scanning calorimeter(DSC),micromechanical force(MMF)testing apparatus and microscopic morphology observation(MMO)device.The computer simulation methods involve numerical simulation,molecular dynamics(MD)simulation,Monte Carlo(MC)simulation and first-principles calculation.Their advantages and disadvantages are compared in detail,and their basic principles,main applications and the latest research progress are introduced.Some suggestions for future research methods are also provided.This work aims to help readers quickly grasp the characteristics of the most used research methods,choose suitable methods for their study and further expand these methods,so as to advance the development in hydrate research area.

Influence of foraminifera on formation and occurrence characteristics of natural gas hydrates in fine-grained sediments from Shenhu area, South China Sea

Marine gas hydrates accumulate primarily in coarse-grained, high-permeability layers; however, highly saturated natural gas hydrates have been discovered in the fine-grained sediments of Shenhu area, South China Sea(SCS). This may be explained by key factors, such as the great abundance of foraminifera shells. In this paper, by analyzing the SCS foraminifera structure and performing hydrate formation experiments in the foraminifera shells, the contribution of foraminifera to hydrate accumulation in the SCS was investigated from a microscopic point of view. Simulations of hydrate formation were carried out in both pure SCS foraminifera shells and the host sediments. Pore structures in typical foraminifera were studied by use of micro-focus X-ray computed tomography(CT) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). Hydrate growth and occurrence characteristics in the foraminifera shells were observed in-situ. The results showed that the presence of foraminifera significantly enhanced the effective porosity of the SCS sediments. Moreover, while the hydrates grew preferentially in the chambers of the coarse-grained foraminifera by adhering to the inner walls of the foraminifera shells, no apparent hydrate accumulation was observed in the fine-grained or argillaceous matrix. These findings provide a basis for further studies on the accumulation mechanism of hydrates and physical properties of hydrate reservoir in the South China Sea.