Effect of Hydrated Calcium Aluminate Cement on the Chloride Immobilization of Portland Cement Paste

To improve the efficiency and stability of chloride immobilization of portland cement paste,hydrated calcium aluminate cement(HCAC)prepared by wet grinding of CAC was added into portland cement paste as an additive.The immobilized chloride ratio(ICR)was evaluated,and the mechanism of chloride immobilization was researched by XRD,DTG,NMR,and MIP tests.The analysis results demonstrated that HCAC could improve the chloride immobilization capacity of portland cement paste.The mechanism was attributed to the following aspects:chemical binding capacity was enhanced via producing more Kuzel’s salt;physical adsorption capacity was reduced by decreasing the C-S-H gel;migration resistance was enhanced through refining the pore structure.

Effects of temperatures and pH values on rheological properties of cemented paste backfill

In this study,different influence mechanisms associated with temperatures and pH values were investigated through cemented paste backfill(CPB)systems.CPB samples were prepared with temperatures ranging from 10 to 50℃ in 10℃ increments and pH values of 3,7,and 13.Then,the CPB mixture were subjected to rheological tests,thermogravimetric analysis(TG),derivative thermogravimetry analysis(DTG),Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).Results demonstrated that the temperatures had significant effects on the rheological properties of CPB,whereas the effects of pH values were relatively unapparent.Higher temperatures(over 20℃)were prone to bring higher shear stress,yield stress,and apparent viscosity with the same pH value condition.However,an overly high temperature(50℃)cannot raise the apparent viscosity.Non-neutral conditions,for pH values of 3 and 13,could strengthen the shear stress and apparent viscosity at the same temperature.Two different yield stress curves could be discovered by uprising pH values,which also led to apparent viscosity of two various curves under the same temperatures(under 50℃).Microscopically,rheological properties of CPB were affected by temperatures and pH values which enhanced or reduced the cement hydration procedures,rates,products and space structures.

Characterisation, Analysis and Design of Hydrated Cement Treated Crushed Rock Base as a Road Base Material in Western Australia

Hydrated Cement Treated Crushed Rock Base （HCTCRB） is widely used as a base course in Western Australian pavements. HCTCRB has been designed and used as a basis for empirical approaches and in empirical practices. These methods are not all-encompassing enough to adequately explain the behaviour of HCTCRB in the field. Recent developments in mechanistic approaches have proven more reliable in the design and analysis of pavement, making it possible to more effectively document the characteristics of HCTCRB. The aim of this study was to carry out laboratory testing to assess the mechanical characteristics of HCTCRB. Conventional triaxial tests and repeated load triaxial tests （RLT tests） were performed. Factors affecting the performance of HCTCRB, namely hydration periods and the amount of added water were also investigated. It was found that the shear strength parameters of HCTCRB were 177 kPa for cohesion （c） and 42~ for the internal friction angle （~）. The hydration period, and the water added in this investigation affected the performance of HCTCRB. However, the related trends associated with such factors could not be assessed. All HCTCRB samples showed stress-dependency behaviour. Based on the stress stages of this experiment, the resilient modulus values of HCTCRB ranged from 300 MPa to 1100 MPa. CIRCLY, a computer program based on the multi-layer elastic theory was used in the mechanistic approach to pavement design and analysis, to determine the performance of a typical pavement model using HCTCRB as a base course layer. The mechanistic pavement design parameters for HCTCRB as a base course material were then introduced. The analysis suggests that the suitable depth for HCTCRB as a base layer for WA roads is at least 185 mm for the design equivalent standard axle （ESA） of 10 million.

Simulation of Cement Hydration and Porous Structures by the Hydration-Pixel Probability Model

This research proposes a new pixel-based model called the hydration-pixel probability model which aims to simplify cement hydration as a probability problem.The hydration capacity of cement,the solution within pores,and the difiusion of solid particles are represented by three probability functions derived from experimental data obtained through electrical resistivity and hydration heat measurements.The principle of the model is relatively simple,and the parameters have clear physical meanings.In this research,the porous structures of difierent cement pastes with w/c ratios of 0.3,0.4,and 0.5 are investigated.The results indicate that the porosity of the cement paste decreases during the first few hours,followed by a rapid decline,and eventually reaches a steady state.The porosity of the paste decreases as w/c ratio decreases,and the rate of decrease is more rapid in the early stages.Referring to the porosity curves,the average degree of hydration and depth of hydration can be derived.The simulation results show that the hydration degree of paste composed of irregular particles is higher than that of the paste composed of round particles.The trend in the development of the average hydration depth is similar to that of the average hydration degree.Upon analyzing the average growth rate of the hydration depth,it is observed that there are two peaks in the curves,which correspond to the three characteristic points in the electrical resistivity test.

The NMR core analyzing tomograph:a multi-functional tool for non-destructive testing of building materials

NMR is becoming increasingly popular for the investigation of building materials as it is a non-invasive technology that does not require any sample preparation nor causes damage to the material.Depending on the specific application it can offer insights into properties like porosity and spatial saturation degree as well as pore structure.Moreover it enables the determination of moisture transport properties and the(re-)distribution of internal moisture into different reservoirs or chemical phases upon damage and curing.However,as yet most investigations were carried out using devices originally either designed for geophysical applications or the analysis of rather homogeneous small scale(<10 mL)samples.This paper describes the capabilities of an NMR tomograph,which has been specifically optimized for the investigation of larger,heterogeneous building material samples(diameters of up to 72 mm,length of up to 700 mm)with a high flexibility due to interchangeable coils allowing for a high SNR and short echo times(50-80 ms).

EFFECT OF STONE POWDER ON STONE CHIPPINGS CONCRETE

In this paper, the effect and mechanism of calcareous stone powder with size less than 0.074 mm are investigated in stone chippings concrete. The results show that the stone powder can participate in hydration reaction and acts as crystal nucleus in hydration process, namely, it has hydration activity to an extent. The strength of stone chippings concrete is enhanced and the easy-mixing capacity of the concrete mortar is modified when stone chippings contain a proper amount of stone powder. The stone powder has little effect on the wearability of the concrete.

Early Age Compressive Strength of Pastes by Electrical Resistivity Method and Maturity Method

The compressive strength development of Portland cement pastes was investigated by the electrical resistivity method and the maturity method.The experiments were carried out on the cement pastes with different water-cement ratios at different curing temperatures.The results show that the application of the maturity method has limitation to obtain the strength.It is found that both of the compressive strength and the electrical resistivity follow hyperbolic trend for all the mixes.The hyperbolic equation of each mix is obtained to estimate the ultimate resistivity value which can probably be reached.The relationship between electrical resistivity and compressive strength of the cement pastes is established based on the test results and interpreted by the empirical Archie equation and a strength-porosity equation.The relationship between the electrical resistivity after temperature correction and the compressive strength was linear and independent of curing temperature and water-cement ratio.

Preparation and Performance Research of Cement-based Grouting Materials with High Early Strength and Expansion

Main performance of the cement grouting materials made up by Portland cement（PC） and sulphoaluminate cement（SAC） was investigated in this program, a kind of expanding agent（EA） which was mainly constituted by metakaolin and alunite was utilized for the compensation of the shrinkage, the hydration products and micro structure of the grouting materials were researched by X-ray diffraction（XRD） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. The results showed that a high expansion rate of the grouting materials could be reached as the expanding agent mixed in 6% of PC mass; the addition of SAC in the S2（PC：SAC：EA=34：6：2.25） brought a further improvement of the expansion rate of the grouting materials, the analysis of XRD and SEM showed that due to the reaction of expanding agent and SAC in the grouting materials, more ettringite crystal was generated, which resulted in a higher early strength, the addition of SAC played an expansion and strength reinforcement role in the grouting materials.

Monitoring lime and cement improvement using spectral induced polarization and bender element techniques

Spectral induced polarization(SIP)and bender element(BE)techniques show a high sensitivity to particle size,particle distribution and content of generated hydration products,which essentially govern the efficiency of ground improvement.In this context,both SIP and BE were integrated on a column setup to monitor the processes of lime and cement stabilization.A 5 mmol/L Na2CO3 solution was injected into the sand-lime mixture to produce CaCO3 precipitation,while deionized water was injected into the sandcement mixture to induce the hydration of cement.The average diameters of the precipitated particles or clusters were calculated from the relaxation time,which was a significant parameter of SIP signals,via the Schwarz equation.Two pairs of BE were used to demonstrate the heterogeneity of the product precipitation,which was probably caused by the location of the inflow and outflow on the SIP-BE column.SIP and BE showed the capability of nondestructively monitoring the spatiotemporal chemical evolution processes,which could be helpful for engineering applications.

Coupled Effects of Heat and Moisture of Early-Age Concrete

In order to analyze the coupled influence of temperature and humidity on early-age concrete(including cement and copper tailings),a mathematical model is introduced on the basis of the Krstulovic-Dabic hydration reaction kinetic equations.In such a framework,the influence of hydration-released heat and water consumption are also taken into account.The results provided by such a model are verified by means of experiments and related sensor measurements.The research results show that this model can adequately predict the internal temperature and the humidity temporal evolution laws.

Model Analysis of Initial Hydration and Strueture Forming of Portland Cement

The auto efficiently hydration heat arrangement and the non-contacting electrical resistivity device were used to test the therrnology effect and the resistivity variation of Portland cement hydration. The structure forming model of Portland cement initial hydration was established through the systematical experiments with different cements, the amount of mixing water and the chemical admixture. The experimental results show that, the structure forming model of cement could be divided into three stages, i e, solution-solution equilibrium period, structure forming period and structure stabilizing period. Along with the increase of mixing water, the time of inflexion appeared is in advance for thermal process of cement hydration and worsened for the structure forming process. Comparison with the control specimen, adding Na2SO4 makes the minimum critical point lower, the flattening period shorter and the growing slope after stage one steeper. So the hydration and structure forming process of Portland cement could be described more exactly by applying the thermal model and the structure-forming model.

Effect of Calcium Aluminate Cement Variety on the Hydration of Portland Cement in Blended System

Two kinds of CACs with different monocalcium aluminate（CA） contents were used in the PC/CAC（PAC） mixtures. Effects of CA and CACs on the properties of PAC were analyzed by setting times and the compressive strength tests, and also by means of calorimetry, XRD, DTA-TG and ESEM. The experimental results show that the compressive strength of the PAC mortars decreases with increasing content of CAC while it declines sharply with a higher content of CA in CAC. Compared with neat PC paste, the content of calcium hydroxide in hydrates of PAC paste decreases significantly, and the hydration time of PC is prominently prolonged. Additionally, the higher the content of CA in CAC, the more obviously the hydration of PC is delayed, confi rming that the CA phase in CAC plays an important role in the delay of PC hydration.

Hydration Heat Evolution of Cement and Its Relation With Setting Time

In order to veritably measure the first peak of hydration heat evolution that has been illustrated important in indicating cement behavior in early hydration, an improved way of water addition into cement in isothermally calorimetric experiment is put forward. The experimental results indicated that: the magnitude of first peak of heat evolution varies from sample to sample, correlation between heat evolution during first peak of heat evolution and initial (as well as final) setting time is unsatisfactory when samples are not classified; while groups of sample classified based on strength grade represent satisfactory correlations, which indicating the existence of close relation between hydration heat evolution in much earlier hydration age and setting property of cement in rather later age. Importance of first peak in hydration heat evolution for understanding cement setting property and reasons for sample classification are also discussed in this paper.

Influence of Cellulose Ethers on Hydration Products of Portland Cement

Cellulose ethers are widely used to mortar formulations,and it is significant to understand the interaction between cellulose ethers and cement pastes.FT-IR spectra,thermal analysis and SEM are used to investigate hydration products in the cement pastes modified by HEMC and HPMC in this article.The results show that the hydration products in modified cement pastes were finally identical with those in the unmodified cement paste,but the major hydration products,such as CH（calcium hydroxide）,ettringite and C-S-H,appeared later in the modified cement pastes than in the unmodified cement paste.The cellulose ethers decrease the outer products and increase inner products of C-S-H gels.Compared to unmodified cement pastes,no new products are found in the modified cement pastes in the present experiment.The HEMC and HPMC investigation shows almost the same influence on the hydration products of Portland cement.

Hydration Mechanism of Silica Fume- sulphoaluminate Cement

Setting time and strength of sulphoaluminate rapid hardening cement （SAC） incorporated in the presence and absence of silica fume （SF） were determined. Combined with the techniques of＂ isothermal calorimeter, XRD and FSEM, the hydration kinetics of the two systems and the effect mechanism of SF on SAC were investigated. The experimental results showed that SF was proved to be beneficial for SAC system, in terms of setting time and late strength gain. Evidence of accelerator effect of silica fume was found during the first 8 hours of hydration. The formation of AFt was accelerated and the microstructure of the hydration products grew denser with incorporation of SF. SF was proved to play the role of dispersion and setting control at early age and had a greater contribution to later strength due to the increment of crystal nucleation point and the pozzolanic activity. Therefore, SF can be used to not only control the hydration kinetics of SAC, but also develop the late strength and improve the microstructure.

Effect of Superplasticizers on the Early Age Hydration of Sulfoaluminate Cement

The effects of two types of superplasticizers on the properties of CSA cement pastes during early hydration were studied. The influences of two types of superplasticizers on the properties of cement pastes, including the normal consistency, setting time, fl uidity, and compressive strength, were investigated by using various methods. The hydration products of the cement pastes cured for 1 day and 3 days were studied by X-ray diffraction（XRD） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. The results show that the PCE type superplasticizer retards the early age hydration while the FDN type superplasticizer accelerates the early age hydration of the CSA cement. Both types of superplasticizers have no infl uence on the further hydration of CSA cement, confi rmed by the calorimeter tests as well. The ultrasonic pulse velocity measurements were used to probe the influence of two types of superplasticizers on the hydration of CSA cement pastes at a high water-cement ratio（0.45）. The results show that the PCE type superplasticizer retards the early age hydration of the CSA cement while the FDN type superplasticizer has little infl uence on the early age hydration of the CSA cement.

Characteristics and Mechanism of Modified Triethanolamine as Cement Grinding Aids

Effects of modified triethanolamine as cement grinding aids on particles characteristics and mechanical property of cement were studied, and its reaction mechanism was analyzed by IR, Zeta potential, SEM, XRD and TG-DTA. The results show that the content of 3-32 μm particles for cement with 0.015% modified triethanolamine（M-TEA） is increased by 12.4%, and the compressive strengths of cement with 0.03% M-TEA are increased by 5.5 and 8.2 MPa at 3 and 28 days, respectively. And both the grinding and enhancement effects of M-TEA on cement are better than triethanolamine. The mechanism analysis shows that M-TEA not only has the amino and hydroxyl groups of TEA, but also has the ester, carbonyl, carboxyl groups which easily combine with metal ions of cement minerals, resulting in that M-TEA can promote surface adsorption and shield the unsaturated charges in the surface and crack section of particles, thus particles reunion is prevented and grinding efficiency is improved. Enhancement of M-TEA on cement mainly lies in that it can promote or induce hydration reaction of cement mineral with gypsum and water, which accelerates formation of hydration products, and then improves the structure and morphology of cement hydration products, thus the uniformity and compactness of product structure is increased.

Relation between the Rheology Characteristic and Initial Hydration Structure of Portiand Cement

Based on the rheology characteristic and the resistivity variation under alternating electric-field of Portland cement hydration by means of AR2000 advanced rheometer and non-contacting electrical resistivity device, the influence of cement kinds and the chemical admixtures on the initial rheology characteristic and structure forming and developing of cement hydration was studied. The relationship between the rheology characteristic, the initial hydration structure forming and the hydration process at very early ages was analyzed by macro properties and microstructure tests. The results showed that, the storage modulus, acted as S, could be described more subtle distinction accompanying with hydration of fresh paste model at very early period. Combining the resistivity alterations, a sudden change on structure forming emerged when the hydration of cement becoming inducing age. The rheology characteristic was interrelated to the hydration structure forming, development and the physical mechanics properties. The sudden change on storage modulus moved up due to the addition of retarder, but the structure forming and developing was retarded to a certain extent.

Application of Ultrasonic Measurements for Determination of Setting and Hardening in Cement Paste

Concrete setting and hardening processes are the most critical phases during construction works, influencing properties of a concrete structure. The initial set is important as it provides an estimate when concrete has reached a point that it can no longer he vibrated without damaging concrete. The point at which final set occurs is important since it provides an estimate when the development of concrete strength and stiffness starts. In this study, experimental work is performed under laboratory conditions to indentify the setting time of cement paste using ultrasonic waves. Correlation between the ultrasonic wave parameters （speed, amplitude and energy） passing through the fresh cement paste and setting time determined using the Vicat test method is analyzed. A method of acoustic emission is also used and acoustic signals recorded in cement paste during hydration are presented.