Effect of silica fume on cement hydration and temperature rise of concrete in tropical environment

Investigated herein is the effect of temperature on heat development in cement pastes and concretes with and without silica fume cured at relatively high temperatures often encountered in tropical environment. With an initial temperature of 30°C, adiabatic temperature rise of the concrete with 8% silica fume as cement replacement was similar to that of the control Portland cement concrete up to about 18 h. After 24 h, however, the temperature of the silica fume concrete was lower than that of the control concrete. Since the concrete with 8% silica fume had a higher 28-day compressive strength (72.5 MPa) than the control concrete without silica fume (59.2 MPa), the concrete with silica fume is likely to have a lower temperature rise as compared with the control concrete of equivalent 28-day strength by reducing cementitious materials content with the same water content. The extent of heat evolution in the silica fume pastes was generally greater at lower temperatures of 20-50°C, but less at 65°C than in the control paste. At the relatively high curing temperatures, the degree of cement hydration in the paste with silica fume was lower than that in the control cement paste at early ages. However, the pozzolanic reaction started even before 24 h after water was added.     

Mechanical properties of normal and high strength concretes subjected to high temperatures and using image analysis to detect bond deteriorations

The effect of high temperatures, up to 250 °C, on mechanical properties of normal and high strength concretes with and without silica fume was investigated, and image analysis was performed on split concrete surfaces to see the change in bond strength between aggregate and mortar. Specimens were heated up to elevated temperatures (50, 100, 150, 200, 250 °C) without loading and then the residual compressive and splitting tensile strength, as well as the static modulus of elasticity of the specimens were determined. For normal strength concrete residual mechanical properties started to decrease at 100 °C, while using silica fume reduced the losses at high temperatures. In terms of percent residual properties, high strength concrete specimens performed better than normal strength concrete specimens for all heating cycles. Image analysis studies on the split surfaces have been utilized to investigate the effect of high temperatures on the bond strength between aggregate and mortar. Image analysis results showed that reduced water–cement ratio and the use of silica fume improved the bond strength at room temperature, and created more stable bonding at elevated temperatures up to 250 °C.     

Influence of dry and wet curing conditions on compressive strength of silica fume concrete

This paper reports a part of an ongoing laboratory investigation in which the compressive strength of silica fume concrete is studied under dry and wet curing conditions. In the study, a total of 48 concretes, including control Portland cement concrete and silica fume concrete, were produced with four different water–cement ratios (0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6), three different cement dosages (350, 400, 450 kg/m³) and three partial silica fume replacement ratios (10%, 15%, 20%). A hyperplastisizer was used in concrete at various quantities to provide and keep a constant workability. Three cubic samples produced from fresh concrete were demoulded after a day; then, they were cured at 20±2 °C with 65% relative humidity (RH), and three other cubic samples were cured at 20±2 °C with 100% RH until the samples were used for compressive strength measurement at 28 days. The comparison was made on the basis of compressive strength between silica fume concrete and control Portland cement concrete. Silica fume concretes were also compared among themselves. The comparisons showed that compressive strength of silica fume concrete cured at 65% RH was influenced more than that of Portland cement concrete. It was found that the compressive strength of silica fume concrete cured at 65% RH was, at average, 13% lower than that of silica fume concrete cured at 100% RH. The increase in the water–cementitious material ratios makes the concrete more sensitive to dry curing conditions. The influence of dry curing conditions on silica fume concrete was marked as the replacement ratio of silica fume increased.     

The effect of high temperature curing on the strength and carbonation of pozzolanic structural lightweight concretes

An experimental study on the compressive strength and carbonation depth of lightweight concrete mixes that contain pulverized fuel ash (PFA) and silica fume (SF) as cement replacements is presented in this paper. Mixes that had a relatively high replacement level of PFA at 25, 40, and 55% and of SF at 5, 10, and 15% by weight were compared. The results indicated that accelerated curing at 60 °C for 3 days improved the 28-day compressive strength of the PFA- and SF-incorporated mixes but resulted in higher carbonation of the mixes compared with that under normal temperature curing. Mixes that had 25% PFA or 5–10% SF as partial cement replacements had slightly higher strength under accelerated curing and slightly lower strength under normal curing than the control mix. At higher replacement levels of PFA and SF, further lower strength and higher carbonation was observed.     

Effect of superplasticizer on plastic shrinkage of plain and silica fume cement concretes

Four types of superplasticizers were used in conjunction with three types of silica fume to prepare cement concrete slab specimens that were utilized to measure plastic shrinkage strain and time to attain maximum strain. The concrete slab specimens were cast and placed in an exposure chamber in which the relative humidity, temperature, and wind velocity were kept at 35 ± 5%, 45 ± 2 °C, and 15 ± 2 km/h, respectively. Results of this investigation indicate that the plastic shrinkage strain varied with the type of superplasticizer and the type of silica fume. Maximum plastic shrinkage strain was measured in the undensified silica fume cement concrete with all superplasticizers. Incompatibility was noted between polycarboxylic ether superplasticizer and plain and two types of silica fume cement concretes.     

Investigations about the influence of fine additives on the viscosity of cement paste for self-compacting concrete

In this work, the effect of fine additives (limestone, silica fume, fly ash, pozzolan, nano-silica fume) on the plastic viscosity of cement paste is being investigated. Towards this direction, twenty-four samples were designed and produced. Those pastes consisted mainly of cement (type CEM I 42.5) and specific proportions of one or two fine additives. Plastic viscosity and yield stress were measured, as well as micro-structure of selected 28-days hardened samples was studied through means of mercury porosimetry. Results showed that limestone (40%) can improve the rheological behavior of cement pastes, and the synergy of limestone (20%) and fly ash (20%) can lead to higher packing density. Cement pastes that combine those two characteristics, could serve as the base for self-compacting concrete (SCC) production.     

A study on the hydration rate of natural zeolite blended cement pastes

Natural zeolite is a type of mineralogical material containing large quantities of reactive SiO₂ and Al₂O_3. It is widely used in the cement industry in China as a cement blending material. Like other pozzolanic materials such as silica fume and fly ash, zeolite contributes to concrete strength mainly through the pozzolanic reaction with Ca(OH)₂, Thus, the pozzolanic reactivity of this type of material in comparison with other pozzolans is of much interest. This paper presents experimental results on the compressive strength, degree of pozzolanic reaction, and porosity of zeolite modified cement pastes. These results are compared with those obtained from similar blended cement pastes prepared with silica fume and fly ash replacements. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that natural zeolite is a pozzolanic material, with a reactivity between that of silica fume and fly ash. Generally, in blended cement pastes with a lower water-to-cementitious materials ratio, the natural zeolite contributes more to the strength of the pastes. But in the pastes with a higher water to cementitious ratio and a lower cement replacement level it undergoes a higher degree of reaction.     

Effect of elevated temperature on the mechanical properties of concrete produced with finely ground pumice and silica fume

This study investigated the effect of elevated temperature on the mechanical and physical properties of concrete specimens obtained by substituting cement with finely ground pumice (FGP) at proportions of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% by weight. To determine the effect of silica fume (SF) additive on the mechanical and physical properties of concrete containing FGP, SF has been added to all series except for the control specimen, which contained 10% cement by weight instead. The specimens were heated in an electric furnace up to 400, 600 and 800 °C and kept at these temperatures for one hour. After the specimens were cooled in the furnace, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), compressive strength and weight loss values were determined. The results demonstrated that adding the mineral admixtures to concrete decreased both unit weight and compressive strength. Additionally, elevating the temperature above 600 °C affected the compressive strength such that the weight loss of concrete was more pronounced for concrete mixtures containing both FGP and SF. These results were also supported by scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies.     

Properties of fly ash concrete modified with hydrated lime and silica fume

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the properties of fly ash concrete incorporating either hydrated lime or silica fume to improve the early strength of concrete. Test results indicated that the addition of lime and silica fume improved the early age compressive strength of fly ash concrete. The inclusion of silica fume was also found to increase the 28 days strength significantly. The air permeability of concrete containing lime and silica fume either decreased or remained almost the same when compared to the concrete without these. The addition of lime and silica fume also improved the sorptivity of concrete.Through the use of differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis (DSC/TG), it was demonstrated that the addition of hydrated lime increased the Ca(OH)₂ content; whereas the addition of silica fume decreased the Ca(OH)₂ content in the cement paste. The mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) data confirmed the beneficial action of hydrated lime and silica fume, towards decreasing the total pore volume of fly ash cement paste.     

低水泥用量的高强度大流动性混凝土研究

在研究净浆包裹骨料工艺、外掺硅粉和粉煤灰的增强效果及其增强机理的基础上，根据试验数据，统计出相应的强度公式。采用５２５号Ⅱ型硅酸盐水泥，水泥用量３２０～４００ｋｇ／ｍ３，外掺ｃ×２５％的粉煤灰和（ｃ＋Ｆ）×（５～７．５）％的硅粉，可配制出６０～８０ＭＰａ的高强度大流动性混凝土。     

Deep learning model for estimating the mechanical properties of concrete containing silica fume exposed to high temperatures

In this study, the deep learning models for estimating the mechanical properties of concrete containing silica fume subjected to high temperatures were devised. Silica fume was used at concentrations of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20%. Cube specimens (100 mm × 100 mm × 100 mm) were prepared for testing the compressive strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity. They were cured at 20°C±2°C in a standard cure for 7, 28, and 90 d. After curing, they were subjected to temperatures of 20°C, 200°C, 400°C, 600°C, and 800°C. Two well-known deep learning approaches, i.e., stacked autoencoders and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, were used for forecasting the compressive strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity of concrete containing silica fume subjected to high temperatures. The forecasting experiments were carried out using MATLAB deep learning and neural network tools, respectively. Various statistical measures were used to validate the prediction performances of both the approaches. This study found that the LSTM network achieved better results than the stacked autoencoders. In addition, this study found that deep learning, which has a very good prediction ability with little experimental data, was a convenient method for civil engineering.     

纳米SiO2超高强高流态混凝土及改性机理

通过正交试验提出纳米超高强高流态混凝土的胶凝材料配合比设计参数,并研究了纳米SiO_2的掺入对传统掺硅灰、粉煤灰超高强水泥基胶凝材料强度及工作性能的影响。在保证水胶比不变的条件下,开展了混凝土配合比试验,并研究了纳米SiO_2对混凝土抗压强度的影响及其微观机理。结果表明:超高强高流态混凝土中胶凝材料最优比例为:纳米SiO_2:硅灰:粉煤灰:水泥=1:8:20:71;在胶凝材料用量为600～1 000kg/m~3范围内,随着其掺量的增加,混凝土流动度不断增加,抗压强度先增大后减小,当其掺量为800kg/m~3时,抗压强度最大。分析认为,纳米SiO_2、硅灰与粉煤灰形成的三元多尺度堆积体系能优化粉体材料在混凝土中的微集料密实填充效应,纳米SiO_2的二次水化反应也有效改善了硬化水泥石的微观结构,并优化其形态分布,进一步增大其强度。     

Effect of environmental conditions on the properties of concretes with different cement types

The paper reports on the changes in properties of concretes with different cement types associated with environmental conditions. Three strength classes with three different cement types (ordinary portland cement PC 42.5 (CEM I 42.5), portland composite cements PKC-A 42.5 (CEM II/A-M 42.5) and PKC-B 32.5R (CEM II/B-M 32.5R)) were used in the study. Also, a mixture was prepared with PC 42.5 and silica fume (SF). The effects of variable ambient conditions on plastic shrinkage of fresh concrete and cement paste, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, capillary absorption and drying shrinkage of hardened concrete were investigated. In contrast to PC 42.5 cement paste, plastic shrinkage cracks were observed in PKC-B 32.5 and PKC-A 42.5 pastes. Water absorption coefficients of all concretes stored in natural environment were higher at all ages as compared to coefficients of concretes kept in laboratory. Drying shrinkage values of concrete with SF, except the first week, were significantly lower than those of others. Although different behaviors for different cement types were observed, water–cement ratio was one of the dominating factors determining the behavior of concrete. This ratio should be lowered to improve the durability of concrete.     

The effect of unburned carbon in palm oil fuel ash on fluidity of cement pastes containing superplasticizer

The aim of this study was to clarify the influence of unburned carbon in palm oil fuel ash (POFA) on the fluidities of cement pastes containing a polycarboxylate-based superplasticizer (SP). The POFA was ground in a ball mill to produce ground POFA (GPOFA). Unburned carbon, which was the major part of unburned residue in GPOFA, was removed by heating at 500 °C for 1 h, producing treated POFA (TPOFA). Neither glassy phase crystallization nor agglomeration of GPOFA particles occurred during the heat treatment. Cement pastes containing GPOFA and TPOFA had lower fluidities than that of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) paste. Cement pastes containing TPOFA had higher fluidities than cement pastes containing GPOFA. Unburned carbon absorbed more SP than did the other particles in the cement pastes because of the carbon’s large specific surface area. Because of their irregular shape and porosity, GPOFA particles absorbed more SP than did OPC particles. Therefore, the higher the content of unburned carbon and GPOFA particles in the cement paste, the greater the quantity of SP needed to be added.     

Colour Change in Heated Concrete

This paper presents an analysis of colour change in concrete under the influence of heat. The colour change observed in concrete is primarily a result of the gradual dehydration of the cement paste, but also of transformations occurring within the aggregate. The colour change may be used to reveal the exposure temperature of concrete from which the corresponding fire damage of concrete can be estimated. The paper presents the results of tests carried out on ordinary and high performance concretes (OC and HPC) prepared with natural river-bed aggregates. In addition, mortars and cement pastes prepared with the same components were observed to change colour upon heating. The colour change was investigated using Scion Image v. 4.0.3, an image analysis software package (Scion Corporation ©, USA). In the proposed method the digital image is split into three RGB colour components: red, green and blue, which are then presented as a histogram using counts of pixel intensity. The histogram results show colour distributions in unheated cementitious material and in material heated to temperatures ranging from 100°C to 1000°C. The concrete colour changes as a result of heating are linked to the physical and chemical transformations taking place in the heated material.     

硅灰对硫铝酸盐水泥水化行为的影响机理

通过抗压强度、凝结时间、电阻率测定以及X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)和孔溶液分析,研究了掺硅灰硫铝酸盐水泥浆体的水化行为.结果表明:5%掺量(质量分数,下同)的硅灰可以很好地改善水泥浆体的抗压强度,10%硅灰掺量的试样抗压强度只在1,28d时稍高于空白试样;掺入硅灰明显缩短了硫铝酸盐水泥的凝结时间;硫铝酸盐水泥的主要晶体水化产物是钙矾石,28d时的钙矾石量稍高于3d时,掺硅灰试样的钙矾石量要高于空白试样;掺硅灰试样的电阻率变化曲线高于空白试样,表明硅灰的掺入能够加快水泥的水化速率;硬化水泥浆体的孔溶液碱度随着硅灰掺量的增加而降低,掺硅灰试样的Ca2+浓度高于空白试样,表明硅灰促进了熟料的溶解,5%硅灰掺量试样的Al 3+浓度最低,表明其促进水化的效果更明显.     

Hydration heat kinetics of concrete with silica fume

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of silica fume on the hydration heat of concrete. Portland cement was replaced by silica fume in amounts from 10 % to 30 % by mass in concrete with w/(c+sf) ratios varying between 0.25 and 0.45. A superplasticizer was used to maintain a fluid consistency. The heat of hydration was monitored continuously by a semi-adiabatic calorimetric method for 10 days at 20 °C. The calorimetric study indicated that the hydration was modified by the presence of silica fume. In the early stages, the silica fume showed a high activity and accelerated the hydration rate as compared to that of the reference concrete. The fine silica fume particled provided nucleation sites for hydrates growth. Then the pozzolanic activity took over and increased both strength and the hydration heat. A substitution of Portland cement by 10% with silica fume produced greater strength and cumulative heat of hydration as compared to that of the reference concrete.     

Modeling mechanical performance of lightweight concrete containing silica fume exposed to high temperature using genetic programming

In this study, the mechanical performance of lightweight concrete exposed to high temperature has been modeled using genetic programming. The mixes incorporating 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% silica fumes were prepared. Two different cement contents (400 and 500 kg/m³) were used in this study. After being heated to temperatures of 20 °C, 200 °C, 400 °C and 800 °C, respectively, the compressive and splitting tensile strength of lightweight concrete was tested. Empirical genetic programming based equations for compressive and splitting tensile strength were obtained in terms of temperature (T), cement content (C), silica fume content (SF), pumice aggregate content (A), water/cement ratio (W/C) and super plasticizer content (SP). Proposed genetic programming based equations are observed to be quite accurate as compared to experimental results.     

Effects of calcination temperature of kaolinite clays on the properties of geopolymer cements

The aim of this work is to determine the most convenient calcination temperature of kaolinite clays in view of producing geopolymer cements. In this light, the clay fractions of three kaolin minerals were used. The clay fractions were characterized (chemical and thermal analyses and X-ray diffraction) and then calcined in the temperature range of 450 and 800 °C. The obtained amorphous materials were dissolved in a strongly alkaline solution in order to produce geopolymer cements whose pastes were characterized by determining their setting time, linear shrinkage and compressive strength. Hardened geopolymer cement paste samples were also submitted to X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The setting time of geopolymer cement pastes produced from the clay fractions calcined at 450 °C was very long (test samples could be handled easily only after 21 days at the ambient atmosphere of the laboratory). For the clay fractions calcined between 500 and 700 °C, the setting time of geopolymer cement pastes reduced with increasing temperature and varied between 130 and 40 min. Above 700 °C, the setting time began to increase. The linear shrinkage of the hardened geopolymer cement paste samples aged between 21 and 28 days attained its lowest value around 700 °C. Above 700 °C, the linear shrinkage began to increase. The compressive strength of the hardened geopolymer cement paste samples was between 11.9 and 36.4 MPa: it increased with samples from the clay fractions calcined between 500 and 700 °C but dropped above 700 °C.It can be concluded that the most convenient temperature for the calcination of kaolinite clays in view of producing geopolymer cements is around 700 °C.     

高性能混凝土水化热试验研究

高性能混凝土各组分性能的叠加效应十分明显。通过配制C65混凝土的试验,分析了所用各项材料对水化热的影响因素与机理,结果如下:低水胶比明显降低混凝土的总水化热。水泥用量不再是影响混凝土温升的单一因素,为降低温升,应尽量减小水泥用量,以矿物掺料取代。单纯掺加硅粉,可使混凝土的总水化热有所降低。粉煤灰掺量越大,混凝土早期的水化热和温升就越小,掺量超过25%(以水泥用量计)时,效果趋于明显。掺高效减水剂不影响混凝土的总水化热,但可明显改变混凝土的早期放热速度,与硅粉共同作用,能抑制混凝土总水化热,掺量>1%时效果十分明显。