Modelling of the hydration of tricalcium silicate

A previously developed mathematical procedure is used to illustrate the kinetics and mechanism of cement hydration. By using the experimentally obtained degree of hydration against time curve and the weight percentage particle size distribution (PSD) of a cement, the procedure can isolate an individual cement particle and characterize its different regimes or modes of hydration reaction. Specifically, one can identify an accelerating mode followed by a decelerating mode of reaction, and the changeover period, maxima, from one mode to the other.