Decalcification shrinkage of cement paste

Decalcification of cement paste in concrete is associated with several modes of chemical degradation including leaching, carbonation and sulfate attack. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of decalcification under saturated conditions on the dimensional stability of cement paste. Thin (0.8 mm) specimens of tricalcium silicate (C₃S) paste, white portland cement (WPC) paste, and WPC paste blended with 30% silica fume (WPC/30% SF) were decalcified by leaching in concentrated solutions of ammonium nitrate, a method that efficiently removes calcium from the solid while largely preserving silicate and other ions. All pastes were found to shrink significantly and irreversibly as a result of decalcification, particularly when the Ca/Si ratio of the C-S-H gel was reduced below ∼ 1.2. Since this composition coincides with the onset of structural changes in C-S-H such as an increase in silicate polymerization and a local densification into sheet-like morphologies, it is proposed that the observed shrinkage, here called decalcification shrinkage, is due initially to these structural changes in C-S-H at Ca/Si ∼ 1.2 and eventually to the decomposition of C-S-H into silica gel. In agreement with this reasoning, the blended cement paste exhibited greater decalcification shrinkage than the pure cement pastes due to its lower initial Ca/Si ratio for C-S-H gel. The similarities in the mechanisms of decalcification shrinkage and carbonation shrinkage are also discussed.     

Analysis of C-S-H gel and cement paste by small-angle neutron scattering

The role of small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) in the characterization of cement is briefly reviewed. The unique information obtainable from SANS analysis of C-S-H gel in hydrating cement is compared with that obtainable by other neutron methods. Implications for the nature of C-S-H gel, as detected by SANS, are considered in relation to current models. Finally, the application of the SANS method to cement paste is demonstrated by analyzing the effects of calcium chloride acceleration and sucrose retardation on the resulting hydrated microstructure.     

Microstructural and microanalytical studies of sulfate attack. I. Ordinary portland cement paste

Portland cement pastes that had been stored for 6 months in solutions of sodium or magnesium sulfate were examined by scanning electron microscopy using backscattered electron imaging and X-ray microanalysis. For a paste stored in Na₂SO₄ solution, successive changes were observed on passing from the unaltered material in the interior towards the surface. These were (1), replacement of monosulfate by ettringite, which was closely mixed with the C-S-H gel, (2), disappearance of calcium hydroxide, partial decalcification of C-S-H and precipitation of gypsum and (3), further decalcification and leaching. Much of the gypsum occurred in veins sub-parallel to the surface, with which were associated cracks. A paste stored in MgSO₄ solution showed broadly similar effects, as well as a largely continuous surface layer of gypsum and brucite, except at the cube edges, where a gel high in magnesia and silica was formed. This was probably cryptocrystalline serpentine. Neither specimen contained massive deposits of ettringite.     

New insights into the effects of sugar on the hydration and microstructure of cement pastes

The effects of adding sugar to cement paste on hydration and microstructure were observed. While 1% sugar delayed hydration as expected, the delay period was shortened by increased curing temperature. When samples containing sugar began to react, hydration progressed very quickly and the degree of hydration soon surpassed that of control samples. Sugar addition increased the surface area and altered the pore size distribution, as measured by nitrogen, of cement pastes. Results indicate that sugar not only alters the rate of cement paste hydration, but the microstructure of calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) as well.     

The effect of two types of C-S-H on the elasticity of cement-based materials: Results from nanoindentation and micromechanical modeling

It has long been recognized, in cement chemistry, that two types of calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) exist in cement-based materials, but less is known about how the two types of C-S-H affect the mechanical properties. By means of nanoindentation tests on nondegraded and calcium leached cement paste, the paper confirms the existence of two types of C-S-H, and investigates the distinct role played by the two phases on the elastic properties of cement-based materials. It is found that (1) high-density C-S-H are mechanically less affected by calcium leaching than low density C-S-H, and (2) the volume fractions occupied by the two phases in the C-S-H matrix are not affected by calcium leaching. The nanoindentation results also provide quantitative evidence, suggesting that the elastic properties of the C-S-H phase are intrinsic material properties that do not depend on mix proportions of cement-based materials. The material properties and volume fractions are used in a novel two-step homogenization model, that predicts the macroscopic elastic properties of cement pastes with high accuracy. Combined with advanced physical chemistry models that allow, for a given w/c ratio, determination of the volume fractions of the two types of C-S-H, the model can be applied to any cement paste, with or without Portlandite, Clinker, and so on. In particular, from an application of the model to decalcified cement pastes, it is shown that that the decalcification of the C-S-H phase is the primary source of the macroscopic elastic modulus degradation, that dominates over the effect of the dissolution of Portlandite in cement-based material systems.     

C-S-H及C-S-H脱水相对水泥石结构改性的研究

以C-S-H及C-S-H脱水相作水泥水化物沉淀中心的品种。从理论上阐明了它们是具有较大介电常数、较小物理化学不均匀系数、高分散度的晶种物质,故具有优先吸附的界面效应及优先沉淀的结晶中心作用,可缓和原始矿物表面的高浓度的屏蔽效应及界面的近程析晶,使水化物分布均匀、结构致密,从而提高水泥石强度。C-S-H及C-S-H脱水相两者中,尤以后者作用更显著。     

A multi-technique investigation of the nanoporosity of cement paste

The nanometer-scale structure of cement paste, which is dominated by the colloidal-scale porosity within the C-S-H gel phase, has a controlling effect on concrete properties but is difficult to study due to its delicate structure and lack of long-range order. Here we present results from three experimental techniques that are particularly suited to analyzing disordered nanoporous materials: small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), weight and length changes during equilibrium drying, and nanoindentation. Particular attention is paid to differences between pastes of different ages and cured at different temperatures. The SANS and equilibrium drying results indicate that hydration of cement paste at 20 °C forms a low-density (LD) C-S-H gel structure with a range of gel pore sizes and a relatively low packing fraction of solid particles. This fine structure may persist indefinitely under saturated conditions. However, if the paste is dried or is cured at elevated temperatures (60 °C or greater) the structure collapses toward a denser (less porous) and more stable configuration with fewer large gel pores, resulting in a greater amount of capillary porosity. Nanoindentation measurements of pastes cured at different temperatures demonstrate in all cases the existence of two C-S-H structures with different characteristic values of the indentation modulus. The average value of the modulus of the LD C-S-H is the same for all pastes tested to date, and a micromechanical analysis indicates that this value corresponds to the denser and more stable configuration of LD C-S-H. The experimental results presented here are interpreted in terms of a previously proposed quantitative “colloid” model of C-S-H gel, resulting in an improved understanding of the microstructural changes associated with drying and heat curing.     

A colloidal interpretation of chemical aging of the C-S-H gel and its effects on the properties of cement paste

The properties, structure, and behavior of cement paste, including surface area, drying shrinkage, creep, and permeability are discussed with the assumption that the C-S-H gel is an aggregation of precipitated, colloidal-sized particles that undergoes chemical aging. A basic thesis of this paper is that C-S-H particles bond together over time, increasing the average degree of polymerization of the silicate chains and causing the C-S-H to become stiffer, stronger, and denser. This process occurs slowly at ambient temperatures, but can be greatly accelerated by elevated temperature curing and is also encouraged by drying, which introduces large local strains that may provide a microstructural basis for creep sites. This chemical aging process of C-S-H can thus affect many of the physical properties of cement paste, and there is particular relevance for the complex shrinkage and creep behavior of this material. The effects of a short heat treatment, which causes rapid aging, depend strongly on the moisture of the paste when it is heated. Many of the observations and insights presented here are not new. The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate, by reporting a variety of published findings in one place, the significant amount of evidence that has been generated over the past 50 years favoring this interpretation. Another objective is to show that the properties and behavior of the C-S-H gel, and of cement paste, do not require a layered microstructure. Separating chemical aging effects from other changes, such as continued hydration, may well lead to a better understanding of the microstructural causes of creep and shrinkage.     

石膏对贝利特-硫铝酸钡钙水泥强度和硬化浆体结构的影响

研究了石膏对贝利特-硫铝酸钡钙水泥强度和硬化浆体结构的影响.结果表明:贝利特-硫铝酸钡钙水泥熟料的矿物组成主要有C3S、C2S、C,A、C4AF和C2.7B1.25A3S;当水泥中石膏掺量为10%时,贝利特-硫铝酸钡钙水泥的3d、7 d、28 d和90 d抗压强度分别达到了45.0、61.9、82.1和85.6 MPa;贝利特.硫铝酸钡钙水泥的水化产物主要有AFt、Ca(OH)2、C-S-H凝胶等,随石膏掺量的增加,AFt的数量逐渐增加,水化后期的Ca(OH)2数量逐渐减少.用XRD和SEM来分析硬化水泥浆体组成和结构.     

不同掺量非晶态C12 A7/CaSO4·2 H2 O体系对OPC早期性能的影响及作用机理

研究了不同掺量非晶态C12 A7/CaSO4·2H2 O体系对OPC净浆凝结时间、流动性和早期抗压强度的影响,通过XRD和SEM对水化产物的物相和形貌进行了表征,并采用量热试验对其水化历程进行了分析。结果表明：非晶态C12 A7/CaSO4·2H2 O体系掺量为5%,非晶态C12 A7与CaSO4·2H2 O的质量比为1.0∶1.0时,非晶态C12 A7/CaSO4·2H2 O体系能够促进C3 S和C2 S的水化,生成C-S-H凝胶相互交织搭接形成网络结构而促进凝结;同时也促使OPC水化早期产生大量针状晶体钙矾石,钙矾石与前期生成的C-S-H凝胶相互填充,使水化产物结构密实,提高早期强度。     

Effect of Heat Treatment on the Pore Structure and Drying Shrinkage Behavior of Hydrated Cement Paste

The effect of a short heat treatment on hydrated cement paste has been investigated by measuring the weight and length changes of specimens as they undergo various combinations of heating, drying, and resaturation. Heating a cement paste to 60°C coarsens the capillary pore system, decreases the volume of mesopores, and increases the degree of polymerization of the silicates. In addition, the saturated weight of the paste is permanently decreased by a heat treatment. This weight loss can be explained by conversion of bound hydroxyl groups into liquid water during polymerization of the C-S-H gel phase. These experiments help reconcile and interpret published results describing the properties of cement cured at various temperatures, the effects of a short heat treatment on cement paste, and the thermal expansion behavior of saturated and dry cement paste.     

The protective layer and decalcification of C-S-H in the mechanism of chloride corrosion of cement paste

Two processes of the chloride corrosion of cement paste are discussed: decalcification of C-S-H and the formation of the skin on the paste surface. Decalcification is relatively quick in the magnesium chloride solution, and brucite as well as basic magnesium chloride are formed. Taylor pointed out the possibility of magnesium silicate hydrate, which was proved in the works of other authors. A skin is formed on durable mortars immersed in the strong chloride solution. It is composed of brucite and basic magnesium chloride. The protective role of this skin, as foreseen by Taylor, was temporary, and sooner or later, the skin was destroyed. The alkali activated slag (AAS) mortar became then quickly destroyed. However, in high-alumina cement (HAC) paste, the dense layer was formed near the surface, which protected the paste, thus hindering the corrosion process.     

Model for the Developing Microstructure in Portland Cement Pastes

A method is proposed for quantitatively predicting the volume of the major phases in hydrated cement pastes as a function of (1) the composition of the cement, (2) the degree of reaction, and (3) the initial water:cement ratio. This procedure is then used to develop a quantitative model for the surface area and volume of porosity that is accessible to nitrogen in C-S-H. Published values for surface areas and volume of pores are compared with the predictions made by the model. An implication of the model is that there are two types of C-S-H, or perhaps regions within the C-S-H: one that nitrogen can penetrate and one that it cannot.     

The fractal nature of the surface of cement paste

The basic nature and properties of a class of geometric forms known as fractals are presented. An X-ray scattering technique for measuring the dimension of a fractal surface is described. The technique is used to demonstrate that the surface of hydrated cement paste is fractal in character, and has a large fractal dimension. This latter fact indicates that the surface of cement paste is extremely irregular. Further, the degree of irregularity is found to depend somewhat on the water: cement ratio. The fractal character of the surface of paste provides a logical explanation for the different surface areas detected by different vapors in a sorption experiment.     

An investigation on microstructure of cement paste containing fly ash and silica fume

In this study, high-calcium fly ash (HCFA) and silica fume (SF) were used as mineral admixtures. The effect of these admixtures on the microstructure of cement paste was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The reaction of HCFA and SF with portlandite, which occurs in Portland cement (PC), forms a new calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) gel.     

Solubility behavior of Ca-, S-, Al-, and Si-bearing solid phases in Portland cement pore solutions as a function of hydration time

The concentrations of Ca, S, Al, Si, Na, and K in the pore solutions of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and white Portland cement (WPC) pastes were measured during the first 28 days of hydration at room temperature. Saturation indices (SI) with respect to various solid phases known to occur in cement pastes were calculated from a thermodynamic analysis of the elemental concentrations, resulting in good agreement between the two pastes. In agreement with other published work, gypsum was saturated during the first several hours of hydration and then undersaturated thereafter, while portlandite was modestly supersaturated after the first few hours. High levels of supersaturation with respect to ettringite and calcium monosulfoaluminate were calculated, particularly prior to the consumption of gypsum at around 10 h. Results are consistent with published thermodynamic studies that show calcium monosulfoaluminate is metastable with respect to ettringite under normal hydration conditions. Three different ion activity product (IAP) equations for C-S-H were applied to the data. From 10 h onward, each of the IAP values declined gradually over time and the values for the OPC and WPC pastes were in close agreement. The same IAP equations were applied to experimental data from the pure CaO-SiO₂-H₂O system, resulting in good agreement between the cement paste pore solutions and the equilibrium between portlandite and the upper, or metastable, C-S-H solubility curve.     

Effect of temperature on the microstructure of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H)

Temperature affects the properties of concrete through its effect on the hydration of cement and its associated microstructural development. This paper focuses on the modifications to C-S-H induced by isothermal curing between 5 and 60 °C. The results show that as the temperature increases (within the range studied) the C/S ratio of C-S-H changes only slightly, with a higher degree of polymerisation of silicate chains, but there is a significant decrease in its bound water content and an increase of apparent density of 25%. This increase seems to come from a different packing of C-S-H at the nanoscale. As a consequence of these changes, the microstructure of the cement paste is much coarser and porous, which explains the lower final strengths obtained by curing at elevated temperatures.     

硫酸腐蚀后油井水泥石的性能及微观结构

研究了硫酸对油井水泥石强度及微观结构的影响。结果表明：水泥石被硫酸腐蚀后,强度明显下降,硬化浆体中100 nm以上有害孔的数量显著增多,水化产物变得疏松多孔,硬化水泥浆体的物相组成发生变化,有新的腐蚀产物CaSO4·2H2O生成;水泥石抵抗酸性介质腐蚀的能力不仅与其致密程度有关,还与其硬化浆体的矿物组成密切相关;不同水化产物抵抗腐蚀的能力不同,Ca（OH）2比C-S-H凝胶更容易受到酸性介质的腐蚀;C-S-H凝胶被腐蚀后产生的孔隙主要是细小孔隙,而Ca（OH）2被腐蚀后产生的孔隙主要是100 nm以上有害孔,降低硬化浆体中Ca（OH）2的含量是提高水泥石抗腐蚀性能的关键。     

Microstructural characterization of leaching effects in cement pastes due to neutralisation of their alkaline nature: Part I: Portland cement pastes

When concrete is exposed to the elements, its underlying microstructure can be attacked by a variety of aggressive agents; for example, rainwater and groundwater. The knowledge of concrete resistance to long term water aggression is necessary for predictions of their performance in different environments. This study aims to analyse the effects of leaching on the microstructure of Portland cement binders. Leaching of cement pastes was performed by an accelerated extraction leaching test that produces significant degradation and helps to achieve equilibrium or near-equilibrium conditions between the leachant medium and cement paste. FTIR spectroscopy, TG-DTA thermal analysis, low temperature nitrogen gas sorption, and geochemical modelling were used to characterize the microstructural changes produced in cement pastes at different equilibrium pHs reached during the leaching process.     

钢渣水化产物的特性(英文)

用X射线衍射分析、水化热的测量、化学结合水量的测定、孔结构的测定、扫描电镜观察及强度测试研究了钢渣的水化产物的特性。结果表明:钢渣硬化浆体中主要含有水化硅酸钙(C–S–H)凝胶、Ca(OH)2、惰性组分[RO相、铁酸二钙(C2F)和Fe3O4]和未水化的胶凝相[硅酸三钙(C3S)和硅酸二钙(C2S)];总体而言,钢渣的水化过程与水泥的水化过程相似;钢渣早期的水化速率远低于水泥,但钢渣后期,尤其是90d之后的水化速率高于水泥的。钢渣水化产生的C–S–H凝胶不具有良好的胶凝性能,凝胶之间的相互黏结也不牢固,因此钢渣砂浆的强度很低。