Relation between carbonation resistance,mix design and exposure of mortar and concrete

When cement with mineral additions is employed, the carbonation resistance of mortar and concrete may be decreased. In this study, mortars containing mineral additions are exposed both to accelerated carbonation (1% and 4% CO₂) and to natural carbonation. Additionally, concrete mixtures produced with different cements, water-to-cement ratios and paste volumes are exposed to natural carbonation. The comparison of the carbonation coefficients determined in the different exposure conditions indicates that mortar and concrete containing slag and microsilica underperform in the accelerated carbonation test compared to field conditions. The carbonation resistance in mortar and concrete is mainly governed by the CO₂ buffer capacity per volume of cement paste. It can be expressed by the ratio between water added during production and the amount of reactive CaO present in the binder (w/CaO_reactive) resulting in a novel parameter to assess carbonation resistance of mortar and concrete containing mineral additions.     

Influence of moisture condition on chloride diffusion in partially saturated ordinary Portland cement mortar

Experiments have been carried out to study the influence of moisture condition, including moisture content and its distribution, on the chloride diffusion in partially saturated ordinary Portland cement mortar. The mortar samples with water-to-cement (w/c) ratios of 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6, cured for 1 year, were preconditioned to uniform water saturations ranging from 18 to 100%. The interior relative humidities of these partially saturated cement mortars, i.e. water vapour desorption isotherm (WVDI), were measured. The WVDI results in relation to the pore structures obtained from the mercury intrusion porosimetry tests of paste samples with the same w/c ratios were analyzed, which provided a basic insight into the moisture distribution in the non-saturated cement mortars. The relative chloride diffusion coefficients of cement mortars at various water saturations were determined based on the Nernst-Einstein equation and conductivity technique. It is found that the relative chloride diffusion coefficient D_rc depends on the degree of water saturation S_w and WVDI. At a given S_w level, the D_rc is larger for a higher w/c ratio. The role of the w/c ratio in the D_rc–S_w relation, however, becomes less pronounced with increasing w/c ratio. There exists a critical saturation, below which the water-filled capillary pores are discontinuous and the D_rc-value tends towards infinitely small. An increase of the w/c ratio results in a decrease of the critical saturation level.     

Effect of composition,environmental factors and cement-lime mortar coating on concrete carbonation

The paper describes the physicochemical processes of concrete carbonation and presents a simple mathematical model for the evolution of carbonation in time, applicable under constant relative humidity higher than 50%. The model is based on fundamental principles of chemical reaction engineering, and uses as parameters the ambient concentration of CO₂, the molar concentratrations of the carbonatable constituents, Ca(OH)₂ and CSH, in the concrete volume, and the effective diffusivity of CO₂ in carbonated concrete. The latter is given by an empirical function of the porosity of hardened cement paste and of relative humidity, derived from laboratory diffusion tests. The validity of the model for OPC or pozzolanic cement concretes and mortars is demonstrated by comparison of its predictions with accelerated carbonation test results obtained in an environment of controlled CO₂ concentration, humidity and temperature. The mathematical model is extended to cover the case of carbonation of the coating-concrete system, for concrete coated with a cement-lime mortar finish, applied either almost immediately after the end of concrete curing or with a delay of a certain time. Parametric studies are performed to show how the evolution of carbonation depth with time is affected by cement and concrete composition (water/cement or aggregate/cement ratio, percentage OPC or aggregate replacement by a pozzolan), environmental factors (relative humidity, ambient concentration of CO₂), the presence and the time of application of a lime-cement mortar coating and its composition (water/cement, aggregate/cement and lime/cement ratios of the mortar, percentage OPC or aggregate replacement by a pozzolan).     

Reuse of spent catalyst as fine aggregate in cement mortar

This study examined the feasibility of reusing spent zeolite catalyst, after fluidized catalytic cracking, as a substitute for fine aggregate (sand) in cement mortars. The tested result shows that spent catalyst can replace up to 10% of fine aggregate without decreasing the mortar strength. In fact, the substituted mortars show higher compressive strength than the unsubstituted samples. The flowability of the fresh mortars decreases with increasing substitution level and the mortars incorporated with spent catalyst show less bleeding. In the hardened state, the water absorption of the resulting mortar increases with longer curing age, higher substitution level and smaller water-to-cement (W/C) ratio. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) analysis confirms that the spent catalyst meets the standard, and thus should be classified as general non-hazardous industrial waste.     

Effect of aggregates and water contents on the properties of magnesium phospho-silicate cement

Properties of magnesium phospho-silicate cement (MPSC) mortars with different fine aggregates, and different water contents were investigated in the present work. Three types of fine aggregates, natural sand, dead burnt magnesia and alumina particles were used. Two types of hard burnt magnesia powder with MgO content 89.51 and 71.50 wt.% were used as binder. Compressive strength of MPSC mortar with different water/binder ratios were determined at ages of 1, 3, 7, and 24 h. The 3, 7, and 28 day compressive strength and modulus of elasticity were also tested. It was found that the compressive strength of MPSC mortar decreases with the increase of sand content, regardless of sand type. However, the strength reduction of MPSC mortars formed with magnesia and alumina sand was much smaller than that of mortars formed with natural sand. Moreover, in spite of the raw materials, compressive strength and elastic modulus of MPSC decreased with the increase of water/binder ratio at all ages. The hydrate products were analysed by XRD and TG-DTA, and the porosity of MPSC mortar was analysed by MIP. Results showed total porosity increased with the increase of water content. The content of hydrate product of MPSC, phosphate hexahydrate, also increased with the increase of water content. However, it seems that the change of mechanical properties of MPSC is mainly controlled by increase of total porosity which was determined by water content.     

Early-age autogenous cracking of cementitious matrices: physico-chemical analysis and micro/macro investigations

High-performance cement-based materials, characterized by low water-to-cement (W/C) ratio and high cement content, are sensitive to early-age cracking because their autogenous shrinkage rate and magnitude are particularly high during this period. This article firstly presents experimental tools especially designed for the measurement of free and restrained autogenous shrinkage at early-age. Then, the results of a multi-parameter experimental study conducted on three different types of binder are analyzed. The physico-chemical deformations of cement pastes and mortars were measured from the very early-age up to several days in saturated and autogenous conditions to investigate the effects of binder, water-to-binder ratio, presence of aggregates and temperature on the driving-mechanisms leading to early-age autogenous cracking. Complementary tests such as hydration rate measurement and microscopic observations were also performed. Among the three binders used, the blast furnace slag cement shows higher chemical strain, for a given quantity of chemically-bound water, and higher early-age autogenous shrinkage. The presence of aggregates generates a local restraining effect of cement paste deformations, leading to the formation of microcracks in the surrounding cement paste. Ring test results reveal that the first through crack of cement pastes systematically appears for maximal internal stress values lower than the material tensile strength, estimated with three-point flexural tests. This phenomenon may be due to diffuse damage of the cementitious matrix, whose deformations are partially restrained.     

Characteristics of cement-soil mortars

Cement-soil mortars are commonly used for the construction of soil-cement block masonry. The paper focuses on an experimental study in understanding the various characteristics of cement soil mortars in fresh and hardened state. Workability, strength, water retentivity, shrinkage and stress-strain characteristics of cement soil mortars and bond strength of soil-cement block couplets using such mortars are examined. Characteristics of 1:6 cement mortar and 1:1:6 cement lime mortar are also examined for the purposes of comparison. Workability of mortars has been quantified by conducting flow table tests. Results of flow values obtained for mortars from various construction sites are reported. There is a linear relationship between flow and water cement ratio of the mortars. Flow increases with increase in water-cement ratio. Very high flow value of 130% can be achieved for cement soil mortars and cement lime mortars. Reduction in flow value from 100% to 80% leads to increase in strength and modulus of mortars. Clay fraction of the mortar mix controls the flow, strength, density, shrinkage value and modulus of cement soil mortars. Cement-soil mortars lead to better tensile bond strength for soilcement block couplets when compared to the cement mortar and cement lime mortar.     

The fluid transport properties of HCWA–DSF hybrid supplementary binder mortar

It has been demonstrated in several past studies that high calcium wood ash (HCWA) can be effectively used in combination with densified silica fume (DSF) as supplementary binder material to enhance the mechanical performance of concrete. The experimental investigation was conducted to study the effect of the inclusion of HCWA and DSF on the durability properties of high strength cement mortar produced. A total of twelve different mix designs of mortar were fabricated with the use of HCWA at various cement replacement levels of 0–20% in combination with 7.5% densified silica fume (DSF) and subjected to various durability tests. The durability assessments performed include tests on water absorption, air permeability, porosity and degree of carbonation. A significantly lower degree of water absorption, porosity and carbonation was observed for cement mortars with HCWA contents of 2–8% used in combination with 7.5% DSF by weight of binder as compared to an equivalent pure cement mortar.     

The influence of supplementary cementing materials on water retaining characteristics of hydrated lime and cement mortars in masonry construction

The purpose of this paper is an investigation of the possible role of supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) on the water retaining ability of hydrated lime (CL90) and Portland cement (PC) mortars. Desorptivity (R) defines the water retaining ability of mortars in the freshly-mixed wet state. Transfer sorptivity (A) defines the ability of the substrate to withdraw water from the wet mix. The time to dewater (t _dw), is an expression derived from the sharp front theory, and enables calculation of the time taken for a wet mortar joint to be dewatered by an absorbent substrate. The results show that the very water retaining CL90 mortars become progressively more water releasing with increased volume fraction replacement levels of both ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) and fly ash (FA). On the other hand, the very water releasing PC mortars become more water retaining with the addition of silica fume (SF). Results also show that transfer sorptivity increases as the volume fraction replacement levels of GGBS and FA increases in CL90 mortars and decreases with increased volume fraction replacement levels of SF in PC mortars. Since the time taken to dewater a mortar joint (t _dw) is inversely proportional to the squared transfer sorptivity, t _dw can be dramatically altered by the addition of SCMs in both CL90 and PC mortars. These parameters have important practical consequences, not only in the initial adhesion of the mortar to the substrate but also in the strength of the set material. The ability to manipulate the water retaining properties can also allow construction time to be reduced.     

Wet deposition studies of hydraulic mortars

Cement mortars and lime-pozzolan mortars have been exposed to wet/drying cycling of ‘acid rain’ solution, using realistic presentation rates, to simulate outdoor conditions. Cement type, water/cement ratio, and curing temperature were also examined. Form the pH of run-off solution, it is evident that reaction between the mortar and the ‘acid rain’ proceeds over the exposure period, with significant weight increases for the cement mortars and little influence of curing temperature for lime-pozzolan mortars. Exposure of the cement mortar gives to significant calcium loss to run-off and is also associated with retained souuble stalts; these results from the presence of free hydrated lime in the mortar. Conversely, lime-pozzolan mortars, associated with a clacium carbonate compounds, reveal comparatively reduced calcium loss,i.e by about one-tenth that of cement mortar.     

Enhancement of recycled aggregate properties by accelerated CO2 curing coupled with limewater soaking process

Strengthening the attached old cement mortar of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is a common approach to enhance the RCA properties. Accelerated CO₂ curing has been regarded as an alternative way to enhance the properties of RA. However, the improvement of the properties of RCA was limited by the shortage of reactive components in the old cement mortar available for the carbonation reactions. In this study, a CO₂ curing process associated with a limewater saturation method was performed cyclically on cement mortar samples, aiming to enhance the properties of cement mortars via artificially introducing additional calcium into the pores of the cement mortars. The results indicated that the adopted treatment method promoted the level of carbonation which was demonstrated by higher CO₂ uptake by the limewater saturated cement mortar when compared to that without limewater treatment. After 3-cycles of limewater-CO₂ treatment, the density of the cement mortar slightly increased by 5.7%, while the water absorption decreased by over a half. For mechanical properties, the compressive and flexural strength were increased by 22.8% and 42.4%, respectively. Compared to the untreated cement mortar samples, the total porosity of cement mortar was reduced by approximately 33% and the densified microstructure therefore resulted in a higher microhardness.     

A new multi-scale modeling approach based on hygro-Cosserat theory for self-induced stress in hydrating cementitious mortars

The present paper focuses on the modeling of internal stresses induced by the restrained autogenous shrinkage of hydrating cementitious matrix in cement-based mortars. At very early age (0–48 h), these self-induced stresses may be relatively high and even critical, especially for cementitious systems with low water-to-cement ratio, since the physico-chemical phenomena involved (hydration and self-desiccation) are particularly intense. To pursue the mentioned objective, an original multi-scale approach based on the application of hygro-Cosserat theory has been developed to model the self-induced stress variation in the cement paste surrounding the aggregates. In fact, the characteristic length scale parameter L_c in the Cosserat theory helps us to reduce the specimen size from macro-scale to micro-scale and even sub-micro-scale due to its explicit size effect features, which is not feasible in the classical theory, i.e. Cauchy–Bolzmann’s theory. The self-shrinkage phenomenon at early age has been observed and modeled via the experiments and a freshly defined Cosserat Size effect number (CS) based upon the Representative Volume Element (RVE) concept. The proposed method is capable of treating the internal stress and could be followed by cracks appearance investigation in the cementitious matrix surrounding the sand inclusions, which should occur inside of the RVE of mortar subjected to self-desiccation shrinkage during the hydration process at early age. The occurrence of these micro-cracking networks are confirmed by Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) observations at the interface cement paste/aggregate performed on different mortars at early age. By taking advantage of the time-dependent Finite Element Analysis (FEA), the numerical outcomes are well agreed with the experimental observations coming from SEM. It concludes that the inclusion creates high hygro-stress concentration around the grains: when the number of inclusions increases, this hygro-stress could lead to a micro-crack network through the matrix.     

The use of oil shale ash in Portland cement concrete

An experimental investigation was undertaken to study the potential use of Jordanian oil shale ash (OSA) as a raw material or an additive to Portland cement mortar and concrete. Different series of mortar and concrete mixtures were prepared at different water to binder ratios, and different OSA replacements of cement and/or sand. The compressive strength of mortar and concrete specimens, cured in water at 23 °C, was determined over different curing periods which ranged from 3 to 90 days. The results of these tests were subjected to a statistical analysis. Equations were developed by regression analysis techniques to relate the effect of batch constituents on the strength developments of OSA mortars and concretes. The models were checked for accuracy by comparing their predictions with actual test results.The obtained results indicated that OSA replacement of cement, sand or both by about 10% (by wt) would yield the optimum compressive strength, and that its replacement of cement by up to 30% would not reduce its compressive strength, significantly. It was found that OSA on its own possesses a limited cementitious value and that its contribution to mortar or concrete comes through its involvement in the pozzolanic reactions. The statistical model developed showed an excellent predictability of the compressive strength for mortar and concrete mixes.     

Effects of mix composition and water–cement ratio on the sulfate resistance of blended cements

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the sulfate resistance of blended cements containing various amounts of natural pozzolan and/or Class-F fly ash. The performance of blended cements was monitored by exposing the prepared mortar specimens to a 5% Na₂SO₄ solution for 78 weeks. For comparison, an ordinary Portland cement (produced with the same clinker as blended cements) and a sulfate resistant Portland cement (produced from a different clinker) were also used. In addition to the cement chemistry, water–cement (w/c) ratio of mortars was another parameter selected that will presumably affect the performance of mortars. The experimental results of expansion measurements showed that the effect of w/c ratio was more pronounced for the low sulfate resistant cements with higher C₃A amounts, while the blended cements were less affected by an increase in the w/c ratio.     

Effect of SO3 content and fineness on the rate of delayed ettringite formation in heat cured Portland cement mortars

This paper presents the findings of a long-term study on the expansion rate and microstructure of heat cured cement mortars. For this purpose, cements with different fineness and SO₃ contents were produced by using the same clinker. Different mortar specimens were prepared and subjected to heat curing. Length changes of specimens were measured within a period of 540 days. The microstructures of young (2 day after heat curing) and old (1.5 years after heat curing) specimens were also investigated by SEM and EDS analysis. The expansion rates and microstructures observed were compared with the control specimens.Results showed that, at the initial stages of testing (2–3 months), expansion rates of heat cured mortars prepared with finer cements were less than those prepared with coarser cements. However, in the long term, the rate of expansion of mortars prepared with finer cements exceeded the coarser ones’ expansion values. This result may be attributed to the different hydration characteristics and pore structure of heat cured mortars including cements of different fineness.     

磁场诱导定向碳纤维增强水泥砂浆的力学性能

首次利用磁场诱导定向技术,制备了具有明显择优取向的碳纤维增强水泥砂浆,表征与测试了不同水灰比、龄期和纤维掺量的水泥砂浆的碳纤维取向、抗压和劈裂抗拉强度,研究了碳纤维的取向性对力学性能提升效果的影响。结果表明:水灰比、纤维掺量对碳纤维的取向性有显著影响;相较于无择优取向的普通碳纤维增强水泥砂浆,经磁场诱导定向的碳纤维增强水泥砂浆的劈裂抗拉强度有显著增加,而抗压强度无明显变化;相同水灰比下,纤维取向和纤维掺量是影响定向碳纤维增强水泥砂浆劈裂抗拉强度的主要因素。其中,定向碳纤维增强水泥砂浆劈裂抗拉强度增强效率的最佳碳纤维掺量为水泥的0.50%。      

Compressive strength and drying shrinkage of fly ash-bottom ash-silica fume multi-blended cement mortars

This paper studies the physical properties, compressive strength and drying shrinkage of multi-blended cement under different curing methods. Fly ash, ground bottom ash and undensified silica fume were used to replace part of cement up to 50% by weight. Specimens were cured in air at ambient temperature, water at 25, 40 and 60 °C, sealed with plastic sheeting for 28 days. The results show that absorption and volume of permeable pore space (voids) of blended cement mortars at 28 day under all curing methods tend to increase with increasing silica fume replacement. The compressive strength of blended cement with fly ash and bottom ash was lower than that of Portland cement control at all curing condition while blended cement with silica fume shows higher compressive strength. In addition, the compressive strength of specimens cured with water increased with increasing curing temperature. The drying shrinkage of all blended cement mortar cured in air was lower than that of Portland cement control while the drying shrinkage of blended cement mortar containing silica fume, cured with plastic sealed and water at 25 °C was higher than Portland cement control due to pore refinement and high autogenous shrinkage. However, the drying shrinkage of blended cement mortar containing SF cured with water at 60 °C was lower than that of Portland cement control due to lower autogenous shrinkage and the reduced microporosity of C–S–H.     

Study of interfacial microstructure,fracture energy,compressive energy and debonding load of steel fiber-reinforced mortar

The properties of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of steel fiber and the bulk matrix were quantified using the backscattered electron imaging analysis (BSE-IA) and the scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), and their relationship with the mechanical properties of steel fiber-reinforced mortars was studied. The water and binder ratio (w/b) of mortar, the amount of silica fume and steel fiber were varied. From the quantitative analysis, a higher build-up of calcium hydroxide was found from the steel fiber’s interface up to 2 or 4 μm distance away and its build-up was reduced with the 10% cement replacement by silica fume. Porosity in the ITZ and bulk matrix decreased the fracture energy, compressive energy and debonding load of steel fiber-reinforced mortar. However, its effect became marginal if a substantial amount of C–S–H or steel fibers appeared in the ITZ and bulk matrix, which increased the studied mechanical properties.     

Effect of silica fume, steel fiber and ITZ on the strength and fracture behavior of mortar

Two sets of parameters known to affect the quality and thickness of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ), i.e. water/binder ratio and content of silica fume were varied in a series of mortars without and with steel fiber. Compressive and three-point bending tests were performed and the dissipated energies were calculated. Nanoindentation characteristics of the steel fiber–matrix and fiber–matrix-aggregate interfacial zones in the steel fiber reinforced mortars were studied. Influence of water/binder ratio, steel fiber, silica fume and ITZ on the strength and toughness of the mortar was analyzed, respectively. It is found that mortar compressive strength can be increased with low volume addition of steel fiber if the air content is well controlled; the interfacial characteristic and microstructural morphology near the fiber surface play a critical role on the three-point bending strength and the toughness of the steel fiber reinforced mortar.     

The material properties of sulphonated phenolic resin reinforced cement mortars

The material properties of new sulphonated phenolic resin (SP) reinforced cement mortars have been investigated. SP was found to promote the dispersion of cement particles and to interact with Ca(OH)₂. As a result, the resulting mortars exhibit better workability, more compact structure and higher compressive strength than plain mortars. The mortar with 1 wt% SP present after 28 days curing exhibits a compressive strength of 66MPa, which is about 18% higher than that of plain mortar.