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Influence of pozzolanic additives on hydration mechanisms of tricalcium silicate
Author(s) -
Lapeyre Jonathan,
Kumar Aditya
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/jace.15518
Subject(s) - metakaolin , nucleation , pozzolan , pozzolanic reaction , cement , chemical engineering , dissolution , calcium silicate hydrate , silica fume , mineralogy , materials science , silicate , portlandite , chemistry , calcium silicate , metallurgy , composite material , portland cement , organic chemistry , engineering
Pozzolanic mineral additives, such as silica fume ( SF ) and metakaolin ( MK ), are used to partially replace cement in concrete. This study employs extensive experimentation and simulations to elucidate and contrast the influence of SF and MK on the early age hydration rates of tricalcium silicate (triclinic C 3 S), the major phase in cement. Results show that at low replacement levels (i.e., ≤10%), both SF and MK accelerate C 3 S hydration rates via the filler effect, that is, enhanced heterogeneous nucleation of the main hydration product (C–S–H: calcium‐silicate‐hydrate) on the extra surfaces provided by the additive. The filler effect of SF is inferior to that of MK because of agglomeration of the fine particles of SF , which causes significant reduction (i.e., up to 97%) in its surface area. At higher replacement levels (i.e., ≥20%), while SF continues to serve as a filler, the propensity of MK to allow nucleation of C–S–H on its surface is substantially suppressed. This reversal in the filler effect of MK is attributed to the abundance of aluminate [Al( OH ) 4 − ] ions in the solution—released from the dissolution of MK —which inhibit topographical sites for C–S–H nucleation and impede its subsequent growth. Results also show that in the first 24 hours of hydration, MK is a superior pozzolan compared to SF . However, the pozzolanic activities of both SF and MK are limited and, thus, do not produce significant alterations in the early age hydration kinetics of C 3 S. Overall, the outcomes of this study provide novel insights into the mechanistic origins of the filler and pozzolanic effects of SF and MK , and their impact on cementitious reaction rates.