Lecture

Hydration: Development of Microstructure

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Description

This lecture explores the development of microstructure in cement hydration, focusing on the reaction of different phases, heat evolution, and the formation of various hydrates. The instructor discusses the role of alite, belite, aluminate, and ferrite in the hydration process, as well as the interplay between sulfate and silicate reactions. Emphasis is placed on the evolution of the microstructure over time, including the formation of Hadley grains and the transformation of different cement phases. Various analytical techniques, such as EDS analyses, are also presented to understand the chemical composition of the hydrated cement paste.

In MOOC

Cement Chemistry and Sustainable Cementitious Materials

We all know the concrete used to build our houses, offices, schools, or bridges, but do you know why concrete resists? The aim of this course is to offer solid knowledge on cement chemistry to practioners or to new student in the field. It is therefore not necessary to have a cement background, however basic concepts in chemistry, physics and crystallography can help. This course lasts 6 weeks during which you can take theoretical courses and tutorials to test the cement in the laboratory. You will learn h

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Related concepts (31)

Cement clinker

Cement clinker is a solid material produced in the manufacture of Portland cement as an intermediary product. Clinker occurs as lumps or nodules, usually to in diameter. It is produced by sintering (fusing together without melting to the point of liquefaction) limestone and aluminosilicate materials such as clay during the cement kiln stage. The Portland clinker essentially consists of four minerals: two calcium silicates, alite (Ca3SiO5) and belite (Ca2SiO4), along with tricalcium aluminate (Ca3Al2O6) and calcium aluminoferrite (Ca2(Al,Fe)2O5).

Cement

A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixed with fine aggregate produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces concrete. Concrete is the most widely used material in existence and is behind only water as the planet's most-consumed resource.

Portland cement

Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout. It was developed from other types of hydraulic lime in England in the early 19th century by Joseph Aspdin, and is usually made from limestone. It is a fine powder, produced by heating limestone and clay minerals in a kiln to form clinker, grinding the clinker, and adding 2 to 3 percent of gypsum. Several types of portland cement are available.

Energetically modified cement

Energetically modified cements (EMCs) are a class of cements made from pozzolans (e.g. fly ash, volcanic ash, pozzolana), silica sand, blast furnace slag, or Portland cement (or blends of these ingredients). The term "energetically modified" arises by virtue of the mechanochemistry process applied to the raw material, more accurately classified as "high energy ball milling" (HEBM). This causes, amongst others, a thermodynamic transformation in the material to increase its chemical reactivity.

Chemical composition

A chemical composition specifies the identity, arrangement, and ratio of the chemical elements making up a compound by way of chemical and atomic bonds. Chemical formulas can be used to describe the relative amounts of elements present in a compound. For example, the chemical formula for water is H2O: this means that each molecule of water is constituted by 2 atoms of hydrogen (H) and 1 atom of oxygen (O). The chemical composition of water may be interpreted as a 2:1 ratio of hydrogen atoms to oxygen atoms.

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