Phase assemblage of composite cements

The phase assemblage of binary Portland cements with 45 wt% replacement by calcareous fly ash and slag has been investigated by experiment, mass balance and thermodynamic simulations. The input for these calculations was based on clinker reaction measured by XRD-Rietveld refinement, on SCM reaction measured by SEM-EDS full element mapping and on C-S-H composition by SEM-EDS point analyses. A sensitivity analysis estimates the uncertainty of determination of phase volume as at best +/- 2 cm(3)/100 cm(3), and thus of rather semi-quantitative character. The differences between experiment and calculations regarding AFt/AFm, C-S-H and portlandite were assessed. Gel/space ratios computed using the volumes of all hydrates showed a clear correlation to compressive strength, which was unaffected by the mix composition. This suggests that the type of hydrates formed has little or no influence on the compressive strength and that the key factor is the space filling.