Abstract
Portland cement have to hydrate in cold climates in some particular conditions. Therefore, a better understanding of cement hydration under low temperatures would benefit the cement-based composites application. In this study, Portland cement was, therefore, kinetically and thermodynamically simulated based on a simple kinetics model and minimization of Gibbs free energy. The results of an evaluation indicate that Portland cement hydration impact factors include the water–cement ratio (w/c), temperature, and specific surface area, with the latter being an especially remarkable factor. Therefore, increasing the specific surface area to an appropriate level may be a solution to speed the delayed hydration due to low temperatures. Meanwhile, the w/c ratio is believed to be controlled under cold climates with consideration of durability. The thermodynamic calculation results suggest that low-temperature influences can be divided into three levels: irrevocable effects (<0 °C), recoverable effects (0–10 °C), and insignificant effects (10–20 °C). Portland cement was additionally measured via X-ray diffraction, thermal gravity analysis, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption test in a laboratory and comparisons were drawn that validate the simulation result.
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Acknowledgements
This study was financially supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program, China (2014BAG05B04), the Doctoral Postgraduate Technical Project of Chang’an University (2014G5210006). The main experiments were conducted in the Key Laboratory for Special Area Highway Engineering, Ministry of Education of China, and the Materials Analysis Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chang’an University, as well as the Xi’an Mineral Resources Surveillance and Test Center, Ministry of Land and Resource of China.
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Liu, Z., Sha, A., Hu, L. et al. Kinetic and thermodynamic modeling of Portland cement hydration at low temperatures. Chem. Pap. 71, 741–751 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-016-0007-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-016-0007-5