- Author
-
Bentz, D. P.
|
Garboczi, E. J.
|
Haecker, C. J.
|
Jensen, O. M.
- Title
- Effects of Cement Particle Size Distribution on Performance Properties of Portland Cement-Based Materials.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Wilhelm Dyckerhoff Institut, Wiesbaden, Germany
Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby
- Journal
-
Cement and Concrete Research,
Vol. 29,
No. 10,
1663-1671,
October 1999
- Keywords
-
portland cement
|
particle size distribution
|
performance properties
|
diffusivity
|
high performance concrete
|
heat of hydration
|
interfacial transition zone
|
microstructure
|
percolation
- Abstract
- The original size, spatial distribution, and composition of Portland cement particles have a large influence on hydration kinetics, microstructure development, and ultimate properties of cement-based materials. In this paper, the effccts of cement particlc size distribution on a variety of performance propertics are explored via computer simulation and a few experimental studies. Properties examined include setting time, heat release, capillary porosity percolation, diffusivity, chemical shrinkage, autogenous shrinkage, internal relative humidity evolution, and interfacial transition zone microstructure. The effects of flocculation and dispersion of the cement particles in the starting microstructurcs on resultant properties arc also briefly evaluated. The computer simulations are conducted using two cement particlc size distrihutions that bound those commonly in use today and three different water-to-cement ratios: 0.5, 0.3, and 0.246. For lower water-to-cement ratio systems, the use of coarser cements may offer equivalent or superior performance, as well as reducing production costs for the manufacture.