Computer Modeling of the Replacement of "Coarse" Cement Particles by Inert Fillers in Low W/C Ratio Concretes: Hydration and Strength.

Published

January 1, 2001

Author(s)

Dale P. Bentz, J T. Conway

Abstract

In concretes with water-to-cement (w/c) ratios below about 0.38, a portion of the cement particles will always remain unhydrated due to space limitations within the material. Thus, in many of the high-performance concretes currently being produced, cement clinker is in effect being wasted. This communication examines the possibility of replacing the coarser fraction of a cement powder by an inert filler, to conserve cement without sacrificing material performance. Using the NIST CEMHYD3D cement hydration model, it is demonstrated that for "initial" w/c ratios of 0.25 and 0.30, a portion of the coarser cement particles can be replaced by inert fillers with little projected loss in compressive strength development. Of course, the optimal replacement fraction depends on the initial w/c ratio, suggesting that blended cements need to be produced with the end concrete mixture proportions in mind. This further implies that a cement/inert mixture of specific proportions will only perform optimally in a limited range of concrete mixture proportions.

Citation

Cement and Concrete Research

Publisher Info

, -1

Pub Type

Book Chapters

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Keywords

cements, computer models, concretes, blended cements, compressive strength, hydration, particle size distribution

Citation

Bentz, D. and Conway, J. (2001), Computer Modeling of the Replacement of "Coarse" Cement Particles by Inert Fillers in Low W/C Ratio Concretes: Hydration and Strength., Cement and Concrete Research, , -1, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=917006 (Accessed October 11, 2024)