Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Percolation Aspects of Cement Paste and Concrete - Properties and Durability

Published

Author(s)

Edward J. Garboczi, Dale P. Bentz

Abstract

Synopsis: Portland cement concrete is a composite material, where the matrix consists of portland cement paste. Cement paste forms from the hydration reaction of portland cement with water. The microstructure of cement paste changes drastically over a time period of about one week, with slower changes occurring over subsequent weeks to months. The effect of this hydration process on the changing microstructure can be represented using computer simulation techniques applied to three dimensional digital image-based models. Percolation theory can be used to understand the developing microstructure of cement paste in terms of three percolation thresholds: the set point, capillary porosity percolation, and the percolation of the C-S-H phase. The percolation of the interfacial transition zones also plays an important role in concrete microstructure, and can be displayed using computer simulation models. These percolation aspects help determine the transport properties and therefore the durability and service life of concrete.
Proceedings Title
High-Performance concrete: Research to Practice, ACI Special Publication 189 (SP-189)
Conference Dates
March 14-19, 1999
Conference Title
High-Performance Concrete : Research to Practice

Keywords

cement, chlorides, diffusivity, durability, materials science, microcomputers, microstructure, percolation, permeability

Citation

Garboczi, E. and Bentz, D. (2000), Percolation Aspects of Cement Paste and Concrete - Properties and Durability, High-Performance concrete: Research to Practice, ACI Special Publication 189 (SP-189) (Accessed December 11, 2024)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created August 1, 2000, Updated February 19, 2017