Water within pores of cementitious materials plays a crucial role in the damage processes of cement pastes, particularly in the binding material comprising calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H). Here, we employed Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the properties of water confined at ambient temperature within and between C-S-H nanoparticles or "grains" as a function of the relat...

Cement-based concrete is the most widely used building and construction material in the world. Although concrete itself is relatively durable when used under the mild environments, its intrinsic weak tensile strength greatly limits its application due to its porous structure. Traditional strategies to overcome this weakness of concrete include utilization of various reinforcing materials, such ...

It is generally agreed that the cohesion of cement paste occurs through the formation of a network of nanoparticles of a calcium-silicate-hydrate ("C-S-H"). However, the mechanism by which these particles develop this cohesion has not been established. Here we propose a dielectric continuum model which includes all ionic interactions within a dispersion of C-S-H particles. It takes into account...

The shrinkage mechanisms of portland cement paste were investigated from shrinkage, weight loss, and pore structure measurements using nitrogen sorption and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Thin samples (2.3 mm) of well-hydrated (165 d) pastes of 0.4 and 0.6 water-to-cement (W/C) ratios were dried directly from saturated surface dry state to 75%, SO%, 11%, and 0% relative humidity (rh). Fro...

Coagulation of cement particles is an inevitable phenomenon of fresh cement-based materials undergoing solidification. Coagulation can be classified into two types, reversible flocculation and irreversible coagulation, wherein microstructural change affects the rheological properties, including shear thinning and thixotropy, and the hydration process. This paper attempts to measure the mechanic...

The aim of this study is to investigate the pozzolanic characteristics of circulating fluidized bed fly ash blended cement (CFBFABC) paste containing circulating fluidized bed fly ash (CFBFA). The initial and final setting time of CFBFABC pastes with CFBFA retards with an increasing CFBFA content. CFBFABC pastes containing 10% CFBFA exhibited a compressive strength similar to that of ordinary P...

Thermal conductivity plays a significant role in controlling thermal cracking of cement-based materials. In this study, the cement paste at an early age was measured by hot plate method. The test results showed that decreased with increase water/cement ratio and curing age. Meanwhile, multiphase model for proposed used to study influence saturation temperature on paste. To determine parameters ...