Vigor, J.E., Prentice, D.P., Xiao, X. et al. (2 more authors) (2024) The pore structure and water absorption in Portland/slag blended hardened cement paste determined by synchrotron X-ray microtomography and neutron radiography. RSC Advances, 14 (7). pp. 4389-4405. ISSN 2046-2069
Abstract
The pore structures of hardened Portland/slag cement pastes (>75 wt% slag content), and the initial capillary absorption of moisture through these pores, were monitored using ex situ synchrotron X-ray computerised microtomography and in situ quantitative neutron radiography. The pore structure becomes more constricted as the cement hydrates and its microstructure develops. This mechanism was effective even at a slag content as high as 90 wt% in the cementitious blend, where the lowest total porosity and a significant pore refinement were identified at extended curing ages (360 d). By combining this information with neutron radiographic imaging, and directly quantifying both depth and mass of water uptake, it was observed that 90 wt% slag cement outperformed the 75 wt% slag blend at 90 days in terms of resistance to capillary water uptake, although the higher-slag blend had not yet developed such a refined microstructure at 28 days of curing. The assumptions associated with the “sharp front model” for water ingress do not hold true for highly substituted slag cement pastes. Testing transport properties at 28 days may not give a true indication of the performance of these materials in service in the long term.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 08 Feb 2024 10:29 |
Last Modified: | 19 Apr 2024 16:11 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1039/d3ra06489a |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:208721 |