Early Hardening Behavior of Natural Hydraulic Lime Paste by Multiple Light Scattering Analysis

Abstract

In the present study, the multiple light scattering method was used for analysis of early hardening behavior of natural hydraulic lime (NHL) containing inorganic additives. In order to improve the properties of self-manufactured NHL, blast furnace slag and three types of gypsum were mixed with mixing ratio, and a water/solid ratio of fresh NHL paste was fixed 0.6. The fresh pastes in flat-bottomed cylindrical glass tubes were placed in the instrument. The backscattering flux (BS) of light from fresh pastes was then periodically measured at 10 minutes intervals the entire length of the sample (55mm) at 23 o C for 24 hours. The rate of increase of BS, slope of a linear equation to the mean value of BS (%) as a function of hydration time, was increased from 0.02 to 0.38 BS %/hour due to addition of blast furnace slag and gypsum. In the case of addition of hemi-hydrate, BS (%) and rate of increase in BS were highest.