Effects of limestone fillers on surface free energy and electrical conductivity of the interstitial solution of cement mixes

Abstract

Most of concrete formulations actually contain mineral additives that are used as an inert filler or supplementary cementitious material (as type II addition). These materials are generally used in order to increase concrete performances both in its fresh and hardened states. The mineral additives usually improve the consistency and workability of fresh concrete and reduce the water demand for a required concrete slump because of an additional volume of fines. The way of action depends on the physical and chemical characteristics of fillers. The study of surface free energies and electric conductivities of interstitial solutions of cement mixes modified by blast furnace slags and limestone fillers contributes to a better knowledge of hardening and interaction process.

Limestone fillers cement based composites: Effects of blast furnace slags on fresh and hardened properties

“…As shown on Fig. 5, the "dormant" period is shorter for the M-BFS mixtures containing limestone fillers: this phenomenon was already observed and explained through the fact that carboaluminates are growing and accelerating the setting by nucleation action [33]. We can also observe that the duration of the "dormant" period is longer for the M-BFS mixtures than for the M-P mixtures: this is due to the latent characteristic of the granulated blast furnace slag.…”

“…Because it is dependent on the ions dissolved in the solution [33,34], the measurement of the evolution of the electric conductivity over time can give information about the hydration process. The "dormant" period is representative of the setting time: at the end of this period, the setting really begins.…”

Surface Modification of Lightweight Mortars by Nanopolymers to Improve Their Water-Repellency and Durability

“…The efficiency of silanes compared to standard samples was 77%. The research on the SFE of materials with cement was presented in the numerous papers [57,[79][80][81]. The studies indicated that SFE for building materials surfaces ranges from 50 to 100 mJ•m −2 .…”

The use of nanomodified concrete in construction of high-rise buildings

“…[10,11] Among the most available, there can be distinguished method based on the determination of the electrical conductivity according to the transmission of electric current through the body of the structure, via electrodes located on one side of the structure. [12,13] When using this method it's rather difficult to make an adequate estimate of the structure's state, due to the low convergence of the results. Furthermore it was found that the electrical resistance is strongly dependent on the water saturation of concrete, and as a result of current transmission, polarization of free ions occur, which leads to a distortion of results.…”