Experimental Study on Impact Resistance of CaCO₃ Whisker-Reinforced Cement Mortar

Abstract

CaCO3 whiskers were incorporated into the cement mortar in this study and the effects of whiskers on the impact resistance of mortar were investigated. The results showed that CaCO3 whiskers could improve the impact resistance of cement mortar before initial cracking. When the whisker content was 10%, the reinforcing effect was optimal. But after initial cracking, the capacity of matrix to resist further impact load was not improved significantly. By observing the failure modes of specimens, it was shown that the crack branches of whisker-reinforced cement mortar were increased, which indicated the brittleness of matrix was decreased and the toughness was improved to some extent. In addition, the reinforcing mechanisms of CaCO3 whiskers in the cement mortar were also discussed

Evaluation of Sulfate Resistance of One-Part Alkali- Activated Materials Prepared by Mechanochemistry

“…First, volcanic ash-active substances in the slag and fly ash lead to the hydration of alkali-excited materials. It can be hypothesized that silica-aluminous salts with volcanic ash activity and C-S-H undergo volcanic ash reactions to produce the denser Ca(SiO 4 ) 2 , 23 and the accumulation of Ca(SiO 4 ) 2 fills the pores in the concrete. The other factor is the erosion of sulfate, which means that gypsum and ettringite form and accumulate in the micropore structure when the specimen is eroded by sulfate.…”