Modeling the Effect of Alternative Cementitious Binders in Ultra-High-Performance Concrete

Abstract

The use of alternative cementitious binders is necessary for producing sustainable concrete. Herein, we study the effect of using alternative cementitious binders in ultra-high-performance concrete (UPHC) by calculating the phase assemblages of UHPC in which Portland cement is replaced with calcium aluminate cement, calcium sulfoaluminate cement, metakaolin or blast furnace slag. The calculation result shows that replacing Portland cement with calcium aluminate cement or calcium sulfoaluminate cement reduces the volume of C-S-H but increases the overall solid volume due to the formation of other phases, such as strätlingite or ettringite. The modeling result predicts that using calcium aluminate cement or calcium sulfoaluminate cement may require more water than it would for plain UHPC, while a similar or lower amount of water is needed for chemical reactions when using blast furnace slag or metakaolin.

A Comprehensive Review of the Advances, Manufacturing, Properties, Innovations, Environmental Impact and Applications of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC)

“…In Equation (8), n refers to the number of maintenance actions within the life-cycle, E env,ini represents the initial CO 2 emissions associated with manufacturing and transportation, and r mi is the ratio of the CO 2 emissions of the i-th maintenance action to the CO 2 emissions of E env,ini .…”

“…Workability, compressive strength, durability and economy are the key factors and priorities of conventional concrete (CC) based on the ACI mixture design method [7]. Portland cement (PC) is the main ingredient in the production of UHPC as a cementitious binder, accompanied by other supplementary cementitious materials (SCM); in most cases, silica fume (SF) is used as an SCM [8]. Mechanical consistency, maximum particle packing density and the lowest number of defects are the fundamental basis for the production of UHPC, considering both micro and macro characteristics of the design mix materials [9][10][11].…”

Thermodynamic Modeling Study of Carbonation of Portland Cement

“…Numerous studies have employed thermodynamic modelling in assessing phase changes in Portland cement systems with mineral additions such as limestone, clay, fly ash, and slag [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Thermodynamic simulations were also applied to predict the hydrate assemblage in alternate cements such as calcium sulfoaluminate cements [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] and alkali-activated slag systems [ 27 , 28 , 29 ]. In addition, thermodynamic calculations are very convenient for assessing the durability performance of cementitious systems.…”