The Mechanical Properties of the Ordinary Portland Cement Containing Nano Metakaolin

Abstract

I N THIS work, the crystalline kaolin granules were grinded in a ball milling machine until reached to a nano scale size. The nano-kaolin was activated by thermal treatment. The nano-kaolin was heated for 2 hr at 750 o C to transfer the nano kaolin from the crystalline phase into the amorphous phase. The activated amorphous nano-metakaoline was investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM).The activated nano-metakaoline was replaced by different ratios of (OPC) as 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% by weight of cement. The compressive strength was measured at different curing times 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The thermal treatment of nano kaoline leads to the change from crystal into amorphous phase, as the decreasing of the grain size. It obvious that the compressive strength is increased, and at the concentration of 10% of nano metakaolin by 31%.