Loss On Ignition (L.O.I) : Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
Loss On Ignition (L.O.I) : Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
Loss On Ignition (L.O.I) : Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
Hydration of cement
It is the series of chemical reactions for cement with water to form the binding
material. In other words, in the presence of water, the silicates (C3S and C2S) and
aluminates (C3A and C4AF) form products of hydration which in time produce a
firm and hard mass called the hydrated cement paste.
There are two ways in which compounds of the type present in cement can react
with water:
I. In the first, a direct addition of some molecules of water takes place, this
being a true reaction of hydration
II. The second type of reaction with water is hydrolysis , in which its nature
can be illustrated using the C3S hydration equation:
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Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
The reaction of C3S with water continue even when the solution is saturated with
lime and the resulted amounts of lime precipitate in crystals form Ca(OH)2 .
Calcium silicate hydrate → remains stable when it is in contact with the solution
saturated with lime.
Calcium silicate hydrate→ hydrolyzed when being in water – some of lime form,
and the process continues until the water saturate with lime.
If the calcium silicate hydrate remains in contact with water → it will leave the
hardened compound only as hydrated silica due to the hydrolysis of all of the lime.
The rates of the chemical reactions of the main compounds are different:
Aluminates:
1- React with the water in the beginning,
2- Affect the route of the chemical reactions at early periods of
hydration.
Silicates:
Affect the later stage reactions.
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Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
Since calcium silicates (C3S and C2S) – are the main cement compounds (occupies
about 75% of cement weight) – they are responsible for the final strength of the
hardened cement paste.
With time:
The rate of hydration decreases continuously.
The size of unhydrated cement particles decrease. For instance, after 28 days
in contact with water, grains of cement have been found to have hydrated to
a depth of only 4 μm, and 8 μm after a year.
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Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
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Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
The reaction of gypsum with C3A continues until one of them exhausted, while
C3S continue in hydration.
If C3A exhausted before gypsum: The surplus gypsum → expand → become
an agent assist the disruption and deterioration of cement paste.
If gypsum exhausted before C3A The remaining C3A begins in hydration:
C3A + 6H → C3AH6 … were this form (C3AH6) is stable - cubical crystals -
with high sulfate resistance.
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Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
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Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
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Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
This initial gel form an external layer over C3S causing the delay of the reaction.
After few hours, this initial C-S-H undergo hydrolysis to form the second product
of the gel CSH I with C:S equal 1.5 then form the stable C-S-H II form with C:S
equal (1.4-1.6).
The full hydration of C3S can be expressed approximately by the following
equation:
2(3CaO.SiO2) + 6H2O •→ 3CaO.2SiO2.3H2O + 3Ca(OH)2
2C3S + 6H •→ C3S2H3 + 3Ca(OH)2
(100) (24) (75) (49)
C2S:
There are three main crystal forms of C2S (α , β, γ) but the β-form is the only one
occurred in the Portland cement and it react slowly with water.
Its reaction is slower than C3S.
The amount of Ca(OH)2 from its hydration is less.
Its formed gel is similar to that produced from C3S, but there is difference in the
route of the chemical reactions between the two compounds - the lime: silica
during the hydration of C2S differs than that formed during the hydration of C3S. It
is in the initial product formed as external layer at the surface about 2, and after 12
hours the initial product transform to CSH I with C:S equal 1.1-1.2 then form the
stable C-S-H II form with C:S equal 1.65-1.8 at 25 °C.
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Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
The rates of hydration of the two compounds are different as shown in the Figure
(1.6).
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Concrete Technology (I) Lecture 3
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