CONCRETE PROPERTIES

CE 316

Dr. Riyadh Alturki

Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Imam University, Riyadh
 Outlines

a) cement hydration
b) Compounds of cement before and after hydration
c) Hydration stages
d) Micro-structure level
 Main properties of Portland cement

• Hydraulic chemical reaction (hydration)

• Fineness
– 90% finer than 45µm
• Setting Time
• Soundness: Ability of hardened paste to maintain volume after
setting.
• Specific Gravity: about 3.15 (range from 3.1 to 3.25)
• Heat of Hydration - Exothermic Reaction
 Cement hydration
In concrete:
Cement + water = paste
It is a liquid type material

Then, with time the paste transforms from the

liquid state to the hardened state through a
process called “hydration”
 Cement hydration
• Terminology:

o Hydrolysis: any chemical reaction in which a molecule

of water breaks one or more chemical bonds.
EX. salt and water

o Nucleation: the initial process that occurs in the

formation of a crystal from a solution
In our case it will be formation of hydration products due
to the reaction between cement and water
 Compounds in cement
Main Compounds

Unhydeated cement Hydrated cement

1- Alite C3S 1- CSH (Calcium Silicate hydrate)
2- Belite C2S 2- CH (Calcium hydrate)
3- Aluminate phase C3A 3- AFA (Ettringite)
4- Gypsum 4- AFM (Calcium mono sulpho aluminate
5- Ferrite phase C4AF (lime stone dust) hydrate)
5- Iron Hydrate
 C3S
Tri Calcium Silicate

• 3CaO.SiO2 -“Alite”
• Provides Early strength development
• 70% reacts by 28 days
• Usually present at 40-70%
• If >65% difficult to burn
 C2 S
Dicalcium Silicate

• 2CaO.SiO2 -“Belite”
• Provides late strength development
• 30% reacts by 28 days
• Present at 20-40%
• Under-burning can result in higher C2S
contents in cement
 C3 A
Tricalcium Aluminate

• 3CaO.Al2O3 -“Aluminate”

• Provides heat generated in hydration

• High C3A not as resistant to sulfate attack

• Little contribution to strength

 C4AF
Tetracalcium Aluminoferrite

• 4CaO.Al2O3.Fe2O3 -“Ferrite”
• Governs the color of the cement
• Present at 1-10%
• Iron facilitates formation of other
compounds - acts as a flux
• Little contribution to strength
 Concrete structure
• The concrete structure is multiscale in nature, ranging from
– nanometer scale,
– micrometer scale,
– millimeter scale.

• The traditional term macrostructure is generally used for the gross structure, visible
to the human eye.
• The microstructure is generally used for certain parts of the structure, not visible to
human eye.
• In other words,
• The elements of the structure above the millimeter scale can readily be seen by the
naked eye, whereas the elements under the millimeter scale usually have to be
resolved with the help of microscopes,
 Concrete structure
• To understand the cement-based behavior, it is important to understand its structure,
especially its structure in the nanometer and micrometer scales.

• Concrete and other cement-based materials are typically complex in structure and require
investigation at several different levels of magnification to develop an approach to better
predicts the structure of concrete.
• The objectives of this chapter are to understand the multiscale nature of Structural
Levels
 Concrete structure

•
 Compounds in cement

• CSH (Calcium Silicate

hydrate): called an
amorphous gel. It is the glue
that gives the hydrated
cement its strength.
 Compounds in cement

• CH (Calcium hydrate):
• crystals that grow in water and fill the
space.
• It is the weak portion in the concrete
• Keep pore solution (PH) highà key for
durability in concrete (human immune
system)
• Concrete PH is 12.5 à protect the
concrete from Chlorine particles, acids,
carbon dioxide…
• CH forms a layer over the rebars inside
the concrete and protect them from
rusting.
 Compounds in cement

• AFA (Ettringite):
• long crystals that form during hydration

• Change the volume of concrete when they form

• Help in concrete setting (initial set)

• AFM (Calcium mono sulpho aluminate hydrate):

• Form hydration products like plates (rock roses)
• Help in concrete seting
Evaluating the cement composition of
Portland cement

Evaluation method Analysis Test name

Wet chemistry Not used-old method --
X-ray Oxide analysis Bogue analysis
X-ray Phase analysis Rietveld analysis (precise)

Results of these analysis depends on:

1- machines used
2- conditions of the X-ray tubes.
3- assumption in the analysis
Hydration stages
 Stage I

• - cement is added to water

• - large amount of initial dissolution and reaction (Hydrolysis)
• The OH-and the H+ in the water first reacts with the C3Sof the cement
grain
• C3S+H2Oà 3Ca + 4 OH +H2SiO4

• This attack frees Calcium Ions and Silicon Ions from the cement grain and
releases them into the solution.
• Then:
• C3A and Gypsum react and form Ettringite in the solution. When this
occurs, ions still collect and build larger and larger in the background.
• C3A + 3CSH2+H2O à AFA
 Stage I

• - the reaction rate slows down, Why? The easy spots on the cement grain has been already reacted
• - the surface of the cement grain changes (hydration products forming on the surface)
• - surface chemistry/ charges may change
• - CSH is forming on the surface of the grain and it is difficult for the water to access the
• cement grain.
 Stage II (induction period)

• - very little heat is giving off (Slow reaction)

• - Ca (calcium) concentration is increasing in the solution.

• - then, OH breaks the CSH molecules and H2O will react with the cement grain

again.

• - It is during this induction period that the cement is able to be placed and worked

before it begins to harden.

 Stage III (acceleration period)

- CSH is broke down by water molecules

(No protection)
- More reaction à more CSH is forming on the
grain.
- Ca concentration becomes super saturated and CH
forms and precipitate on the cement grain.
 Stage III (acceleration period)

• - heat of hydration increases

• - the Ettringite, which had been
floating in the solution, attaches to
the surface of the C-S-H!
 Stage III (acceleration period)
• - The Ettringite then begins to absorb water
and extend out.
• This again changes the physical layout of
the cement grain, which along with the C3S of
the cement grain, provides the initial strength
gain for the cement grain.
• - initial set occurs
 Stage IV
• - The cement grain has now grown dense from all the layers of CSH
and ettringite that have formed due to the attacks from the water
molecules through the hydration process.
• - The high density of these layers preventing the OH-and H+ of the
water from reaching the cement grain.
• - When the water molecules do reach the cement grain, the layers
become even more dense from the resulting reaction.
• This is making it even harder for the water molecules to reach the
cement grain again.
• The reaction between the cement grain and the water is an
exothermic reaction,
• so the cement grain begins to cool as it becomes harder and harder
for the water molecules to reach it.
 Stage V
• -Hydration rate is slow as long as water is
avialable.
• - The reaction rate between the cement grain and
the water molecules has come to an almost
standstill, as the water molecules are unable to
reach the C3S inside the grain.
• - the water molecules continue to react with
the cement grain on each side, trying to find a
weak point in the structure.
• - This is because the process of hydrating
cement grains is a fusion controlled reaction.
• Cement grain changes its shape due to the
further reaction and gaining the ability to have
friction with other grains of cement.
• This friction provides strength.

• **** note hydration stops if there is no water.

That’s why curing is really important****
 Types of Cement
(ASTM C150 or AASHTO M85)
• Type I Normal or general purpose
• Type II Moderate Heat of Hydration
and Moderate Sulfate Resistant
• Type III High-Early Strength
• Type IV Low Heat of Hydration
• Type V High Sulfate Resistant
 Special Types of Cement
• Type IP Blended with a Pozzolan

• Type IS Blended with a Slag

• Type I-II Meets Type I and II standards

• White Type I or III without Fe

• Masonry Blended Cements with Lime

• Type K Expansive
 Supplementary Cementing Materials

• DEFINITION: Powdered or pulverized materials added

before or during mixing to improve or change some of the
plastic or hardened properties of concrete.

•Cementitious
•Pozzolans
•Nominally Inert
 Cementitious Materials

• Possess hydraulic cementing properties

– GGBF (Ground Granulated Blast Furnace) slag (by-product

of steel industry)

– Natural cement- Cement Rock

– Hydraulic hydrated lime

 Pozzolans
• Possess no cementitious value until finely divided

and mixed with water and cement

– Cherts, clays, shales

– Fly ash (by-product of coal)

– Silica fume (silicon manufacture)

 Fly Ash
• Class F (low calcium) - from burning anthracite or bituminous coal, is
pozzolanic
• Class C - from burning sub-bituminous or lignite coal, is somewhat
cementitious
 GGBFS (Slag)
• Formed when molten iron blast

furnace slag is rapidly chilled

(quenched) by immersion in H2O

• Grades 80, 100, 120

• Used as a cement replacement

Silica Fume
Portland Cement Silica Fume

• Also known as

micro-silica

• By-product of the
production of silicon and
ferrosilicon alloys.

• A small part of silica fume

can be used to replace a
large part of cement