scholarly journals Physicochemical Study on the Strength Development Characteristics of Cold Weather Concrete Using a Nitrite–Nitrate Based Accelerator

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heesup Choi ◽  
Masumi Inoue ◽  
Hyeonggil Choi ◽  
Jihoon Kim ◽  
Yuhji Sudoh ◽  
...  

There has recently been an increased use of anti-freezing agents that are primarily composed of salt- and alkali-free calcium nitrite (Ca(NO2)2) and calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2) to promote the hydration reaction of concrete in cold weather concreting. Nitrite–nitrate based accelerators accelerate the hydration of C3A and C3S in cement more quickly when their quantities are increased, thereby boosting the concrete’s early strength and effectively preventing early frost damage. However, the connection between the hydrate formation behavior and the strength development characteristic over time has yet to be clearly identified. Therefore, in this study, a wide range of physicochemical reviews were carried out to clarify the relationship between the hydrate formation behavior and the strength development characteristics, both at an early age and at later ages, which results from the addition of nitrite–nitrate based accelerators to concrete in varying amounts. These accelerators also act as anti-freezing agents. The results show that an increased quantity of nitrite–nitrate based accelerators caused an increase in the early strength of the concrete. This was due to the formation of nitrite and nitrate hydrates in large amounts, in addition to ettringite containing SO42, which is generated during the hydration reaction of normal Portland cement at an early age. On the other hand, at later ages, there was a rise in nitrite and nitrate hydrates with needle crystal structures exhibiting brittle fracture behavior. A decrease in C–S–H gel and Ca(OH)2 hydrates, deemed to have caused a decline in strength on Day 3 and thereafter, was also observed.

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1006
Author(s):  
Akira Yoneyama ◽  
Heesup Choi ◽  
Masumi Inoue ◽  
Jihoon Kim ◽  
Myungkwan Lim ◽  
...  

Recently, there has been increased use of calcium-nitrite and calcium-nitrate as the main components of chloride- and alkali-free anti-freezing agents to promote concrete hydration in cold weather concreting. As the amount of nitrite/nitrate-based accelerators increases, the hydration of tricalcium aluminate (C3A phase) and tricalcium silicate (C3S phase) in cement is accelerated, thereby improving the early strength of cement and effectively preventing initial frost damage. Nitrite/nitrate-based accelerators are used in larger amounts than usual in low temperature areas below −10 °C. However, the correlation between the hydration process and strength development in concrete containing considerable nitrite/nitrate-based accelerators remains to be clearly identified. In this study, the hydrate composition (via X-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance), pore structures (via mercury intrusion porosimetry), and crystal form (via scanning electron microscopy) were determined, and investigations were performed to elucidate the effect of nitrite/nitrate-based accelerators on the initial strength development and hydrate formation of cement. Nitrite/nitrate-AFm (aluminate-ferret-monosulfate; AFm) was produced in addition to ettringite at the initial stage of hydration of cement by adding a nitrite/nitrate-based accelerator. The amount of the hydrates was attributed to an increase in the absolute amounts of NO2− and NO3− ions reacting with Al2O3 in the tricalcium aluminate (C3A phase). Further, by effectively filling the pores, it greatly contributed to the enhancement of the strength of the hardened cement product, and the degree of the contribution tended to increase with the amount of addition. On the other hand, in addition to the occurrence of cracks due to the release of a large amount of heat of hydration, the amount of expansion and contraction may increase, and it is considered necessary to adjust the amount used for each concrete work.


Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 3936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihoon Kim ◽  
Daiki Honda ◽  
Heesup Choi ◽  
Yukio Hama

When concrete is used for construction in cold-temperature regions, cold-resistant accelerators based on calcium nitrite (Ca(NO2)2) and calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2) are added to prevent early freezing damage. Although cold-resistant accelerators increase the early compressive strength and prevent early freezing damage by promoting cement hydration, the strength enhancement effect owing to the formation of such hydrates has not been evaluated quantitatively thus far. This study covers various types of analysis to understand the relationship between cement hydrate formation behavior and strength development upon the addition of varying amounts of nitrite-based accelerator. We find that the early compressive strength is enhanced by the addition of nitrite-based accelerator via the promotion of the relative production of monosulfate and C-S-H in the early age. However, the development of compressive strength decreases with an increase in the curing age. Furthermore, we find that the promotion of hydration reactions at an early age with the addition of nitrite-based accelerator can affect the formation ratio of each hydrate at a late age. We believe our findings can significantly contribute to developments in concrete application and allied fields.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 3686
Author(s):  
Yusuke Tomita ◽  
Akira Yoneyama ◽  
Heesup Choi ◽  
Masumi Inoue ◽  
Jihoon Kim ◽  
...  

Recently, calcium nitrite (Ca(NO2)2) and calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2) have been increasingly used as the main components of salt- and alkali-free anti-freezing agents, for promoting concrete hydration in cold-weather concreting. With an increase in the amount of nitrite-based accelerator, the hydration of C3A, C3S, and βC2S in the cement is accelerated, thereby improving its early strength and effectively preventing the initial frost damage. Meanwhile, with an increase in the amount of nitrite-based accelerator, the expansion and shrinkage of the concrete—and, therefore, the crack occurrence—are expected to increase. In this study, various experiments were conducted on shrinkage, crack initiation, and the development of mortar containing a considerable amount of a nitrite-based accelerator. The result confirmed that, as the amount of nitrite-based accelerator was increased, the shrinkage was increased, and cracking in early age was more likely to occur, compared to the cases without the addition of this accelerator.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1032-1036
Author(s):  
Nur Nadhira Abdul Rasid ◽  
Abdul Rahman Mohd. Sam ◽  
Azman Mohamed ◽  
Nor Hasanah Abdul Shukor Lim ◽  
Zaiton Abdul Majid ◽  
...  

Blended concrete has later strength development with long maturity strength development. An accelerator is thus needed to enhance the early strength development of concrete. This paper shows the combination of ground palm oil fuel ash and eggshell powder that was designed for later and early strength development, respectively. Two types of eggshell powder were utilised in concrete: uncarbonised eggshell powder and decarbonised eggshell powder. The study was initiated with compression test for concrete curing at age 1, 3, 7, and 28 days followed by rapid evaluation test of setting time to investigate the preliminary performance between materials. The results revealed decarbonised eggshell powder as a high accelerator that can improve the early age of concrete strength development. Meanwhile, despite showing the best performance, uncarbonised eggshell powder is a very low accelerator thus not fit the purpose. In conclusion, the combination of ground palm oil fuel ash (rich with silica oxide) and decarbonised eggshell powder (rich with calcium oxide) provided dual function, where ground palm oil fuel ash and decarbonised eggshell powder took later and early strength development, respectively. The combination between silica oxide and calcium oxide in cementitious materials has potential to be utilised to enhance the early age of a blended concrete strength development.


Crystals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 816
Author(s):  
Yuli Wang ◽  
Huijuan Lu ◽  
Junjie Wang ◽  
Hang He

In order to improve the early age strength of ordinary Portland cement-based materials, many early strength agents were applied in different conditions. Different from previous research, the nano calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) particles used in this study were synthesized through the chemical reaction of CaO, SiO2, and H2O under 120 °C using the hydrothermal method, and the prepared nano C-S-H particles were highly crystalized. The influences of different amounts of nano C-S-H particles (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 3% by weight of cement) on the setting time, compressive strength, and hydration heat of cement paste were studied. The hydration products and microstructure of the cement paste with different additions of nano C-S-H particles were investigated through thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests. The results show that the nano C-S-H particles could be used as an early strength agent, and the early strength of cement paste can be increased by up to 43% through accelerating the hydration of tricalcium silicate (C3S). However, the addition of more than 2% nano C-S-H particles was unfavorable to the later strength development due to more space being left during the initial accelerated hydration process. It is suggested that the suitable content of the nano C-S-H particles is 0.5%−1% by weight of cement.


2011 ◽  
Vol 194-196 ◽  
pp. 1085-1088
Author(s):  
Zhi Min He ◽  
Xiao Ju Shen ◽  
Jun Zhe Liu

The use of fly ashes for cement-replacement purposes, especially in high volumes, decreases rate of early strength development of the steam curing concrete. To resolve it, this paper developed a new steam-cured concrete incorporating fly ash and a chemical activator (gypsum). Experiments were conducted to investigate the mechanical properties at early and later ages of steam and standard curing concretes. The corresponding mechanism was also discussed by testing the microstructure of concretes. Results indicate that the demoulding compressive strength of steam curing concrete with 4% gypsum dosage can meet production requirements, and compressive strength of this concrete at later ages increase well. Compared with that of ordinary pure cement steam-cured concrete, concrete with 4% gypsum has a higher compressive strength gain rate. At an early age, addition of the gypsum can distinctly accelerate the extent of hydration of the steam curing fly ash cement systems, and thus the microstructure of concrete becomes denser. However, in standard curing condtion, the effect of gypsum is not distinct.


2019 ◽  
pp. 147592171989306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yee Yan Lim ◽  
Scott T Smith ◽  
Ricardo Vasquez Padilla ◽  
Chee Kiong Soh

The ability to monitor the strength development of early-age concrete is an important capability in the laboratory and in the field. Accurate and reliable in situ measurements can inform the appropriate time for removal of formwork and loading of structural elements, as well as determination of batch quality. The piezoelectric-based electromechanical impedance technique is emerging as a viable option for such monitoring needs. The first research articles on the topic started to appear in 2005, and since then, the research field has advanced and has grown in popularity. This article therefore presents the first state-of-the-art review of the topic to date. In this article, existing research is reviewed and sorted into key themes while critical developments as well as knowledge gaps are identified. The topics addressed range from miniaturization of hardware, methods of installation, incorporation of wireless technology, modeling, data interpretation, signal processing, influence of curing, and environmental conditions to a wide range of other practical issues. Previous studies have indicated that the electromechanical impedance technique has the potential to be developed into an autonomous and remote monitoring system, capable of predicting the strength development of early-age concrete structures in real time. An end game is therefore the realization of this capability. Appropriate comments are therefore also provided in this article about this goal. Researchers interested in venturing into this research area shall find this article a useful introduction as well as a state-of-the-art assessment. In addition, the identified research gaps can inform projects for more experienced research teams.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 5751
Author(s):  
Qian Chen ◽  
Haiming Chen ◽  
Pengju Wang ◽  
Xiang Chen ◽  
Jie Chen

The effect of the dosage of sulphur-containing tailings (STs) and curing temperature on the properties of M32.5 cement mortar was studied in this work. An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effects of STs with different substitution ratios (0, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%) on the compressive strength experiment, fluidity, expansion ratio, and pore structure of M32.5 cement mortar. The results showed that the addition of STs reduced the fluidity of mortar, and the fluidity decreased with the increase of the STs dosage. The compressive strength of mortars increased at a lower substitution rate (0~20%) but decreased at a higher substitution rate (>20%). Ettringite peaks and new sulfate peaks were found by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation of the microstructure showed that a large number of hydrated products, such as ettringite, formed and filled in the interstitial space, which was conducive to the development of strength. The optimal STs replacement ratio of river sand was 10%. Then, the performance of mortar at curing temperatures of 23 ± 1, 40, 60, and 80 °C was further investigated under the optimal STs replacement ratio. Under high-temperature curing conditions, the early strength of M32.5 cement mortar with STs increased greatly, but the late strength decreased gradually with the increase in curing temperature. The early strength development of the mortar mainly depended on the high speed of hydration reaction, and the late strength variation was mainly affected by hydration products and the pore size distribution. After comprehensive consideration, the optimal curing temperature of M32.5 cement mortar with STs was 40 °C.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (22) ◽  
pp. 7001
Author(s):  
Zhenzhen Yang ◽  
Hansong Ye ◽  
Qiang Yuan ◽  
Baiyun Li ◽  
Yuelin Li ◽  
...  

Due to the advantages of high early strength and rapid setting, ternary systems consisting of ordinary Portland clinker (OPC), calcium sulphoaluminate (CSA) clinker, and anhydrite have broad application prospects. However, further studies need to be undertaken to find a more optimal mixing proportion of this ternary binder in order to meet basic performance requirements. In this paper, isothermal calorimetric tests, chemical shrinkage tests, drying shrinkage tests, and compressive strength tests were carried out to systematically identify the effect of the OPC/CSA ratio and anhydrite dosage on the hydration, mechanical property development, and dimensional stability of ternary binders. It was found that a higher CSA content leads to a higher cumulative hydration heat, a shorter acceleration period, and a delayed induction period, which can be ascribed to the retardation of C3S at a high aluminate concentration. However, a higher addition of anhydrite can retard the main peak of hydration despite promoting the intermediate peak and improving the hydration reaction rate. The drying shrinkage of blends decreases first along with the CSA proportion and then increases. Moreover, a higher anhydrite content mitigates the drying shrinkage and hinders the strength development. Finally, considering the properties of both the fresh and hardened binder, the ternary blends with 5% anhydrite and OPC/CSA ratios ranging from 3/7 to 2/8 were identified as most suitable for applications that require a high early strength, stable late strength, and small level of shrinkage.


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