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In order to gain a deeper understanding of the rheological development of hydrating ordinary Portland cement (OPC) pastes at initial state, and to better understand their underlying processes, quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and rheological measurements were conducted and their results combined. The time-dependent relation between phase development and flow behavior of cement paste was investigated at two different temperatures (20 and 30 °C), over a period of two hours. Regarding the phase development during hydration, ettringite precipitation was identified as the dominant reaction in the first two hours. For both temperatures, the increasing ettringite content turned out to correlate very well with the loss of workability of the reacting cement paste. An exponential relationship between ettringite growth and flow behavior was observed that could be explained by applying the Krieger-Dougherty equation, which describes the influence of solid fraction on the viscosity of a suspension.

Soundless Chemical Demolition Agent (SCDA) is a composite that can be used in rock breaking applications as an alternative to blasting. The SCDA is used to fill in the holes of a boulder that needs to be broken. The long time taken to apply SCDA, up to 12 hours or more, can be reduced by adding a sulphate compound to SCDA. The SCDA used in this study is DEXPAN which is then substituted with 5%- 30% of potassium sulphate and calcium sulphate to observe the expansion pressure rate. The addition of 30% potassium sulphate and calcium sulphate shows a significant increase of the expansion pressure rate. The presence of ettringite has increased when the sulphate compound is mixed with SCDA, showing that the mechanism occurs to improve the performance of SCDA. This work can potentially be used to understand the mechanisms of SCDA better and provide new ideas to be applied more effectively.

This paper presents a novel low-carbon binder formulated from fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag, steel slag, and desulfurization gypsum as a quaternary solid waste-based material. It specifically examines the influence of FA content on the mechanical properties and hydration reactions of the quaternary solid waste-based binder. The mortar test results indicate that the optimal FA content is 10%, which yields a 28-day compressive strength 11.28% higher than that of the control group without FA. The spherical particles of fly ash reduce the overall water demand and provide a “lubricating” effect to the paste due to their continuous gradation, improving the fluidity of the slag-steel slag-gypsum cementitious materials. The micro test results indicate that fly ash has minimal effect on the early hydration products and process of the solid waste-based cementitious materials, but after 7 days, it continuously dissolves silicon-oxygen tetrahedrons or aluminum-oxygen tetrahedrons, consuming Ca2+ and OH− in the system. After 28 days, the amount of ettringite and C-(A)-S-H gel generated increases significantly. The pozzolanic activity of fly ash is mainly stimulated by the Ca(OH)2 from steel slag in the later hydration stage. Additionally, spherical fly ash particles can fill the voids in the hardened paste, reducing the formation of cracks and weak zones, and thereby contributing to a denser overall structure of the hydrated binder. The findings of this paper provide data support for the development of low-carbon cement-free binders using fly ash in conjunction with metallurgical slags, thereby contributing to the low-carbon advancement of the construction materials industry.

A new mineral, siwaqaite, ideally Ca Al (CrO (OH) ·26H O [ 31 , Z = 2, = 11.3640(2) Å, = 21.4485(2) Å, = 2398.78(9) Å ], a member of the ettringite group, was discovered in thin veins and small cavities within the spurrite marble at the North Siwaqa complex, Lisdan-Siwaqa Fault, Hashem region, Jordan. This complex belongs to the widespread pyrometamorphic rock of the Hatrurim Complex. The spurrite marble is mainly composed of calcite, fluorapatite, and brownmillerite. Siwaqaite occurs with calcite and minerals of the baryte-hashemite series. It forms hexagonal prismatic crystals up to 250 μm in size, but most common are grain aggregates. Siwaqaite exhibits a canary yellow color and a yellowish-gray streak. The mineral is transparent and has a vitreous luster. It shows perfect cleavage on (1010). Parting or twinning is not observed. The calculated density of siwaqaite is 1.819 g/cm . Siwaqaite is optically uniaxial (–) with ω = 1.512(2), ε = 1.502(2) (589 nm), and non-pleochroic. The empirical formula of the holotype siwaqaite calculated on the basis of 8 framework cations and 26 water molecules is Ca (Al Si [(CrO (SO (SeO (OH) ·26H O. X‑ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, and infrared spectroscopy confirm the presence of OH groups and H O molecules and absence of (CO groups. The crystal structure of this Cr -analog of ettringite was solved by direct methods using single-crystal synchrotron XRD data. The structure was refined to an agreement index = 4.54%. The crystal structure of siwaqaite consists of {Ca [Al(OH) ·24H O} columns with the inter-column space (channels) occupied by (CrO , (SO , (SeO , and (SO groups and H O molecules. The tetrahedrally coordinated site occupied by different anion groups is subjected to disordering and rotation of these tetrahedra within the structure. The temperature of siwaqaite formation is not higher than ~70–80 °C, as is evident from the mineral association and as inferred from the formation conditions of the natural and synthetic members of the ettringite group minerals, which are stable at conditions of < 120 °C and pH = 9.5–13. The name siwaqaite is derived from the name of the holotype locality—Siwaqa area, where the mineral was found.

The global cement industry is undergoing active low-carbon transformation, with the raw material adaptability of limestone calcined clay cement (LC 3 ) being critical to its large-scale application. This study prepared LC 3 cement by substituting natural calcined clay with ferronickel slag and introducing calcium sulfate to regulate early hydration kinetics and influence reaction pathways, systematically study hydration characteristics, and hardening properties. Results show calcium sulfate significantly enhances the early strength of ferronickel slag-limestone powder systems. The 7-day strength of 30% and 45% cement content systems matches that of pure cement systems, respectively. This improvement arises from sulfate preferentially reacting with aluminate phases in cement and ferronickel slag to promote ettringite (AFt) formation over monosulfide aluminate (AFm). The low-density AFt with high bound water content increases hydrate volume during formation, while appropriate calcium sulfate addition exhibits no adverse effects on later-age strength development.

Reducing cement CO2 footprint is a societal need. This is being achieved mainly by replacing an increasing amount of Portland clinker by supplementary cementitious materials. However, this comes at a price: lower mechanical strengths at early ages due to slow pozzolanic reaction(s). This is being addressed by using accelerator admixtures. In this context, calcium silicate hydrate nucleation seeding seems to have a promising future, as it can accelerate cement and pozzolanic reactions at early ages, optimising their microstructures, without compromising late strength and durability performances. In fact, these features could even be improved. Moreover, other uses are low temperature concreting, precasting, shotconcrete, etc. Here, we focus on reviewing recent reports on calcium silicate hydrate seeding using commercially available admixtures. Current knowledge on the consequences of nucleation seeding on hydration reactions and on early and late mechanical strengths is discussed. It is noted that other features, in addition to the classic alite hydration acceleration, are covered here including the enhanced ettringite precipitation and the very efficient porosity refinement, which take place in the seeded binders. Finally, because the seeded binders seem to be denser, durability properties could also be enhanced although this remains to be properly established.

Tricalcium silicate (C3S) as a binder material has a decisive influence on the processes of hardening and strength gain of cements and concretes. One of the promising directions is the introduction of dispersed additives into cement mixtures, which allow micro-level control of the composition of hydration products and change the dynamics of the structure formation of cement stone. In this paper, the effect of a microdisperse ettringite additive on the kinetics of the hydration and hardening process of tricalcium silicate was studied. It was shown that ettringite crystals selectively adsorb Ca2+ and OH− ions from a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide, which contributes to the formation of hydrosilicate nuclei on their surface during cement hydration. Hydration of C3S in the presence of ettringite proceeds more intensively; the addition of ettringite contributes to an increase in the content of calcium hydrosilicates in hydration products at the initial stage of the process. Addition of 10 wt.% ettringite to C3S reduces the induction period of the beginning of the main phase of heat release by around two times and increases the amount of heat released on the 1st day of hydration by 15% compared to the control sample. According to electron microscopy data, it was found that during the first hours of hydration of modified C3S, a significant number of nuclei of fibrous particles of calcium hydrosilicates with sizes of 0.2–2 microns were formed on the surface of ettringite crystals. According to the results of kinetic modeling of the setting process of cement pastes using the Avrami–Erofeyev model, it was shown that in the presence of the addition of microcrystals of ettringite, the setting rate is characterized by a slowdown in nucleation, whereas for a sample without an additive, this process proceeds with an acceleration of the formation of solid-phase nuclei. Based on the comparison of kinetic results and mechanical measurements, it is concluded that needle crystals of ettringite during C3S hydration and cement stone hardening are preformed centers for the growth of hydrosilicate nuclei, and they also act as a reinforcing filler, increasing the bending strength of modified samples. The results of the work can be used in practice in the development of methods for controlling the processes of hydration and hardening of cements, as well as for controllable structure formation of cement stone which is important in particular for 3D printing of building products and constructions.

In this study, the impact of the addition of high-aspect-ratio nano-ettringite to photocurable epoxy acrylate resin was explored. The nano-ettringite samples were modified using γ-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH-550) and γ-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane (KH-570). Then, 3 wt% or 6 wt% KH-550-modified, KH-570-modified, and unmodified nano-ettringite samples were dispersed into resin via ultrasonic treatment in conjunction with mechanical stirring. The grafting effects of nano-ettringite onto KH-550 or KH-570 were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The results demonstrate that KH-550 and KH-570 have been successfully grafted onto the surface of nano-ettringite. In addition, this study also focuses on the variations of composite materials in the viscosity, shrinkage, tensile strength, and elongation at break. The results indicate that increased dosages of unmodified, KH-550-modified, and KH-570-modified nano-ettringite led to increased viscosity of the composite while reducing shrinkage. At the same dosage, the photocurable resin containing KH-570-modified nano-ettringite demonstrated a lower shrinkage and a higher tensile strength. From the analysis of tensile fracture surfaces, it was observed that compared to the KH-550 modified and unmodified variants, the KH-570 modified nano-ettringite exhibits superior dispersibility in photocurable epoxy acrylate resin. Notably, when the amount of KH-570-modified nano-ettringite was 3 wt%, the highest tensile strength of the composite was 64.61 MPa, representing a 72.57% increase compared to the blank sample. Furthermore, the incorporation of KH-570-modified nano-ettringite as a filler provides a new perspective for improving the performance of photocurable epoxy acrylate resin composites.

In view of the growing demand for sustainable and lightweight concrete structures, the use of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is becoming increasingly important. However, fatigue loads occur more frequently in nature than static loads. Despite the impressive mechanical properties of UHPC, a reduced tolerance for cyclic loading is known. For this reason, our paper deals with experimental and numerical investigations regarding the main causes for crack initiation on the meso, micro, and nanoscale. After mechanical fatigue tests, we use both scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to characterize microstructural changes. A new rheological model was developed to apply those changes to the mesoscopic scale. The origins of fatigue damaging can be traced back to a transformation of nanoscale ettringite, resulting in a densification of the surrounding binder matrix. Additionally, a higher content of unhydrated cement clinker in the matrix benefits fatigue resistance. On the mesoscale, stress peaks around aggregate grains expand into the surrounding binder with increasing load cycles and lead to higher degradation.

This experimental study evaluated the influence of delayed ettringite formation (DEF) on physical and mechanical properties and also microstructural characteristics of concretes cast in laboratory for 6 months. The results show that DEF can generate high expansions, in the order of 1%, and reduce mechanical properties, such as compressive strength, tensile strength, and the modulus of elasticity by more than 50%. Already in the 28th day, the presence of ettringite could be identified in the concrete matrix. The results of the study indicate high premature deterioration of the concrete and, consequently, its disqualification for use after the thermal cure adopted. Keywords: delayed ettringite formation (DEF); durability; expansion.