Modelling the dissolution and precipitation process of the early hydration of C3S

In this study, thermodynamic and kinetic models are established to describe the early hydration of tricalcium silicate, by means of considering of dissolution and precipitation mechanisms separately. Since both the dissolution of C3S and the precipitation of hydration products are affected by the ions concentrations, these two procedures are coupled via the aqueous properties of the solution. In this model, a critical length of outer-CSH is introduced to modify the boundary nucleation and growth. The influence of hydration temperature and particle size distribution on the early hydration kinetics of C3S are evaluated with the newly developed model. A good simulation is obtained.