Investigations on three-dimensional pore-structure in cementitious materials using metal centrifugation porosimetry and simulation

Cementitious material is a vital composite for infrastructure, its 3D pore-structure determines its cement hydration as well as structural performance. However, the quantitative characterization of 3D pore-structure has yet been investigated in depth. In this study, the 3D pore-structure in hardened cement-paste is investigated systematically using innovative experiment and simulation methods. The experiment implements nano X-ray techniques combined with metal centrifugation porosimetry (X-MCP) for visualizing the 3D pore-structure and compared to that obtained by CEM3D-based model. The 3D pore-structure parameters containing the critical pore-diameter (d(c)) and porosity by X-MCP and CEM3D are counted and compared to those by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). The results show that the d(c) values by X-MCP and CEM3D are both higher than those by MIP, and the porosity values obtained by the three methods agree with each other. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study systematically investigates the 3D pore-structure in hardened cement-paste using innovative experiment and simulation methods, comparing X-MCP and CEM3D results with those obtained by MIP. The results show that the critical pore-diameter values by X-MCP and CEM3D are higher than those by MIP, while the porosity values obtained by the three methods agree with each other.