Study of microstructural changes in blast-furnace cement hardened by repeated dry and wet curing at high temperatures

In ordinary hardened cement, the pore structure changes with microstructural changes due to repeated dry and wet cycles. However, the calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) produced in blended cement is different from that of ordinary cement because blast furnace slag and fly ash are used in blended cement. In this study, microstructural changes in ordinary cement and hardened blast-furnace cement, which have different compositions of C-S-H, due to repeated dry and wet cycles at high temperatures, were analyzed by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for structural changes in the products, and by time domain NMR and mercury intrusion porosimetry for changes in moisture and pore structure in the hardened cement. As a result, it was confirmed that the degree of coarsening of capillary porosity in blast-furnace cement was lower than in ordinary cement due to drying and repeated dry-wet cycles. This is believed to be because the aluminum contained in the blast furnace slag of the blast-furnace cement, which is present in the interlayer, improves the resistance of the C-S-H layer to compaction, resulting in less change in the pore structure. This study is expected to contribute to fundamental research on hardened cement in the future.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the microstructural changes in ordinary cement and hardened blast-furnace cement caused by repeated dry and wet cycles at high temperatures using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), time domain NMR, and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The results showed that the degree of coarsening of capillary porosity was lower in blast-furnace cement compared to ordinary cement, possibly due to the aluminum in the blast furnace slag improving the resistance of the C-S-H layer to compaction.