Evolution of microstructures of cement paste via continuous-based hydration model of non-spherical cement particles

As the soul of cement-based materials, hydration is a complex process involving many chemical reactions, which is one of the intrinsic driving forces for the evolution of the microstructure and macroscopic properties of cementitious composites. The predominant lines of previous researches on cement hydration models are dominated by spherical particles. However, the actual shape of cement grains is non-spherical. Herein, a continuous-based hydration model of non-spherical cement particles (HYD-NSP) is developed, in which the hydration kinetics strongly depend on the morphological features of cement grains. Subsequently, the proposed HYD-NSP model is validated by experimental results. By applying the HYD-NSP model, we further investigate the evolution of microstructures of cement paste including icosahedron-shaped cement grains over time. Results reveal that the influence of the shape of cement particles on the degree of hydration and the porosity of cement paste is mainly reflected by their specific surface area.