Distribution of hydration products in the microstructure of cement pastes

Abstract

This case study focuses on the quantification of the amorphous hydrate distribution in the microstructure of hardened cement paste. Microtomographic scans of the hardenend cement paste were thresholded based on histogram image analysis combined with microstructural composition obtained from CEMHYD3D hydration model, to separate unhydrated cement grains, crystalline and amorphous hydrates, and capillary pores. The observed spatial distribution of the amorphous hydrate exhibited a strong spatial gradient as the amorphous gel tended to concentrate around dissolving cement grains rather than precipitate uniformly in the available space. A comparative numerical study was carried out to highlight the effect of the spatially (non)uniform hydrate distribution on the compressive strength of the hardened cement paste.