The Use of Semi-Adiabatic Calorimetry for Hydration Studies of Cement Paste

Abstract

The semi-adiabatic calorimetry technique is a robust and easy technique that can be used to measure the temperature rise of concrete. This method is often used for investigating the maturity of concrete, as well as to predict maximum temperature rise of mass concrete using various heat loss compensating models. Semi-adiabatic calorimetry can also be used for predicting setting time of concrete. However, it has seldom been used to investigate the hydration characteristics of various cement paste samples. In this research, semi-adiabatic calorimetry and X-ray diffraction methods were used to investigate the hydration characteristics of 3 different ASTM type I Portland cements. First derivative of temperature rise (dT/dt) curve was used to isolate individual peaks. Based on the results of the experiments, a combination of dT/dt curve with XRD could be used to successfully identify hydration at a specific time period, showing its potential to be used as an alternative tool for hydration studies of cement-based materials.