Munib Ul Rehman, Alastair J. N. MacLeod, Laurie Aldridge, Frank G. Collins, Zhao Qing Tang, Will P. Gates
{"title":"Differences in hydration kinetics and phase development of Australian bentonite and kaolinite based limestone calcined clay cements","authors":"Munib Ul Rehman, Alastair J. N. MacLeod, Laurie Aldridge, Frank G. Collins, Zhao Qing Tang, Will P. Gates","doi":"10.1617/s11527-025-02743-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Given the current global shift towards a lower carbon economy, alternative supplementary cementitious materials, such as calcined clays, are expected to have huge role in reducing the embodied carbon of the concrete industry. The performance of limestone-calcined-clay cements (LC<sup>3</sup>) made with a unique, high purity Australian bentonite clay (CB) and with low-to-medium purity kaolin clays (MK) was evaluated. Reaction kinetics, compressive strength and phase development together with water absorption and sorptivity of pastes were examined after curing for up to 90 days. All LC<sup>3</sup> mixes underwent faster hydration reactions than OPC, releasing less heat with distinct events for silicate and aluminate hydration. Compared to OPC, differences in the structure and composition of clay minerals e.g. 50–55% more silica and 2-times more alkali oxides in CB-based mixes and 60–90% more alumina in MK-based pastes resulted in distinctly different phase formation on hydration. For the mix design used herein, the early (3- and 7-day) strength of CB-based LC<sup>3</sup> exceeded that of the MK-based LC<sup>3</sup> and nearly equaled the control OPC; the 28-day compressive strength of CB- LC<sup>3</sup> was also comparable to that of OPC. Greater portlandite consumption as well as ettringite formation was exhibited in the CB-based LC<sup>3</sup>, while greater amounts of carboaluminate and monosulphate were observed in the MK-based LC<sup>3</sup>. Water absorption and sorptivity was also lowest in CB-based LC<sup>3</sup> and is interpreted to be due to lower connected porosity. The results demonstrate that alternative local clay minerals can be suitable for producing low-clinker cements.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":691,"journal":{"name":"Materials and Structures","volume":"58 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1617/s11527-025-02743-5.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Materials and Structures","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1617/s11527-025-02743-5","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Given the current global shift towards a lower carbon economy, alternative supplementary cementitious materials, such as calcined clays, are expected to have huge role in reducing the embodied carbon of the concrete industry. The performance of limestone-calcined-clay cements (LC3) made with a unique, high purity Australian bentonite clay (CB) and with low-to-medium purity kaolin clays (MK) was evaluated. Reaction kinetics, compressive strength and phase development together with water absorption and sorptivity of pastes were examined after curing for up to 90 days. All LC3 mixes underwent faster hydration reactions than OPC, releasing less heat with distinct events for silicate and aluminate hydration. Compared to OPC, differences in the structure and composition of clay minerals e.g. 50–55% more silica and 2-times more alkali oxides in CB-based mixes and 60–90% more alumina in MK-based pastes resulted in distinctly different phase formation on hydration. For the mix design used herein, the early (3- and 7-day) strength of CB-based LC3 exceeded that of the MK-based LC3 and nearly equaled the control OPC; the 28-day compressive strength of CB- LC3 was also comparable to that of OPC. Greater portlandite consumption as well as ettringite formation was exhibited in the CB-based LC3, while greater amounts of carboaluminate and monosulphate were observed in the MK-based LC3. Water absorption and sorptivity was also lowest in CB-based LC3 and is interpreted to be due to lower connected porosity. The results demonstrate that alternative local clay minerals can be suitable for producing low-clinker cements.
期刊介绍:
Materials and Structures, the flagship publication of the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM), provides a unique international and interdisciplinary forum for new research findings on the performance of construction materials. A leader in cutting-edge research, the journal is dedicated to the publication of high quality papers examining the fundamental properties of building materials, their characterization and processing techniques, modeling, standardization of test methods, and the application of research results in building and civil engineering. Materials and Structures also publishes comprehensive reports prepared by the RILEM’s technical committees.