A reaction model for cement solidification: Evolving the C–S–H packing density at the micrometer-scale

• Published in: Journal of the mechanics and physics of solids Vol. 118; pp. 58 - 73
• Main Authors: Petersen, Thomas, Valdenaire, Pierre-Louis, Pellenq, Roland, Ulm, Franz-Josef
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Calcium silicate hydrate; Calcium silicates; Cement; Cement paste; Coarseness; Computer simulation; Elasticity; Hydration; Materials elasticity; Mathematical models; Microtexture; Molecular structure; Nucleation and growth; Organic chemistry; Packing density; Phase transformation; Phase transitions; Phase-field; Reaction kinetics; Solidification; Stiffness; Water-cement ratio; Nucleation and growth; Phase transformation; Phase-field; Cement paste; Solidification

Cement paste is a multiphase material of complex chemistry, of which 60% by volume is typically composed of calcium–silicate–hydrates (C–S–H), the phase that lends the material its strength and stiffness. Moreover, it has been shown that the C–S–H phase is a dispersion of nanometer-sized particles t...