Hydration, microstructure and autogenous shrinkage behaviors of cement mortars by addition of superabsorbent polymers

doi:10.1007/s11709-020-0656-x

Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.

2020, Vol. 14

Issue (5) : 1274-1284 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-020-0656-x

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Hydration, microstructure and autogenous shrinkage behaviors of cement mortars by addition of superabsorbent polymers

Beibei SUN^1,², Hao WU^1,³, Weimin SONG¹(

), Zhe LI¹, Jia YU¹

¹. School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
². Magnel Laboratory for Concrete Research, Department of Structural Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent 9052, Belgium
³. National Engineering Laboratory for High Speed Railway Construction, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China

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Abstract

Superabsorbent Polymer (SAP) has emerged as a topic of considerable interest in recent years. The present study systematically and quantitively investigated the effect of SAP on hydration, autogenous shrinkage, mechanical properties, and microstructure of cement mortars. Influences of SAP on hydration heat and autogenous shrinkage were studied by utilizing TAM AIR technology and a non-contact autogenous shrinkage test method. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was employed to assess the microstructure evolution. Although SAP decreased the peak rate of hydration heat and retarded the hydration, it significantly increased the cumulative heat, indicating SAP helps promote the hydration. Hydration promotion caused by SAP mainly occurred in the deceleration period and attenuation period. SAP can significantly mitigate the autogenous shrinkage when the content ranged from 0 to 0.5%. Microstructure characteristics showed that pores and gaps were introduced when SAP was added. The microstructure difference caused by SAP contributed to the inferior mechanical behaviors of cement mortars treated by SAP.

Keywords Superabsorbent Polymer mechanical properties hydration heat autogenous shrinkage microstructure

Corresponding Author(s): Weimin SONG

Just Accepted Date: 14 July 2020 Online First Date: 04 September 2020 Issue Date: 16 November 2020

Cite this article:

Beibei SUN,Hao WU,Weimin SONG, et al. Hydration, microstructure and autogenous shrinkage behaviors of cement mortars by addition of superabsorbent polymers[J]. Front. Struct. Civ. Eng., 2020, 14(5): 1274-1284.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fsce/EN/10.1007/s11709-020-0656-x
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fsce/EN/Y2020/V14/I5/1274

Fig.1 Heat evolution as a function of time for cement paste.

Fig.2 SEM image of SAP.

Fig.3 Particle size distributions.

Tab.1 Physical and chemical properties of cement

Tab.2 Design of cement mortar proportion

Fig.4 Non-contact autogenous shrinkage test setup.

Fig.5 The rate of heat of hydration of cement mortar with different SAP content.

Fig.6 The peak of the rate of hydration heat.

Fig.7 Cumulative heat of cement mortar with different SAP content (10 d).

Fig.8 Comparison of cumulative heat of cement mortar with different SAP content.

Fig.9 Increase proportion of the cumulative heat.

Fig.10 The autogenous shrinkage of cement mortar with different SAP content.

Tab.3 Autogenous shrinkage parameters of cement mortar with different SAP content

Fig.11 Microstructure of SAP cement mortar at 50 d. (a) SAP embedded in cement; (b) SAP separated from cement stone; (c) hydration products formed around SAP; (d) SAP and pores.

Fig.12 Microstructure of SAP cement mortar at 100 d. (a) SAP embedded in cement; (b) SAP separated from cement; (c) hydration products formed around SAP; (d) SAP and pores.

Fig.13 The compressive strengths of SAP treated cement mortars.

Fig.14 The flexural strengths of SAP treated cement mortars.

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