The effect of ageing and heat treatment on microstructure evolution of a commercial cement paste

This paper reports the microstructural changes on a 2 year-old cement paste, unprotected from contact with air, heated to various temperature regimes up to 1000 °C in steps of 100 °C for a constant period of 6 h. This work has been carried out using a thermal analysis technique and XRD. The parameter involved in this study is the state of the samples: powdered samples and blocks of paste. As a result, it is possible to monitor the major features of the experiments, i.e. the phase’s existence domains and their growing of hydrated calcium silicate, portlandite, calcite as well as their decaying: alite, belite and lime. The result shows higher amounts of portlandite and carbonate calcium for the aged cement paste compared to fresh OPC. The carbonation is more marked for the blocks of paste while the crystallinity degree is higher for the powdered cement paste samples. The new portlandite formed during cooling continues to exist until the 1000 °C temperature plateau. Nevertheless, this portlandite is less crystalline than the original one, and its temperature of thermal decomposition gets lower. An increase in the total weight loss and in the crystallinity at 900 and 1000 °C, compared to 800 °C is also noted. The CSH dehydration to β-C2S and C3S become significant above 600 °C and the corresponding rate increases with increasing temperature.