HYDRATION STUDIES OF MODIFIED OPC PASTES BY DIFFERENTIAL SCANNING CALORIMETRY AND THERMOGRAVIMETRY

Thermal methods are used extensively in investigating cements and effects of additives on their hydration behaviour. Calcium chloride is the most effective and widely used accelerator for cement hydration, but the result is largely dependent on the rate at which it is added. In this study the influence of calcium chloride dosage on the hydration behaviour of OPC pastes aged for different periods has been investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. The results are discussed in relation to the relative amounts of calcium hydroxide and total reaction product formed. Chloroaluminate was a product of hydration in the samples dosed with greater than 1% calcium chloride. XRD was unable of itself to differentiate between monochloroaluminate and the calcium aluminate hydrate C4AH13 when present in small amounts. Thermal methods proved effective in characterising the products of hydration in the presence of chloride.