Title:
Detecting the Fluid-to-Solid Transition in Cement Pastes
Author(s):
Gaurav Sant, Mukul Dehadrai, Dale Bentz, Pietro Lura, Chiara F. Ferraris, Jeffrey W. Bullard, and Jason Weiss
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
31
Issue:
6
Appears on pages(s):
53-58
Keywords:
early-age properties; hydration; setting; solidification
DOI:
Date:
6/1/2009
Abstract:
The time of set for concrete is extremely important when scheduling construction operations. To gain additional insight into setting behavior, the time of solidification was assessed by various techniques that are sensitive to volume change phenomena, structure development, and resistance to an applied stress. The results indicate that, although these techniques assess different characteristics of material behavior, they identify the fluid to solid transition to occur at nearly the same time. The need to distinguish techniques that identify structure formation from those that measure the extent and rate of a chemical reaction is also highlighted.