Title:
Efficiency of Inert Mineral Admixtures in Mortars
Author(s):
M. Cyr, P. Lawrence, E. Ringot, and A. Tagnit-Hamou
Publication:
Symposium Paper
Volume:
221
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
335-350
Keywords:
compressive strength; crushed quartz; fineness; mineral admixtures; mortar; specific surface area; supplementary cementing materials
DOI:
10.14359/13262
Date:
5/1/2004
Abstract:
Many mineral admixtures, usually classified as pozzolanic or chemically inert materials, have been used and studied over the years. In order to understand their effects on the compressive strength of cementitious materials, experiments were carried out on mortars including different kinds of fine materials. The aim of this paper, which presents the first part of our work, is to propose an empirical model for the quantification of the physical effects of mineral admixtures, which are responsible for modifications in the compressive strength of mortars for up to 3 months. The quantification is achieved by the separation of the dilution and heterogeneous nucleation effects. The model considers the content (ranging between 0% and 75% of the cement weight) and fineness of the mineral admixtures, and introduces the concept of efficient area, which takes into ac-count the level of probability, varying with filler content, of a fine particle behaving as a nucleation site for cement hydration.