Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mechanical properties of calcium silicate hydrates

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Materials and Structures Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The dynamic mechanical properties of compacted samples of synthetic calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) were determined at variable stoichiometries (C/S ratio). The stiffness and damping properties of the C–S–H systems were monitored at various increments of mass loss from 11%RH following the removal of the adsorbed and interlayer water. The changes in the storage modulus (E′) and internal friction (tan δ) were discussed in terms of the state of water present in the nanostructure of C–S–H, the evolution of the silicate structure and the interaction of calcium ions in the interlayer region. Results were compared to those for the hydrated Portland cement paste and porous glass. It was shown that the C–S–H in the hydrated Portland cement has a complex yet analogous dynamic mechanical behavior to that of the synthetic C–S–H. The response of these systems upon the removal of water was explained by a layered model for the C–S–H. A mechanistic model was proposed to describe the changes occurring at various stages in the dynamic mechanical response of C–S–H.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Cement chemistry nomenclature: C = CaO, S = SiO2 and H = H2O. Dashes indicate that no specific stoichiometry is implied.

References

  1. Ciach TD, Gillott JE, Swenson EG, Sereda PJ (1971) Microstructure of calcium silicate hydrates. Cem Concr Res 1:13–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Constantinides G, Ulm F-J (2007) The nanogranular nature of C–S–H. J Mech Phys Solids 55:64–90

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Ramachandran VS, Feldman RF, Beaudoin JJ (1981) Concrete science: treatise on current research. Heydon & Son Ltd., London, p 427

  4. Feldman RF (1972) Factors affecting the Young’s modulus—porosity relation of hydrated Portland cement compacts. Cem Concr Res 2(4):375–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Feldman RF (1968) Sorption and length-change scanning isotherms of methanol and water on hydrated Portland cement. In: Proceedings of the 5th international symposium on the chemistry of cement, vol 3. Tokyo, Japan, pp 53–66

  6. Odelson JB, Kerr EA, Vichit-Vadakan W (2007) Young’s modulus of cement paste at elevated temperatures. Cem Concr Res 37:258–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Taylor HFW (1997) Cement chemistry, 2nd edn. Thomas Telford, London

    Google Scholar 

  8. Beaudoin JJ, Feldman RF (1986) Dependence of degree of silica polymerization and intrinsic mechanical properties of C–S–H on C/S ratio. In: 8th international congress on the chemistry of cement, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, vol 3, pp 337–342

  9. Constantinides G, Ulm F-J (2004) The effect of two types of C–S–H on the elasticity of cement-based materials: results from nanoindentation and micromechanical modeling. Cem Concr Res 34:67–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Constantinides G, Ulm F-J, Van Vliet K (2003) On the use of nanoindentation for cementitious materials. Mater Struct 36(3):191–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Plassard C, Lesniewska E, Pochard I, Nonat A (2004) Investigation of the surface structure and elastic properties of calcium silicate hydrates at the nanoscale. Ultramicroscopy 100:331–338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Steinour HH (1954) The reactions and thermochemistry of cement hydration at ordinary temperature. In: 3rd international symposium on the chemistry of cements, pp 261–289

  13. Pellenq RJ-M, Gmira A, Van Damme H (2007) Stability and elastic properties of tobermorite, a model of cement hydrate at the nano-scale. MS&T’07, Advances in cement-based materials, Detroit, Michigan, 1–12 September 2007

  14. Hamid SA (1981) The crystal structure of the 11 Å natural tobermorite Ca2.25[Si3O7.5(OH)1.5]·1H2O. Z Kristallogr 154:189–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Merlino S, Bonaccorsi E, Armbruster T (1999) Tobermorites: their real structure and OD character. Am Mineral 84:1613–1621

    Google Scholar 

  16. Gmira A, Zabat M, Pellenq RJ-M, Van Damme H (2004) Microscopical basis of the poromechanical behaviour of cement-based materials. Mater Struct 37:3–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Manzano H, Dolado JS, Guerrero A, Ayuela A (2007) Mechanical properties of crystalline calcium-silicate-hydrates: comparison with cementitious C–S–H gels. Phys Status Sol A 204(6):1775–1780

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Pellenq RJ-M, Van Damme H (2004) Why does concrete set? The nature of cohesion forces in hardened cement-based materials. MRS Bull 29(5):319–323

    Google Scholar 

  19. ASTM D 5023-01 “Standard test method for plastics: dynamic mechanical properties: in flexure (three point bending),” American Society for Testing and Materials

  20. ISO 6721-5, Plastics-determination of dynamic mechanical properties—part 5: flexural vibration-Non-resonance method. International Organization for Standardization

  21. Feldman RF, Ramachandran VS (1974) A study of the state of water and stoichiometry of bottle-hydrated Ca3SiO5. Cem Concr Res 4(2):155–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Sereda PJ, Feldman RF (1963) Compacts of powdered material as porous bodies for use in sorption studies. J Appl Chem 13:150–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Beaudoin JJ (1983) Comparison of mechanical properties of compacted calcium hydroxide and Portland cement paste systems. Cem Concr Res 13:319–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Soroka I, Sereda PJ (1968) “The Structure of Cement-stone and the Use of Compacts as Structural Models.” 5th International Symposium on the Chemistry of Cement, Tokyo, 67–73

  25. Sereda PJ, Feldman RF, Swenson EG (1966) Effect of sorbed water on some mechanical properties of hydrated Portland cement pastes and compacts. Highway Research Board, Special Report 90:58-73

  26. Menard KP (1999) Dynamic mechanical analysis—a practical introduction. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, p 208

  27. Carde C, François R (1997) Effect of the leaching of calcium hydroxide from cement paste on the mechanical and physical properties. Cem Concr Res 27(4):539–550

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Manzano H, Dolado JS, Ayuela A (2009) Elastic properties of the main species present in Portland cement pastes. Acta Mater 57:1666–1674

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Grutzeck M, Benesi A, Fanning B (1989) Silicon-29 magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance study of calcium silicate hydrates. J Am Ceram Soc 72:665–668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Klur I, Pollet B, Virlet J, Nonat A (1998) C–S–H structure evolution with calcium content by multinuclear NMR. In: 2nd international conference on NMR spectroscopy of cement based materials, pp 119–141

  31. Garbev K, Stemmermann P, Black L, Breen C, Yarwood J, Gasharova B (2007) Structural features of C–S–H(I) and its carbonation in air—a Raman spectroscopic study. Part I: fresh phases. J Am Ceram Soc 90(3):900–907

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Nonat A, Lecoq X (1998) The structure, stoichiometry and properties of C–S–H prepared by C3S hydration under controlled condition. In: Colombet P, Grimmer AR, Zanni H, Sozzani P (eds) NMR spectroscopy of cement based materials. Springer, Berlin, pp 197–207

    Google Scholar 

  33. Alizadeh R, Beaudoin JJ, Ramachandran VS, Raki L (2009) Applicability of Hedvall effect to study the reactivity of calcium silicate hydrates. J Adv Cem Res 21(2):59–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Helmuth RA, Turk DH (1966) Elastic moduli of hardened Portland cement and tricalcium silicate pastes: effect of porosity. In: Symposium on structure of Portland cement paste and concrete (special report 90), Highway Research Board, Washington, DC, pp 135–144

  35. Knudesn FP (1959) Dependence of mechanical strength of brittle polycrystalline specimens on porosity and grain size. J Am Ceram Soc 42(8):376–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Nielsen LF (1984) Elasticity and damping of porous materials and impregnated materials. J Am Ceram Soc 67(2):93–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Beaudoin JJ, Feldman RF, Tumidajski PJ (1994) Pore structure of hardened Portland cement pastes and its influence on properties. Adv Cem Based Mater 1:224–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Beaudoin JJ, Feldman RF (1975) A study of mechanical properties of autoclaved calcium silicate systems. Cem Concr Res 5:103–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Radjy F, Richards CW (1973) Effect of curing and heat treatment history on the dynamic mechanical response and the pore structure of hardened cement paste. Cem Concr Res 3:7–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Sellevold EJ, Radjy F (1976) Drying and resaturation effects on internal friction in hardened cement pastes. J Am Ceram Soc 59(5–6):256–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Radjy F, Richards CW (1969) Internal friction and dynamic modulus transitions in hardened cement paste at low temperatures. Mater Struct 2(7):17–22

    Google Scholar 

  42. Evans RH, Marthe MS (1968) Microcracking and stress-strain curves for concrete in tension. Matériaux et Constractions 1:61–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Parrott LJ (1973) The effect of moisture content upon the elasticity of hardened cement paste. In: Proceedings of the fifth international symposium on the chemistry of cement, Tokyo, vol 3, pp 1–32

  44. Haque MN, Cook DJ (1976) The effect of water sorption on the dynamic modulus of elasticity of desiccated concrete materials. Mater Struct 9(6):407–410

    Google Scholar 

  45. Powers TC, Brownyard TL (1946) Studies of the physical properties of hardened Portland cement paste—part 3: theoretical interpretation of adsorption data. J Am Concr Inst 18(4):469–504

    Google Scholar 

  46. Young JF (1988) Investigations of calcium silicate hydrate structure using silicon-29 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. J Am Ceram Soc 71(3):C118–C120

    Google Scholar 

  47. Yu P, Kirkpatrick RJ (1999) Thermal dehydration of tobermorite and jennite. Concr Sci Eng 1:185–191

    Google Scholar 

  48. Sato H, Grutzeck M (1992) Effect of starting materials on the synthesis of tobermorite. Mater Res Soc Symp Proc 245:235–240

    Google Scholar 

  49. Van Damme H, Gmira A (2006) Cement hydrates. In Bergaya F, Theng BKG, Lagaly G (eds) Chapter 13.3 in Handbook of clay science. Elsevier, Amsterdam, p 1246

  50. Pellenq RJ-M, Lequeux N, Van Damme H (2008) Engineering the bonding scheme in C–S–H: the iono-covalent framework. Cem Concr Res 38:159–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Alizadeh R (2009) Nanostrcuture and engineering properties of basic and modified calcium-silicate-hydrate systems. PhD thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, p 231

  52. Seligma P (1968) Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the water in hardened cement. J Portland Cem Assoc Res Dev Lab 10(1):52–65

    Google Scholar 

  53. Morlat R, Godard P, Bomal Y, Orange G (1999) Dynamic mechanical thermoanalysis of latexes in cement paste. Cem Concr Res 29:847–853

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Foray-Thevenin G, Vigier G, Vassoille R, Orange G (2006) Characterization of cement paste by dynamic mechanical thermo-analysis. Mater Charact 56:129–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Feldman RF, Sereda PJ (1968) A model for hydrated Portland cement paste as deduced from sorption-length change and mechanical properties. Matériaux et Construction 1(6):509–520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Jennings HM (2008) Refinements to colloid model of C–S–H in cement: CM-II. Cem Concr Res 38:275–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Cong X, Kirkpatrick RJ (1996) 29Si MAS NMR study of the structure of calcium silicate hydrate. Adv Cem. Based Mater 3:144–156

    Google Scholar 

  58. Richardson IG, Groves GW (1992) Models for the composition and structure of calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) gel in hardened tricalcium silicate pastes. Cem Concr Res 22:1001–1010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  59. Taylor HFW (1986) Proposed structure for calcium silicate hydrate gel. J Am Ceram Soc 69(6):464–467

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

Authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from NSERC and the technical advice from Ms. Ana Delgado for the DMA analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada

    Rouhollah Alizadeh, James J. Beaudoin & Laila Raki

Authors
  1. Rouhollah Alizadeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. James J. Beaudoin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laila Raki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rouhollah Alizadeh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Alizadeh, R., Beaudoin, J.J. & Raki, L. Mechanical properties of calcium silicate hydrates. Mater Struct 44, 13–28 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-010-9605-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-010-9605-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation