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Sulfate resistance of Portland-limestone cements in combination with supplementary cementitious materials

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Abstract

In this study, the sulfate resistance of five different high-C3A Portland and Portland-limestone cements and their combinations with 30–50 % slag were examined at both 5 and 23 °C according to CSA A3004-C8 (similar to ASTM C1012). Also, XRD was used to identify the phases formed after sulfate attack. It was found that in 23 °C exposure, while 100 % cement mixes deteriorated due to conventional ettringite-based sulfate attack, partially replacing the cements with 30 or 50 % slag was effective in making the mixes highly sulfate-resistant. At 5 °C, all of the 100 % cement mortar bars expanded more than the test limits and eventually completely disintegrated due to the formation of thaumasite. Partially replacing cement with 30 % slag was only effective in controlling the deterioration for Portland cements but not Portland-limestone cements. However, all the Portland-limestone cements with 50 % slag were resistant to the thaumasite form of sulfate attack after 2 years.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Cement Association of Canada and Holcim Canada Inc. is gratefully appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St. George St, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A4, Canada

    Amir Mohammad Ramezanianpour & R. Douglas Hooton

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  1. Amir Mohammad Ramezanianpour
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  2. R. Douglas Hooton
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Correspondence to Amir Mohammad Ramezanianpour.

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Ramezanianpour, A.M., Hooton, R.D. Sulfate resistance of Portland-limestone cements in combination with supplementary cementitious materials. Mater Struct 46, 1061–1073 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-9953-8

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