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Ettringite and calcium sulfoaluminate cement: investigation of water content by near-infrared spectroscopy

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Abstract

Calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement is a sulfate-based binder whose high-performance hydraulic behavior depends on the rapid formation of ettringite, when grinded clinker is hydrated in presence of gypsum. Ettringite is a calcium aluminum sulfate mineral characterized by high water content, estimated as 32 water molecules per formula unit. Three examples of utilization of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy are here shown. First of all, information on water distribution in pure ettringite was deduced and compared with infrared analyses. Then its thermal behavior has been followed up to 400 °C, allowing to improve the knowledge about water loss and thermal decomposition of this hydrated phase. Finally, the obtained results have been employed in order to follow hydration of CSA cement sample, demonstrating thus that NIR spectroscopy, being highly sensitive to water amount and distribution, can be an extremely useful tool for hydration studies.

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Notes

  1. Note that standard cement nomenclature is followed here, whereby C = CaO, S = SiO2, A = Al2O3, F = Fe2O3, \( \overline{\text{S}} = {\text{SO}}_{3} , \) and H = H2O.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge Prof. Gian Lorenzo Valenti and Dr. Antonio Telesca, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, for supplying synthetic ettringite; Dr. Aldo Arrais, Università del Piemonte Orientale A. Avogadro, for support with Infra-Red analyses; Ing. Massimo Paris, Buzzi Unicem S.p.A. (Guidonia, Italy) and Ing. Luigi Buzzi, Buzzi Unicem S.p.A. (Casale Monferrato, Italy) for their critical reading; Michael Ellard B.Sc. for English revision. This study was funded by Regione Piemonte (CIPE project “NEWCEM—Novel functional cement-based materials based on nano-scale control of structure and activity”) and by Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria (“CHEM-CEM project: integrated optimization of cementing materials and complex production processes through innovative chemical methods, multivariate statistical techniques and neural networks”).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Buzzi Unicem S.p.A, Via Luigi Buzzi 6, Casale Monferrato (AL), 15033, Italy

    Daniela Gastaldi & Fulvio Canonico

  2. Department of Science and Advanced Technologies, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Viale Teresa Michel 11, Alessandria, 15121, Italy

    Enrico Boccaleri

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  1. Daniela Gastaldi
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  2. Fulvio Canonico
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  3. Enrico Boccaleri
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Correspondence to Daniela Gastaldi.

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Gastaldi, D., Canonico, F. & Boccaleri, E. Ettringite and calcium sulfoaluminate cement: investigation of water content by near-infrared spectroscopy. J Mater Sci 44, 5788–5794 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-009-3812-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-009-3812-1

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