Microstructure Analysis of Heated Portland Cement Paste

When a concrete structure is exposed to high temperature, the mechanical damage and chemical transformation take place simultaneously, which will change the microstructure of material. On the other hand, the mechanical properties and transport properties depend on the development of microstructure of cement paste. In order to study the...

Preliminary Investigation of Drying Shrinkage Cement Paste Specimens

In order to perform drying shrinkage observations in ESEM (Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope), a preparation procedure for cement paste samples is developed. Instead of casting standard prisms (40 x 40 x 160 mm3), cement paste samples were cast in specially designed moulds of 30 x 30 x 2 mm3 and 10 x 10 x 2 mm3 in size. A special...