Scherer – Effect of Pressure on Early Hydration
Gary P. Funkhouser, Sulapha Peethamparan, Emily Weissinger, Jie Zhang, and George Scherer
Princeton University
The kinetics of hydration of white cement and Class H cement have been examined over a range of pressure up to 20 ksi (138 MPa) and temperatures from 10 to 60˚C. Hydration kinetics were followed through chemical shrinkage (at ambient pressure), and the rheology was characterized using a consistometer. Treating the hydration as a first order reaction, the kinetic data are fully consistent with an activation energy of about 40 kJ/mole and an activation volume on the order of the volume of a water molecule. The effect of retarders on the parameters is currently being investigated.