Cheung – Influence of Triethanolamine and Triisopropanolamine on the Hydration of Portland Cement
Josephine H. Cheung
W. R. Grace, 62 Whittemore Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140
Tri-ethanolamine (TEA) has been used to enhance the early hydration of cements for more than half a decade. The impact of set can also be influenced dramatically by the amount of TEA used. The mechanism of how TEA changes the hydration of the different phases of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) will be discussed. Twenty years ago, Gartner and Myers uncovered the use of tri-isopropanolamine (TIPA) as a late strength enhancer for cement containing more than 4% C4AF. They also taught the use of TIPA to enhance late-strength development of limestone blended cements. The mechanisms of how TIPA influences the hydration of OPC and limestone blended cement (LBC), the influence of cement fineness on the impact of strength gain will be reviewed. A proposal on what other information necessary to build a hydration model able to predict the hydration of cement treated with TEA and TIPA will be presented.