Scribd
Upload
70 views3 pages

Calcium Silicate Hydrate

Calcium silicate hydrate is the most important cementing component in concrete, forming when the calcium silicates in cement react with water. It has a variable chemical composition but contains lime and silicate in a ratio around 3:2. The particles are extremely small and can only be seen with an electron microscope. They form dense bonded aggregations that cement everything together, contributing to the concrete's strength, setting, hardening, and dimensional stability. In the presence of water, the calcium silicates in cement hydrate to form calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate, which makes up around 50% of hydrated cement by mass and is primarily responsible for its strength properties.

Uploaded by

Sathish Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
70 views3 pages

Calcium Silicate Hydrate

Calcium silicate hydrate is the most important cementing component in concrete, forming when the calcium silicates in cement react with water. It has a variable chemical composition but contains lime and silicate in a ratio around 3:2. The particles are extremely small and can only be seen with an electron microscope. They form dense bonded aggregations that cement everything together, contributing to the concrete's strength, setting, hardening, and dimensional stability. In the presence of water, the calcium silicates in cement hydrate to form calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate, which makes up around 50% of hydrated cement by mass and is primarily responsible for its strength properties.

Uploaded by

Sathish Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Calcium Silicate Hydrate

The two calcium silicates which constitute about 75% of the mass of
Portland cement, react with water to form two new compounds: calcium
hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate. The latter is by far the most
important cementing component in concrete. The engineering properties of
concrete—setting and hardening, strength, and dimensional stability—
depend primarily on calcium silicate hydrate gel. It is the heart of concrete.

The chemical composition of calcium silicate hydrate is somewhat variable,


but it contains lime (CaO) and silicate (SiO2) in a ratio on the order of 3 to 2.
The surface area of calcium silicate hydrate is some 300 square meters per
gram. The particles are so minute that they can be seen only in an electron
microscope. In hardened paste, these particles form dense, bonded
aggregations between the other crystalline phases and the remaining
unhydrated cementing materials grains; they also adhere to grains of sand
and to pieces of coarse aggregate, cementing everything together. The
formation of this structure is the paste's cementing action and is responsible
for setting, hardening, and strength development.

In the presence of water, the calcium silicates, C3S and C2S, hydrate to form
the compounds calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate (archaically
called tobermorite gel) (see Table 2-5. Portland Cement Compound
Hydration Reactions). Hydrated portland cement contains 15% to 25%
calcium hydroxide and about 50% calcium silicate hydrate by mass. The
strength and other properties of hydrated cement are due primarily to
calcium silicate hydrate (Fig.2-27).

Tricalcium Silicate, C3S, hydrates and hardens rapidly and is largely


responsible for initial set and early strength (Fig.2-29). In general, the early
strength of portland cement concrete is higher with increased percentages of
C3S.
Dicalcium Silicate, C2S, hydrates and hardens slowly and contributes largely
to strength increase at ages beyond one week.

You might also like