Coagulated silica - a-SiO2 admixture in cement paste

Abstract

Amorphous silica (a-SiO2) in fine-grained form possesses a high pozzolanic activity which makes it a valuable component of blended binders in concrete production. The origin of a-SiO2 applied in cement-based composites is very diverse. SiO2 in amorphous form is present in various amounts in quite a few supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) being used as partial replacement of Portland cement. In this work, the applicability of a commercially produced coagulated silica powder as a partial replacement of Portland cement in cement paste mix design is investigated. Portland cement CEM I 42.5R produced according to the EU standard EN 197-1 is used as a reference binder. Coagulated silica is applied in dosages of 5 and 10 % by mass of cement. The water/binder ratio is kept constant in all the studied pastes. For the applied silica, specific surface area, density, loss on ignition, pozzolanic activity, chemical composition, and SiO2 amorphous phase content are determined. For the developed pastes on the basis of cement-silica blended binder, basic physical properties as bulk density, matrix density, and total open porosity are accessed. Pore size distribution is determined using MIP analysis. Initial and final setting times of fresh mixtures are measured by automatic Vicat apparatus. Effect of silica admixture on mechanical resistivity is evaluated using compressive strength, bending strength, and dynamic Young’s modulus measurement. The obtained data gives evidence of a decreased workability of paste mixtures with silica, whereas the setting process is accelerated. On the other hand, reaction activity of silica with Portland cement minerals results in a slight decrease of porosity and improvement of mechanical resistivity of cement pastes containing a-SiO2.