Effect of cement strength class on the generalization of Abrams' law

Abstract

Abrams' law is used to predict the compressive strength of cementitious materials based on water/cement ratio (W/C). While compressive strength does not only depend on W/C, but also there are many factors that influence the strength of mortar, such as cement strength class and sand/cement ratio (S/C). Novelty of this study, the effect of three types of cement strength classes in 54 cement mortar mix designs on generalization of modified Abrams' law and Bolomey's formula are investigated. Modified equations base on cement strength class and S/C were proposed for the compressive and flexural strength of cement mortar in the range between a very low W/C and a very high W/C. The results showed that the modified equations additional to W/C are strongly influenced by the cement strength class and S/C. Moreover, to show sensitivity of above parameters microstructural characteristics were also studied by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an energy dispersive spectrometer analysis (EDS).