Hydration simulation of cement pastes reinforced with carbon nanotubes

Abstract

The study proposed a cement hydration model based on multiphase voxels and a novel dissolution rate to simulate the hydration of a carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced cement paste. The proposed multiphase voxels and dissolution rates were validated by considering accelerated or delayed hydration owing to CNTs and superplasticizers. The model can simulate the formation of low-density and high-density calcium silicate hydrates (CSHs) using multiphase voxels and was validated using previous experimental data for cement pastes containing 0.05–0.25 wt% CNTs. The simulation results, including those on the heat flow and heat of hydration, are consistent with the experimental results.