Mercury intrusion porosimetry characterization of micropore structures of high-strength cement pastes incorporating high volume ground granulated blast-furnace slag

Abstract

In this study, we characterized the micropore structures of high-strength cement pastes incorporating high volume ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS). Using mercury intrusion porosimetry, we measured the pore-size distributions of cement pastes with different GGBFS replacement ratios at ages of 3, 7, 28, and 91d. The test results indicated that the total porosity increased with increasing GGBFS ratio in the specimens at early ages, whereas it decreased at later ages. The replacement ratio of 65% produced the densest pore structure, which was consistent with compressive strength test results.