Study on the Retarding Mechanism and Strength Loss of Gypsum from Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Retarder

Abstract

In this article, the influence of a hydrolyzed wheat protein retarder on the hydration process, ion concentration in liquid phase, degree of supersaturation, and crystal morphology of plaster was investigated. Furthermore, the retarding mechanism and the strength loss of gypsum were also studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that the use of the hydrolyzed wheat protein retarder for plaster achieved a better retarding effect and lower strength loss. The combination of gypsum plaster with the retarder not only decreased the plaster’s early hydration rate and prolonged its setting time efficiently, but also militated against the crystal morphology of dihydrate gypsum. For example, the crystal dimensions changed little, but the proportion of needle-shaped crystals decreased. Combination with calcium ions on the surface of dihydrate gypsum crystal nuclei may form a chemisorbed layer, reduce the surface energy of the crystal nuclei, and inhibit the growth of the crystal nuclei of dihydrate gypsum. Consequently, the hydration process of building gypsum becomes greatly extended and is slowed down significantly.