The Influence of Quartz Powder on the Mechanical–Thermal–Chemical–Durability Properties of Cement-Based Materials

Abstract

Using industrial by-products to replace cement is an important way to reduce carbon emissions in the cement industry. The purpose of this article is to understand the effect of quartz powder on the properties of cement-based materials. Experimental studies were conducted on the macroscopic and microscopic properties of cement-based materials mixed with quartz powder to evaluate their feasibility as a replacement for cement. The substitution rates of quartz powder were 0% (Qu0), 7.5% (Qu7.5), and 15% (Qu15). The test time was from 1 day to 28 days, and the main results are as follows: In the early stage of the hydration reaction, as the amount of quartz powder substitution increases, the cumulative hydration heat increases. This is mainly because the nucleation effect of quartz powder accelerates the hydration reaction of cement. In the later stage of the hydration reaction, as the amount of quartz powder substitution increases, the cumulative heat of hydration decreases. This is mainly due to the diluting effect of quartz powder. For Qu0, Qu7.5, and Qu15, the decrease in compressive strength after 1 day is not obvious. The decrease in compressive strength at 28 days is more obvious. Overall, there are exponential relationships between the UPV measurement or surface resistivity results and the compressive strength measurement results at 1, 3, 7, and 28 days. The XRD test results show that the main products of the reaction are AFt, CH, Hc, and Mc. From Day 1 to Day 28, the content of Mc becomes evident. The test results for TG showed that, as the amount of quartz powder substitution increases, the mass loss decreases. For different specimens of Qu0, Qu7.5, and Qu15 at different test times (3 and 28 days), there is an exponential function relationship between chemically bound water and strength. A numerical hydration model is proposed for cement–quartz binary blends. The parameters of the hydration model are determined based on the hydration heat normalized by the cement mass. Moreover, the hydration heat at 28 days is calculated using the proposed model. The strength development of all specimens and all test ages can be expressed as an exponential function of hydration heat.