Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Civil Engineering / Kyle A. Riding / Finely ground glass has the potential for pozzolanic reactivity and can serve as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). Glass reaction kinetics depends on both temperature and glass composition. Uniform composition, amorphous nature, and high silica content of glass make ground glass an ideal material for studying the effects of glass type and particle size on reactivity at different temperature. This study focuses on how three narrow size ranges of clear and green glass cullet, 63–75 [mu]m, 25–38 [mu]m, and smaller than 25 [mu]m, as well as combination of glass types and particle sizes affects the microstructure and performance properties of cementitious systems containing glass cullet as a SCM. Isothermal calorimetry, chemical shrinkage, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), quantitative analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD), and analysis of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images in backscattered (BS) mode were used to quantify the cement reaction kinetics and microstructure. Additionally, compressive strength and water sorptivity experiments were performed on mortar samples to correlate reactivity of cementitious materials containing glass to the performance of cementitious mixtures. A recently-developed modeling platform called “[mu]ic the model” was used to simulated pozzolanic reactivity of single type and fraction size and combined types and particle sizes of finely ground glass. Results showed that ground glass exhibits pozzolanic properties, especially when particles of clear and green glass below 25 [mu]m and their combination were used at elevated temperatures, reflecting that glass cullet is a temperature-sensitive SCM. Moreover, glass composition was seen to have a large impact on reactivity. In this study, green glass showed higher reactivity than clear glass. Results also revealed that the simultaneous effect of sizes and types of glass cullet (surface area) on the degree of hydration of glass particles can be accounted for through a linear addition, reflecting that the surface area would significantly affect glass cullet reactivity and that the effects of SCM material interaction on reaction kinetics were minimal. However, mechanical properties of cementitious systems containing combined glass types and sizes behaved differently, as they followed the weaker portion of the two particles. This behavior was attributed to the pores sizes, distruibution, and connectiity. Simulations of combined glass types and sizes showed that more work on microstructural models is needed to properly model the reactivity of mixed glass particle systems.

Mixes with lower water to cement (w/c) ratio and supplementary cementing materials produce strong and durable concrete. The consequence of lowering w/c is an increase in autogenous shrinkage (AS), which contributes to concrete cracking. Internal curing (IC) is shown to mitigate AS, however improper dosing of IC material can negatively affect the concrete properties. The effectiveness of IC material, such as superabsorbent polymer (SAP), depends on the 1) amount of water stored, 2) particle distribution, and 3) ability to deliver water. The objective of this research is to quantify the in-situ efficiency of SAP by investigating its effect on the cement chemical reaction using non-destructive testing methods, specifically isothermal calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). IC was tested with varying quantities of SAP in plain cement paste using white Portland cement and three w/c (0.30, 0.32, 0.35). Overdosing of the SAP material was found to significantly affect the hydration reaction and reduce the efficiency of the material. The initial porosity of the paste influences the ability of IC to provide water. However, the extra porosity provided by SAP needs to be considered when calculating the degree of hydration. Particle agglomeration occurs when the mass of SAP to IC water is greater than 5% and is the main factor causing loss of efficiency. A new geometric model was developed to estimate the SAP distribution within the cement paste. The model employs the SAP absorption determined by NMR and assumes that the SAP particles are spherical, of equal diameter, and individual particles absorb the same amount of pore solution. The results reveal that particle spacing increases with agglomeration and reduces the IC efficiency. A hybrid 1-D finite element transient flow model was developed to reverse engineer the effective diffusion coefficient from the NMR water distribution. The gel solid volume fraction and its impedance to water transfer were accounted for through the cement degree of hydration and tortuosity factor, respectively. Model results reveal that the effective water diffusion coefficient depends on w/c, gel volume fraction, and tortuosity once the cement gel fractions start to connect, i.e., after 20% cement degree of hydration. The diffusion length quantifies the distance water can transfer from the SAP to the cement paste. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

L’utilisation de ciment à haute teneur en laitier est envisagée dans le cadre du conditionnement des déchets nucléaires. Dans ce contexte, il est nécessaire de connaître les propriétés structurales et de transport des gaz formés par la radiolyse de l’eau contenue dans cette matrice. Selon la littérature, ces propriétés sont impactées par l’ajout de laitier de haut-fourneau. L’objectif de cette thèse est de relier les processus d’hydratation des ciments au laitier aux propriétés de transport des gaz. La première partie de cette étude est consacrée à l’étude de l’hydratation des ciments au laitier. La Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire (RMN) du silicium et de l’aluminium a été utilisée pour suivre l’évolution de la quantité des différentes phases anhydres du clinker (C3S, C2S, C3A et C4AF) et des principaux oxydes de la phase vitreuse du laitier (SiO2, Al2O3, MgO et SO3). La quantité de calcium dissoute provenant du laitier a, quant à elle, été déduite en comparant la quantité de portlandite [Ca(OH)2] mesurée par ATG avec celle calculée par un logiciel de spéciation chimique (Phreeqc). Cette approche a permis de déterminer l’évolution du degré d’hydratation des principaux oxydes de la phase vitreuse du laitier dont une dissolution progressive (comparé au clinker) et incongruente (la vitesse de dissolution des différents oxydes et différente) a ainsi pu être mise en évidence. Cette plus faible réactivité du laitier a pu être mise en relation, pour un temps donné, avec la diminution de la quantité d’eau liée au ciment, de la contraction chimique et de la chaleur dégagée. La prise en compte quantitative de la dissolution des phases du clinker et des oxydes du laitier permet une description plus précise de la minéralogie. La deuxième partie de ce travail porte sur l’évolution de la microstructure et de son influence sur les propriétés de transport en phase gazeuse (diffusion et perméabilité). L’évolution du coefficient de diffusion effectif à l’hélium et à l’azote et de la perméabilité intrinsèque a été suivie au cours du temps et comparée à l’évolution de certaines grandeurs, telles que la porosité globale, le diamètre d’entrée critique, la surface spécifique et le degré de connectivité des pores. Les résultats montrent une diminution du coefficient de diffusion effectif et de la perméabilité au cours du temps, ce qui a pu être relié, pour un même matériau, à la diminution de la porosité totale. Une réduction de ces propriétés avec la teneur croissante de laitier a également été observée. Cette baisse est liée à une diminution de la porosité capillaire et à une augmentation de la nanoporosité, due à une modification de la microstructure des C-S-H. La dernière partie de ce projet concerne la relation entre les processus d’hydratation, la microstructure et les propriétés de transport. Dans ce but, des bilans volumiques des réactions d’hydratation ont été réalisés en considérant de façon indifférenciée ou séparée chaque phase du ciment. La prise en compte séparée des différentes phases du ciment permet d’évaluer avec une précision de 10 % la porosité totale, la teneur en eau liée et le volume de contraction chimique. Cette description permet d’expliquer les variations des propriétés de transport d’un même matériau dans la durée. Pour établir ce lien au cours du temps et pour tous les ciments, le volume apparent des C-S-H a été recalculé pour rendre compte de la microstructure de ces hydrates. / Cements with high slag content are currently studied as possible candidate for nuclear waste containment materials. In this context it is important to know their microstructure and the transport properties (permeability and diffusion) of the gases that are formed by the radiolysis of the water present in this material. According to literature, these properties are strongly impacted by the addition of blast furnace slag. The aim of this work is to correlate the hydration processes of slag blended cements with their transport properties. In the first part of this work, the hydration of the slag blended cements, for which only few results have been reported to date, has been studied. Silicon-29 and aluminium-27 Magic-Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (MAS NMR) were used to follow the variations of anhydrous phases of clinker (C3S, C2S, C3A and C4AF) and of the main oxides of the slag (SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, MgO and SO3). The quantity of calcium dissolved from slag was deduced by fitting the quantity of portlandite [Ca(OH)2] calculated by a geochemical software (PHREEQC - coupled to a thermodynamic database) with TGA measurements. Our approach enabled the evolution of the hydration degree (percentage of reacted material) of various oxides of slag to be determined. A progressive and an incongruent dissolution (the rate of dissolution of the oxides is different) of the slag is observed. The low reactivity of slag could be linked, at a hydration time, to a lower content of bound water, chemical shrinkage and heat of hydration. Quantitatively accounting for the dissolution of clinker and oxide of slag yields a more accurate description of the hydration process. The second part of this work is focused on the microstructure evolution and its influence on the transport properties (diffusion and permeability). Time-evolution of the diffusion coefficients and the intrinsic permeability could be monitored and were then compared to that of the microstructure (global porosity, pore entry size distribution, specific surface area and the degree of connectivity). The results showed a decrease in the diffusion coefficient and permeability over time which is due to the progressive filling of the porosity. A decrease of these parameters with the slag content increasing was also observed. This is a consequence of the diminution of the capillary porosity and augmentation of the nanoporosity resulting from changes in the microstructure of C-S-H. The last part concerns the relation between the hydration processes, the microstructure and the transport properties. To this aim, volumetric balances of reactions involved in the hydration processes were made by considering globally or specifically the hydration of the different phases. Accounting for the hydration of each phase of the cement allowed us to determine the global porosity, the bound water content and the chemical shrinkage with accuracy of the order of 10 %. This description allows the understanding of the transport properties variations in time for a same material To establish this time evolutions for all the cements, the apparent volume of C-S-H was recalculated to account for the microstructure of these hydrates