Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of nano- and micro-limestone addition on early-age properties of ultra-high-performance concrete

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Materials and Structures Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study, the effects of micro- and nano-CaCO3 addition on the early-age properties of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) cured at simulated cold and normal field conditions were investigated. The micro-CaCO3 was added at rates of 0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 15 %, while the nano-CaCO3 was added at rates of 0, 2.5, and 5 %, both as partial volume replacement for cement. Results indicate that micro-CaCO3 acted mainly as an inert filler, creating a denser microstructure and increasing the effective w/c ratio. In addition, nano-CaCO3 accelerated the cement hydration process through nucleation, and also acted as an effective filling material. Mixtures combining both micro- and nano-CaCO3 resulted in similar or enhanced mechanical properties compared to that of the control, while achieving cement replacement levels up to 20 %. Thus, through the use of micro- and nano-CaCO3, more environmentally friendly UHPC can be produced by reducing its cement factor, while achieving enhanced engineering properties.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Meyer C (2009) The greening of the concrete industry. Cement Concr Compos 31(8):601–605

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Sato T (2006) Applications of nanotechnology for the sustainable development of cement-based materials, PhD Thesis, University of Ottawa, 171 p

  3. Myers R (2007) Calcium carbonate, 100 most important chemical compounds: a reference guide. Greenwood Press, Westport, pp 59–61

    Google Scholar 

  4. Péra J, Husson S, Guilhot B (1999) Influence of finely ground limestone on cement hydration. Cement Concr Compos 21(2):99–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Granger S, Loukili A, Pijaudier-Cabot G, Chanvillard G (2005) Mechanical characterization of self-healing effect of cracks in Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) In: Proceedings of 3rd international conference on construction materials, performance, innovations and structural implications, Vancouver, August 22–24

  6. Soliman AM, Nehdi ML (2011) Effect of drying conditions on autogenous shrinkage in ultra-high performance concrete at early-age. Mater Struct 44(5):879–899

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Bentz D (2005) Replacement of ‘coarse’ cement particles by inert fillers in low w/c ratio concretes: II. Experimental validation. Cem Concr Res 35(1):185–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Thomas M, Hooton D, Cail K, Smith B, De Wal J, Kazanis K (2010) Field trials of concrete produced with Portland limestone cement. Concr Int 32(1):35–41

    Google Scholar 

  9. Balaguru PN (2005) Nanotechnology and concrete: Background, opportunities and challenges. In: Proceedings of international conference on applications of nanotechnology in concrete design, Thomas Telford Services Ltd., Scotland, pp 113–122

  10. Nazari A, Riahi S (2010) Micro-structural, thermal, physical and mechanical behavior of the self-compacting concrete containing SiO2 nano-particles. Mater Sci Eng A 527(29–30):7663–7672

    Google Scholar 

  11. Nazari A, Riahi S (2010) The effect of TiO2 nano-particles on water permeability and thermal and mechanical properties of high strength self-compacting concrete. Mater Sci Eng A 528(2):756–763

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Nazari A, Riahi S (2011) Improvement of compressive strength of cementitious composites in different curing media by Al2O3 nano-particles. Mater Sci Eng A 528(3):1183–1191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Jo B, Kim C, Tae G, Park J (2007) Characteristics of cement mortar with nano-SiO2 particles. Constr Build Mater 21(6):1351–1355

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Sato T, and Beaudoin JJ (2006) The effect of nano-sized CaCO3 addition on hydration of OPC containing high volumes of ground granulated blast-furnace slag. In: Proceedings of the 2nd International RILEM symposium on advances in concrete through science and engineering, Québec City, pp 355–366

  15. Paolini M, Khurana R (1998) Admixtures for recycling of waste concrete. Cement Concr Compos 20(2–3):221–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Sato K, Li J, Kamiya H, Ishigaki T (2008) Ultrasonic dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles in aqueous Suspension. J Am Ceram Soc 91(8):2481–2487

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Bentz DP, Sato T, De la Varga I, and Weiss J (2011) Fine limestone additions to regulate setting in high volume fly ash mixtures. Date retrieved August 3. http://concrete.nist.gov/~bentz/Finelimestoneadditions061011.pdf>

  18. Ma J, Orgass M, Dehn F, Schmidt D, and Tue NV (2004) Comparative investigations on ultra-high performance concrete with and without coarse aggregates. In: Proceedings of international symposium on ultra high performance concrete, Germany, pp 205–212

  19. Holschemacher K, Dehn F, Klotz S, and Weiße D (2005) Experimental investigation on ultra high-strength concrete under concentrated loading. In: Proceedings of 7th international symposium on utilization of high-strength/high performance concrete, vol 2, Washington DC, pp 1145–1158

  20. ASTM C 1437-7 (2007) Standard specification for flow of hydraulic cement mortar. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 2 p

  21. ASTM C191-08 (2008) Standard test method for time of setting of hydraulic cement by Vicat needle. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 8 p

  22. Loukili A, Khelidj A, Richard P (1999) Hydration kinetics, change of relative humidity, and autogenous shrinkage of ultra-high-strength concrete. Cem Concr Res 29(4):577–584

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Mounanga P, Khelidj A, Loukili A, Baroghel-Bouny V (2004) Predicting Ca(OH)2 content and chemical shrinkage of hydrating cement pastes using analytical approach. Cem Concr Res 34(2):255–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. ASTM C 157/157M-08 (2008) Standard test method for length change of hardened hydraulic-cement mortar and concrete. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 7 p

  25. Pane I, Hansen W (2005) Investigation of blended cement hydration by isothermal calorimetry and thermal analysis. Cem Concr Res 35(6):1155–1164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Jensen OM, Hansen PF (1995) A dilatometer for measuring autogenous deformation in hardening Portland cement paste. Mater Struct 28(181):406–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Elkhadiri I, Diouri A, Boukhari A, Aride J, Puertas F (2002) Mechanical behavior of various mortars made by combined fly ash and limestone in Moroccan Portland cement. Cem Concr Res 32(10):1597–1603

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Esping O (2008) Effect of limestone filler BET(H2O)-area on the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting concrete. Cem Concr Res 38(7):938–944

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Liu X, Chen L, Liu A, Wang X (2012) Effect of nano-CaCO3 on properties of cement paste. Energy Procedia 16(Part B):991–996

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Liu XY, Wang XR, Liu AH, Chen L (2012) Study on the mechanical properties of cement modified by nanoparticles. Appl Mech Mater 157–158:161–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Nehdi M, Soliman A (2011) Early-age properties of concrete: overview of fundamental concepts and state-of-the-art research. ICE Constr Mater 164(2):57–77

    Google Scholar 

  32. Schindler AK (2004) Effect of temperature on hydration of cementitious materials. ACI Mater J 101(1):72–81

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  33. Mark JM, Chan GW (2009) Growth of cement hydration products on single-walled carbon nanotubes. J Am Ceram Soc 92(6):1303–1310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Lea FM, (1998) Lea’s chemistry of cement and concrete 4th (edn). Hewlett PC (Ed), Wiley, New York, 1053 p

  35. Bonavetti V, Donza H, Menéndez G, Cabrera O, Irassar EF (2003) Limestone filler cement in low w/c concrete: a rational use of energy. Cem Concr Res 33(6):865–871

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Bentz DP, Peltz MA, Winpigler J (2009) Early-age properties of cement-based materials: II. Influence of water-to-cement ratio. ASCE J Mater Civil Eng 21(9):512–517

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Opoczky L (1992) Progress of the particle size distribution during the intergrinding of a clinker-limestone mixture. Zement-Kalk-Gips 45(12):648–651

    Google Scholar 

  38. Shihada S, Arafa M (2010) Effects of silica fume, ultrafine and mixing sequences on properties of ultra-high performance concrete. Asian J Mater Sci 2(3):137–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Tafraoui A, Escadeillas G, Lebaili S, Vidal T (2009) Metakolin in the formulation of UHPC. Constr Build Mater 23(2):669–674

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Soroka I, Setter N (1977) The effect of fillers on strength of cement mortars. Cem Concr Res 7(4):449–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Xu QL, Meng T, Huang MZ (2011) Effects of nano-CaCO3 on the compressive strength and microstructure of high strength concrete in different curing temperature. Appl Mech Mater 121–126:126–131

    Google Scholar 

  42. Amen DKH (2011) Degree of hydration and strength development of low water-to-cement ratios in silica fume cement system. Int J Civil Environ Eng 11(5):10–16

    Google Scholar 

  43. Wang Y, Wang W, Guan X (2011) Physical filling effects of limestone powders with different particle size. Adv Mater Res 163–167:1419–1424

    Google Scholar 

  44. Coussy O, Dangla P, Lassabatère T, Baroghel-Bouny V (2004) The equivalent pore pressure and the swelling and shrinkage of cement-based materials. Mater Struct 37(1):15–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Holt E (2005) Contribution of mixture design to chemical and autogenous shrinkage of concrete at early ages. Cem Concr Res 35(3):464–472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Bucher B (2009) Shrinkage and shrinkage cracking behavior of cement systems containing ground limestone, fly ash, and lightweight synthetic particles. M.Sc Thesis, Purdue University, 190 p

  47. Soliman A (2011) Early-age shrinkage of ultra high-performance concrete: mitigation and compensating mechanisms, PhD Thesis, University of Western Ontario, 382 p

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    J. Camiletti, A. M. Soliman & M. L. Nehdi

Authors
  1. J. Camiletti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. M. Soliman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. L. Nehdi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. L. Nehdi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Camiletti, J., Soliman, A.M. & Nehdi, M.L. Effects of nano- and micro-limestone addition on early-age properties of ultra-high-performance concrete. Mater Struct 46, 881–898 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-9940-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-9940-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation