3D spatial distribution of the calcium carbonate caused by carbonation of cement paste

Carbonation of cement-based materials is one area of concern for the durability of concrete structures. The calcium carbonate caused by carbonation is an important indicator of carbonation degrees. The present paper, using 3D tomography data, proposes a nondestructive method to characterize the 3D spatial distributions of calcium carbonate. It allows monitoring of 3D carbonation evolutions. The evolution of the calcium carbonate distributions in a specimen of cement paste with different carbonation degrees is given using the current method. The results are compared with the average quantity of calcium carbonate determined by thermal analysis. From the sharp edge of the calcium carbonate distribution, we conclude that the accelerated carbonation in this experimental condition is a diffusion controlling process.