Physico-chemical interaction between mineral admixtures and OPC–calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cements and its influence on early-age expansion

The present study aims at examining the physico-chemical factors influencing the expansion characteristics of OPC–CSA blend in the presence of mineral admixtures. Three different admixtures: Class ‘F’ fly ash (‘F’FA), Class ‘C’ fly ash (‘C’FA) and silica fume (SF) were used as 15%, 15% and 5% replacement of total cementitious binder. Longitudinal expansion of cement pastes prepared at w/cm – 0.44 showed that the Class ‘F’FA increased the expansion whereas the Class ‘C’FA and SF reduced the expansion. The pore solution of the OPC–CSA cement pastes was extracted at different ages to monitor the concentration of various ionic species. The saturation level of ettringite was determined using a geochemical modeling program (GEMS). Furthermore, an upper bound of crystallization stress was estimated. The expansion behavior in the presence of Class ‘F’FA and SF was found to be influenced by the changes in the stiffness, whereas the expansion of the Class ‘C’FA-based mixture was governed by faster hydration of ye'elimite.