Microstructure-based micromechanical prediction of elastic properties in hydrating cement paste

Elastic properties of hydrating cement paste can be successfully predicted by combination of the hydration model, percolation theory and micromechanical analysis. Reconstruction of hydrating microstructure is based on the 3D digital NIST model of cement hydration, which is enhanced for the prediction of two C–S–H types. Chemical phases in a percolated microstructure served as an input in a two-level analytical or one-level 3D FEM or FFT elastic homogenization. Special mesh generation for the percolated microstructure is discussed as well as its numerical implementation. Good results from FEM and FFT were found for the size of the representative volume element of 50 × 50 × 50 μm, considering water-to-cement ratio in the range from 0.25 to 0.5. While good predictions in well-hydrated cement pastes were obtained for both analytical and numerical approaches, numerical homogenization was found more accurate and versatile for the whole hydration time.