Influence of Micro-Pore Connectivity and Micro-Fractures on Calcium Leaching of Cement Pastes—A Coupled Simulation Approach

Janez Perko, Neven Ukrainczyk, Branko Savija, Quoc Tri Phung, Eddie A.B. Koenders

Research outputpeer-review

Abstract

A coupled numerical approach is used to evaluate the influence of pore connectivity and microcracks on leaching kinetics in fully saturated cement paste. The unique advantage of the numerical model is the ability to construct and evaluate a material with controlled properties, which is very difficult under experimental conditions. Our analysis is based on two virtual microstructures, which are different in terms of pore connectivity but the same in terms of porosity and the amount of solid phases. Numerical fracturing was performed on these microstructures. The non-fractured and fractured microstructures were both subjected to chemical leaching. Results show that despite very different material physical properties, for example, pore connectivity and effective diffusivity, the leaching kinetics remain the same as long as the amount of soluble phases, i.e., buffering capacity, is the same. The leaching kinetics also remains the same in the presence of microcracks.
Original languageEnglish
Article number2697
Pages (from-to)1-21
Number of pages21
JournalMaterials
Volume13
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Jun 2020

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