Hydration and durability of sulphate-resisting and slag cement blends in Caron's Lake water

The problem of aggressive attack of sulphate and chloride ions has been of considerable scientific and technological interest because this attack is one of the factors responsible for damage to concrete. The corrosive action of chlorides is due to the formation of chloroaluminate hydrates, which causes softening of concrete. Sulphate ions can enter into chemical reactions with certain constituents of concrete, producing sulphoaluminate hydrates and gypsum, which cause the expansion of concrete. The aim of the present work is to study the hydration and the durability of mixed cement (sulphate-resisting and slag cement blends) pastes and mortars in Caron's Lake water. Different mixes of sulphate-resisting cement (SRC) with various proportions of slag cement were prepared and immersed in tap water for 3, 7, 28 and 90 days. The durability of the cement mortars was followed by curing the samples in tap water for 28 days (zero time) then immersed in Caron's Lake water for 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The hydration behavior was measured by the determination of the compressive strength, free lime, evaporable and nonevaporable water, total chloride and total sulphate contents at each curing time. The increase of substitution of SRC with blast-furnace slag cement (BFSC) up to 30% increases slightly the total pore volume. The free lime contents decrease sharply in the first months of immersion then slightly up to 1 year. The blended cement pastes made of SRC with BFSC up to 30 mass% have lower values of total chloride and total sulphate, while the mortars containing only SRC have lower values of compressive strength than those of all blended cement mortars at all curing ages of immersion under Caron's Lake water. Useful conclusions and recommendations concerning the use of 70 mass% of SRC with 30 mass% slag cement produces a highly durable mixed cement.