INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CHEMICAL EVOLUTION (HYDRATION) AND PHYSICAL EVOLUTION (SETTING) IN THE CASE OF TRICALCIUM SILICATE

This paper describes recent experimental results concerning investigation of the parameters which determine, on the one hand, the kinetics of hydration of tricalcium silicate and the thermodynamic, morphological and structural characteristics of C-S-H and, on the other hand, the evolution of the particle interactions at the origin of setting. It is shown that, in both cases, lime concentration in solution is the most important parameter. As a consequence, the chemical evolution of the system, which controls the lime concentration in solution, determines the nature of particle interactions and the physical evolution of the suspension or paste. In return, the contacts between particles, resulting from the coagulation of the suspension, seem to have a role in the kinetics of the chemical reaction.