Cement hydration kinetics study in the temperature range from 15 °C to 95 °C

Abstract The heat evolution during the hydration of cement was examined by multiple calorimetric methods: isothermal, oscillating isothermal, as well as temperature scanning tests in the temperature range from 15 °C to 95 °C. The apparent activation energy (Ea) of several different types of cements were all found to decrease significantly with temperature. Type of additives and water to cement ratio had little influence on the temperature dependence of Ea. The correlation between Ea and temperature may be mathematically simplified to a step function, where Ea is a nonzero constant below a critical temperature (Tcr) and reduces to zero above that temperature. The proposed model of Ea was combined with a scale factor model to simulate the influence of curing temperature on the hydration kinetics of cement with significantly improved accuracy compared to an earlier model.