Tricalcium silicate (C3S) hydration under high pressure at ambient and high temperature (200 °C)

The hydration of a tricalcium silicate paste at ambient temperature and at 200 °C under high pressure (up to 1000 bar) has been studied. Two high pressure cells have been used, one allows in-situ electrical conductivity measurements during hydration under high pressure. The hydration products were characterized by thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction and 29Si NMR measurements. The pressure has a large kinetic effect on the hydration of a C3S paste at room temperature. The pressure was seen to affect drastically the hydration of a C3S paste at 200 °C and this study evidences the competition between the different high temperature phases during the hydration.