Rheological properties of aerated cement pastes with fly ash, metakaolin and sepiolite additions

Rheological properties on aerated cement pastes are studied in order to assess their influence in the pore network of the hardened aerated mortar. For this purpose, different cement types with metakaolin (MK) and sepiolite (SP) additions have been used. Volume and temperature increased during expansion; water retention and rheology of the fresh aerated cement pastes were studied to characterize the fresh mortar. Finally, pore network in the hardened aerated mortar was analyzed by imbibition methods and X-ray computed tomography. Conclusions drawn included that the incorporation of siliceous fly ashes (SFAs) in ordinary Portland cement together with additions of MK or/and SP provided the largest expansion speed increase and the lowest relative density of the foamed mortar.