Abstract
Supersulfated cement (SSC) consists essentially of blast-furnace slag and calcium sulfate. It can be considered an alternative to Portland cement because its production minimizes the environmental impacts caused by the exploration of raw materials and emissions. However, the long-term durability of SSC still needs to be studied. In this article, the influence of the composition of the SSC in the attack by sodium and magnesium sulfates was analyzed, varying the source (gypsum and phosphogypsum) and content (10% and 20%) of calcium sulfate. The source of calcium sulfate did not significantly influence the resistance to sulfate attack, but it did change the mechanical strength of the SSC. The results showed that at the end of two years, all SSC samples were resistant to sodium sulfate attack; SSC pastes naturally formed a large amount of ettringite at early ages, preventing expansion at later ages. The SSC containing more calcium sulfate was the only mixture resistant under magnesium sulfate attack. A higher content of calcium sulfate in the composition of SSC can reduce the rate of diffusion of sulfate ions and improve their resistance to attack by magnesium sulfate. The lower formation of C─ S─ H, together with a higher content of calcium sulfate, provided an SSC with the best performance under magnesium sulfate attack.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) for the research grant and CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), process 424896/2018-4, for the financial assistance that allowed this study to be carried out. The authors thank the Post-Graduation Program in Civil Engineering (PPGEC) and Central de Análises both at the Federal Technological University of Parana (UTFPR) for their infrastructure support for the development of this research.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35 • Issue 1 • January 2023
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 24, 2021
Accepted: Apr 29, 2022
Published online: Oct 20, 2022
Published in print: Jan 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Mar 20, 2023
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