Segmented Fractal Pore Structure in Cement-Based Materials Blended with Dolomite Powder
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 11
Abstract
The macroscopic property of cement-based materials depends on their pore structure. Due to the complex and disordered pore structure of cement-based materials, traditional parameters like porosity and mean distribution radius are not accurate enough for strength predictions. Fractal geometry was employed to characterize the complexity of pore structure more accurately than existing parameters, especially the scale-dependent fractal properties, which are more dependent on the pore ranges. In this study, the pore size range of cement-based materials containing dolomite powder was regularly segmented to characterize the scale-dependent fractal nature of the pore structure. The relationship between the segmented fractal dimension and the compressive strength was discussed. Results based on the mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and mechanical property tests showed that the difference existed in the relationship between segmented fractal dimension and dolomite powder content under various pore ranges. The relationships between compressive strength and fractal dimension of gel pores and fractal dimension of large pores presented positive and negative linear function, respectively. The strength equations expressed in terms of the segmented fractal dimension were proposed. Regression analysis proved that the equations in this study had high prediction accuracy.
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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 acknowledge the financial support for the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Project No. 2019YFC1906203).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 11 • November 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 5, 2020
Accepted: Mar 19, 2021
Published online: Sep 3, 2021
Published in print: Nov 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Feb 3, 2022
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