Studies of conversion progress of calcium aluminate cement hydrates by thermal analysis method

This article presents the investigations of the progress of conversion process of calcium aluminate hydrates formed during hydration of calcium aluminate cement at various temperature conditions occurring over time by thermal analysis method. Moreover, the differences of microstructure were also confirmed by SEM/EDS studies and X-ray diffraction analysis. On the basis of the obtained results, it is concluded that thermal analysis method is a very attractive and useful way to identify the structure of hydrated calcium aluminate cement matrix and allows estimating the degree of the conversion at different times of various process conditions. The conversion process of metastable calcium aluminate hydrates into stable hydrogarnet and gibbsite is strictly temperature dependent and could be completed at different times. Acceleration of the conversion is caused not only by the increasing external temperature of storage, but also the temperature inside the sample is very important. The self-heating, which could be strong in large sample, and occurring during first few hours of hydration of calcium aluminate cement, initiates the transformation.