Possible Fractal Structure of Cement Gels

Abstract

The understanding of the mechanism by which a newly mixed cement turns into a gel structure which gives it rigidity and compressive strength remains poorly understood. Recently, however, new light has been shed on the hydration process in an extensive series of measurements using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) in which the evolution of the scattering has been studied as a function of time ^{1, 2, 3}. The most detailed work has been carried out on Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), but experiments on other starting materials show very little difference in the evolution of the scattering (though the time-scales may differ) and in the final product.