• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.75-90
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• 2003

Ettringite and thaumasite were observed in some concrete. The morphology and occurrence of these minerals were closely examined by performing SEM/EDAX analyses. We also experimentally induced the concrete deterioration using $Na_2SO_4$ solution with application of various environmental conditions. The stability of these minerals and deterioration characteristics under applied experimental conditions were determined. Abundant ettringite formed by“through solution reaction”occurred in many open spaces, and some microscopic ettringite formed by "tophochemical replacement" of calcium aluminate also occurred in cement paste. Severe cracking of cement paste causing premature deterioration was often associated with ettringite location. Under specific condition, ettringite was transformed to thaumasite, tricthloroaluminate, or decomposed. Thaumasite occurred with association of ettrinsite in concrete containing carbonate aggregate being subject to dedolomitization or in some concrete being subject to carbonation. Thaumasite appears to be formed under the similar condition to the general ettringite forming condition, but it formed solid solution with ettringite by substituting pre-existing ettringite. Ettringite can also be transformed to trichloroaluminate in the presence of abundant chlorides, but trichloroaluminate changed back to ettringite in late sulfate attack. It is considered that the substitution reaction direction solely depend on the concentration of chloride and sulfate ion.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.51-61
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• 2010

Ettringite $(Ca_6[Al(OH)_6]_2(SO_4)_3{\cdot}26H_2O)$ is a sulfate mineral that shows a complicate property in concrete. It is often called as "a cancer of concrete" because secondary ettringite formation in hardened concrete often cause expansion and cracking of concrete due to its expansive crystal structure. In the present study, we tested the possibility for crystal growth inhibition of secondary ettringite by crystallization inhibitors that are commercially used for scaling inhibitors in Korea. For the test, we developed a method of ettringite solution synthesis. Three types of crystallization inhibitors were selected and examined the effects On ettringite growth inhibition. The experimental results of ettringite solution synthesis indicated that ettringite was successfully synthesized under condition that the mass balance between calcium hydroxide saturated solution and aluminum sulfate solution was attained. Monosulfate and semisulfate were synthesized when the ratio of $Ca^{2+}$ ions to ${SO_4}^{2+}$ ions was increased. The induction time of ettringite crystallization was less than 2 min. and crystallization was almost completed within an hour. The experimental results of ettringite crystallization inhibition showed that organic PBCT (2-Phosphonobutane-1,2,4-Tricarboxylic Acid) and inorganic SHMP (Sodium Hexametaphosphate) were relatively less effective on ettringite crystallization inhibition under experimental conditions. However, organic HEDP (1-Hydoxyethylidene-1,1-Diphosphonic Acid) effectively prevented ettringite growth with producing amorphous gel phase materials up to inhibitor concentration 0.1 vol.% of aluminum sulfate solution.

• Cement
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• s.151
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• pp.64-67
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• 1999

• Mineral and Industry
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2001

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.95-109
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• 2002

A significant question is what role does newly-formed expansive mineral growth play in the premature deterioration of concrete. These minerals formed in cement paste as a result of chemical reactions involving cement paste and coarse/fine aggregate. Petrographic observations and SEM/EDAX analysis were conducted in order to determine chemical and mineralogical changes in the aggregate and cement paste of samples taken from lowa concrete highways that showed premature deterioration. Formation and expansive mechanisms involved in deterioration were Investigated. Brucite, Mg(OH)$_2$, is potentially expansive mineral that farms in cement paste of concretes containing reactive dolomite aggregate as a result of partial dedolomitization of the aggregate. No cracking was observed to be spatially associated with brucite, but most brucite was microscopic in size and widely disseminated in the cement paste of less durable concretes. Expansion stresses associated with its growth at innumerable microlocations may be retrieved by cracking at weaker locations in the concrete. Ettringite, 3CaO.Al$_2$O$_3$.3CaSO$_4$.32$H_2O$, completely fills many small voids and occurs as rims lining the margin of larger voids. Microscopic ettringite is common disseminated throughout the paste in many samples. Severe cracking of cement paste causing premature deterioration is often closely associated with ettringite locations, and strongly suggests that ettringite contributed to deterioration. Pyrite, FeS2, is commonly present in coarse/fine aggregates, and its oxidation products is observed in many concrete samples. Pyrite oxidation provides sulfate ions for ettringite formation.

• Cement Symposium
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• s.35
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• pp.229-235
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• 2008

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.151-159
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• 2010

The effect of calcite and gypsum on the hydration of Portland cement was investigated using GEM-PSI, a geochemical model. Addition of calcite and gypsum up to 5 wt% of total cement clinker into Portland cement was found to influence the hydrate assemblage of the hydrated cement in different ways. The results of geochemical modelling showed that the fraction of calcium monocarbonate increased by the hydration of cement with the increase of calcite addition. The results of modelling also indicated that gypsum increased the fraction of ettringite in the assemblage of hydrated cement as the amount of gypsum added increases. This study showed that porosity generated by the hydration of cement had a significant relation with the amount of calcite and gypsum added. The porosity of hydrated cement was lower when calcite added up to 3 wt% of cement clinker compared to the hydrated cement with the same amount of gypsum addition. However, when calcite added more than 3% of cement clinker, the porosity of hydrated cement were higher than that of hydrated cement with the same amount of gypsum addition.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 2008

This study was performed to get information of self-healing mechanism in cement system and the influence of waterproofing admixtures for concrete on self-healing property. For testing, cement paste specimens cured for 7, 14 and 28 days were prepared and crushed into plate-shape pieces. Screened specimens with thickness not more than 1mm were covered with wet rags and cured in a plastic container for 7 and 28 days. After stopping hydration process of the specimens by treatment with acetone, the surfaces of specimens have been contacted with wet rags were analyzed by XRD, DSC, SEM and EDX. The analysis results showed that cement paste has self-healing property and this property is mainly affected by water. Self-healing in cement system is more effective and faster at an early stage of hydration as there is enough content of unreacted cement to make an additional hydration in this period. The results of this study also showed that waterproofing admixtures for concrete have a considerable effect on self-healing of cement pastes; i.e., they improved self-healing effect of cement and, especially, the specimen using admixture C has shown a lot of needle-like or fibrous hydration products which are estimated as ettringite. It is supposed that these ettringite products are effective to enhance self-healing in cement system.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.365-374
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• 2003

Various deleterious chemicals can be introduced to existing concrete structures from various external sources. The deterioration of concrete by seawater attack is involved in complex processes due to various elements contained in seawater. In the present study, attention was paid to the formation of secondary minerals and characteristics of mineralogical and micro-structural changes involved in concrete deterioration caused by the influence of major seawater composition. The characteristics of deterioration occurred in existing concrete structures was carefully observed and samples were collected at many locations of coastal areas in Busan-Kyungnam. The petrographic, XRD, SEM/EDAX analyses were conducted to determine chemical, mineralogical and micro-structural changes in the aggregate and cement paste of samples. The experimental concrete deteriorations were performed using various chloride solutions (NaCl, CaCl, $MgCl_2$ and $Na_2SO_4$ solution. The experimental results were compared with the observation results in order to determine the effect of major elements in seawater on the deterioration. The alkalies in seawater appear to accelerate alkali-silica reaction (ASR). The gel formed by ASR is alkali-calcium-silica gel which known to cause severe expansion and cracking in concrete. Carbonation causes the formation of abundant less-cementitious calcite and weaken the cement paste. Progressive carbonation significantly affects on the composition and stability of some secondary minerals. Abundant gypsum generally occurs in concretes subjected to significant carbonation, but thaumasite ({$Ca_6/[Si(OH)_6]_2{\cdot}24H_2O$}${\cdot}[(SO_4)_2]{\cdot}[(CO_3))2]$) occurs as ettringite-thaumasite solid solution in concretes subjected to less significant carbonation. Experimentally, ettringite can be transformed to trichloroaluminate or decomposed by chloride ingress under controlled pH conditions. Mg ions in seawater cause cement paste deterioration by forming non-cementitious brucite and magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH).

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.668-672
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• 2009

Heavy metal ion immobilization properties of microporous ettringite (3Ca$O{\cdot}Al_2O_3{\cdot}3CaSO_4{\cdot}32H_2$) body were examined using standard solutions of typical heavy metals. Microporous Ettringite body with desirable shape for an ionic adsorbent was obtained by the self hardening of the paste prepared from the mixture of tricalcium aluminate($C_3$A) and gypsum(CaS$O_4{\cdot}2H_2$O). Crushed grains of ettringite were soaked in each standard solutions of Pb, Co, Cd, Mn and Cr concentrated at 200 ppm. In order to evaluate the ionexchange and immobilization ability, the ionic concentration of the filtrate solution as well as the solution obtained after leaching test was measured. As a result, for the heavy metal ions excepting Cr, porous ettringite body was revealed to be excellent in ionic exchange and immobilization properties though some ions eluted at the severe condition of pH 2. The adsorption and keeping capacity for four heavy metals showed the order of $Pb{>}Co{>}Cd{>}$Mn.