Microstructure and mechanical properties of CaCO₃ whisker-reinforced cement

Abstract

Composite Portland cement (PC) played an important role in various kinds of construction engineering owing to low hydration heat, low-cost, and application of solid industrial waste, but its brittleness and low strength limited its use in stress-bearing locations. The aim of this study is to improve the toughness and fracture resistance by incorporating CaCO₃ whisker in cement matrix. Effect of different content of calcium carbonate whiskers on the mechanical properties of PC was investigated. The results showed that the flexural strength, impact strength and split tensile strength were increased by 39.7%, 39.25% and 36.34% at maximum, respectively. Microstructure and elements of the whiskers in hardened cement were observed and analyzed by SEM/EDS. The mechanisms of the reinforcement of CaCO₃ whisker on cement were also discussed, and the conclusion was that the improvement could be correlated to energy-dissipating processes owing to crack bridging, crack deflection, and whisker pull-out at the crack tips.

Keywords

CaCO₃ whiskers reinforcement / composite Portland cement / mechanical properties / microstructure / toughening mechanism

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