Observations of microcracking in cement paste upon drying and rewetting by environmental scanning electron microscopy
✍ Scribed by Knut O. Kjellsen; Hamlin M. Jennings
- Book ID
- 104375387
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 524 KB
- Volume
- 3
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1065-7355
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
This study reports some preliminary observations of microcracks in hardened high performance cement paste (i.e., cement paste of low water:binder ratio). Specimens were examined at high magnifications and at relative humidities ranging from 0 to 100% in an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). Direct microcracks were observed in samples that had not been dried, indicating that microcracks are probably an intrinsic feature of high performance concrete. It was further observed that the microcracks widened upon drying and closed again upon rewetting. Some practical consequences of these findings are discussed briefly.