PROPERTIES OF HIGH PERFORMANCE MATERIALS BASED ON CALCIUM SULFOALUMINATE CEMENT

Calcium sulfoaluminate cements have essentially been developed in China in the 1970's. Designed by the CBMA (China Building Materials Academy), they were intended to the manufacturing of self-stress concrete pipes due to their swelling properties. Then, they were applied in other fields: quick setting concrete, fibre-reinforced composites, concrete with high sulfate resistance. This paper presents three innovative utilizations of calcium sulfoaluminate cement: (i) development of concrete with high early strength, (ii) design of self-levelling topping mortar, (iii) glass-fibre reinforced cement (GFRC) composites. A new type of high-performance concrete was designed to reach the following requirements: (a) high workability: slump higher than 200 mm for at least 50 minutes, (b) high-early strength: 40 MPa, 6 hours after its preparation, and higher than 55 MPa after 24 hours. The topping mortar was designed to present a time of workability higher than 30 minutes, a set within 75 minutes and a low drying shrinkage (≪ 250um/m). GFRC composites can be demolded four hours after casting and present high ductility and durability after ageing in different weathering conditions.

• INTRODUCTION

• CONCRETE WITH HIGH EARLY-AGE STRENGTH

• SELF-LEVELLING TOPPING MORTAR

• DEVELOPMENT OF GLASS FIBRE REINFORCED COMPOSITES USING WHITE SULFOALUMINATE CEMENT

• CONCLUSIONS

• REFERENCES