Impact of the Thaumasite Sulfate Attack on the Pore Structure and Gas Permeability of Cement Mortar

Abstract

In this study, the impact of the thaumasite sulfate attack (TSA) on cement mortar was investigated by comparing it to the ettringite sulfate attack (ESA). Mortar specimens with three binders, corresponding to the blank, ESA, and TSA, were exposed to sulfate solution. The evolutions of thaumasite and ettringite formation, pore structure, and gas permeability on the mortar specimens were characterized through XRD, 1H NMR, and CemBureau device. The experimental results show that: (1) both ettringite and thaumasite were formed in TSA; (2) ESA reduces the capillary pore space, whereas TSA decreases both the capillary pore and interlayer pores; and (3) ESA decreases the gas permeability while TSA significantly increases it.

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