Publication
Limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) is an alternative cement that allows reduction by up to 40% of the CO2 emissions per ton of cement produced. With this green binder, it is possible to replace 50% or more of Portland cement (PC) while maintaining similar strength to PC from 7 days onwards. The 1-day strength performance of LC3 is relatively low compared to PC. This means that LC3 formulations need to be adapted in order to make it suitable for applications that require early age strength. Calcium aluminate cement (CAC) is one of the most important non-Portland cements. This cement offers unique mechanical properties and chemical resistance. It is then considered as one of the best candidates in applications requiring fast setting, high early age strength and shrinkage compensation are required. CAC is usually blended with Portland cement and calcium sulfate to benefit from additional properties while maintaining an acceptable product cost. In this work, incorporating CAC in LC3 is proposed as a new solution to enhance the early age strength performance of LC3. Results showed that adding calcium aluminate cement and calcium sulfate improved the strength development compared to LC3. This is explained by ettringite formation during the first hours of hydration. When 10% (CAC, Cs) is added, at least similar strengths to PC were obtained from 1 day onwards due to the combined ettringite formation and the C3S hydration.