Calcium Sulfoaluminate-Belite Concrete:

Structure, Properties, Practice.

Eric P. Bescher
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles CA
bescher@ucla.edu
310 383 3011
Outline
I - History and Context

II - Chemistry and Fundamentals of Calcium Sulfoaluminate-Belite Cement

• Structure and properties
• Use as rapid-setting and shrinkage-compensating cement

III - The U.S. Experience - Sea-Tac Airport and CalTrans

IV - Practice

V – Durability and Sustainability

VI – Conclusions & Future

Portland Cement Technology is 200 Years Old

The most widely used material on the

planet: 7.5 cubic kilometers made
each year

More than one cubic meter for every

person on earth

Needs 7 days to reach

structural strength

Chemical composition nearly

unchanged for 100 years
Portland Cement Limitations: 1- Speed
2. It shrinks, therefore it cracks

Shrinkage decreases service life

W. Hansen, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 70[5] 323-28 (1987)
 3- It is porous

Porosity
+
Shrinkage

Lifecycle limited to 25 years

W. Hansen, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 70[5] 323-28 (1987)

 Portland Cement Types in the U.S.

ASTM C3S C 2S C 3A C4AF CS

TYPE
I 59 15 12 8 2.9
II 46 29 6–8 12 2.8
III 60 12 12 – 15 8 3.9
IV 30 46 5–7 13 2.9
V 43 36 4–5 12 2.7

C4A3S C 2S C 3A C4AF CS
CSA-belite 30 45 0 2 15

Type I: Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)

Type II: Moderate Sulfate Resistance (C3A)
Type III: Early Strength (Fineness and C3S)
Type IV: Low Heat-Release Cement
Type V: Sulfate Resistant (Low C3A)
 CSA cement is not CAC cement

CAC cement failures in the UK in the 1970s  strength

regression
On CAC conversion: “early strengths must be regarded
as transient...” (Lea) CAC CONVERSION

1) 2CAH10 
C2AH8 + AH3 + 9H

2) 3C2AH8 
2C3AH6 + AH3 + 9H

Ideker, 2012, Concrete International

 CSA Discovery

Alexander Klein
 University of California, Berkeley
 Late 1950s
 Invents ASTM Type K Cement
• Based on Klein Compound
• C4A3S

1902-1970
Controlled Expansion: Ettringite

Ettringite Crystals
Main characteristics of CSA-Belite vs. Portland

 Near-zero shrinkage: 0.01% vs. 0.05%

 Fast strength gain: 1 hour vs. 1 day

 Immune from sulfate attack

 No bleed water, giving a dense surface

 Stronger than PC over time

 67% of the carbon footprint of portland

 Lower porosity
Low Burning Temperatures Means Lower Carbon Footprint

CSA Portland
Hydration Products
Cumulative Pore Volume
Portland vs. CSA
Pore Size Distribution: Portland vs. CSA
 Compressive Strength, Setting Time

Comp
1 hour 3 hour 1 day 3 day 7 day 28 day
Strength

CSA
38.3 MPa 41.1 MPa 56.9 MPa 58.1 MPa 60.2 MPa 62.1 MPa
Cement

Portland
n/a n/a 8.9 MPa 21.5 MPa 28.4 MPa 40.0 MPa
Cement

CSA Cement nearly meets

the 28-day strength for portland cement in 1 hour

Set Time Initial Set Final Set

CSA Cement 18 Minutes 35 Minutes

Portland Cement 180 Minutes (3 hours) 333 Minutes (> 5

hours)
 Characteristics

Elemental Analysis Kiln Conditions

Raw Mix Temperature 1280±20°C

SiO2 11.4%±0.3
Al2O3 10.5%±0.3 Physical Properties of Cement
CaO 35.8%±0.3 Cube Compressive Strength
SO3 10.0%±0.3 1.5 hrs >30MPa
3 hrs >38MPa
Crystalline Comp. of Clinker 24hrs >45MPa
C4A3S 25-30% •Initial set 18±5 min
CS 7-10%
C 2S 50% Grinding in Finish Mill
Free lime < 0.6% •Blaine fineness 6000±200
•325 fineness >98% passing
 CSA Production in the Last 10 Years

Production facilities:
Thailand, Italy, USA, Mexico
 Under the Microscope

Portland Clinker CSA-belite (Rapid Set) Clinker

(Burned at 1450°C) (Burned at 1280°C)

Finer microstructure
Finer particles More reactive
More stable
Larger surface area Different hydration products
Different chemistry
Shrinkage

CSA-belite

Accelerated Portland Type II

(BASF 4x4)

Mortar C596- Zero at final set, water for 3 days, air cured
 Concrete Shrinkage
0.040%

0.020%

CSA BELITE
0.000%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent Shrinkage

-0.020%

-0.040%

TYPE I

-0.060%

TYPE II

-0.080%

-0.100%
Days
Not all High Early Strength Systems are the same in terms of shrinkage
ASTM C 1581
CSA- Belite “Ring test”

Failure at 7 days
BASF 4x4
In Situ Measurement of Shrinkage Using Vibrating Wire Gauge
91 Freew ay, Los Angeles
 Why Such Low Shrinkage?

CSA uses 4 times more water to hydrate than

portland compounds

w/c= 0.45

Excess water PORTLAND

CSA

Rapid Set has almost zero shrinkage.

The mixing water is used in the hydration products (or is this process?)
Contributions to strength

FROM
C2S
HYDRATION

FROM
CSA
HYDRATION
 Resistance to Sulfate Attack

10% sodium and potassium sulfate solution 5 years

Warning: Two Types of CSA Cement

1-CSA belite standalone cement

Rapid setting
Low Shrinkage
High sulfate resistance
CAS Number

2-CSA clinker blended with Portland

Rapid setting
Blended cement
High shrinkage
C3A
The U.S. Experience
Caltrans:
One Mile of Type-K Pavement in 1963
Approved Uses for Belitic CSA Cements and Concretes

 Freeway and runway repairs

 Bridge deck repairs
 Additive to portland (“Type K”)
 Structures
 Underlayment for paint
 Self leveling Dallas Forth Worth

 Rapid setting, waterproof grout

 Warm and cold climates (Texas, Hawaii)
 Approximately 1,000,000 m3 of CSA concrete placed
Standard Specifications for Rapid Hardening Hydraulic
Cement (ASTM C 1600)
1994 Northridge Earthquake

Collapse of Interstate 10 overpass

Approach slabs
Flowable fill
Re-opening 74 days ahead
$14.5m bonus for the contractor
Caltrans FHWA
 The Pentagon

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

California Freeway System

(California Department of Transportation)
344,050 cubic meters of CSA (400 lane-miles)
World Airports Using CSA-Belite Concrete

Sea-Tac Airport: 30,000 m3

Sea-Tac Airport Runway Pavement Rehabilitation

1,200 aircraft movements

daily

600 aircraft landing on rapid

set concrete panels (slabs)

30,000 m3 placed

Runway and taxiways

FAA Specifications for SEA-TAC Design

Design: 1,000,000 MD11 landings

Sea-Tac Center Runway Replacement

Original Portland Mix Rapid Set

1,892 total panels Used for 531 / 671 panels

1969 1994

671 portland panels replaced 20 Rapid Set panels have been

replaced in 2010

Replacement rate: 35.5% Replacement rate: 3.8%

 345 F

345 E

345
D

Conditions on August 2, 2012

Slab 430E (1997)
Removed and Tested in 2012

Compressive strength
Flexural strength
Fatigue
Porosity
XRD
Durability: No Strength Regression
After 17 Years in the Field

Rapid Set
Compressive strength
24 hours 35.0 MPa
17 years 78.6 MPa

Flexural strength
5 hours 3.8 MPa
17 years 8.0 MPa 1969 Portland
1995 Rapid Set
Portland 1969 Slab
Sea-Tac Runway 16 C sampling 2013
Compressive strength
28 days 31.0 MPa
43 years 60.0 MPa
Life Cycle Tested at 100 Years
After 15 Years in the Field
Hong Kong Specifications
Caltrans Practice

“Rapid Strength Concrete (RSC) shall be a concrete made with hydraulic cement
that develops opening age and 7-day specified modulus of rupture strengths

Criteria: 2.8 MPa or greater before the lane is opened to traffic and 7-day
modulus of rupture of 4.2 MPa or greater will be paid for at the contract price
(Caltrans SSP40-020)
California Practice

Bidding Process
Specs: Contractor gets the job  x days to perform the job.
Caltrans allows lane closure for 6 hours a night.
Performance: 2.8 MPa at opening

Materials Qualification Caltrans –approved quarry

Calibration of the volumetric mixer

Field Testing Approved on-site laboratory

Sample first 30 yards - then every 100 yards - every 10 slabs
or so
Flex beams

Citric Acid Liquid added to volumetric truck. Calibrate for admixtures

Based on cubic m3
Retarded to 20-minutes working time, and then 90 minutes
slump 6-9 inches
California Practice (cont.)

Temperature Matching
At the trial slab
Cast the beams - keep the temps of the slabs and beams consistent

Slip Sheets
Bond breaker
One sheet. Too thin, does not perform

Dowel Bars - Used for load efficiency transfer

Finishing - Concrete placed with volumetric mixer

Roller screed
Bull float, wooden float to level.
Edging
Tining
Curing compound- ASTM C309 Type II
Carbon Footprint

0.90-kg CO2 per kg of Portland

0.61-kg CO2 per kg of CSA
Cement

Burned at lower temperatures, uses

less fuel
Portland: 1500ºC
CSA cement: 1280ºC
Less limestone in the raw mix
Portland: 62%
CSA Cement: 50%
Carbon Footprint

S=L /R
Where
L = Lifetime
f (shrinkage, porosity, strength, …)
R, Non-renewable Resources
f (carbon footprint, economic impact,…)
Carbon Footprint
Nucleation
of Ettringite in Fly Ash-CSA Blends
CSA-Belite Concrete
Large Slab at the University of Oklahoma
37.5’ x 37’5 slab placed in 2014
Cost reduction 53.5%
Belitic CSA for CRCP
Conclusions
Long-life pavement based on CSA-belite has been
developed: non proprietary, not single-source,track
record.

Not all Rapid Setting Concretes are the same.

California practice can be readily applied - AND

IMPROVED

Fast repair, long life, high sustainability

Time is right for implementation on larger scale:

Education (Students, Contractors, DOT, FHWA,
Legislator)