Influence of a Crystalline Additive on the Porosity of Cement Mortars

The pore structure of a material radically infuences its properties, such as strength, freeze-thaw resistance, capillarity or resistance to elevated temperatures. The character of the pore structure is also limiting for the intrusion of aggressive oxides into the material, which affects its service life. The paper describes how a crystalline additive influences the pore structure of cement mortars. It describes the effect of secondary crystallisation and the influence of the additon of PP fibers on the apparent porosity and the internal structure of the mortar. It also discusses the influence of aggressive conditions on the mortar’s pore structure.