The Relation between Porosity, Microstructure and Strength, and the Approach to Advanced Cement-Based Materials [and Discussion]

A theory is formulated to connect the strength of cement paste with its porosity. The theory shows that bending strength is largely dictated by the length of the largest pores, as in the Griffith (1920) model, but there is also an influence of the volume of porosity, which affects toughness through changing elastic modulus and fracture energy. Verification of this theory was achieved by observing the large pores in cement, and then relating bending strength to the measured defect length, modulus and fracture energy. The argument was proved by developing processes to remove the large pores from cement pastes, thereby raising the bending strength to 70 MPa. Further removal of colloidal pores gave a bending strength of 150 MPa and compression strength up to 300 MPa with improved toughness. Re-introduction of controlled pores into these macro-defect-free (MDF) cements allowed Feret's law (1897) to be explained.