Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Porosity in Cement Paste01:18

Porosity in Cement Paste

498
The porosity of concrete is a measure of the void spaces within its structure. These spaces impact its strength and durability significantly. When water and cement interact, a chemical reaction called hydration creates a semi-solid paste. This paste includes combined water, making up approximately 23% of the cement's dry mass, and gel water, which fills minuscule voids known as gel pores, accounting for about 28% of the cement gel volume.
The balance of water to cement in the mix is...
498
Pore Size Distribution01:23

Pore Size Distribution

516
In concrete, the pore size distribution significantly influences the material's properties. Capillary pores, markedly larger than gel pores, form a vast network within partially hydrated cement paste, reducing the concrete's strength and increasing its permeability. This heightened permeability leads to a greater risk of damage from environmental factors like freeze-thaw cycles and chemical attacks, with the extent of vulnerability also being tied to the water-to-cement ratio.
Adequate...
516
Strength of Cement01:20

Strength of Cement

654
Strength tests for cement are not performed directly on neat cement paste due to difficulty in obtaining consistent, reliable specimens. Instead, cement is typically tested in the form of cement-sand mortar.
For compressive strength tests, ASTM C 109-05 standards prescribe a cement-sand mix ratio of 1:2.75 and a water/cement ratio of 0.485 for making 2-inch cubes. These cubes are mixed, cast, and cured in saturated lime water at 23°C until testing. Flexural strength testing, outlined in...
654
Soundness of Cement01:17

Soundness of Cement

613
The soundness of cement refers to the ability of cement paste to retain its volume after setting. Unsound cement can lead to expansion and structural damage due to the presence of free lime, magnesia, and calcium sulfate. Free lime hydrates very slowly, expanding and causing unsoundness, which is difficult to detect because it intercrystallizes with other compounds. Magnesia also reacts with water, forming crystals that can disrupt the cement's structure. Calcium sulfate can create...
613
Fineness of Cement01:15

Fineness of Cement

582
The fineness of cement directly influences the rate of hydration, as the hydration begins at the surface of the cement particles. In addition to hydration, the fineness of cement is vital for various properties of concrete including workability, gypsum requirement, and long-term behavior. The fineness of cement is represented in terms of the specific surface of cement which is typically measured in square meters per kilogram, with several methods available for this determination.
Direct...
582
Tensile Strength Considerations of Concrete01:16

Tensile Strength Considerations of Concrete

627
Considering the tensile strength of concrete involves recognizing that the theoretical strength of cement paste can be up to a thousand times higher than what is observed in practical applications. This significant discrepancy is largely attributed to the presence of microscopic cracks within the concrete. These cracks tend to amplify stress at their tips when a load is applied, a phenomenon explained by Griffith's theory of brittle fracture.
The dimensions and shape of a concrete specimen...
627

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Cigarette and Electronic Cigarette Exposure in Osteoarthritis: Immune Dysregulation and Inflammatory Signaling Pathways.

International journal of general medicine·2026
Same author

Lactobacillus paracasei PC18 fermentation enhances the functional and hypoglycemic properties of soluble dietary fiber from lotus root residue.

Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)·2026
Same author

miRNA Profiling Reveals the Role of Gibberellin Signaling Pathway in Low-Nitrogen Stress Adaptation of Xinjiang Spring Wheat.

Plants (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Continuous transfer, growth kinetics, and disinfection recovery of Listeria monocytogenes in a simulated ready-to-eat meat factory environment.

Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)·2026
Same author

Rising Air-Conditioning Use Intensifies Global Warming.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Harnessing solid CO<sub>2</sub> in hybrid alkaline cement: Dry ice as a pathway to high-performance and low-emission materials.

Environmental research·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Detecting the Water-soluble Chloride Distribution of Cement Paste in a High-precision Way
07:42

Detecting the Water-soluble Chloride Distribution of Cement Paste in a High-precision Way

Published on: November 21, 2017

10.1K

Microscale Testing and Modelling of Cement Paste as Basis for Multi-Scale Modelling.

Hongzhi Zhang1, Branko Šavija2, Stefan Chaves Figueiredo3

  • 1Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft 2628 CN, The Netherlands. h.zhang-5@tudelft.nl.

Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 5, 2017
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a novel method to analyze cement paste fracture at the microscale using nano-indentation and X-ray microcomputed tomography. The developed lattice model accurately predicts mechanical properties, aiding multi-scale concrete analysis.

Keywords:
X-ray computed tomographyfracturelattice modelmicro-mechanics

More Related Videos

Determination of Aggregate Surface Morphology at the Interfacial Transition Zone ITZ
08:59

Determination of Aggregate Surface Morphology at the Interfacial Transition Zone ITZ

Published on: December 16, 2019

8.8K
Expression of Cementitious Pore Solution and the Analysis of Its Chemical Composition and Resistivity Using X-ray Fluorescence
06:27

Expression of Cementitious Pore Solution and the Analysis of Its Chemical Composition and Resistivity Using X-ray Fluorescence

Published on: September 23, 2018

9.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Detecting the Water-soluble Chloride Distribution of Cement Paste in a High-precision Way
07:42

Detecting the Water-soluble Chloride Distribution of Cement Paste in a High-precision Way

Published on: November 21, 2017

10.1K
Determination of Aggregate Surface Morphology at the Interfacial Transition Zone ITZ
08:59

Determination of Aggregate Surface Morphology at the Interfacial Transition Zone ITZ

Published on: December 16, 2019

8.8K
Expression of Cementitious Pore Solution and the Analysis of Its Chemical Composition and Resistivity Using X-ray Fluorescence
06:27

Expression of Cementitious Pore Solution and the Analysis of Its Chemical Composition and Resistivity Using X-ray Fluorescence

Published on: September 23, 2018

9.8K

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Civil Engineering
  • Computational Mechanics

Background:

  • Investigating cement paste fracture mechanisms at the microscale is crucial for understanding concrete's macroscopic behavior.
  • Existing methods often lack the resolution or integrative approach to capture microstructural details and their impact on mechanical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a combined numerical and experimental method for investigating cement paste fracture at the microscale.
  • To establish a framework for fitting and validating microscale models, enabling multi-scale analysis of concrete.

Main Methods:

  • Preparation of micro cement paste cubes and beams for mechanical testing and imaging.
  • Nano-indentation for obtaining global mechanical properties and X-ray microcomputed tomography for 3D microstructural imaging.
  • Image segmentation and lattice modeling to simulate fracture mechanisms under indenter loading, with parameter calibration from experimental data.

Main Results:

  • Successful preparation of micro-specimens and acquisition of high-resolution 3D microstructural data.
  • Calibration of lattice model parameters using experimental load-displacement data and failure modes.
  • Validation of the lattice model by comparing simulated Young's modulus with experimental results, showing good agreement.

Conclusions:

  • The presented method provides a robust framework for microscale investigation of cementitious materials.
  • The validated lattice model serves as a foundation for multi-scale analysis of concrete, bridging microstructural behavior to macroscopic performance.