Influence on microstructure of micronized sand as cement replacement in cementitious materials

In this study, micronized sand is selected as a kind of filler to partially replace cement in cementitious materials. This filler is considered as chemically inert material, which can not react with water or hydration products, but still indirectly influences the hydration in a positive way. In the experimental program, non-evaporable water test was carried out to determine the degree of hydration of cement paste with and without micronized sands. The influence of different finenesses of sand particles, 240 m2/kg, 400 m2/kg and 1300 m2/kg, and different curing ages were investigated. The SEM image analysis was used to characterize the morphological changes of microstructure by the presence of the micronized sand during the cement hydration process. Hydration reaction is enhanced by the use of inert micronized sands. The fineness of micronized sands influences the degree of hydration a lot. The fineness factor has been taken into account in the simulation. There is a clear interface area between sand particle and hydration products