Numerical Simulation of the Elastic Moduli of Cement Paste As a Three Dimensional Unit Cell

This paper describes a numerical method for estimating the elastic moduli of cement paste. The cement paste is modeled as a unit cell which consists of three components: the unhydrated cement grain, the gel, and the capillary pore. In the unit cell, the volume fractions of the con-stituents are quantified using a single kinetic function calculating the degree of hydration. The elastic moduli of cement paste are calculated from the total displacements of constituents when a uniform pressure is applied to the gel contact area. The cement paste is assumed to be a homogenous isotropic matrix. Numerical simulations were conducted through the finite element analysis of the three-dimensional periodic unit cell. The model predictions are compared with experimental results. The predicted trends are in good agreement with experimental observa-tions. This approach and some of the results might also be relevant for other technical applications