On the effect of the physical structure of cement on shrinkage of cementitious materials

The physical structure of cement is of pivotal importance in the study of volumetric stability and cracking of concrete. While most of efforts in the category of crack mitigation of concrete have been devoted to the incorporation of sophisticated chemical admixtures into concrete mixtures, less attention has been paid to the fact that the modification of cement structure can be considered as a sustainable solution to this problem. This study aims to investigate the effect of the modification of the physical structure of cement on workability, early-age strength and autogenous shrinkage of cement pastes. The results show that the modification of cement physical structure can be used as a sustainable route to reduce shrinkage of cementitious materials.