Low Energy Alite and Belite-Rich LC3: Early Hydration, Isothermal Calorimetry and Strength Development

The paper deals with LC3 cement using low-energy alite and belite-rich clinker. Alite and belite-rich low-energy clinkers were synthetized in laboratory conditions at 1325 ℃ and 1350 ℃. Early hydration, followed by isothermal calorimetry and phase analysis using QXRD, is complemented with strength development after 2d, 7d and 28d. The role of constituents is studied on binary and ternary systems using calcined clay and limestone. Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) is a blended cement that combines clinker, gypsum, limestone and calcined clay. Alite-rich Portland cement burned at 1450 ℃ is commonly a first choice due to its activation potential. Recently, LC3 belite-rich cement has drawn scientific interest. The third option is to use mineralized low-energy alite-rich clinker, saving a considerable amount of energy and emissions of CO2. The paper reveals the possibility of using alite-rich low-energy clinker for LC3 cement.