TY - JOUR A1 - Ji, Y. A1 - Becker, S. A1 - Lu, Z. A1 - Mezhov, Alexander A1 - von Klitzing, R. A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram A1 - Stephan, D. T1 - Effect of resting time on rheological properties of glass bead suspensions - Depletion and bridging force among particles N2 - The effect of resting time on the rheological properties of cement suspensions is generally explained by early formed structure and overconsumption of polycarboxylate superplasticizers (PCEs). In this paper, we propose that the influence of resting time on the rheological properties is closely related to size variation of non-absorbed PCE. To identify this, glass bead suspensions were prepared with various amounts of PCE and ionic solution, and their rheological properties were evaluated at various times. We found that the yield stress increases with time at higher PCE concentrations and higher ionic strength solutions. Adsorbed PCE during resting tends to bridge the particles rather than disperse them. In addition, it was found that hydrodynamic radius of PCE increased with resting time, and depletion forces resulting from non-absorbed PCE size changes correlate well with the increased yield stress. KW - Depletion force KW - Ionic stregth KW - PCE KW - Rheology KW - Resting time PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-587193 DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.19469 SN - 0002-7820 SN - 1551-2916 VL - 107 IS - 1 SP - 624 EP - 639 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford AN - OPUS4-58719 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zhang, K. A1 - Mezhov, Alexander A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram T1 - Effect of agitation during the early‑age hydration on thixotropy and morphology of cement paste N2 - The effect of agitation during the earlyage hydration on thixotropy and morphology of cement paste prepared with and without superplasticizers (SP) is investigated by applying penetration test, small amplitude oscillatory shear sweep test (SAOS), isothermal calorimetric test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analyses (EDX). The results show that the agitation of cement paste during the induction period increases the heat flow rate and destroys existing structures of samples without changing the mineral composition of samples. Yet, if the agitation is applied during the acceleration period, the heat flow rate is significantly lowered and the morphology and mineral composition of samples undergo irreversible change, freshly formed syngenite is destroyed and no longer restored. The penetration force and the static yield stress grow linearly during the induction period and exponentially during the acceleration period. Agitation during the induction period destroys the structure, which causes the static yield stress and the penetration force values becoming nearly equal to zero. However, during the acceleration period, even after agitation the static yield stress and the penetration force exhibit high residual values, which indicates the impact of hydration to the structural build-up. KW - Hydration · Thixotropy KW - Agitation KW - Morphology KW - Structural build-up PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-621189 DO - https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-024-02504-w VL - 57 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Springer Nature Switzerland AG CY - Schweiz AN - OPUS4-62118 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Robens-Radermacher, Annika A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram A1 - Unger, Jörg F. A1 - Mezhov, Alexander T1 - Characterization of temperature influence on the structural build-up of 3D printed concrete N2 - 3D concrete printing technologies enhance design freedom while reducing material use and costs without the need for formwork. Thereby, structural build-up is the key property governing stability and early strength evolution of 3D printed concrete after placement. Structural build-up is influenced by various factors, i.e., environmental conditions such as temperature. In this paper, the influence of ambient temperature on structural build-up was investigated through experimental and numerical approaches. Three experimental setups (small amplitude oscillatory shear, constant shear rate, and small amplitude oscillatory extensional tests) were applied to materials of increasing complexity under varying temperature conditions. A common modeling framework based on the maturity approach was developed to capture the time and temperature evolution. A stochastic framework was employed to estimate the unknown model parameters using experimental data. Experimental results demonstrate a significant temperature influence on structural build-up, consistent across all test setups and materials. The calibrated models successfully predict the structural build-up under different temperatures, confirming the applicability of the maturity approach to rheological parameters at early age. Furthermore, the stochastic parameter estimation allows a correct quantification of the uncertainties, enhancing model reliability. The comparison of two time evolution formulations indicates that a model with an additional linear stage is required for predicting the increase of the storage moduli ( $${G}{\prime}$$ G ′ , $${E}{\prime}$$ E ′ ). In conclusion, the study demonstrates that temperature significantly affects the structural build-up, and that the proposed modeling approach allows to predict this behavior. KW - Structural build-up KW - 3D concrete printing KW - Rheology KW - Temperature influence KW - Modeling KW - Green intelligent building PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-654138 DO - https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-025-02931-3 SN - 1359-5997 VL - 59 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 20 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-65413 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kossatz, Philipp A1 - Mezhov, Alexander A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Application of fluorescence spectroscopy for the monitoring of cement hydration N2 - Lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with size- and morphology-dependent emission patterns, composed of narrow bands of varying intensity in the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared wavelength region, were synthesized via a thermal decomposition approach under inert atmosphere. Subsequently, differently sized UCNPs were incorporated into ordinary Portland cement to study their stability in the harsh cementitious environment and assess their potential for the probing and monitoring of cement hydration. Microenvironment-specific changes in the emission properties of these inorganic luminophores were utilized to study and probe changes of physico-chemical parameters during cement hydration. Isothermal calorimetry was employed to better understand the influence of luminophore addition on cement hydration kinetics and for the correlation with the results of the optical studies. T2 - 12th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM 2024) CY - Toulouse, France DA - 23.06.2024 KW - Luminescence KW - Optical probe KW - Cement hydration PY - 2024 UR - https://www.iccm2024.com/ SP - 441 EP - 446 CY - Toulouse, France AN - OPUS4-62119 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lorenzoni, Renata A1 - Mezhov, Alexander A1 - Fritsch, Tobias A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram A1 - Kruschwitz, Sabine T1 - Effect of Biochar on the Microstructure and Mechanical Response of Cement Paste N2 - The use of biochar as a supplementary cementitious material is proposed to reduce the global greenhouse gas emissions. Since biochar is non-reactive, has a low density and complex porosity, its incorporation into cementitious materials results in microstructural changes and consequently affects the mechanical response. This work advances the mechanical response understanding of Portland cement composites with 0, 5, and 25 volume percent (vol%) of cement replaced with biochar by using in-situ computed tomography, correlating with the microstructural changes analyzed by HFC, gas sorption, MIP, gas sorption, and NMR. The results highlight the influence of the mesoscale structure on mechanical responses and relate the lack of loss of mechanical strength at 5 vol% replacement to the compensation of decreasing larger pores with biochar addition. At 25 vol% replacement, the amount of weakened zones in the paste due to biochar overcompensates the positive effect of the reduction in larger pores, resulting in a loss of mechanical properties. Hence, small amounts of biochar can enhance the microstructure, but the reduction of the carbon footprint is limited. T2 - 24th International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM24) CY - Baltimore, Maryland, USA DA - 04.08.2024 KW - Supplementary cementitious materials KW - Biochar KW - Microstructure KW - In-situ computed tomography KW - Mechanical proprieties. PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.14359/51742027 VL - 362 SP - 1020 EP - 1032 PB - International Concrete Abstracts Portal AN - OPUS4-62115 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cunningham, Patrick A1 - Mezhov, Alexander A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram T1 - Revealing Value from Bioderived Polymers: Effects of Locally Sourced Polysaccharides on the Rheology of Limestone Mixtures N2 - Admixtures are important constituents to enhance the performance of concrete. They allow for more efficient use of binders which can mitigate negative environmental impacts from producing cement-based materials. Commonly used rheology modifying agents like polycarboxylate ethers or cellulose ethers are synthetic or semi-synthetic, respectively. This requires additional energy consumption for their production and global supply chains particularly for many developing regions, which will be large consumers of concrete in the future. However, many locally available bio-based polysaccharides could be effectively used instead. These polymers are often overlooked by engineers and scientists due to their limited distribution and inherent complexity, yet they represent an underleveraged source of precursors for admixtures. This study investigates the action mechanisms of some bio-based rheology modifying agents, i.e., acacia gum and miscanthus gum, and provides a comparison to a conventionally modified starch. The results show that the mechanism of action of these polymers is closely related to the composition of the mixture, mixing regime, and the composition of the aqueous phase. Depending on the agent, either plasticizing or stabilizing effects on rheology can be revealed. T2 - ICBBM: International Conference on Bio-Based Building Materials CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 21.06.2023 KW - Polysaccharides KW - Superplasticizers KW - Hydration KW - Cement PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33465-8_60 SN - 2211-0852 VL - 45 SP - 782 EP - 792 PB - Springer Nature Switzerland AG CY - Switzerland AN - OPUS4-58726 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zhang, K. A1 - Mezhov, Alexander A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram T1 - Effect of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer in Ordinary Portland Cement and Sulfate Resistant Cement N2 - Polycarboxylate superplasticizers (PCE) are the most widely used admixtures in today’s cementitious construction materials. The molecular structure has a decisive influence on the effectiveness of PCE, which also can be tailored to serve in a different cementitious system. The current study investigates the influence of the backbone charge density of PCE on the rheology, hydration kinetics, and adsorption behavior of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and sulfate-resistant cement (SRC). The results indicate that regardless of the PCE type, OPC requires a higher amount of PCE to be adsorbed to induce changing of rheological parameters and hydration kinetics. Regardless of the cement type, the PCE with a higher charge density exhibits higher adsorption behavior, corresponding to lower viscosity measurement. Compared to OPC, SRC is more sensitive to the introduction of both PCEs and has a lower saturation dosage, indicating that SRC generally provides better workability properties regardless of the PCE. KW - Polycarboxylate superplasticizers (PCE) KW - Sulfate resistant cement (SRC) KW - Rheological KW - Adsorption KW - Cement hydration PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1061/JMCEE7.MTENG-15033 SN - 0899-1561 VL - 35 IS - 6 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - ASCE Libary AN - OPUS4-58244 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zhang, Kun A1 - Kong, Deyu A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram A1 - Mezhov, Alexander T1 - Influence of hydroxypropylation of starch on rheological properties of cement paste modified by superplasticizers N2 - Starch is often used as a viscosity modifying agent (VMA) in self-compacting concrete (SCC) and highly flowable concrete. In this paper, starches possessing different degrees of hydroxypropyl substitution (DS) were used to study the shear rheological properties and hydration kinetics of cement paste in the presence of and without polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE). The starch with the highest DS increases the yield stress and the plastic viscosity stronger than others. Regardless of the dosage and DS of starch the structural build-up is not affected specifically by the starch during the induction period. During the acceleration period starches reduce the structural build-up, but with the highest DS this effect was less prominent than for the other modifications. In the presence of PCE the addition of starch notably increases the yield stress, whereas the influence on the plastic viscosity is limited. Yet, the combined application of PCE and starch allows to control rheological properties and maintain the structural build-up rate. KW - Modified starch KW - PCE KW - Structural build-up KW - Rheological properties KW - Cement hydration PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2025.143646 SN - 1879-0526 VL - 495 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-64168 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zhang, K. A1 - Mezhov, Alexander A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram T1 - Chemical and thixotropic contribution to the structural build-up of cementitious materials N2 - The structural build-up of fresh cement paste is often considered as a purely thixotropic phenomenon in literature even though cementitious materials undergo a non-reversible hydration process that can have an influence on the structuration process. In the current paper a method is proposed to validate the impact of the non-reversible structural build-up. It is shown that fresh cement paste samples lose their structural gain almost completely due to thixotropy while the structural build-up due to hydration can be observed but occurs in a significantly lower order of magnitude over the course of the first hours of hydration. In addition, it is shown, that the chemical component of the structural build-up accelerates with the onset of the acceleration period of hydration, while its contribution in the entire structural build-up remains constant. KW - Thixotropy KW - Structural build-up KW - Penetration test KW - Rheological properties PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.128307 SN - 0950-0618 VL - 345 IS - 128307 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-58248 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mezhov, Alexander A1 - Zhang, K. A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram T1 - Interactions of Biobased Rheology Modifying Agents with Superplasticizer in Cement Paste N2 - Organic admixtures are an indispensable component of modern concrete. Thus, their purposeful application is not only technically and economically viable but in addition an inevitable tool to make concrete more environmentally friendly. In this context, the use of polysaccharides has increasingly gained interest in the built environment as sustainable resource for performance enhancement. However, due to its origin, biopolymers possess a vast variety of molecular structures which can result in incompatibilities with other polymers present in concrete, such as superplasticizers. The present study highlights effects of the joint application of different types of starches and polycarboxylates with respect to their influence on cement hydration and structural build-up of cement pastes. KW - Polysaccharides KW - Superplasticizers KW - Hydration KW - Cement PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/CTA.1.563 SN - 2674-1237 SP - 563 EP - 568 PB - Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland CY - Basel, Switzerland. AN - OPUS4-58325 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -