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The distribution of compressive strength in thick concrete members exposed to various environments in a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning is investigated. X-ray diffraction data, scanning electron microscopy analysis, and chemical analysis data reveal that rock-forming minerals in the aggregate had reacted and portlandite had been consumed to form calcium alumino silicate hydrates (C-A-S-H) when evaporable water content was sufficient. In addition, the study confirms Al-tobermorite formation in modern concrete after 16.5 years of elevated temperature conditions ranging from 40 to 55 °C. It is concluded that an appropriate aggregate and binder combination for the concrete enhances the compressive strength of thick concrete members thanks to the reaction of rock-forming minerals with portlandite, and also strengthens the chemical stability through the formation of Al-tobermorite under elevated temperature conditions and sufficient evaporable water content.

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This study aims to enhance moisture transport modeling by elucidating the so-called anomalous water diffusion in cementitious materials. Water desorption isotherms are measured from samples at various drying stages using techniques with different durations to quantify the impact of the drying duration on the water sorption ability. A single water sorption isotherm does not solely give a relationship between the water content and relative humidity but also represents the state of microstructure. The continuous evolution of a desorption isotherm due to drying-induced microstructural rearrangement is demonstrated. For numerical modeling, the microstructural alteration can be explicitly considered through a dynamic desorption isotherm model, which governs the local thermodynamic equilibrium at the capillary meniscus. This approach is implemented into a multiphase transport code, whose ability to predict drying is validated using literature data. Finally, the effect of prolonged drying on the colloidal nature of the calcium-silicate-hydrate gel is discussed.

International audience; Water vapor sorption isotherm measurement is one of the promising techniques to understand the microstructure of hardened cement paste, because it always gives a higher surface area than sorption isotherm measurements performed with other adsorbents such as nitrogen and argon, which implies that water molecules can probe the widest range of the microstructure of hardened cement pastes. When, at 20 °C, the water sorption measurement is conducted such as to last for a few days, a characteristic behavior—a sudden drop in adsorbed amount around a relative humidity of 0.35—is always observed on the desorption branch. Here, we prove that this sudden drop is caused by water cavitation, based on an analysis of experimental sorption isotherms acquired at various temperatures, scanning isotherms, and length-change isotherms. Cavitation in hardened cement paste is likely to occur in the C–S–H gel pores constricted by the C–S–H interlayer space.