The development of strength of mortars with an exremely low water:cement ratio was investigated, being related to the characteristics of microstructure of them. A considerable reduction of strength occurred in the mortars at long ages even when the mortars were…
The development of strength of mortars with an exremely low water:cement ratio was investigated, being related to the characteristics of microstructure of them. A considerable reduction of strength occurred in the mortars at long ages even when the mortars were continuously cured in water. Microcracks were found in mortars along with the decreases in microhardness in the cement paste matrix during the periods. However, the mortars showed no shrinkage. A mechanism of deterioration of the hardened cement paste phase at microscopic scale seems to lead to the reduction in strength at long ages in the high strength mortars. Delayed interaction between unreacted cement particles and diffused water might be responsible for the degradation of ultra high strength mortars.