Effects of calcination condition on expansion property of MgO-type expansive agent used in cement-based materials

Previous research indicated that the expansion property of MgO-type expansive agent (MEA) depended strongly on the calcining conditions, i.e. kiln temperature and residence time. However, the intrinsic effect of calcination condition on the expansion property of MEA has not been clearly demonstrated. In the present work, the effects of calcination condition on the microstructure, hydration activity, and expansion property of MEA have been investigated, and their correlations are also studied. Results indicate that the microstructure of MEA is the intrinsic factor that controlling its expansion property, which is influenced by the calcination condition. MEA produced under higher temperature and longer residence time has less interior pores, larger crystal size of MgO, and smaller specific surface area, thus resulting in lower hydration activity and slower expansion at early age, but larger “ultimate” expansion at late age. While, a new expansion model of MEA is proposed to explain these results.