A method based on isothermal calorimetry to quantify the influence of moisture on the hydration rate of young cement pastes

Cement hydration needs water to proceed and if water is lost by drying, the hydration rate will decrease. This can be of importance in cases when concrete surfaces are exposed to drying so that their strength development will be retarded. We describe a method based on isothermal calorimetry to assess how the rate of cement hydration is influenced by removal of water (drying) at different times up to three days after mixing. Thin samples of cement pastes are hydrated in a calorimeter and at different times exposed to one hour drying periods. The resulting decrease in thermal power following the removal of water is quantified as a measure of the reduction in hydration rate. The mass loss is found by weighing the samples before and after a measurement, and the change in water activity of a sample during drying can be found from the slope of the thermal power during the drying period.