The influence of different parameters on magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) was investigated in this study. The use of experimental design was found to be very beneficial for determining suitable experimental conditions to obtain a better composition of cement. The studied factors used to model and optimise the operating parameters were stirring speed, mixing time, mass ratio of magnesium chloride/magnesium oxide, silica glass powder (SGP) percentage and SGP particle size. The considered responses were compressive strength and setting time. The phase compositions of MOC were evaluated by x-ray diffractograms, the morphological properties were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy and phase decomposition was analysed using differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetric analysis. It was found that the use of SGP can enhance the water resistance of MOC by the formation of forsterite, which can limit the decomposition of phase 5 and prevent the formation of brucite in water.
In this chapter, the experimental design methodology is applied to optimize the formation conditions of magnesium chloride cement. A factorial design to model and to optimize the operating parameters that govern the formation was used. The studied factors were mass ratio of MgCl 2 .6H 2 O/MgO, mixing time and stirring speed. The considered responses were compressive strength and setting time. The optimum operating conditions were quite efficient to have a good compressive strength and suitable setting time. The phases' compositions of the magnesium oxychloride cement were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, the morphological properties were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) method and their thermal behavior was analyzed by differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetric analysis (DTA/TGA). The raw materials used in the study were magnesium oxide and magnesium chloride hexahydrate obtained from natural brines in the south of Tunisia.
Sorel cements is a promising building material for insulation applications. Indeed, the effect of polyvinyl acetate polymer on cements has been investigated. The polyvinyl acetate polymer was added to the cement matrix with a percentage of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% by weight of Sorel cement. The thermal properties of Sorel cement were determined by photothermal deflection technique. Thermal properties such as thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity are measured by coincidentally the experimental curves of the photothermal signal with the best corresponding theoretical curves. The results revealed that the incorporation of polyvinyl acetate polymer enhance the thermal insulation and reduce the compressive strength of Sorel cement.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.