Experiments and simulation results are compared in order to make precise the conditions optimizing both the kinetics of plaster hydration and the structure of the resulting material. Calorimetry experiments performed for different amounts of added gypsum seeds are used to assign values to the simulation parameters controlling kinetics, e.g. time step, surface density of gypsum germs on plaster grains. Simulation provides a reliable quantity to follow the beginning of setting, the fraction of gypsum needles belonging to a percolating cluster, as proven by comparing its evolution with the one of the elastic modulus during shear experiments. The simulations reveal that the beginning of needle growth may be hindered by two many small plaster grains, whereas big plaster grains slow down the end of the reaction. We suggest to add gypsum germs with an m g /m p = 0.002 gypsum-to-plaster mass ratio in order to optimize homogeneity of the final material.
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.