In this paper, the applicability of the ultrasonic wave transmission method to estimate the initial setting time of an arbitrary cement paste is discussed. Ultrasonic pulse velocity measurements were fully automated and measured continuously. The Vicat Needle Test was used in order to determine the initial setting time of cement pastes. Different cement pastes were prepared in order to check the influence of the water/cement ratio, type of cement, curing temperature, cement fineness, and some clinker compositions, on the relationship between the initial setting time and ultrasonic pulse velocity. It was found that the initial setting time of an arbitrary cement paste can be estimated very accurately by the time the first inflection point appears on the ultrasonic pulse velocity curve. Moreover, it can be estimated quite accurately by the time the ultrasonic pulse velocity reaches a fixed value, close to the value of the ultrasonic pulse velocity in water.
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.