“…The first solution simulates saline / marine environments [4,11], while the other two simulate concrete pore environments in mild and aggressive environmental conditions, respectively [1, 4, 7-9, 11, 28]. This simulation is based on the fact that Ca(OH) 2 crystals can occupy approximately 20%-25% of the cement paste volume [28]. After the necessary metallographic preparation, the microstructure of the specimens (cross-sections) was examined by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy)/EDX (Energy Dispersion X-ray spectroscopy) (JeoL JSM 6510 LV SEM / Oxford Instruments X-Act EDX).…”