Structure and granulometric composition of a carbon-containing additive for heavy concrete

Abstract

The discovery of a two-dimensional carbon form – graphene, consisting of a single layer of atoms connected by a structure of chemical bonds, gave impetus to developing a new wide field of its application in construction. An urgent task is to improve the performance of heavy cement concretes on dense boulders. One of the most effective ways is the use of a new generation of carbon-containing modifiers. The physical and mechanical properties of cement concrete should be regulated at the micro-level by optimizing the process of forming a cement matrix structure. A promising direction is the use of graphene as a carbon-containing modifier. Data from research studies devoted to oxidized thermally expanding graphite are presented. The results of microscopic and laser diffraction granulometric investigations are discussed. The conducted studies allowed the properties of the heavy concrete under study to be assessed. The granulometric composition was analysed using a Fritsch NanoTeс laser particle size measurement device equipped with a dispersion unit in a liquid medium with a total measurement range from 0.01 to 2100 µm. This analysis showed a reduction in size from 574 µm to 22.2 µm. Microscopic examination was performed using a scanning electron microscope TESCAN Mira 3 with a magnification range of x1–x1,000,000. The conducted experimental studies proved the effectiveness of using a carbon-containing additive as a modifier of heavy cement concretes on dense boulders. The use of oxidized thermo expandable graphite allows for a denser packing of the structure and provides an opportunity to create additional cites for new formations. This allows the physical, mechanical and operational characteristics of the final material to be improved.