Effect of Mineral Admixture on Mechanical Properties of Concrete by Adjusting Interfacial Transition Zone Microstructure

The compressive strength and elastic modulus of concrete with slag, limestone powder, and aggregate were determined. The effect of the mineral admixture on the porosity features of cement matrix and interfacial transition zone (ITZ) was investigated, and the improved mechanism for the mechanical properties was analyzed from the ITZ microstructure point of view. The results show that 5% addition of limestone powder is able to refine the pore structure by reducing the total pore volume and the volume of pores of > 10 nm. Increasing the limestone powder replacement level to 10% can increase the total pore volume and the volume of pores between 10 and 100 nm, and reduce the volume of pores of > 100 nm. Replacing 35% of cement by slag can reduce the total porosity and the volume of pores of > 10 nm. However, the addition of large amount of slag (70%) can increase the volume of pores of < 10 nm, while the volume of pores of > 10 nm decreases. Moreover, 5% addition of limestone powder or 35% addition of slag increase the compressive strength and elastic modulus of samples cured after 56 d. This increment is more remarkable as the aggregate volume content increases or the mean aggregate size decreases. The modification of mechanical properties is more related to the variation of pores in the range of > 100 nm.