On the initial stages of cement hydration

After the initial mixing of cement, an induction period occurs during which its consistency remains constant. Thickening occurs at the end of this period when the consistency is observed to increase very rapidly. In this paper we propose a reaction-diffusion model for the hydration of tricalcium silicate, a principal constituent of cement, which is believed to be responsible for the initial development of its strength. Our model is based on the assumption that the hydration of cement can be described as a dissolution -precipitation reaction. The mathematical solutions enable us to determine some of the factors that control the length of the induction period and make predictions of the ionic concentrations which are in agreement with experimental data.