Hydraulic binders such as hydratable alumina and calcium aluminate cement present a major influence on the rheological properties and mechanical strength development of castables, defining their workability and demoulding times, respectively. Such behavior is related to the hydration process and its control depends on the knowledge of the variables that determine the kinetics of the involved reactions. The matrix addition to cement influences the hydration behaviour, as well as, the length of the induction period, the composition of the phases and of the hydration products. Additives such as the retarders can inhibit the process of cement dissolution, by the build up of insoluble barriers around the cement particles, and enhance the formation of more soluble hydrates. They can also behave as accelerators inducing the formation of less soluble hydrates and speeding up the beginning of the hydrate nucleation. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of different kind of matrix and additives on the hydration process of different sources of the hydraulic binder.
binders; calcium aluminate cement; hydratable alumina; matrix; additives
