%0 Journal Article
%A Gaitero, J. J.
%A Dolado, J. S.
%A Neuen, C.
%A Heber, F.
%A Koenders, E. A.B.
%T 3D computational simulation of calcium leaching in cement matrices
%D 2014
%@ 0465-2746
%U https://hdl.handle.net/11556/3939
%X Calcium leaching is a degradation process consisting in progressive dissolution of the cement paste by migration of calcium atoms to the aggressive solution. It is therefore, a complex phenomenon involving several phases and dissolution and diffusion processes simultaneously. Along this work, a new computational scheme for the simulation of the degradation process in three dimensions was developed and tested. The toolkit was used to simulate accelerated calcium leaching by a 6M ammonium nitrate solution in cement matrices. The obtained outputs were the three dimensional representation of the matrix and the physicochemical properties of individual phases as a consequence of the degradation process. This not only makes it possible to study the evolution of such properties as a function of time but also as a function of the position within the matrix. The obtained results are in good agreement with experimental values of the elastic modulus in degraded and undegraded samples.
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