| Summary: | Portland cement pastes are concentrated suspensions consisting of two interacting phases:
solid and reactive with the binder and liquid with the water and its admixtures. The solid
particles are composed of calcium silicate and aluminate phases, which once dispersed in
water lead to strong ionic dissolution, saturation and precipitation of surface layers, followed
by a period of low reactivity called dormant period. During this period hydrate products
nucleate and grow to form portlandite, ettringite and CSH gel followed by a faster hydration
process known as acceleration period. In the dormant period the consistency is workable until
the ions precipitation starts the suspension setting.
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