Application of titanium gypsum as raw materials in cement-based self-leveling mortars

There are studies on titanium gypsum (TG) as a cement retarder, cementing material, or the production of lightweight wall materials and roadbed materials, but the application of TG is still limited, the utilization of TG is in the stage of exploration. This work studied the possibility of recycling TG as raw materials for the preparation of cement-based (Sulphate Aluminate Cement and Ordinary Portland Cement) self-leveling mortars. The effects of TG on mechanical strength, fluidity, shrinkage, and wear resistance were carried out. With the help of XRD, TG-DTG, and SEM, the microstructural characteristics were investigated to determine the mechanism of TG. It was concluded that the 1 d compressive and flexural strength reached 9.6 MPa and 3.5 MPa, respectively, and the 28 d compressive and flexural strength reached 4.3 MPa and 17.9 MPa, respectively, when the mass ratio of Sulphate Aluminate Cement (SAC) and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) was 7:3, the TG content was 45 %. TG could significantly improve the shrinkage of the mortars to 0.10 %, which was far better than the standard requirements of 0.15 %, but reduce the wear resistance to some extent. The primary component of calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4.2H2O) in TG can further react with the aluminum phase in cement to grow more ettringite, which can make the microstructure denser, thereby improving the strength and the deformation of the cement-based self-leveling mortars.