Performance of irradiated blended cement paste composites containing ceramic waste powder towards sulfates, chlorides, and seawater attack

Within the scope of this study, blended cement pastes were prepared by replacing different proportions of ordinary Portland cement with ceramic waste powder (CWP). The hardened blended cement pastes were cured under tap water for different periods of time up to 180 days. Physico-mechanical properties of specimens were studied in terms of free lime content, chemically combined water, compressive strength, and particle size distribution. The results manifested that the optimum content of ceramic waste which gave a marked improvement in the mechanical properties was 10% as compared to the other specimens at the same curing age. Besides that, similar specimens of the hardened blended cement paste containing 10% CWP were impregnated with unsaturated polyester and exposed to different doses of gamma rays from 10 to 50 kGy. Both the impregnated specimens that irradiated at a dose of 30 kGy and the neat blended cement paste that contained 10% ceramic waste were soaked in 1, 3, and 5% magnesium sulfate, sodium chloride solutions, and in seawater for up to 180 days. The results indicated that the composite specimens became more resistant to aggressive solutions and their durability increased as compared to the neat blended cement paste prepared under the same previous conditions. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 26:24-34, 2020. (c) 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers