Degradation of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) mortars under sulfate attack

Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3 is a newly proposed low-carbon cement, which can effectively reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions of the traditional cement industry without changing the basic mechanical properties of cement-based materials. In this study, the degradation process of mortar samples of limestone and calcined clay cementitious material under sulfate attack is studied by both macroscopic and microscopic analysis. The results show that compared with pure Portland cement, the addition of calcined clay and limestone can significantly reduce the expansion rate, loss of dynamic modulus and mass loss of mortar specimens under sulfate attack. The addition of calcined clay and limestone will refine the pore size distribution of mortar specimens, then inhibiting the diffusion of sulfate and formation of corrosive products, therefore leading to a significant improvement of the sulfate resistance. © The Author(s) 2023.