Preliminary investigations of the dimensional stability of super-critically carbonated glass fibre reinforced cement

摘要

The dimensional changes occurring during the super-critical carbonation of glass fibre reinforced cement (GRC) and its subsequent environmental exposure have been investigated. Sheet samples, with embedded stainless steel pins 200 mm apart, were fabricated and then subjected to super-critical carbonation. Test coupons were subsequently exposed to a range of environments including continuous immersion in water, cyclic wetting/drying and outdoor exposure. The super-critical carbonation process resulted in a slight expansion of GRC. This is contrary to the behaviour observed during natural carbonation where irreversible shrinkage normally occurs. Exposure to the various environments mentioned above showed that super-critically carbonated samples had much greater resistance to swelling and shrinkage than uncarbonated specimens. These observations are particularly significant in relation to the practical application of GRC in environments of fluctuating moisture content.