On Some Peculiarities of Interaction between Cement and Water

The paper discusses the most complex and poorly studied aspects of interaction of cement with water. Particular attention is paid to the earliest and latest stages of hydration and structure formation of binding system. It is shown that the induction periods of hydration and hardening are a multistage process including a pre-induction period and an induction period as such. Its role is decisive in the nucleation of new phase germs and the transfer of signs of the future structure from the supersaturated mortar to the cement stone. At the final stage of hardening, a capillary porous body is formed in the cement-water system. It is shown that the hardening process should be regarded as a peculiar phase inversion: water being a dispersion medium in the capillary-porous structure of the cement stone at first, becomes a dispersed phase. Particle dispersion and particle size distribution and pore size distribution are of particular importance. It has been shown that many aspects of interaction of cement with water have common nature with the processes taking place in geological and biological objects of natural systems. It makes possible to consider the mentioned processes in the spirit of convergence and divergence of sciences.