The stress-strain relationship for hardened cement pastes in compression

Abstract

Synopsis Measurements of the stress-strain relationship of cement pastes of different water/cement ratios and various ages have been made at two strain rates. At the faster rate the maximum stress was attained after 1 to 2 h, whereas at the slower rate it was attained after 15 to 30 h. It is shown that the curvature of the stress-strain relationship can be partially explained by the time-dependent properties of the paste, and some evidence is presented which indicates that structural damage occurs in the paste before the ultimate stress is reached.