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Talc-Based Concrete for Sealing Borehole Optimized by Using Particle Packing Theory



Author(s)

Mohammed Hatem Mohammed1, 2, Roland Pusch1, Nadhir Al-Ansari1, Sven Knutsson1, Mats Emborg1, Martin Nilsson1 and Alireza Pourbakhtiar1

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DOI:10.17265/1934-7359/2013.04.008

1. Department of Civil, Mining and Natural Resources Engineering, Lulea University of Technology, Lulea 97187, Sweden
2. Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Mosul University, Mosul 41002, Iraq

The paper describes assessment of the performance of cement-poor concretes on the basis of packing theory. The concretes are intended for sealing segments of deep boreholes and have a small amount of cement for minimizing the mutual chemical impact on the contacting clay seals. The composition is examined by application of packing theory with respect to the cement/aggregate ratio and the gradation of the aggregate material which is crushed quartzite for providing high internal friction after maturation, as well as to talc added for fluidity and to the small amount of cement. Low porosity and micro-structural stability must be guaranteed for very long periods of time. The study exemplifies how packing theory assist designers in selecting optimal proportions of the various components. Optimum particle packing implies minimizing the porosity and thereby reducing the amount of cement paste needed to fill the voids between the aggregate particles. The use of talc as inorganic super-plasticizer since ordinary organic additives for reaching high fluidity at casting are undesirable, and since talc reacts with cement and provides high strength in along-term perspective.

Packing theory, concrete, strength, talc mineral, micro-structural modeling.