The Influence of Barium Compounds on the Formation of Portland Cement Clinker

Abstract

Portland clinker is thanks to its large-scale production a continuously studied topic. Clinker, or Portland cement, is used for construction purposes or for insulation and special applications. One of these special applications could be shielding of different types of radiation by making use of the content of barium ions. The present article examines the influence of barium oxide on the formation and properties of Portland clinker, which could be, by incorporation of barium ions into the system, used as a binder for buildings resistant to various types of radiation. Barium sulphate and barium carbonate were added to the raw meal in order to prepare clinkers with different content of barium oxide. The effect of barium on the formation of clinker phases was studied (by XRD – Rietveld analysis and by the microscopic point counting method), as well as the rate of alite formation under isothermal conditions. Furthermore, the ability of barium to become a part of clinker minerals was studied by SEM with EDS.