Alternative parameter to characterize pore distribution in cement paste, and its relation to mechanical properties

Porosity has been used widely as an index for the void volume fraction within the microstructure of cement paste. However, the porosity has its limitations as a scalar parameter so that alternative measures could help further identifying the characteristics of pore microstructure and better correlating microstructure with properties. The lineal-path function has been shown its potential to describe the characteristics of complex microstructures. In this study, the centroid of the lineal-path function is investigated as a supplement or alternative parameter to porosity for characterizing pore microstructure and correlating the characteristics with mechanical properties. In particular, the parameter is used to determine the diffusive crack length parameter, one of the material modeling parameters of the crack phase field model. The centroid of the lineal-path function identifies the bimodal distribution of the pore microstructures within cement paste, which cannot be captured with porosity. The evaluated mechanical properties such as stiffness and tensile strength using the crack phase field model whose parameter is determined from the centroid of the lineal-path function are in the range of expected values. It is shown that the centroid of the lineal-path function has a potential as an alternative or supplement parameter for microstructure characterization and for determining the modeling parameter of the crack phase field model.