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Analysis of Microstructure and Properties of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

Wall Construction Materials

Article  in  Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry · December 2007

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J. Ind. Eng. Chem., Vol. 13, No. 7, (2007) 1103-1108

Analysis of Microstructure and Properties of Autoclaved Aerated

Concrete Wall Construction Materials
Yothin Ungkoon, Chadchart Sittipunt*, Pichai Namprakai, Wanvisa Jetipattaranat**,
Kyo-Seon Kim***, and Tawatchai Charinpanitkul****,†

Division of Energy Technology, School of Energy Environment and Materials, King Mongkut’s University of
Technology Thonburi, Bangmod, Rasburana, 126 Pracha U-thit Rd., Thungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
*Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Rd., Phathumwan,
Bangkok 10330, Thailand
**Research Development Center, Superblock Public Co., LTD, 9/1 Moo 11, Singburi Pak Dong Rd., Bangrachan, Kai
Bangrachan, Singburi 16150, Thailand
***Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701,
Korea
****Center of Excellence in Particle Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Rd.,
Phathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Received July 11, 2007; Accepted November 9, 2007

Abstract: Microstructure analyses in non-autoclaved aerated concrete (Non-AAC) and autoclaved aerated con-
crete (AAC) were conducted using optical microscopic and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) methods,
while their chemical analyses were also carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Laboratory investigation in-
cluding physiothermal properties and field tests using four lab-scale houses built with the Non-AAC and AAC
blocks were also compared. It could be observed that the AAC exhibited properties superior to that of the
Non-AAC. Interestingly, the AAC blocks could provide lower humidity accumulation than the Non-AAC
blocks, resulting in possibility to prevent mold growth in such construction materials.

Keywords: autoclaved aerated concrete, microstructure, tobermorite

Introduction accumulation of heat and moisture in building wall plays

1) an important role in its maintenance and energy con-
At present, construction works, such as high-rise build- servation. As a result, ventilating fans and air-condi-
ings or offices and residential houses, in many countries tioners have been employed to remove heat for providing
including Thailand are growing very fast every year. comfortable environment for residents. Meanwhile, both
Concrete has mainly been used as fundamental con- the economic and energy crisis has stimulated awareness
struction material for most of residential building be- of energy conservation, resulting in a drastic increase in
cause of its outstanding mechanical properties, low cost studies on construction material which incorporates en-
and availability. However, structure and foundation of ergy conservation. It should be noted that an approach
buildings tend to become larger due to an increase in which has been used in Civil Engineering works is the
their scale, leading to much more time-consumption and usage of construction materials as an insulator to prevent
cost. heat transfer from outsides of buildings. Khedari and
In monsoon region including the Southeastern Asian coworkers reported that internal structure of concrete
countries, the ambient condition is hot and humid so that consisting of coconut and durian fibers mixed with ce-
ment and sand at various proportions could exhibit light
† weight characteristics [1,2]. They revealed that low den-
To whom all correspondence should be addressed.
(e-mail: [email protected]) sity and thermal conductivity of blocks consisting of ad-
1104 Yothin Ungkoon, Chadchart Sittipunt, Pichai Namprakai, Wanvisa Jetipattaranat, Kyo-Seon Kim, and Tawatchai Charinpanitkul

ditive fibers could help prevent heat transfer into build- orkers has also conducted a study on moisture and ther-
ing. However, because of their low compressive strength, mal resistance of building walls made of AAC blocks
they could only be recommended to use for non-load and clay bricks [18]. Their experimental results showed
bearing concrete masonry units. John and coworkers con- that the wall made of AAC could resist moisture and re-
ducted an assessment of degradation on a wall panel duce heat transfer due to its inner porous structure.
composite made of low alkaline, clinker free, activated However, there is insufficient understanding of micro-
slag cement reinforced with coconut fibers [3]. Though structure which could affect on thermal properties of
the low alkaline cement was not able to prevent decom- AAC. Therefore, this work sets its aim at examining the
position and leaching of lignin contained in the fibers, porous structure of both AAC and Non-AAC in order to
the leaching of lignin exerted insignificant effect on the elucidate the formation process of their microstructures
wall performances. Meanwhile, various studies on using optical microscopy and scanning electron micro-
non-autoclaved and autoclaved light weight concrete scopy (SEM). Also chemical and structural analyses are
which consisted of cement and some other additives, conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to Figure out
such as ash, zeolite or polystyrene foam were also con- the effect of their composition on their thermal pro-
ducted to elucidate their structures and engineering prop- perties. Comparison of thermal and mechanical proper-
erties [4-6]. For instance, effect of polymer cement modi- ties of AAC and Non-AAC has also been reported.
fiers on mechanical and physical properties of mortar us-
ing waste concrete fine aggregate was investigated and
found that porosity of the mortar could be increased by Materials and Method
addition of higher contents of polyacrylic ester (PAE)
modifier [7]. Such polymeric modifier could lead to en- Specimens of AAC were collected from a manufacturer
hanced performance in hot water resistance and higher which has been certified by Thailand Industrial Standard
compressive strength but worse flexural strength [8]. (TIS) 1505-2541. 120 pieces of AAC blocks with a uni-
There are two types of autoclaved aerated concrete form size of 200 × 600 × 75 mm were randomly sampled
(AAC) production methods which are chemical and me- for investigation. Meanwhile, the Non-AAC blocked of
chanical processes. In the chemical process, some metal- the same size and amount manufactured at the same fac-
lic compounds would be added to react and generate tre- tory were sampled for comparison. Both AAC and Non-
mendous amount of air bubbles in concrete texture while AAC specimens were subjected to tests as follows; 1)
in mechanical process expansive foaming agent is nor- Thailand Industrial Standard (TIS) 1505-2541 and Din
mally employed. In general, AAC could be prepared in a 4165-1986 for determining dry density, compressive
high pressure autoclave under conditions of temperature strength, and flexural strength, 2) JIS A 2618 standard
o
and pressure higher than 180 C and 12 bar, respectively for examining thermal conductivity using Thermal Con-
[5]. Approximately the porosity is 80 % of the volume of ductivity Tester (model 88 K-FOTOR, ANACON), 3)
the processed cement, resulting in its very light weight. DSC analysis for determining specific heat capacity us-
Additionally, AAC has excellent properties of acoustic ing a differential scanning calorimeter (Model DSC 7),
insulation, fire resistance and allergy-free while it tends 4) microscopic analysis using scanning electron micro-
to suffer edge damage or breakage if it is subject to abra- scopy (SEM, Model JEOL JSM 5800 equipped with
sion or collision. In order to produce more promising Energy Dispersive Spectroscope), and 5) chemical analy-
AAC, various researches on its physical structure have sis using XRD (X-ray Diffractometer, model Bruker D8).
been initiated using microscopic analyses and X-ray dif-
fraction (XRD) to investigate their chemical and struc-
tural characteristics [9-13]. Results and Discussion
To our knowledge, there are very few systematic inves-
tigations on thermal and physical properties of AAC in In general, it is known that tobermorite with ortho-
Thailand. So far, only some comparisons of engineering rhombic structure could be stable with Ca/Si ratio of 0.8
and thermal properties of clay bricks, concrete blocks, ∼1.0 and temperature of ambient condition up to 150
o
AAC and Non-AAC have been reported [14,15]. Studies C. It generally coexists within tetrahedral silicate layers
on thermal inertia of concrete blocks by Ropelewski and and octahedral calcium layers [17]. With hydrothermal
coworkers [16] and Ungkoon and coworkers [17] are in- reaction between SiO2 and Ca(OH)2 a system of Ca-
volving with heat transfer by radiation to buildings made lcium-Silicate-Hydrate (so-called C-S-H system) could
of AAC and Non-AAC. It was found that Non-AAC be formed as slurry phase by following a two-step
blocks with higher density are likely to be able to transfer process. In the first step, calcium silicate hydrate gel
heat faster than the lighter AAC and in turn lead to short- (C-S-H gel) will be generated on the surface of SiO2 and
er delay time in heat transmission. Ungkoon and cow- then react with Ca(OH)2 to form well-organized crystal-
 Analysis of Microstructure and Properties of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Wall Construction Materials 1105

AAC blocks, it could clearly be observed that the surface

of Non-ACC sample consisted of large pores while the
ACC sample exhibited smoother surface with much
smaller porosity as shown in Figure 2.
For further investigation on the porous structure of typi-
cal samples of Non-AAC and AAC, SEM micrographs
with higher magnification shown in Figure 3 are taken
into account. In Figure 3(a) Non-AAC samples consist of
particulate clusters of evenly distributed sizes, which sit-
uate around craters generated by the existence of uncon-
trollable air bubbles in curing process. It could further be
observed that the crystallinity of the Non-AAC was re-
sulted from random formation of gas bubbles, leading to
Figure 1. Model of Tobermorite structure consisting of proto- formation of cavities with various depths. Also seen in
nated silicate ions and water. Figure 3(a), some cracks observed on the Non-AAC sur-
face would possibly lead to a decrease in the mechanical
line [19]. In the second step, curing of crystalline product strength because they could become sources of fatigue
would be taken into account. There are two alternatives growth. On the other hand, Figure 3(b) revealed the sam-
of curing process which could provide specimen of dif- ples of AAC exhibit smoother surface with some poros-
ferent properties. The first curing process making use of ity and particulate of narrower size. It is notable that
air to cure specimens could create hydrogarnet crystalline there are no cracks observed on the surface of denser
of which the structure would strongly depend on curing AAC samples. This could be implied that under high
time period. The other is an autoclave curing process in pressure and temperature in autoclaving process, denser
which high pressure and temperature would be applied to phase of C-S-H could be formed.
the specimens. At a pressure of 10∼12 bars and a tem- For further investigation of their crystallinity, SEM mi-
perature of 180∼190 oC, tobermorite could be formed in crographs with further higher magnification were em-
the specimens. As depicted in Figure 1, the tobermorite ployed. Figure 4(a) clearly reveals that Non-AAC sam-
structure model consists of Ca2+ ions which are entrapped ples are comprised of particulate calcium silicate of un-
in the protonated silicate ions [9]. Therefore, the to- evenly distributed morphologies. Primary particles exist-
bermorite crystal is stable to carbonation reaction under ing in the Non-AAC samples exhibit average size of 200
the condition of ambient temperature and the pressure ∼400 nm. Sub-micron particulates gathering as agglom-
but it will be disintegrated at the temperature higher than erates with average size of 5 µm could form loose matrix
650 oC. surrounding by voidage, resulting in lower density and
From the SEM investigation on the surface morphology thermal conductivity of the Non-AAC samples. Howev-
of the two typical samples of light weight AAC and Non- er, considering Figure 4(b), one could clearly observe

(a) (b)
Figure 2. SEM micrographs of non-AAC and AAC specimens.
1106 Yothin Ungkoon, Chadchart Sittipunt, Pichai Namprakai, Wanvisa Jetipattaranat, Kyo-Seon Kim, and Tawatchai Charinpanitkul

(a) (b)
Figure 3. Comparison of surface morphology of Non-AAC and AAC specimens.

(a) (b)
Figure 4. Comparison of crystalline structure of Non-AAC and AAC specimens.

sub-micron needle crystal is ca. 400 nm with aspect ratio

of 20∼30. Tremendous amount of finer porosity within
the matrix of fine particulate would also result in much
lower specific density of AAC samples. In order to con-
firm the crystal structure of both Non-AAC and AAC
samples, XRD analysis was also carried out. XRD pat-
terns in Figure 5 reveals that Non-AAC samples mainly
consist of calcite and quartz. Meanwhile, in AAC sample
main product is crystalline in as much as tobermorite and
quartz are present. With a high pressure of 12 bar and
o
temperature of 180∼200 C, calcite in the tested speci-
mens could undergo phase transformation process to be-
come tobermorite. Such experimental results are in a
good agreement with those previous reports [9-11].
Figure 5. XRD patterns of (a) Non-AAC and (b) AAC speci- Difference in such crystal morphologies and phases in
mens (Q: quartz , T: tobermorite and C: calcite). Non-AAC and AAC samples are supposed to exert sig-
nificant effects on not only mechanical but also thermal
that finer needle-like crystalline structures exist thor- characteristics of the samples. Accordingly, 250 pieces of
oughly the surface of AAC samples. The average size of Non-AAC and AAC samples were randomly collected
 Analysis of Microstructure and Properties of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Wall Construction Materials 1107

Table 1. Mechanical and Thermal Characteristic Test of Non-AAC and AAC Samples
Non‐AAC AAC
Characteristics of sample tested
Min Max Avg. Min Max Avg.
3
Density (kg/m ) 733 750 741 573 577 575
Compressive strength (MPa.) 1.6 1.7 1.6 3.7 4.8 4.3
Flexural Strength (MPa.) 0.55 0.64 0.59 0.90 1.23 1.06
Thermal conductivity (W/mºC) 0.179 0.189 0.184 0.132 0.135 0.133
Heat capacity (J/kgK.) 1,303 1,595 1,449 1,193 1,256 1,224

for the statistical test of their mechanical and thermal Conclusion

characteristics. Table 1 summarizes the mechanical and
thermal investigating results. It could be clearly observed Under a condition of high pressure and temperature
that AAC samples exhibit specific density almost 20 per- treatment, calcite in aerated cement specimens could un-
cent lower than that of Non-AAC. Meanwhile, average dergo phase transformation process to become tobermor-
compressive and flexural strength of AAC samples are ite, which is more stable than former phase. High pres-
2.7 and 1.8 times of those of Non-AAC, respectively. sure autoclaving could also control formation of evenly
These superior mechanical properties of AAC could be distributed micropores within the cement matrix. The ex-
attributed to the present of higher crystallinity of to- istence of tobermorite phase in AAC plays an important
bermorite phases in AAC samples [13,15]. On the other role in providing various outstanding properties. With
hand, it could also be seen that average thermal con- autoclaved aerating process, AAC sample exhibits lower
ductivity and heat capacity of AAC samples are sig- density than that of Non-AAC. Additionally, AAC could
nificantly lower than those of Non-AAC. As could be exhibit superior compressive strength and thermal in-
confirmed by microscopic analyses, the existence of mi- sulating properties. With a series of experiments it could
cro-sized porosity in AAC samples would lead to higher be confirmed AAC could be employed as a promising
insulating performance. Moreover, it has been reported concrete building material.
that AAC could also exhibit lower drying shrinkage
when compared with Non-AAC [9].
Finally, field tests using four lab-scale houses built with Acknowledgments
the Non-AAC and AAC blocks were also carried out.
Details of field test facilities are available elsewhere [18]. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Superblock
It could be observed that walls built with the AAC blocks (public) Co., Ltd. for financial support to this research
could exhibit insulating and humidity adsorbing perform- work. T. C. would gratefully acknowledge financial sup-
ance superior to that of a wall built with the Non-AAC port from Silver Jubilee Fund of Chulalongkorn
blocks. Temperature in the houses built with the AAC University for CEPT. Support from the Ministry of
blocks is significantly lower than that in the Non-AAC Education and Human Resources Development (MOE)
houses. Additionally, the AAC blocks could also provide and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy
lower humidity accumulation than the Non- AAC blocks, (MOCIE) through the fostering project of the Industrial-
resulting in possibility to prevent mold growth in such Academic Cooperation Centered University is also
construction materials. acknowledged.
In summary, it could be confirmed experimentally that
suitable treatment of aerated concrete specimens using
autoclaving method could enhance phase transformation References
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