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Procedia Engineering 161 (2016) 337 – 342

World Multidisciplinary Civil Engineering-Architecture-Urban Planning Symposium 2016,

WMCAUS 2016

Changes of Clinker Microstructure After Long-Term Influence of

External Environment
Maria Wesoáowskaa,*, Anna Kaczmareka
a
University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, Department of Building and Building Physics, Kaliskiego 7, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland

Abstract

Contemporary clinker elements because of numerous colours and shapes give uncountable opportunities for architectural
compositions. Apart from undeniable aesthetic values they are characterized with high resistance to environment influence. It is
associated both with clinker microstructure as with adopted mortar types. By definition a facial wall has an attractive look which
should be maintained during the whole period of the construction usage. However, it often occurs that the intended effect has not
been reached. On majority of buildings during the first years of using there are efflorescence’s appearing, covering mainly clinker
surface. They are primary efflorescence’s which should disappear during the first year of exploitation. The multi-year work led by
the authors on real objects indicate that this period is definitely longer and efflorescence change according to seasons. The cyclic
influence of salts changes the clinker microstructure. This work concerns the clinker microstructure and its changes resulting from
ten years of exposition on external climate conditions. The researches were led on field station localized on area of the University
of Science and Technology Bydgoszcz (Poland).
©©2016
2016TheThe Authors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier Ltd.is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Ltd. This
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility ofthe organizing committee of WMCAUS 2016.
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of WMCAUS 2016
Keywords: clinker brick, mercury porosimetry, facing walls, impact of climate;

For analysis three clinker brick walls were selected, each built with different mortar: Portland cement based CEM I,
Portland cement based CEM I with plasticizer and cement-lime mortar. From bricks designed for building there were
taken 6 random samples which was initial material for microstructure evaluation. The researches were led on facial
layer of bricks 5mm thick. Basing on long-term observation a wall area was indicated with the highest efflorescence
intensity. For each wall from the selected area 6 samples of clinker were taken of 5 mm thickness. For microstructure

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +48 523408679.

E-mail address:marysia@utp.edu.pl

1877-7058 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of WMCAUS 2016
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2016.08.569
338 Maria Wesołowska and Anna Kaczmarek / Procedia Engineering 161 (2016) 337 – 342

evaluation the mercury porosimetry method was used. The results obtained were used to comparative analysis of
changes in meso and macro pores in clinker after ten years of functioning in external environment.

1. Introduction

One of problems of contemporary facial walls is lowering their esthetics caused by salt crystallization. Independent
of used of wall unit - mortar system, on most of new objects during the first years of functioning there are
efflorescence’s appearing with various intensity and chemical compound. There are three main factors causing
efflorescence’s, [1]:
– presence of soluble salts in water,
– water penetration into a wall, where salts are to be dissolved,
– presence of a factor which causes salt solution movement.
Researches led on real building objects where residual efflorescence occurrence was found indicate that essential
role is played by environment factors [2]. They include: atmospheric rainfall, splash water, penetrating water (for
instance water supply defects), ground humidity, persisting snow cover. They cause direct deposition of chemical
pollutant into the wall. The second group are internal factors which include built-in material properties and their
interactions. During last years it has been noticed much interest in numerical research of mineral salt transport in
porous material [3, 4, 5]. The mathematical models created and results gain in experimental research in significant
way contributed in development of computer programs modeling influence of salt crystallization process on building
material strength and in consequence on facial wall durability [ 6, 7, 9,10].
Simulation research indicates that in case of brick wall, surface tension can amount to values close to brick strength
tension equal about 1N/mm2 [8]. It can lead to scars and wall surface defects. Since 2006 in premises of University of
Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz (Poland) it has been functioning a field test station for facial walls esthetics
and durability evaluation. The walls were shaped in a way that they include most typical external environment impacts:
atmospheric rainfall and soil contact. For observation of rain influence the wall top and cornices were adequately
modeled which enabled intensive water bruising and flowing.
The chemical analyses of brick samples taken from the test station showed that the highest salt concentration is
located in surface layer 5 mm thick. Basing on multi-year research it was stated that the crystallization process is cyclic
with special intensity in spring (April for the discussed localization). In subsequent years of observation, the increase
in efflorescence intensity was noticed which can suggest ongoing changes in clinker microstructure.

2. Research methods

2.1. Field station

The field test station for research was localized in area of the University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz
(Poland). The research station includes eight test walls one brick thick and measuring 1,61 x 1,42 m. The walls were
placed with sides directed at wind stated according to reports by Voivodships Inspectorate of Environment Protection
in Bydgoszcz (Poland). They were built with full clinker brick in sets of eight different mortars of which six had
known material composition and two other were ready-made with indication for use in facial walls in order to avoid
efflorescence’s (Picture 1). For purpose of this article 3 walls were chosen with mortars which composition were given
in Table 1.
In a such designed wall anti-humidity insulation was made on two levels:
- on foundation wall (10cm under ground level),
- 50cm above the ground level.

The insulation was intended to protect against water migration from concrete foundation and select the area
endangered with splash water.
 Maria Wesołowska and Anna Kaczmarek / Procedia Engineering 161 (2016) 337 – 342 339

Table 1. Composition of mortars subjected to research.

Component Composition of 10 dm3
Mortar proportions Cement Lime Sand Plasticizer Water
[kg] [kg] [dm3] [g] [dm3]

CEM I (c:p)=1:3.5 3.78 kgCEM I 42.5N - 10.5 - 2.53

CEMI+
(c:p)=1:3.5 3.78 kgCEM I 42.5N - 10.5 4.0 2.33
plasticizer
C-L
(c:w:p) =1:1.25:6.75 1.65CEMI 42.5N 0.97 9.5 - 3.04

Fig. 1. Test wall for field research 1 – insulating tarpaper underlay, 2 – 1/2W fitting, 3 – 1K fitting, 4 – DD fitting.

2.2. Preparation of samples for tests

The analysis covered two groups of bricks:

- in initial state before building into the wall (from selected 6 bricks samples were cut with diamond saw cooled
with water, from facial layer of 5mm thickness; cutting residue was cleaned with pressurized water).
- built into the wall, exposed to external climate during ten years (from each wall there were 6 samples of clinker
taken from facial wall layer 5mm thick; the material underwent process of salt extraction by repeated rinsing and
soaking).
So prepared samples were dried to solid mass.

2.3. Mercury porosimetry test

Microstructure tests were done with AutoPore IV series 9500 porosimeter equipped with two ports: low and high
pressure of maximum value of 33000 psi (228MPa), which lets measuring within the range of meso- and macropores
(from 2nm do 360ȝm). Before the real measuring the calibration and blank test were done – to set volume,
compressibility and thermal effect of penetrometer used. Basing on control measures it was defined equilibrium time
of 30s. As a result of measuring of prepared samples there were defined following structure parameters: total pore
volume, sample volume and its skeleton volume, pore volume distribution in function of their diameter as an integral
and differential function [10].
340 Maria Wesołowska and Anna Kaczmarek / Procedia Engineering 161 (2016) 337 – 342

Pore volume share was calculated by a formula:

50 nm

U MEZO
¦ i 2 nm
IVMEZO
˜P (1)
TIV

U MAKRO
¦ i 50 nm
IVMAKRO
˜P (2)
TIV

where: IVMAKRO – Intrusion Volume, ml/g; IVMEZO – Intrusion Volume, ml/g

TIV – Total Intrusion Volume, ml/g; P – Porosity, %.

3. Results and discussion

As a result of mercury porosimetry the basic micro-structural parameters were obtained (Table 2). Detailed results
let show the distribution of pore volume in function of their diameter. Basing on dependence between the differential
of volume function of pore diameter differential curve of pore distribution was gained which let state the dominant
diameters (Fig. 2).

Table 2. Basic parameters of tested clinker sample microstructure.

10 years of exposition to environment – wall mortar
Parameters of microstructure Initial CEM I CEM I + C-L
samples plasticizer
Total Intrusion Volume, ml/g 0.1040 0.0781 0.0902 0.0967
Total Pore Area, m²/g 0.082 0.354 0.438 0.260
Median Pore Diameter (Volume), nm 3474.3 3629.8 4255.6 3601.9
Bulk Density at 0.23 psia, g/ml 2.0760 2.1957 2.1244 2.0903
Apparent (skeletal) Density, g/ml 2.6474 2.6500 2.6282 2.6199
Porosity % 21.5827 17.1448 19.1677 20.2142

Basing on research performed, it was stated that during 10 years of facial walls exploitation there were changes in
microstructure of facial layer including both meso as macropores (Table 3).

Table 3. Percentage shares of porosity for samples in initial state and after 10 years of exposition – average values.
Pore volume [%]
Sample
Mesopores 2-50nm Macropores > 50nm Total porosity
Initial 0.02 21.56 21.58
Cem I 0.09 17.05 17.14
Cem I + plasticizer 0.12 19.05 19.17
C-L 0.02 20.19 20.21

Clinker in a wall with cement-lime mortar shows the lowest changes. In walls built on cement mortars it was
noticed significantly lower porosity in relation to initial sample. Additionally, mesopores share is several times higher.
In a wall with CEM I mortar the dominant diameter 350000nm disappeared.

In other two cases it was moved to amount of 200000nm. Independently of mortar, the share of basic diameter was
lowered from volume level of 0.073 ml/g to 0.060 ml/g (Fig. 2).
 Maria Wesołowska and Anna Kaczmarek / Procedia Engineering 161 (2016) 337 – 342 341

Fig. 2. Integral and differential curves of pore size distribution of tested clinker samples. (a) Clinker in a wall with cement mortar (CEM I);
(b) Clinker in a wall with cement mortar (CEM I + plasticizer); (c) Clinker in a wall with cement - lime mortar.

4. Conclusions

In the article it was analyzed the changes in clinker under multi-year exposition to external environment. Ten-year
exploitation of a wall covered with efflorescence caused changes in microstructure of facial wall. The observed
changes are the effect of humidity and soluble mineral salts. As a result of changing climate parameters salts crystallize
in sub-surface layers filling the part of pores. The crystals that grows in pores affect skeleton walls causing appearance
additional stretching tensions. The biggest changes are visible on a wall with cement mortar CEM I.
342 Maria Wesołowska and Anna Kaczmarek / Procedia Engineering 161 (2016) 337 – 342

The addition of plasticizer does not limit the phenomenon. Clinker in a wall with cement-lime mortar is
characterized with slight changes of microstructure.

Acknowledgements

The work was done using apparatuses within the frame of ‘Realization of 2nd Stage of Regional Centre of
Innovation’ Project co-financed from means of the European Fund for Regional Development within the frame of the
Regional Operational Program of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voievodship for years 2007 – 2013.

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