Can a reliable prediction of cement paste transport properties be made using microstructure models

Physical and mechanical properties of cement-based materials are directly linked to their micros.tmcture. In recent years, different microstructure modelling platforms have emerged (e.g., HMYOSTRUC, CEMHYD3D and µic) which simulate the evolution of the microstructure of cement paste during hydration. These microstructures can be utilized to obtain physical and mechanical properties. However, due to underlying assumptions in these models, morphologically different microstructures (different pore connectivity, pore size and percolation thresholds) are obtained from these platforms for the same water-cement ratio and cement composition. The question then arises whether the estimations of properties of cement paste using these microstructures is reliable or not. In this paper we discuss issues related to achieving reliable predictions of the transport properties using microstructures generated from these platforms.