The cement industry is aware of the environmental problem due to large CO2 emission. Using less Portland cement can reduce the carbon footprint of the cement industry. This can be achieved by replacing part of Portland cement with inert additives such as micronized sand and limestone powder. With these materials economic and environmental friendly solutions are conceivable. However, because of its potential negative impact on the mechanical properties of cement paste, the influence of inert filler on the durability of the development of cracks in cement paste should be considered. One of the reasons is that additives reduce the concentration of Portland cement clinker and their strength-providing reaction products. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of inert fillers on the development of cracks in cement paste under compressive loading. A combined experimental and numerical investigation was performed in this study. The crack path in the loaded cement pastes was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations. Fracture processes of cement-based materials were simulated with a numerical model. The simulation results are validated by experiments. The results indicate that the mechanical properties of interface between hydration products and inert filler in cement paste systems have an important influence on the development of fracture in blended cement paste under compressive loading. The micronized with poor adhesion properties leads to a high probability of cracking in blended cement paste. On the contrary, the presence of LP particles has no significant impact on the propagation of cracks.
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