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Conclusions

A multi-scale approach for modelling the structure of cement-based materials has been presented. At each scale of interest, a critical exercise is the validation of the structural models against measured experimental data. Here, this validation has been demonstrated for nanometer level models of the structure of C-S-H gel by comparison against TEM images and measured sorption characteristics. The development of a complete set of representative structural models at all scales of interest should aid greatly in understanding the structure-property relationships present in this complex class of materials.

Acknowledgements

Dale Bentz would like to thank the Centre International des Etudiants et Stagiaires (C.I.E.S.) for a grant which allowed this research to be pursued during a six month stay at the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment (CSTB) in Grenoble, France.