Radiation-chemical treatment of slag cement-polymer composites

Hardened slag cement pastes were made using the initial water/cement ratios of 0.25 and 0.4 to obtain low and high porosity cement pastes, respectively. The neat cement pastes were hydrated for various time intervals of 0.5, 1.5, 6 and 12 h and 1, 3, 7, 28 and 90 days; these pastes were tested for compressive strength and kinetics of hydration. Polymer-impregnated pastes were prepared by impregnation in methyl methacrylate monomer, followed by irradiation using γ-rays with different doses of 1, 3 and 5 Mrad. The results of compressive strength tests could be related to the polymer loading as well as the porosity of the cement pastes.