plished today by trial-and-error experimentation 

combined with the experience of engineers, technologists, contractors, and producers. Developed 

under a program sponsored by FHWA, High Performance Concrete Paving (HIPERPAV) software is now 

used to analyze the early age behavior of concrete. 

However, with the exception of the efforts of the Virtual Cement and Concrete Testing Laboratory consortium, managed by National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, there has been a general lack of 

resource organization and dissemination of tools for 

modeling cement hydration in the United States. Although a number of isolated studies have looked at 

various aspects of hydration, until the 2009 International Summit there had been no industry-wide focal 

point and support for large-scale discussion.

Improving Capabilities 

“We aim to facilitate interest in hydration modeling 

and discussion about the next steps in advanced cementitious systems research,” says Richard Meininger at FHWA. “The recent Web conference was a 

valuable opportunity to continue discussions from 

the Summit. We were able to examine why ongoing 

research is important, how hydration modeling can 

be effective in improving cement and concrete products, and its performance in sustaining the transportation system through improved industrial, construction, and repair processes.” 

The Exploratory Advanced Research Program Fact Sheet: Scanning and Convening Activities

Cement Hydration 

Proportioning and placing portland cement concrete 

is performed thousands of times each day as the 

most-used building material on Earth. This process is 

unique in that the final product, a complex composite 

made from aggregate, water, other additives, and 

portland cement, is formulated on demand and 

batched and delivered in a plastic and unhardened 

state at the point of use. However, there are many 

common problems that can develop in the field, most 

associated with hydration, the chemical reaction that 

transforms the anhydrous cement into a hydrated 

binder that provides strength and durability to concrete.

Shrinkage and related cracking is one issue, resulting from autogenous volume change due to hydration and later-age drying after the curing period. Serious expansion and cracking can also take place in 

concrete when a secondary process causes an alkali 

silica reaction and expansive gel formation. Other 

problems can include adverse interactions between 

components, which can have unexpected effects on 

hydration and associated workability, setting time, 

and strength gain.

Industry Knowledge 

A lack of knowledge about hydration processes makes 

improving, predicting, and controlling the performance 

of portland cement concrete a difficult task, accomExploring Cement Hydration Kinetics

International Summit on Cement Hydration Kinetics and Modeling

Breakthrough Ideas for 

Highway Research

EXPLORATORY ADVANCEDR E S E A R C H

The quest to identify the underlying mechanisms that control cement hydration continues to be a challenge for modern materials science but has 

the potential to alter the fabric of constructed infrastructure for the global 

benefit of all. In 2009, a workshop supported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Science Foundation and other participating partners*, the International Summit on Cement Hydration Kinetics and 

Modeling, examined various aspects of cement hydration. The Summit was 

followed by an August 2010 Web conference to report on progress since 

the summit, and the drafting of an industry hydration roadmap.
The online event involved participants from the international Summit, the FHWA’s Offices of Infrastructure R&D, Infrastructure programs, and the Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program. It provided 

the cementitious hydration community with an update on the efforts underway and the proceedings 

papers being developed following the Summit. These 

papers will provide the cornerstones on which future 

research and sustainable technology will be built. 

Developing a Roadmap

The draft report that emerged from the 2009 Summit 

and was discussed during the Web conference is titled 

Paving the Way for a More Sustainable Concrete Infrastructure—A Roadmap for the Development of a 

Comprehensive Description of Cement Hydration Dynamics. Joseph Biernacki from the Tennessee Technological University, who organized the Summit and 

took the lead in producing the report, was online to 

discuss the roadmap:

“The roadmap is a vision for research over the next 

10 years, though some of the short-term goals should 

be achievable in 3 to 5 years,” explains Biernacki. 

“Among the most pressing issues at hand are those 

that will impact the design of cementitious materials 

and systems that lead to smaller carbon footprints 

and hence improved life cycle performance. It is not 

intended to provide answers but to identify questions 

and suggest directions in which to move.”

The roadmap is intended to bring together various 

industry visions and efforts and has been designed to 

be reconciled with Roadmap 2030, the concrete industry’s plan for achieving a more sustainable, cost 

effective, and improved concrete for the 21st century. 

Roadmap 2030 includes many challenges and goals 

where a better understanding and modeling of hydration is paramount. 

Future Efforts

Activities such as this aim to encourage researchers 

and users of concrete to consider developing and using models to examine the effects of changes in proportions and materials. It enhances collaboration with 

the VCCTL activities and products at NIST, and the 

basic science approach now beginning at the cement 

and concrete industry supported MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub.

“The EAR Program continues to encourage collaboration between FHWA Program Offices, TFHRC 

researchers, and the external research community,” 

says Meininger. “Continued exposure to advanced 

research in this way will ultimately enhance understanding of hydration modeling resources and the 

way that advanced techniques can improve research 

capabilities and tools.” 

Learn More

To view topics from the 2009 Summit visit http:/

blogs.cae.tntech.edu/hydration-kinetics. For more 

information or to discuss cement hydration kinetics, 

contact Richard Meininger at FHWA, at 

202-493-3191 (email: richard.meininger@dot.gov).

Publication No. 

FHWA-HRT-10-078

HRTM-04/09-10(1M)E

Exploring Cement Hydration Kinetics 

International Summit on Cement Hydration Kinetics and Modeling

What Is the Exploratory Advanced 

Research Program?

FHWA’s Exploratory Advanced Research 

(EAR) Program focuses on long-term, 

high-risk research with a high payoff potential. The program addresses underlying 

gaps faced by applied highway research 

programs, anticipates emerging issues 

with national implications, and reflects 

broad transportation industry goals and 

objectives.

To learn more about the EAR Program, 

visit the Exploratory Advanced Research 

Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch. The site features information on 

research solicitations, updates on ongoing 

research, links to published materials, 

summaries of past EAR Program events, 

and details on upcoming events. For additional information, contact David Kuehn at 

FHWA, 202-493-3414 (email: david.

kuehn@fhwa.dot.gov), or Terry Halkyard 

at FHWA, 202-493-3467 (email: terry.

halkyard@fhwa.dot.gov).

*International 

Summit on Cement 

Hydration Kinetics 

and Modeling 

Sponsors

The National Science 

Foundation • FHWA • 

W.R. Grace • BASF • 

Mapei • Canadian 

Research Center on 

Concrete Infrastructure • 

Natural Science and 

Engineering Research 

Council of Canada 

Co-organizers

Joseph J. Biernacki 

(Tennessee Technological University Center for 

Manufacturing Research) • Will Hansen 

(University of Michigan) 

• Jeffrey Bullard 

(National Institute of 

Standards and Technology) • Jacques 

Marchand (Laval 

University, Canada)