Showing papers in "Construction and Building Materials in 2009"

Sustainability in the construction industry: A review of recent developments based on LCA

Abstract: This review brings together research on life cycle assessment (LCA) applied within the building sector. More than ever, the construction industry is concerned with improving the social, economic and environmental indicators of sustainability. By applying LCA it is possible to optimise these aspects, from the extraction of raw materials to the final disposal of waste building materials. Firstly, this review details LCA concepts and focuses on the LCA methodology and tools employed in the built environment. Secondly, this paper outlines and discusses the differences between the LCA of building materials and components combinations versus the LCA of the full building life cycle. Finally, this work can be used by stakeholders as an important reference on LCA including up to date literature on approaches and methodologies to preserve the environment and therefore achieve sustainable development in both developed and developing countries. The present review has tried to compile and reflect the key milestones accomplished in LCA over the last 7 years, from 2000 to 2007 within the building sector. In summary, it can be stated that the application of LCA is fundamental to sustainability and improvement in building and construction. For industrial activities, SMEs must understand the application of LCA, not only to meet consumer demands for environmentally friendly products, but also to increase the productivity and competitiveness of the green construction markets. For this reason, this review looks at LCA because of its broad international acceptance as a means to improve environmental processes and services, and also for creating goals to prevent adverse environmental impacts, consequently enhancing quality of life and allowing people to live in a healthy environment.

Study on the influence of attached mortar content on the properties of recycled concrete aggregate

Abstract: Recycled concrete aggregates mainly differ from natural aggregates in that they are composed of two different materials: natural aggregate and cement mortar attached. It is well known that cement mortar content affects other properties of recycled aggregates: absorption is higher, Los Angeles abrasion coefficient is lower, etc., but the available data that support this statement are scattered, as they were obtained in many individual studies. There is no a general study about the quantitative influence of mortar content on other properties of the recycled aggregate. The objective of this study has been to obtain experimental relationships between the attached mortar content and other recycled aggregate properties, covering a wide range of different aggregates qualities. The interest of these general relationships is diverse: They can be used to establish the mortar content that adversely affects other important properties of the aggregate for different applications. For example, in this research it has been concluded that only recycled aggregates with mortar content under 44% could be used of structural concrete. With this criterion, aggregates with bulk specific density higher than 2160 kg/m3, water absorption lower than 8% and Los Angeles abrasion loss under 40%, are obtained. The results can also be useful for recycling plants as they can adjust the production processes using the relationships to obtain an aggregate with pre-selected properties reducing mortar content, for example, by means of several crushing processes. This research has analyzed data from experimental works carried out in CEDEX and also from literature review. The results show that the main properties unfavourably affected by the attached mortar content are density, absorption and Los Angeles abrasion, and correlations between them and attached mortar content have been obtained and discussed in detail. (A) Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.

Influence of recycled concrete aggregates on strength properties of concrete

Abstract: Many structures in the middle-east’s Gulf region are now either reaching the end of their design life or were not constructed according to the specifications. Demolition or maintenance work on such structures results in large amount of concrete rubbles. Recycling concrete wastes will lead to reduction in valuable landfill space and savings in natural resources. The objective of this study is to investigate the strength of concrete made with recycled concrete coarse aggregate. The variables that are considered in the study include the source of the recycled concrete and target concrete strength. The toughness and soundness test results on the recycled coarse aggregate showed higher percentage loss than natural aggregate, but remained within the acceptable limits. The compressive and splitting tensile strengths of concrete made with recycled coarse aggregate depend on the mix proportions. In general, the strength of recycled concrete can be 10–25% lower than that of conventional concrete made with natural coarse aggregate.

Scrap-tyre-rubber replacement for aggregate and filler in concrete

Abstract: In this research the performance of concrete mixtures incorporating 5%, 7.5% and 10% of discarded tyre rubber as aggregate and cement replacements was investigated. Numerous projects have been conducted on replacement of aggregates by crumb rubbers but scarce data are found on cementitious filler addition in the literature. Hence to examine characteristics of tyre crumb-containing concrete, two sets of concrete specimens were made. In the first set, different percentages by weight of chipped rubber were replaced for coarse aggregates and in the second set scrap-tyre powder was replaced for cement. Selected standard durability and mechanical test were performed and the results were analysed. The mechanical tests included compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength and modulus of elasticity. The durability tests included permeability and water absorption. The results showed that with up to 5% replacement, in each set, no major changes on concrete characteristics would occur, however, with further increase in replacement ratios considerable changes were observed.

Chloride binding of cement-based materials subjected to external chloride environment – A review

Abstract: This paper reviews the chloride binding of cement-based materials subjected to external chloride environments. Chloride ion exist either in the pore solution, chemically bound to the hydration products, or physically held to the surface of the hydration products. Chloride binding of cement-based material is very complicated and influenced by many factors, such as chloride concentration, cement composition, hydroxyl concentration, cation of chloride salt, temperature, supplementary cementing materials, carbonation, sulfate ions and electrical field etc. Four different types of binding isotherms, namely linear, Langmuir, Freundlich and BET binding isotherm have been proposed to describe the relationship between free and bound chloride, none of which can accurately express the relationships between free and bound chloride within the whole concentration range. Freundlich binding isotherm seems to be the most approximate one. However, some field data fit linear isotherm well. This may be ascribed to the leakage of hydroxyl ion. Many service life prediction models based on diffusion mechanism alone have been proposed during the past two decades. If chloride ion binding is not considered in the models, it underestimates the predicated service life.

Effect of nano-silica on rheology and fresh properties of cement pastes and mortars

Abstract: Amorphous nano-silica (nS) particles (0–2.5 wt%) by cement were incorporated in cement pastes and mortars, and their effect on the fresh state behaviour was analysed. Rheological tests showed that after 75 min from the mixing start, the mortar having 2.5 wt% nS shows insufficient flowability to allow its continuous monitoring in a Viskomat PC viscometer. The influence of nS content was better observed on yield stress when compared with plastic viscosity values (the first increased about 66.5% while the latter just increased 3.6%). With nS addition, spread, setting time and the moment to reach the maximum temperature decreased 33%, 60% and 51.3%, respectively, when compared with samples without nS. X-ray diffraction showed presence of calcium hydroxide after 9 h in the sample with 2.5 wt% nS. The air content increased 79% and apparent density decreased 2.4% when nS was added.

Influence of parent concrete on the properties of recycled aggregate concrete

Abstract: This paper discusses first the properties of recycled aggregates derived from parent concrete (PC) of three strengths, each of them made with three maximum sizes of aggregates. The relative physical and mechanical properties of fresh granite aggregate are discussed. Using these nine recycled aggregates, three strengths of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) were made and studied. Typical relationship between water–cement ratio, compressive strength, aggregate-cement ratio and cement content have been formulated for RAC and compared with those of PC. RAC requires relatively lower water–cement ratio as compared to PC to achieve a particular compressive strength. The difference in strength between PC and RAC increases with strength of concrete. The relative evaluation of tensile and flexural strengths and modulus of elasticity has also been made.

Properties of sustainable concrete containing fly ash, slag and recycled concrete aggregate

Abstract: The suitability of using more “sustainable” concrete for wind turbine foundations and other applications involving large quantities of concrete was investigated. The approach taken was to make material substitutions so that the environmental, energy and CO 2 - impact of concrete could be reduced. This was accomplished by partial replacement of cement with large volumes of fly ash or blast furnace slag and by using recycled concrete aggregate. Five basic concrete mixes were considered. These were: (1) conventional mix with no material substitutions, (2) 50% replacement of cement with fly ash, (3) 50% replacement of cement with blast furnace slag, (4) 70% replacement of cement with blast furnace slag and (5) 25% replacement of cement with fly ash and 25% replacement with blast furnace slag. Recycled concrete aggregate was investigated in conventional and slag-modified concretes. Properties investigated included compressive and tensile strengths, elastic modulus, coefficient of permeability and durability in chloride and sulphate solutions. It was determined that the mixes containing 50% slag gave the best overall performance. Slag was particularly beneficial for concrete with recycled aggregate and could reduce strength losses. Durability tests indicated slight increases in coefficient of permeability and chloride diffusion coefficient when using recycled concrete aggregate. However, values remained acceptable for durable concrete and the chloride diffusion coefficient was improved by incorporation of slag in the mix. Concrete with 50% fly ash had relatively poor performance for the materials and mix proportions used in this study and it is recommended that such mixes be thoroughly tested before use in construction projects.

Influence of Activator on the Strength and Drying Shrinkage of Alkali-Activated Slag Mortar

Abstract: The development of new binders, as an alternative to traditional cement, by the alkaline activation of industrial by-products (i.e. ground granulated slag and fly ash) is an ongoing research topic in the scientific community [Puertas F, Amat T, Jimenez AF, Vazquez T. Mechanical and durable behaviour of alkaline cement mortars reinforced with polypropylene fibres. Cem Concr Res 2003;33(12): 2031–6]. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using and alkaline activated ground Turkish slag to produce a mortar without Portland cement (PC). Following the characterization of the slag, mortar specimens made with alkali-activated slag were prepared. Three different activators were used: liquid sodium silicate (LSS), sodium hydroxide (SH) and sodium carbonate (SC) at different sodium concentrations. Compressive and flexural tensile strength of alkali-activated slag mortar was measured at 7-days, 28-days and 3-months. Drying shrinkage of the mortar was measured up to 6-months. Setting times of the alkali-activated slag paste and PC paste were also measured. Setting times of LSS and SH activated slag pastes were found to be much slower than the setting time of PC paste. However, slag paste activated with SC showed similar setting properties to PC paste. LSS, SH and SC activated slag mortar developed 81, 29, and 36 MPa maximum compressive strengths, and 6.8, 3.8, and 5.3 MPa maximum flexural tensile strengths at 28-days. PC mortar developed 33 MPa compressive strength and 5.2 MPa flexural tensile strength. LSS and SH activated slag mortars were found to be more brittle than SC activated slag and PC mortars. Slag mortar made with LSS had a high drying shrinkage, up to six times that of PC mortar. Similarly, slag mortar made with SH had a shrinkage up to three times that of PC mortar. However, SC activated slag mortar had a lower or comparable shrinkage to PC mortar. Therefore, the use of SC as an activator for slag mortar is recommended, since it results in adequate strength, similar setting times to PC mortar and comparable or lower shrinkage.

Influence of mineral additions on the performance of 100% recycled aggregate concrete

Abstract: A judicious use of resources, by using by-products and waste materials, and a lower environmental impact, by reducing carbon dioxide emission and virgin aggregate extraction, allow to approach sustainable building development. Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) containing supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), if satisfactory concrete properties are achieved, can be an example of such sustainable construction materials. In this work concrete specimens were manufactured by completely replacing fine and coarse aggregates with recycled aggregates from a rubble recycling plant. Also RAC with fly ash (RA + FA) or silica fume (RA + SF) were studied. Concrete properties were evaluated by means of compressive strength and modulus of elasticity in the first experimental part. In the second experimental part, compressive and tensile splitting strength, dynamic modulus of elasticity, drying shrinkage, reinforcing bond strength, carbonation, chloride penetration were studied. Satisfactory concrete properties can be developed with recycled fine and coarse aggregates with proper selection and proportioning of the concrete materials.

Influence of aging on the evolution of structure, morphology and rheology of base and SBS modified bitumen

Abstract: The influence of aging on the evolution of structure, morphology and rheology of base bitumen and SBS modified binders was investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), respectively. Two laboratory simulation aging methods, named standard rolling thin film oven (RTFO) test and pressure aging vessel (PAV) test were applied in this study. The aging temperature of PAV was selected at 60 °C, which is considered to be consistent with the real high temperature within an asphalt pavement in the field. After aging, it was found that more carbonyl and sulphoxide groups but less chain segments of butadiene were available. With the oxidation of base bitumen and the degradation of SBS segments, obvious asphaltene micelles appeared in both binders, consistent with the changes of softening point and rheology of base bitumen and SBS modified binders.

Mechanical properties of brick aggregate concrete

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a research program carried out at University of Aveiro, Portugal to evaluate the properties of concrete made with crushed bricks replacing natural aggregates. Two types of brick were investigated. The bricks were crushed in order to obtain a usable aggregate. The properties investigated were the workability and the density of fresh concrete, and the compressive strength, tensile splitting strength, modulus of elasticity and stress–strain behaviour of hardened concrete. Replacement ratios of natural aggregates by 15% and 30% were investigated as well as water/cement ratios of 0.45 and 0.5. Strength indexes were used to assess the effectiveness of aggregate replacement. The results of concrete produced with recycled aggregates were compared with a reference concrete produced with natural limestone aggregates currently used in Portugal. Observed results indicate that ceramic residuals could be used as partial replacement of natural aggregates in concrete without reduction of concrete properties for 15% replacement and with reductions up to 20% for 30% replacement. The type and the manufacturing process of bricks seem to influence the properties of the resulting concrete. The properties and aesthetics of concrete with bricks indicate the possibility of using this type of concrete in precast applications.

Creep and shrinkage of recycled aggregate concrete

Abstract: This paper presents the results of experimental research into concrete produced by replacing the natural aggregates with recycled aggregates coming from construction waste and concrete work demolitions. The main aim of this work was to determine creep and shrinkage variations experienced in recycled concrete, made by replacing the main fraction of the natural aggregate with a recycled aggregate coming from waste concrete and comparing it to a control concrete. The substitution percentages were 20%, 50% and 100%. Fine natural aggregate was used in all cases and the amount of cement and water–cement ratio remained constant in the mixture. It was possible to state that the evolution of deformation by shrinkage and creep was similar to a conventional concrete, although the results after a period of 180 days showed the influence of the substitution percentage in the recycled aggregates present in the mixture. In the case when 100% coarse natural aggregate was replaced by recycled aggregate there was an increase in the deformations by creep of 51% and by shrinkage of 70% as compared to those experienced by the control concrete.

Properties of self-compacting concretes made with binary, ternary, and quaternary cementitious blends of fly ash, blast furnace slag, and silica fume

Abstract: Self-compacting concretes (SCCs) have brought a promising insight into the concrete industry to provide environmental impact and cost reduction. However, the use of ternary and especially quaternary cementitious blends of mineral admixtures have not found sufficient applications in the production of SCCs. For this purpose, an experimental study was conducted to investigate properties of SCCs with mineral admixtures. Moreover, durability based multi-objective optimization of the mixtures were performed to achieve an optimal concrete mixture proportioning. A total of 22 concrete mixtures were designed having a constant water/binder ratio of 0.44 and a total binder content of 450 kg/m3. The control mixture included only a Portland cement (PC) as the binder while the remaining mixtures incorporated binary, ternary, and quaternary cementitious blends of PC, fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (S), and silica fume (SF). Fresh properties of the SCCs were tested for slump flow diameter, slump flow time, L-box height ratio, and V-funnel flow time. Furthermore, the hardened properties of the concretes were tested for sorptivity, water permeability, chloride permeability, electrical resistivity, drying shrinkage, compressive strength, and ultrasonic pulse velocity. The results indicated that when the durability properties of the concretes were taken into account, the ternary use of S and SF provided the best performance.

Effects of nanoclay on rheological properties of bitumen binder

Abstract: Nanoclays are the new generation of processed clays of interest in a wide range of high performance composites. In other words, nanoclay is defined as clay that can be modified to make the clay complexes compatible with organic monomers and polymers. Here, it can be said that the polymeric nanocomposites are among the most exciting and promising classes of materials discovered recently. A number of physical properties can be enhanced successfully when as a polymer is modified with small amount of nanoclay on condition that the clay is dispersed at nanoscopic level. This research has accomplished a comparative rheological test on the unmodified and nanoclay modified bitumen. For that matter, so, two types of nanoclay were used: nanofil-15 and cloisite-15A. The nanostructure exfoliation of nanoclay platelets in bitumen has been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). In the present research, although the empirical rheological test on bitumen are penetration, softening point, ductility and ageing effect, the fundamental rheological test by dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) is conducted on modified and unmodified bitumen. Test results show that while nanoclay changes rheological properties of bitumen and increases stiffness, it also decreases angle phase and improves ageing resistances, as well.

Effect of waste marble dust content as filler on properties of self-compacting concrete

Abstract: Day by day, the amount of the marble dust (MD) as a waste material is significantly of increasing in Turkey. Therefore, the utilization of the waste MD in self-compacting concrete (SCC), as filler material, is the main objective of this study. Besides, the MD is used directly without attempting any additional process. Thus, this would be another advantage for this objective. For this purpose, MD has replaced binder of SCC at certain contents of 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 kg/m3. After then, slump-flow test, L-box test and V-funnel test are conducted on fresh concrete. Furthermore, compressive strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic velocity, porosity and compactness are determined at the end of 28 days for the hardened concrete specimens. The effect of waste MD usage as filler material on capillarity properties of SCC is also investigated. According to the test results, it is concluded that the workability of fresh SCC has not been affected up to 200 kg/m3 MD content. However, the mechanical properties of hardened SCC have decreased by using MD, especially just above 200 kg/m3 content.

Mechanical properties of reactive powder concrete containing mineral admixtures under different curing regimes

Abstract: Mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength, and toughness) of reactive powder concrete (RPC) produced with class-C fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) were investigated under different curing conditions (standard, autoclave and steam curing) in this study. Test results indicate that, compressive strength of RPC increased considerably after steam and autoclaving compared to the standard curing. On the other hand, it was observed that steam and autoclave curing decreased the flexural strength and toughness. Increasing the GGBFS and/or FA content improved the toughness of RPC under all curing regimes considerably. Furthermore, SEM micrographs revealed dense microstructure of RPC.

Influence of coating recycled aggregate surface with pozzolanic powder on properties of recycled aggregate concrete

Abstract: A two-stage crushing process was utilized to produce recycled aggregate (RA). The slump of concrete mixes prepared by technique of stone enveloped with pozzolanic powder (SEPP) was compared with those using normal mixing approach (NMA) or stone enveloped with portland cement (SEPC) approach. After 7 and 28 days curing, the compressive and flexural strengths were tested. The slump and strength results indicate that the new mixing technique contributes significantly to better workability and higher compressive and flexural strengths. The interfacial transition zone of recycled aggregate concrete was observed by a scanning electro microscope (SEM). The SEM results verify that the new mixing technique benefits to a denser interfacial transition zone.

Utilization of bagasse ash as a pozzolanic material in concrete

Abstract: The physical properties of concrete containing ground bagasse ash (BA) including compressive strength, water permeability, and heat evolution, were investigated. Bagasse ash from a sugar factory was ground using a ball mill until the particles retained on a No. 325 sieve were less than 5wt%. They were then used as a replacement for Type I Portland cement at 10, 20, and 30wt% of binder. The water to binder (W/B) ratio and binder content of the concrete were held constant at 0.50 and 350 kg/m3, respectively. The results showed that, at the age of 28 days, the concrete samples containing 10–30% ground bagasse ash by weight of binder had greater compressive strengths than the control concrete (concrete without ground bagasse ash), while the water permeability was lower than the control concrete. Concrete containing 20% ground bagasse ash had the highest compressive strength at 113% of the control concrete. The water permeability of concrete decreased as the fractional replacement of ground bagasse ash was increased. For the heat evolution, the maximum temperature rise of concrete containing ground bagasse ash was lower than the control concrete. It was also found that the maximum temperature rise of the concrete was reduced 13, 23, and 33% as compared with the control concrete when the cement was replaced by ground bagasse ash at 10, 20, and 30wt% of binder, respectively. The results indicate that ground bagasse ash can be used as a pozzolanic material in concrete with an acceptable strength, lower heat evolution, and reduced water permeability with respect to the control concrete.

Characteristics of mortar and concrete containing fine aggregate manufactured from recycled waste polyethylene terephthalate bottles

Abstract: This paper presents the development of lightweight aggregate concrete using fine aggregate that is manufactured from recycled waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Investigations on waste PET lightweight aggregate concrete included three phases: examination of the properties of waste PET lightweight aggregates (WPLA), analysis of the properties of mortar when WPLA was used as fine aggregate, and analysis of the properties of concrete when WPLA was used as fine aggregate. The results of the first phase showed that the WPLA had a density of 1390 kg/m3, a water absorption of 0% and a bulk density of 844 kg/m3. WPLA fineness modulus (F.M.), however, was 4.11, which is higher than the F.M. of river sand. This is because the WPLA was single graded. The results of the second phase showed that for the mortar, in which the WPLA was used as a fine aggregate, the flow value increased, while the compressive strength decreased proportionally to the addition of WPLA with elapsed time. In addition, the amount of water absorption by unit area was higher than for the control mortar (without WPLA) when the WPLA content was either 40% or 60%. For the third phase, the results showed that the slump of the WPLA concrete increased as the WPLA content increased regardless of the water-cement ratio (W/C). In comparison to the control concrete, the 28-day WPLA concrete compressive strength decreased by 5%, 15% and 30%, with an increase of WPLA content of 25%, 50% and 75%, respectively. In addition, for a W/C of 0.49, the structural efficiency (compressive strength/density ratio) of the concrete containing 25% of WPLA was higher than that for the control concrete.

Use of low CaO unprocessed steel slag in concrete as fine aggregate

Abstract: Steel slag, which is produced locally in great amounts, has a negative impact on the environment when disposed. Local steel slag has a low CaO content and has no pozzolanic activity. In this research, local unprocessed steel slag is introduced in concrete mixes. Various mixes with compressive strength ranging from 25 to 45 MPa are studied. The slag is used as fine aggregate replacing the sand in the mixes, partly or totally. Ratios of 0%, 15%, 30%, 50% and 100% are used. Depending on the grade of concrete, the compressive strength is improved when steel slag is used for low sand replacement ratios (up to 30%). When optimum values are used, the 28-day tensile strength of concrete is improved by 1.4–2.4 times and the compressive strength is improved by 1.1–1.3 times depending on the replacement ratio and the grade of concrete. The best results are obtained for replacement ratios of 30–50% for tensile strength and 15–30% for compressive strength. Therefore, the use of steel slag in concrete would enhance the strength of concrete, especially tensile strength, provided the correct ratio is used.

Effect of calcination temperature on the pozzolanic activity of sugar cane bagasse ash

Abstract: This work presents the results of the processing of sugar cane bagasse ash (SCBA) under controlled calcination conditions in order to obtain materials with optimum pozzolanic activity. Bagasse samples were burnt in an aired electric oven with a heating rate of 10 °C/min, at 350 °C for 3 h, and at different temperatures ranging from 400 to 800 °C for another 3 h. For all calcination temperatures the pozzolanic activity, structural state of silica and loss on ignition of the ashes were determined. Moreover, the SCBA with greater pozzolanicity was characterized by using chemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, density, specific surface area and chemical reactivity.

Use of palm oil fuel ash as a supplementary cementitious material for producing high-strength concrete

Abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate the use of ground palm oil fuel ash with high fineness (GPA) as a pozzolanic material to produce high-strength concrete. Samples were made by replacing Type I Portland cement with various proportions of GPA. Properties such as the compressive strength, drying shrinkage, water permeability, and sulfate resistance, were then investigated. After aging for 28 days, the compressive strengths of these concrete samples were found to be in the range of 59.5–64.3 MPa. At 90-day the compressive strength of concrete containing GPA 20% was as high as 70 MPa. The drying shrinkage and water permeability were lower than those of high-strength concrete made from Type I Portland cement. When the concrete samples were immersed in a 10% MgSO 4 solution for 180 days, the sulfate resistance in terms of the expansion and loss of compressive strength was improved. The results indicated that GPA is a reactive pozzolanic material and can be used as a supplementary cementitious material for producing high-strength concrete.

Use of crumb rubber to improve thermal and sound properties of pre-cast concrete panel

Abstract: In this study, the thermal and sound properties of crumb rubber concrete panel were investigated. The crumb rubber from used tires, produced in a local recycling plant, was used to replace fine aggregate at ratios of 10%, 20% and 30%. Properties such as thermal conductivity, thermal resistivity, heat transfer, conductance value, sound absorption at different frequency and noise reduction were investigated. Results indicated that crumb rubber concrete panel was not only lighter but had higher sound absorption and lower heat transfer properties than the conventional concrete panel.

Properties of concrete prepared with crushed fine stone, furnace bottom ash and fine recycled aggregate as fine aggregates

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a study to compare the properties of concretes prepared with the use river sand, crushed fine stone (CFS), furnace bottom ash (FBA), and fine recycled aggregate (FRA) as fine aggregates. Two methods were used to design the concrete mixes: (i) fixed water–cement ratio (W/C) and (ii) fixed slump ranges. The investigation included testing of compressive strength, drying shrinkage and resistance to chloride-ion penetration of the concretes. The test results showed that, at fixed water–cement ratios, the compressive strength and the drying shrinkage decreased with the increase in the FBA content. FRA decreased the compressive strength and increased the drying shrinkage of the concrete. However, when designing the concrete mixes with a fixed slump value, at all the test ages, when FBA was used as the fine aggregates to replace natural aggregates, the concrete had higher compressive strength, lower drying shrinkage and higher resistance to the chloride-ion penetration. But the use of FRA led to a reduction in compressive strength but increase in shrinkage values. The results suggest that both FBA and FRA can be used as fine aggregates for concrete production.

Acoustic emission behavior of steel fibre reinforced concrete under bending

Abstract: The present paper describes the acoustic emission (AE) behavior of concrete under four-point bending. Steel fibres of varying content were used as reinforcement in concrete slabs and their influence on the fracture process and the acoustic activity was investigated. The total acoustic emission (AE) activity was found to be directly proportional to the fibre content. Analysis revealed that particular AE parameters change monotonically with the progress of damage and can be used for the characterization of the failure process.

Prediction of compressive strength of SCC and HPC with high volume fly ash using ANN

Abstract: An artificial neural network (ANN) is presented to predict a 28-day compressive strength of a normal and high strength self compacting concrete (SCC) and high performance concrete (HPC) with high volume fly ash. The ANN is trained by the data available in literature on normal volume fly ash because data on SCC with high volume fly ash is not available in sufficient quantity. Further, while predicting the strength of HPC the same data meant for SCC has been used to train in order to economise on computational effort. The compressive strengths of SCC and HPC as well as slump flow of SCC estimated by the proposed neural network are validated by experimental results.

Effect of organo-montmorillonite on aging properties of asphalt

Abstract: Effects of organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) on thermo-oxidative and ultraviolet (UV) aging properties of asphalt were investigated. The results show that the viscosity aging index (VAI) and softening point increment (Δ S ) of OMMT modified asphalt decrease significantly due to introduction of OMMT, and the ductility retention rate of the modified asphalt is also evidently higher than that of the pristine asphalt after thin-film oven test (TFOT) and pressure aging vessel (PAV) aging. In the meantime, both VAI and Δ S of the modified asphalt are obviously lower than that of the pristine asphalt after UV aging. Furthermore, compared with the pristine asphalt, the results of dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) testing exhibit smaller changes in rut factor ( G */sin δ ) after TFOT and lower fatigue factor ( G *sin δ ) after PAV for the modified asphalt, which suggests that the effect of thermo-oxidative aging on dynamic rheological behaviors of the modified asphalt is restrained due to introduction of OMMT.

Electrical conductivity of asphalt mortar containing conductive fibers and fillers

Abstract: The objective of this research is to examine the conductivity of asphalt mortar through the addition of electrically conductive fillers and fibers: graphite and steel wool, and prove that this material can be heated with induction energy. The effect of fibers content, sand–bitumen ratio and the combination of fillers and fibers on the resistivity of asphalt mortar was investigated. It was found that the percolation threshold happened sooner by adding electrically conductive fibers than by adding fillers. Percolation threshold was also found to be function of the sand–bitumen ratio and of the volume of fibers content. There is an optimum content of fibers for each sand–bitumen ratio, above which it is difficult to make the mixture and the electrical resistivity increases exponentially. Besides, in case of adding conductive fillers or a mixture of conductive fibers and fillers to the mastic, once the maximum conductivity is reached, it remains constant, independently of the volume of conductive filler added. Nano CT-scan (computed axial tomography) reconstructions were also used to visualize the fibers connected inside the mixture. Finally, to validate the research, three different samples were induction heated and their temperature variation was measured.

Preparation of load-bearing building materials from autoclaved phosphogypsum

Abstract: Previous studies have been carried out on calcined phosphogypsum (PG) for making the building materials. The present study was focused on autoclaved PG and its use in making load-bearing wall bricks. Autoclaved PG was prepared from original waste PG with steam pre-treatment. The crystalline phase, morphology, and thermal characteristics of original waste PG and autoclaved PG were investigated by XRD, SEM, and SDT. Then bricks of the size of Chinese standard brick were prepared from different types of PG in the PG-fly ash–lime–sand system. Results showed that the compressive strength of bricks from autoclaved PG by lower-pressure steam of 0.12 MPa, 120 °C for 16 h was much higher. The flexural strength and compressive strength of the bricks could reach 4.0 MPa and 15.0 MPa, respectively. The durability of the bricks was investigated by 15 freezing–thawing cycles at temperatures from −20 °C to 20 °C, and the weight loss was only 0.029% after all of cycles. Hemihydrates (CaSO4 · 0.5H2O) were dehydrated products from dihydrates in original PG with lower-pressure steam treatment, and hemihydrates were susceptible to absorbing the humidity and were transformed into densified re-crystallization gypsum (CaSO4 · 2H2O) that contributed to the final strength of bricks. Microstructural characteristics of bricks were investigated by XRD and SEM. Tobermorite was the significant hydrated product, which contributed to the strength of bricks. The use of autoclaved PG for making load-bearing wall bricks was recommended instead of conventional burnt clay bricks.