Other Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Development Of Cost-Effective High-Modulus Asphalt Concrete (Hmac) Mixtures Using Crumb Rubber And Local Construction Materials In Louisiana., Ibrahim A.I.E Elnaml

LSU Master's Theses

One of the emerging solutions to enhance the durability of asphalt pavements is the use of a French asphalt mix known as “High-Modulus Asphalt Concrete (HMAC).” This mix uses a hard asphalt binder, high binder content (about 6%), and low air voids content as compared to Superpave mixtures. The key objective of this study was to develop a cost-effective HMAC mixture using crumb rubber and local materials in Louisiana. To achieve this objective, four HMAC mixtures were prepared using two asphalt binders (PG 82-22 and PG 76-22 plus 10% crumb rubber) and two Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) contents (20% and …

Atomistic Thermo-Mechanical Description Of The Deformation Behavior, Scaling Laws, And Constitutive Modeling Of Nanoporous Gold, Mohammed Hassan Yousef Saffarini

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Metallic foams, or nanoporous (NP) metals as it is widely referred to in literature, with ligament sizes up to a few tens of nm show exceptional mechanical properties such as high strength and stiffness per weight ratio under different loading scenarios due to their high surface area to solid volume ratio. Therefore, they can be utilized in a wide range of applications making them of great interest to researchers. While their elasticity and yield strength have been the subject of several studies, very limited attention was given to the effect of size, strain rate, and temperature on the material plastic …

Mitigating Reflective Cracking Through The Use Of A Ductile Concrete Interlayer, Qian Zhang, Mohammad Khattak, Adway Das

Publications

Reflective cracking is considered one of the most important issues that causes premature deterioration of composite pavements. Many types of mitigation methods have been studied in the past. However, they are either not effective in delaying the reflective cracking, or they only extend the service life by a few years. To address this critical issue and significantly extend the service life of the composite pavement, in this research, a ductile interlayer made of engineered cementitious composites (ECC) was proposed. It was hypothesized that by adding a thin layer of highly ductile ECC material between the existing pavement and overlay, reflective …

Elimination Of Empirical, Ineffective And Expensive Pg Plus Tests To Characterize Modified Binders, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed, Mm Tariq Morshed, Mohammad Hassan

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18BASU02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"For characterizing the polymer modified binders, different state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) use different time consuming and empirical Performance Grade (PG) Plus test methods. Furthermore, the PG Plus tests are silent when asphalt binders are modified with chemicals such as polyphosphoric acid (PPA). But, the effects of the elastomeric or plastomeric polymer are not accurately identified through these conventional tests such as Elastic Recovery (ER) and tenacity. Thus, the main research goal of this study is to recommend alternative test method(s), which …

Self-Healing Concrete Using Encapsulated Bacterial Spores In A Simulated Hot Subtropical Climate, Marwa Hassan, Jose Milla, Tyson Rupnow, Ahsennur Soysal

Publications

Bacterial concrete has become one of the most promising self-healing alternatives due to its capability to seal crack widths through microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP). In this study, two bacterial strains were embedded at varying dosages (by weight of cement) in concrete. Beam specimens were used to identify the maximum crack-sealing efficiency, while cylinder samples were used to determine their effects on the intrinsic mechanical properties, as well as its stiffness recovery over time after inducing damage. The concrete specimens were cured in wet-dry cycles to determine their feasibility in Region 6. The results showed that the specimen groups with …

Elimination Of Empirical, Ineffective And Expensive Pg Plus Tests To Characterize Modified Binders, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed, Mm Tariq Morshed, Mohammad Hassan

Publications

For characterizing the polymer modified binders, different state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) use different time consuming and empirical Performance Grade (PG) Plus test methods. Furthermore, the PG Plus tests are silent when asphalt binders are modified with chemicals such as polyphosphoric acid (PPA). But, the effects of the elastomeric or plastomeric polymer are not accurately identified through these conventional tests such as Elastic Recovery (ER) and tenacity. Thus, the main research goal of this study is to recommend alternative test method(s), which can possibly be pursued by using a commonly available device, a Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR). Three PG binders …

Use Of Rice Husk Ash (Rha) In Flowable Fill Concrete Mix Material, Zahid Hossain, Kazi Tamzidul Islam

Publications

In the way of finding sustainable development, the flowable fill is a relatively new construction technology. Flowable fill is a self-compacting material, which has been developed in recent years. Flowable fill has been used for different applications such as backfilling walls, sewer trenches, bridge abutments, conduit trenches, pile excavations, and retaining walls. This study examines the potential uses of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as a sustainable cementitious material (SCM) in the preparation of flowable fill concrete. (RHA is an agricultural by-product of the rice milling process. This study has evaluated the usage of RHA in producing low strength and self-consolidating …

Use Of Bagasse Ash As A Concrete Additive For Road Pavement Application, Gabriel Arce, Marwa Hassan, Maria Gutierrez, Michele Barbato

Publications

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) as a partial replacement of cement in concrete for road pavement application. The study explored the pozzolanic activity of SCBA produced from three different processing methodologies (i.e., raw SCBA, controlled SCBA and post-processed SCBA). The experimental results revealed that SCBA produced by the controlled burning of sugarcane bagasse fiber (SBF) at 650°C and grinding (C-650), presented the maximum pozzolanic activity. However, this SCBA production process was deemed challenging for large-scale industrial application due to low SCBA yield (i.e., 3 to 6%). On the other hand, …

Concentration Flow Cells For Efficient Salinity Energy Recovery With Carbonized Peat Moss And Molybdenum Disulfide Electrodes, Haihui Zhu

LSU Master's Theses

The globally extractable salinity gradient (SG) energy from the mixing of seawater and river water is estimated to be 3% of worldwide electricity consumption. Here we applied carbonized peat moss (CPM) electrodes and molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) electrodes to a concentration flow cell that is capable of harvesting SG energy based on the electrode (pseudo-)capacitance together with the Donnan potential. The CPM electrodes were made from the visually inexhaustible peat moss by a facile pyrolysis process. With two identical CPM electrodes and a cation-exchange membrane, the cell produced a peak power density of 5.33 W m^-2 and an …

Enhancing The Durability And The Service Life Of Asphalt Pavements Through Innovative Light-Induced Self-Healing Materials, Marwa Hassan

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17BLSU02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a new generation of Ultraviolet (UV) light-induced self-healing polymers in enhancing the durability and self-healing properties of asphalt mixtures. Self-healing polymers were successfully synthesized in the laboratory and were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) results showed that the synthesized polymers achieved the required thermal stability to resist asphalt mixture production processes. Viscosity results showed that addition of 5% Recycled Asphalt Shingle (RAS) and/or 20% …

Development Of A Self-Healing And Rejuvenating Mechanisms For Asphalt Mixtures Containing Recycled Asphalt Shingle, Marwa Hassan

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17BLSU06. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that hollow-fibers encapsulating a rejuvenator product could improve both self-healing, rejuvenation, and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. Hollow-fibers containing a rejuvenating product were synthesized via a wet spinning procedure with sodium-alginate polymer as the encapsulating material. An optimization of the production parameters for the synthesis of fibers was performed to develop fibers suitable for high-temperature and shear stress environment typical of asphalt mixture production. A self-healing experiment was conducted to evaluate the …

Integrated Health Monitoring And Reinforcement Of Transportation Structures With Optimized Low-Cost Multifunctional Braided Cables, Ibrahim Karaman, Darren Hartl

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17STTAM04. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Corresponding data set for The objective of this research study is to design, fabricate, and characterize multifunctional high strength and self-sensing braided cables and structures using novel Fe-based shape memory alloys (SMAs). The system exploits unique properties of recently developed low-cost super-elastic FeMnAlNi SMAs, which enables excellent super-elastic properties, high strength, and self-sensing in structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. This novel material technology can be coupled with modeling efforts that allow for accurate prediction of both the materials and structural response during …

Development Of A Self-Powered Structural Health Monitoring System For Transportation Infrastructure, Aydin Karsilaya, Samer Dessouky, Athanassios Papagiannakis

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17PTAM03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Roadways and bridges play an important role in the economic and social health of society by connecting commerce and people. Economic growth and population expansion pose considerable burden on the aging infrastructure (i.e., pavements and bridges). There is a pressing need to develop structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies capable of collecting infrastructure utilization data. Doing so inexpensively with self-powered systems will revolutionize infrastructure monitoring technology, and will improve decision making enabling roadway and bridge preservation. In this study, a self-powered battery-less structural …

Use Of Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (Uhp-Frc) For Fast And Sustainable Repair Of Pavements, Shih-Ho Chao

Publications

This research presents a new methodology, which enables streets, roads, highways, bridges, and airfields to use an advanced fiber-reinforced concrete material, which can delay or prevent the deterioration of these transportation infrastructure when subjected to traffic and environmental loadings. The major problem of concrete is its considerable deterioration and limited service life due to its brittleness and limited durability. As a result, it requires frequent repair and eventual replacement, which consumes more natural resources. Ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC) introduces significant enhancement in the sustainability of concrete structures due to its dense microstructure and damage-tolerance characteristics. These characteristics can significantly reduce …

A Comprehensive Reliability-Based Framework For Corrosion Damage Monitoring And Repair Design Of Reinforced Concrete Structures, Homero Castaneda, Aydin Karsilaya, Ayman Okeil, Mahmoud Reda Taha

Publications

In this work, we developed a comprehensive framework for corrosion management of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. This framework includes critical steps of an effective approach to quantify the damage evolution as well as providing the timeframe for effective maintenance/repair strategies for corrosion assessment in RC structures. The framework included several activities including the use of indirect and direct inspection tools, theoretical development for damage prediction, experimental measurements and theoretical development of repair time based on reliability. The uniqueness of the framework is the integration of deterministic modeling of corrosion damage evolution by using mechanistic analysis with statistical modeling on corrosion …

Evaluation Of Comparative Damaging Effects Of Multiple Truck Axles For Flexible Pavements, Stefan Romanoschi, Athanassios Papagiannakis

Publications

This study aims at evaluating the effect of overlapping flexible pavement strain responses from truck axles that are not part of multiple axle configurations (i.e., tandem, triple and quad). For this purpose, a newly constructed pavement was instrumented with strain gauges installed at the bottom of the asphalt concrete base layer on US-287 south of Mansfield, TX. This pavement structure is typically used for medium- to high-volume roads in the South-Central region of the United States. The strain gauges were used to measure longitudinal and transverse strains under several passes of a test vehicle. This was a class 6 truck …

Self-Healing Microcapsules As Concrete Aggregates For Corrosion Inhibition In Reinforced Concrete, Homero Castaneda, Marwa Hassan, Miladin Radovic, Jose Milla

Publications

Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures are vital to the US’s civil infrastructure for their strength and versatility. Unfortunately, RC elements deteriorate rapidly when exposed to corrosive environments. One possible solution is to extend the life of RC elements and systems using microencapsulated corrosion inhibitors to reduce the rebar corrosion rate. The capsules house an anodic corrosion inhibitor agent including calcium nitrate (CN) and triethanolamine (TEA). The integration of such microencapsulated materials will enhance the durability and extend the useful life by controlling the corrosion precursors and the corrosion process during damage evolution. Therefore, this work aims to develop and characterize the …

Use Of Rice Hull Ash (Rha) As A Sustainable Source Of Construction Material, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed

Publications

With the imminent shortage of natural resources, the need to find sustainable development is the highest in recent history. Therefore, this study examines the potential uses of Rice Hull Ash (RHA) as a sustainable cementitious material (SCM) in preparation of concrete. This study also assesses the use of RHA as an alternative of commonly used polymers in preparing high-grade asphalt binders. RHA is a potential sustainable solution because it is currently being treated as an agricultural waste material, yet its high silica content makes it a potential construction material. Three different sizes of RHA (600 µm, 150 µm, and 44 …

Development Of A Self-Healing And Rejuvenating Mechanisms For Asphalt Mixtures Containing Recycled Asphalt Shingle, Marwa Hassan

Publications

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that hollow-fibers encapsulating a rejuvenator product could improve both self-healing, rejuvenation, and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. Hollow-fibers containing a rejuvenating product were synthesized via a wet spinning procedure with sodium-alginate polymer as the encapsulating material. An optimization of the production parameters for the synthesis of fibers was performed to develop fibers suitable for high-temperature and shear stress environment typical of asphalt mixture production. A self-healing experiment was conducted to evaluate the healing/rejuvenation capabilities of sodium-alginate fibers in asphalt mixtures with varying types of binders and recycled materials. Based on …

Evaluation Of The Performance And Cost-Effectiveness Of Engineered Cementitious Composites (Ecc) Produced From Region 6 Local Materials, Gabriel Andres Arce Amador, Tyson Rupnow, Marwa Hassan

Publications

The project objective is to develop cost-effective Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) with locally available ingredients in Region 6 to address the deficiencies observed in ordinary concrete materials. The study explored the utilization of two types of river sands (coarse and fine), two types of PVA fibers (long and short), four levels of cement replacement with Class F fly ash, and the implementation of recycled crumb rubber in the performance of ECC materials. A total of 24 mix designs were prepared and evaluated in compression, tension, and bending to assess its mechanical properties. Furthermore, the cracking characteristics of the materials produced …

Enhancing The Durability And The Service Life Of Asphalt Pavements Through Innovative Light-Induced Self-Healing Materials, Marwa Hassan

Publications

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a new generation of Ultraviolet (UV) light-induced selfhealing polymers in enhancing the durability and self-healing properties of asphalt mixtures. Self-healing polymers were successfully synthesized in the laboratory and were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) results showed that the synthesized polymers achieved the required thermal stability to resist asphalt mixture production processes. Viscosity results showed that addition of 5% Recycled Asphalt Shingle (RAS) and/or 20% Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) caused an increase in the viscosity of the binder blends. However, a reduction in …

Bridge Deck Overlays Using Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Craig Newtson, Brad Weldon

Publications

This study investigated the use of a locally produced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as an alternative to typical overlay materials. Several bond strength tests including slant-shear, splitting tension, and direct tension tests were performed to assess the bond strength between UHPC and normal strength concrete (NSC) substrate with varying surface textures. Tests were also conducted to assess the early-age and longer-term shrinkage behavior and coefficient of thermal expansion of the UHPC as well as rapid chloride permeability testing. Good bond between UHPC and NSC substrate was observed even with inadequate surface texture. Combined shrinkage and thermal effects were investigated for …