Structural Materials Commons^™

Leveraging Biomimicry And Additive Manufacturing To Improve Load Transfer In Brittle Materials, Ana Paula Bernardo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the emergence of Additive Manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing) in construction, new strategically designed shapes can be created to improve load transfer through structural members and foundations. Cross-sections can be optimized to carry load using less material, or even using weaker constituent materials, like soils, which are cheap and abundant. The goal of this research is to investigate the benefits of using cellular patterns which leverage biomimicry in civil engineering applications, since nature has perfectly engineered materials and patterns which carry loads with the least amount of material possible. Most of the periodic cellular work to date has focused on …

Application Of Percentage Within Limits Concepts On A Balanced Mix Design Of Asphalt Mixtures, Elvis Alexander Castillo Camarena

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many agencies have incorporated rutting, and more recently cracking, laboratory test requirements in the design process of asphalt mixtures. The objective of each additional specification is to produce a balance between the stability and durability of the final product. Although a performance-engineered mixture design (PEMD), denoted here as a balanced mix design (BMD), offers compelling benefits, there is concern regarding the compatibility of the BMD with current construction practices. The objective of this work is to correlate a BMD method with realistic binder content construction tolerances by applying the concepts of a percent-within-limits (PWL) approach to field QC/QA. First, Chapter …

Development Of Bragg Fiber Sensor For Corrosion Detection, Cai Hui Tan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Steel corrosion has posed one of the major structural defects in the civil society today. Conventional methods for corrosion monitoring involve high maintenance cost and destructive methods with low accuracy. Recently, Fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) sensor with its high sensitivity in measuring strain and temperature have been widely studied and used in structural health monitoring (SHM). A non-destructive corrosion detection approach based on FBG sensors was developed and tested to monitor corrosion in this research work. The principle of FBG sensing is based on Bragg wavelength shifts that from the corrosion process that induced strain on the FBG due to …

Engineering Properties And Microstructural Characteristics Of Cement And Geopolymer Based Mortars Using Nontraditional Supplementary Cementitious Materials, Mathialagan Sumesh

Student Works (2020-2029)

The concrete repair and rehabilitation industry grows rapidly due to deterioration, damage and defects in concrete structures. For various reasons, the concrete construction industry is not sustainable; because it consumes huge quantities of virgin materials, the usage of Portland cement as prime binder. The production of cement is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the high cost of commercial repair material. Therefore, it is necessary to develop cost-effective alternative repair materials for concrete repairs. There have been many standard repair materials available in the market, which are costly and not affordable to common people. However, research works …

Automatic Delamination Segmentation For Bridge Deck Based On Encoder-Decoder Deep Learning Through Uav-Based Thermography, Chongsheng Cheng, Zhexiong Shang, Zhigang Shen

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

Concrete deck delamination often demonstrates strong variations in size, shape, and temperature distribution under the influences of outdoor weather conditions. The strong variations create challenges for pure analytical solutions in infrared image segmentation of delaminated areas. The recently developed supervised deep learning approach demonstrated the potentials in achieving automatic segmentation of RGB images. However, its effectiveness in segmenting thermal images remains under-explored. The main challenge lies in the development of specific models and the generation of a large range of labeled infrared images for training. To address this challenge, a customized deep learning model based on encoder-decoder architecture is proposed …

Analysis Of Burning Wood In The Transient State And The Application To Structural Design, Roberta Veliz, Kimberly Guzman

Architectural Engineering

Determining the extent of the contribution of exposed timber on compartment fire dynamics in open floor plans is a complex process. Designers traditionally used compartmentalization design methods which create spaces where flashover is likely, given the fuel load and ventilation conditions. However, due to the large geometric dimensions and spread of fuel, fires in open floor plans are more likely to remain as localized or traveling fires. As such, an understanding of not only ignition potential but also flame spread is critical to characterizing the contribution of exposed timber. An integral step in characterizing the potential contribution is through an …

Prediction Of Flotation Efficiency Of Metal Sulfides Using An Original Hybrid Machine Learning Model, Rachel Cook, Keitumetse Cathrine Monyake, Muhammad Badar Hayat, Aditya Kumar, Lana Alagha

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Froth flotation process is extensively used for selective separation of base metal sulfides from uneconomic mineral resources. Reliable prediction of process outcomes (metal recovery and grade) is vital to ensure peak performance. This work employs an innovative hybrid machine learning (ML) model—constructed by combining the random forest model and the firefly algorithm—to predict froth flotation efficiency of galena and chalcopyrite in relation to various experimental process parameters. The hybrid model's prediction performance was rigorously evaluated and compared against four different standalone ML models. The outcomes of this study illustrate that the hybrid ML model has the prediction ability to process …

Development Of Multi-Axial Fatigue Retrofits For Lock Gate Components, Logan Verkamp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lock gates are essential infrastructure components to the United State (US) supply chain. They create large cost savings and environmental benefits when compared with traditional methods of transport (freight and rail). Because of the large quantity of goods and dependence on these shipping chains, the US economy can be drastically affected by an unexpected gate closure. Unfortunately, many lock gates within the US have reached or exceeded their designed life. Due to the intensity of cyclic loads and the environment, fatigue cracks have become a prominent issue. Developed cracks near the pintle region (a joint which the gate rotates and …

Spherical Cavity Expansion Approach For The Study Of Rigid-Penetrator’S Impact Problems, Mario Buchely, Alejandro Marañon

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In recent years, Spherical Cavity Expansion (SCE) theory has been extensively utilized to model dynamic deformation processes related to indentation and penetration problems in many fields. In this review, the SCE theory is introduced by explaining the different mathematical features of this theory, its solution, and a potential application to model the penetration of a rigid penetrator into a deformable target. First, a chronologically literature review of the most common models used to study this kind of penetration problems is introduced, focusing on the SCE theory. Then, the engineering model of penetration is presented using the SCE approach. The model …

Performance Evaluation Of Lightweight Normal And Geopolymer Foamed Concrete Using Palm Oil Fuel Ash As Partial Replacement Of Binder, M .E. Alnahhal Ahmed

Student Works (2020-2029)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) have a detrimental effect on the environment and this had led many researchers to search for other alternatives in the form of sustainable cementitious materials. The depletion of natural resources and dumping the industrial by-products and waste materials are serious concern to our environment. This research focusses on the performance of using a palm oil industrial by-product, namely, palm oil fuel ash (POFA), as a partial replacement for OPC and fly ash (FA) in lightweight normal foamed concrete and lightweight geopolymer foamed concrete, respectively. Thus, using 10, 20, and 30% POFA …

Macro - And Microstructure Evaluation And Field Applications Of Concrete With Recycled Glass Pozzolan, Marija Krstic

Dissertations and Theses

Concrete is the most used material in the world, second only to water. Conventional concrete is produced with Portland cement (PC). The production of cement is an energy intensive operation that has raised significant environmental concerns, since one ton of cement generates an equal ton of CO₂. In the USA about 90 million tons of cement are used annually, with 3 million tons used in New York. Most contemporary concrete applications for buildings and infrastructure use high-performance concrete (HPC) mixtures which are produced by replacing a percentage of cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), consisting mainly of fly-ash …

Time-Dependent Reliability Framework For Durability Design Of Frp Composites, Rajneesh Kumar Bharil

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The life-cycle performance, durability, and aging characteristics of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP or Structural Composites) have been of keen interest to the engineers engaged in the FRP design, construction, and manufacturing. Unlike conventional construction materials such as steel and concrete, the design guidelines to account for the aging of FRP are somewhat scattered or not available in an approved or consistent format. Loss of strength over time or aging of any structural material should be of concern to engineers as the in-service lifespan of many engineering structures is expected to exceed 100 years. Use of durability strength-reduction factors or factors …

Retrofit Of Corroded Corrugated Metal Culverts Using Gfrp Slip-Liner, Rahulreddy Chennareddy

Civil Engineering ETDs

Culverts are water conveyance structures, typically used to allow water flow and maintain a balance between the flow streams without interrupting structures such as highways and bridges. Corrugated metal pipes (CMPs) have been used as culverts in North America since the 1950s because of their low cost and simple construction method. Today, the corrosion of CMPs is a major problem faced by all U.S. Departments of Transportation. There is an urgent need to provide an efficient solution, one that is corrosion-resistant, to retrofit thousands of corroded CMPs across the country. High specific strength, high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance, …

Effect Of Incorporating Pottery And Bottom Ash As Partial Replacement Of Cement, Bassam A. Tayeh, Doha M. Alsaffar, Lawend K. Askar, Asmahan Issa Jubeh

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This study addressed the environmental constraints in cement produc­tion. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was replaced with pottery powder (PP, produced by grinding locally available pottery) and bottom ash (BA) at 10%, 20% and 30% of cement mass. Moreover, 4% calcium chloride solution (CaCl₂.2H₂O) was used as mixing water. Material properties, such as standard consistency, setting time and compressive strength, were measured with different percentages of OPC replacement with PP and BA. Results indicated that the replacement with PP and BA increased the water demand to achieve the standard consistency. These results revealed that the strength evolution …

Development Of A Mix Design Adjustment Method For Fiber Reinforced Concrete And Super High Performance Concrete Based On Excess Paste, Joe Malloy

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The main objective of this study was to develop a mix design adjustment method for Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) that would maintain appropriate workability while improving hardened concrete performance. A literature review was conducted to examine existing methods for adjusting mix designs to account for fiber introduction. It was found that while increasing fine aggregate and cement paste content can make up for lost workability with the addition of fibers, no rational mix design adjustment method is available. Reference mix designs from the Nevada Department of Transportation and the Nebraska Department of Transportation were used, and this study focused on …

Mandela Splash Pad Pre-Construction Plan, Levi Sandbulte

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

In the construction industry, it is the responsibility of the general contractor to take the architect’s ideas and turn it into a real building. Many times this requires ample communication and several drafts. This efficient execution of this process is vital to the completion of a successful project. In this project, I practice this communication process. The challenge presented by the owner is to build an affordable splash pad, and without impacting the construction schedule of the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) that is being built on the same property at the same time. This proposal gives the owner a …

The Application Of Gray-Scale Level-Set Method In Segmentation Of Concrete Deck Delamination Using Infrared Images, Chongsheng Cheng, Zhigang Shen

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

Conventional nondestructive delamination detection of concrete pavements through thermography is often based on temperature contrasts between delaminated and sound areas. Non-uniform backgrounds caused by the environmental conditions are often challenging for contrast-based methods to robustly differentiate the delaminated areas from the sound areas. Instead of focusing on the temperature contrast, this study proposes a temperature gradient-based level set method (LSM) to detect boundaries for delamination segmentations. A modified edge indicator function is developed to represent the normalized temperature gradient of a thermal image. The experimental study was conducted to evaluate its applicability and stability for boundary detection in terms of …

Micro-Mechanical Analysis Of Corrosion Products Formed During Long-Term Carbonation Induced Corrosion Of Steel, Marijana Serdar, Dubravka Bjegovic, Valérie L’Hostis, Stéphane Poyet, Damien Féron

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

During corrosion distinct types of corrosion products form, composed of different ratios of ferrous ions and oxide, hydroxides. Corrosion products have different physical and mechanical properties, mainly density, resistivity, volume and modulus of elasticity compared to iron. Knowing properties of corrosion products is indispensable for service life modelling of structures and can give valuable insight into the long-term corrosion propagation process. In this study micro-indentation method was used to evaluate mechanical properties of different layers formed during long-term carbonation induced corrosion of steel in concrete. Investigation was performed on three sets of reinforced concrete samples, that underwent corrosion during 50, …

Development Of Engineered Cementitious Composites With Conductive Inclusions For Use In Self-Sensing Applications, Benny Suryanto Dr, Danah Saraireh Ms, Steven Walls Mr, Jaehwan Kim Dr, W John Mccarter Prof

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

The mechanical and a.c. electrical properties of a new varietal of engineered cementitious composite (ECC) incorporating conductive inclusions are presented. Electrical measurements were undertaken over a wide frequency range while curing and when under uniaxial tensile loading to study the influence of ongoing hydration and multiple microcrack formation on the composite electrical impedance. When presented in Nyquist format, the work shows that conductive inclusions reduce the bulk resistance of the composite while enhancing its polarizability, transforming the classic, single-arc bulk response of typical cement-based materials to a two-arc response. The bulk resistance was shown to increase with time and damage, …

Experimental And Numerical Investigation On The Irregularity Of Carbonation Depth Of Concrete Under Supercritical Condition, Hao Bao Masc, Min Yu Dr., Jianqiao Ye Dr., Lihua Xu Dr., Yin Chi Dr., J Ye

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

The heterogeneity of a cement-based material results in a random spatial distribution of carbonation depth, which may significantly affect the mechanical properties and durability of the material. Currently, there is a lack of both experimental and numerical investigations aiming at a statistical understanding of this important phenomenon. This paper presents both experimental and numerical supercritical carbonation test results of concrete blocks. The random fields of porosity and two-dimension random aggregate model of concrete were proposed for the simulation. The carbonation depths are measured and distributed along the carbonation boundary by the proposed rapid image processing technique, which are then statistically …

Guiding Principles In Developing The South African Approach To Durability Index Testing Of Concrete, Yunus Ballim, Mark Alexander

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Focused thinking on the possibility of early-age testing of concrete for long-term durability started in earnest during the late 1980’s in South Africa. Through sustained research, development and trial implementation on construction projects, three durability index (DI) tests have emerged, two of which have been adopted as national standard test methods for concrete construction, the remaining one being prepared a national standard. In this paper we review the guiding or foundational principles that directed the development of these DI tests, with a view to assessing the appropriateness and relevance of these guiding principles to modern concretes. The last 30 years …

The Influence Of Waste Glass Powder On The Chloride Binding Capacity Of Fly Ash/Cement Hardened Paste, Jh Yan, Tingyu Hao

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

The potential of using waste glass powder to increase the chloride binding capacity of fly ash/cement hardened paste was investigated. When only fly ash replacing cement, the chloride binding capacity was raised within 28d when the fly ash replacement level was in the range from 30-50% by mass. But at a longer age of 60 to 90d, the binding performance was increased at the replacement level of 10-30wt%. The chloride binding capacity of glass powder-fly ash-cement system was increased by adding glass powder of 2% and 4% by mass at 7d while those at larger addition and longer age reduced. …

Soil-Recycled Aggregate-Geopolymer Road Base/Subbase Mixtures: Steps Towards Sustainability, Mohammad Khattak, Daniel Odion

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18GTLSU10. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"This study deals with the development of Soil-Geopolymer mixtures using flyash, alkali activator and recycled aggregates (RAG) including recycled concrete (RCA) and reclaimed asphalt (RAP) as an alternative to soil-cement for pavement base and subbase layers. Several mix constituents were varied such as flyash type and content, RCA and RAP content and ratio of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide. Experiment design was established and mechanical and durability characteristics of Soil-RAG-Geopolymer mixtures were evaluated and then compared to the conventional soil-cement mixtures. The …

Reduction Of Structural Damage From The Thermal Expansion Of Concrete Using Multifunctional Materials, Darren Hartl, Mirmilad Mirsayar

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18STTAM01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"This study leveraged past successes in the analysis and design of shape memory alloy (SMA) components to address the issue of thermal expansion in concrete structures. Since the SMA used in the current work is relatively cheaper than other common SMAs (less than $50/lb compared to NiTi which is $200/lb due to difficulties in processing), it is anticipated that the findings of the study could be implemented in real infrastructures made of concrete, asphalt concrete, and other complex large infrastructure. Low-cost Fe-SMAs …

Reduction Of Structural Damage From The Thermal Expansion Of Concrete Using Multifunctional Materials, Darren Hartl, Mirmilad Mirsayar

Publications

This study leveraged past successes in the analysis and design of shape memory alloy (SMA) components to address the issue of thermal expansion in concrete structures. Since the SMA used in the current work is relatively cheaper than other common SMAs (less than $50/lb compared to NiTi which is $200/lb due to difficulties in processing), it is anticipated that the findings of the study could be implemented in real infrastructures made of concrete, asphalt concrete, and other complex large infrastructure. Low-cost Fe-SMAs and other multifunctional materials can be considered as a replacement for components made of steel (e.g., in reinforced …

Soil-Recycled Aggregate-Geopolymer Road Base/Subbase Mixtures: Steps Towards Sustainability, Mohammad Khattak, Daniel Odion

Publications

This study deals with the development of Soil-Geopolymer mixtures using flyash, alkali activator and recycled aggregates (RAG) including recycled concrete (RCA) and reclaimed asphalt (RAP) as an alternative to soil-cement for pavement base and subbase layers. Several mix constituents were varied such as flyash type and content, RCA and RAP content and ratio of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide. Experiment design was established and mechanical and durability characteristics of Soil-RAG-Geopolymer mixtures were evaluated and then compared to the conventional soil-cement mixtures. The results of the testing showed that for the selected Soil-RAG-Geopolymer mixtures the strength, stiffness, permanent deformation, and durability …

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

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18PLSU13. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"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 …

Development Of Geopolymer-Based Cement And Soil Stabilizers For Transportation Infrastructure, Miladin Radovic, Anand Puppala

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18CTAM03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Geopolymer Cement (GPC) has drawn much attention in the recent years as an alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) for soil stabilization, pavements, bridges and other transportation structures due to their good mechanical properties in comparison to OPC. In addition, GPC can be processed at room temperatures from aqueous solutions of waste materials (e.g. fly ash) or abundant natural sources (e.g. clay), thereby significantly reducing CO2 production associated with processing of OPC. As such, GPC proves to be a more sustainable and …

Toward Non-Corrosion And Highly Sustainable Structural Members By Using Ultra-High-Performance Materials For Transportation Infrastructure, Shih-Ho Chao, Ashish Karmacharya

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18STUTA01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"This research focused on investigating a highly sustainable and efficient reinforced concrete structural member for future infrastructure by utilizing emerging high-performance materials. These materials include ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC) and corrosion-resistant high-strength fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars. Four reduced scale UHP-FRC specimens were tested under large displacement reversals to prove the proposed new ductile-concrete strong-reinforcement (DCSR) design concept by fully utilizing these ultra-high-performance materials. Micro steel fibers were incorporated into three specimens and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers were blended into the fourth …

Investigation Of Physical And Dynamic Properties Of High Porous Concrete, Ildar Akhmadullin

Publications

This project pursued two main objectives: (1) providing opportunities to Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) students to develop hands-on laboratory skills and exposure to the transportation field, and (2) investigating porous concrete properties. Several BRCC student groups performed the work presented within this report; students prepared samples with different porosity and permeability according to standard specifications. The testing of the samples was performed at the Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC) facility under the supervision of LTRC specialists. Findings indicate that the porosity of samples is backward proportional to the compression strength. This function is not linear but can be estimated …