Structural Materials Commons^™

Characterization Of The Thermally Driven Red Hue Effect In Coated And Uncoated Concrete Systems: Implications For Post-Fire Assessment In Wildland Urban Interface Communities, Juan C. Palominos Jr

Master's Theses

The increasing frequency and intensity of Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) wildfires, such as the destructive 2025 Pacific Palisades Fire that destroyed over 6,000 structures, have underscored the urgent need for rapid post-fire safety assessment methodologies. This study sought to quantitatively characterize the Thermally Driven Red Hue Effect (TRHE), a unique, irreversible color shift observed in architectural coatings and concrete substrates, to determine its reliability as a permanent visual record of thermal exposure. Concrete substrates were formulated with three distinct coarse aggregates: gold granite (14.7% Fe), red cinder (22.4% Fe), and green rock (33.6% Fe) and coated with a 20 PVC waterborne …

Effect Of Granite Machine-Made Sand Properties On Concrete Performance, Wang Jiliang, Wei Xinyuan, Yu Bo

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

As an important stone resource in China,granite is widely used in the preparation of machine-made sand and other building materials due to its stable physical properties and favorable mechanical performance.In order to promote the better application of granite in machine-made sand for cement concrete,this paper analyzed the mineral composition,particle grading,and mica content of granite machine-made sand.It systematically summarized the influence of these characteristics on the mechanical properties,durability,and volumetric stability of concrete.The results show that the concrete performance declines with increasing mica and stone powder content in granite machine-made sand.Properly limiting their content can improve the mechanical properties and durability of …

Research Review Of Biomass Ash As Concrete Admixture, Ma Bicong, Liang Jian, Weng Yiling

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In order to provide a comprehensive overview of research progress in the use of biomass ash as concrete admixture，the physical and chemical properties，mechanism of action，factors affecting the production process of biomass ash，and the effects of biomass ash incorporation on the working properties，mechanical properties，and durability of concrete were studied.The results show that biomass ash has a smaller density and a larger specific surface area than traditional mineral admixture，and the total amount of active components，namely SiO2 + Al2O3 + Fe2O3 （SAF） in most biomass ashes exceeds the requirements of class F volcanic ash （≥70%）.Incorporating biomass ash can effectively improve the mechanical properties …

Concrete Design: Underwater Concrete Forms In A Saltwater Environment, Noah Z. Lau

Construction Management

This following project investigated the effects of salt on the concrete curing process. Concrete possesses numerous strengths, making it extremely versatile. This makes it one of the most utilized construction materials. New improved methods are constantly being developed for concrete’s application as a construction material. While concrete is a flexible material with many strengths, it is not without its flaws. Concrete, while strong in compression is weak in tension. It has long cure times and doesn’t generally handle moisture well. This paper evaluates concrete’s change in strength from letting concrete cure in a salt-based underwater environment. To determine the full …

Research On Performance Of Coal Gangue Concrete, Wang Jiliang, Ma Wenhui, Xu Weidong, Lyu Zhigang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Coal gangue is an industrial solid waste produced in the process of raw coal mining.It has a large stock and a relatively low utilization rate.Using coal gangue as concrete aggregate can not only solve the environmental pollution caused by coal gangue storage but also make up for the shortage of natural sand and gravel resources，which opens up an effective way for the large-scale utilization of coal gangue.According to the application characteristics of coal gangue as concrete aggregate，the chemical component，mineral composition，and physical properties of coal gangue were systematically analyzed.The influence of coal gangue as aggregate on the working performance，mechanical properties，volume stability，and …

Experimental Investigation Of The Self-Healing Potential Of Bacteria For Sustainable Concrete Structures Phase 2, Andrea Calabrese, Pitiporn Asvapathanagul, Nisarg N. Patel, Nanubala Dhruvan, Austin Adams, Michael Hernandez, Douglas S. Lopez-Cruz

Mineta Transportation Institute

Concrete is a critical component of so much of the modern construction industry. This material, well known for its versatility, robustness, longevity, and strength, is well-suited for a wide range of structural applications. Nonetheless, the widespread occurrence of cracks in concrete structures, primarily attributed to its limited tensile strength, shrinkage, and overstain, imposes a considerable economic and environmental challenge when it comes to retrofitting these fissures. This study tackles this problem by harnessing bacteria tolerant to high alkaline conditions to enable Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) for the self-repair of concrete. This is achieved through an external application method, …

Dynamic Responses Of Super‑Wide Self‑Anchored Suspension Bridge Under Blast Loading, Zhou Guangpan, Lin Zhicheng, Fan Jin, Wang Mingyang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To study the dynamic response and damage characteristics of the super-wide concrete self-anchored suspension bridge under the blast loading,a real bridge with these characteristics was selected as the background,and the numerical simulation was used to analyze the dynamic response of the top surface crack shape and the vertical displacement of the bottom plate of the super-wide box girder under the close blast of the bridge deck.Firstly,the refined finite element model of the whole bridge was established by using SolidWorks and HyperMesh.Secondly,the blast loading was applied by Ansys/LS-DYNA and *LOAD_BLAST_ENHANCED (LBE ) method,and the reliability of the calculation method was verified …

Quality Assurance And Quality Control For Reinforced Concrete Inspections, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

Ensuring the safety and longevity of structures is paramount in concrete construction projects. Cases like the Big Dig ceiling collapse, which occurred on July 10, 2006, when a concrete ceiling panel measuring 20' x 40' and debris weighing 26 short tons (52,000 lb) fell within Boston's Fort Point Channel Tunnel, underscore this importance (Wald, M. L., 2007). Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) are crucial in mitigating such risks. QA ensures that materials and methods meet predetermined performance, design, and reliability standards specified in contracts and customer arrangements. On the other hand, QC is a strategic process businesses use …

Predicting Compressive Strength Of Concrete Incorporating Fly Ash, Blast Furnace Slag, And Superplasticizer Using Machine Learning Techniques, Muhammad Faisal Yaqub

2024 REYES Proceedings

Concrete is the second most essential element in the construction industry, and its strength requirements vary based on the specific conditions of each project. However, determining the compressive strength of concrete involves laboratory tests, which wastes a lot of time and money. Researchers have developed machine learning models that predict the compressive strength of cement-based concrete having various mixes. In this research, the compressive strength of concrete incorporating fly ash, blast furnace slag, and superplasticizer is predicted using different machine learning models, namely, Linear Regression, Random Forest Regression, Decision Tree Regression, Extreme Gradient Boosting, Light Gradient Boosting, AdaBoost, and CatBoost …

Evaluation Of Novel Jointless Engineered Cementitious Composites Ultrathin Whitetopping (Ecc-Utw), Ricardo Hungria

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ultrathin Whitetopping (UTW) is a rehabilitation technique that consists of placing a thin layer of concrete over a damaged asphalt pavement. While UTWs have demonstrated satisfactory performance in field tests, the inherent brittleness of concrete has led to the appearance of distresses. To address these distresses, Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) have been proposed for UTW applications, thanks to their exceptional attributes, including tensile ductility, flexural performance, and fatigue resistance. In this study, an ECC-UTW was constructed to investigate its potential as a viable solution. The project comprised two 18.3 m ECC sections with different thicknesses, namely 63.5 mm and 101.6 …

Study On Effect Of Nanomodified Additives On Properties Of Concrete Mixtures During Winter Season, Li Yulin, Liang Hongjie, Liang Junlin, Rong Hongliu, Yang Xiaolong

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To solve the difficult placement of small structures on highways caused by the decreasing workability of cement concrete construction in winter seasons, this paper developed a nanomodified additive to investigate its effect on the performance of cement concrete. Sulfonate naphthaleneformaldehyde (SNF), nanoSiO2, rosin soap (WSR) and sodium nitrate (NaNO3) were formulated into a variety of additives in different ratios and mixing contents to prepare cement concrete, with the fluidity, segregation and compressive strength studied. The results show that the optimal ratio (mass) of nanomodified additives is SNF:0.4%, nanoSiO2:0.1%, WSR:0.05%, and NaNO3:4.0%. The fluidity, segregation and compressive strength of the concrete …

Experimental Study On Mechanical Properties Of Steel-Polypropylene Mixed Fiber Rubber Concrete, Qiu Jiandong

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Waste rubber materials can be recycled to obtain rubber aggregates, which can be employed in cement concrete products. This paper carried out mechanical performance tests on ordinary concrete and rubber concrete (rubber substitution rate of 20%) with different fiber combinations (doped MS, co-doped PP, and mixed MS-PP), and mainly examined the slump, density, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, split tensile strength, and rupture strength of the concrete. The results show that the relevant performance indexes decrease significantly after 20% of rubber aggregate is added to the concrete. However, the mechanical performance of ordinary concrete and rubber concrete with the combination …

Influence Of Steel Fiber And Polymer Emulsion On Mechanical Properties And Microstructure Of Concrete, Guo Guanglei, Sun Shiqiang, Li Ying, Zheng Yiwei, Mei Yingjun

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The microstructure and mechanical properties of concrete were improved by adding steel fiber and polymer emulsion. The working properties and mechanical properties of steel fiber concrete, polymer emulsion-modified concrete, and steel fiber polymer concrete were tested at 3 d, 28 d, and 90 d. Nitrogen adsorption test, mercury injection test, and density method were used to obtain the total pore volume, median pore size, and closed porosity of concrete. The influence of steel fiber and polymer emulsion on the microstructure and mechanical properties of concrete was analyzed. The results show that the compressive strength of concrete after adding steel fiber …

Multi-Physics Numerical Simulation Of Corrosion And Service Life Evaluation Of Novel Reinforced Concrete Systems, Jin Fan

Dissertations

Durability challenges of reinforced concrete materials can shorten the service life and increase the carbon footprint of civil infrastructure systems. Novel alternative materials, such as high-performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCCs) and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC), offer an alternative to tradi-tional concrete materials by increasing the service life of infrastructure or reducing raw material consumption, thereby reducing the life-cycle carbon footprint. Due, in part, to a lack of robust numerical tools, predicting the durability response of these emerging cementitious materials has been insufficiently addressed. A time-dependent multi-physics modeling framework is proposed and adopted to investigate the chloride induced deterioration mechanisms …

Research And Analysis On Controlled Blasting Demolition Of Continuous Thin‐Walled Box Ribbed Arch Bridge, Ma Shaojun, Chen Huibin, Chai Wendong, Zhang Chunquan, Wang Yuan

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The 1st bridge of the Jialing River in Pengan County is erected over the Jialing River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. Due to earthquakes and perennial high load operation, the overall technical condition is “Class Ⅴ”, which cannot meet the requirements of the design load grade. This bridge is the longest highway bridge dismantled in Sichuan Province. Its structure is a multi-span continuous thin-walled box ribbed arch bridge. In addition, there are obvious diseases, so the demolition is difficult, and the safety risk is great. For the demolition of the bridge by controlled blasting, numerical simulation, shaped charge cutting …

Research And Analysis On Controlled Blasting Demolition Of Continuous Thin‐Walled Box Ribbed Arch Bridge, Ma Shaojun, Chen Huibin, Chai Wendong, Zhang Chunquan, Wang Yuan

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The 1st bridge of the Jialing River in Pengan County is erected over the Jialing River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. Due to earthquakes and perennial high load operation, the overall technical condition is “Class Ⅴ”, which cannot meet the requirements of the design load grade. This bridge is the longest highway bridge dismantled in Sichuan Province. Its structure is a multi-span continuous thin-walled box ribbed arch bridge. In addition, there are obvious diseases, so the demolition is difficult, and the safety risk is great. For the demolition of the bridge by controlled blasting, numerical simulation, shaped charge cutting …

Production Of Low-Cost Self-Consolidating Concrete (Scc) Using Manufactured Aggregates, Rabab Raydan, Farah Chamseddine, Ali Jahami, Oussama Baalbaki, Jamal Khatib, Adel Elkordi

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Limitations to the sources of aggregates and the unavailability of sand is becoming a problematic issue for concrete production. A novel technology of manufactured aggregates can produce well graded round aggregates that can substitute natural aggregates while maintaining the same characteristics needed and preserving the resources. Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC) using manufactured aggregates is assessed in this experimental work to understand the variability of workability properties and mechanical properties with the changes in w/c ratio and percentages of Coarse Aggregates and Manufactured Sand to Natural Sand in order to choose the best mixture that satisfies an adequate overall performance. Targeting compressive …

Evaluating The Effects Of Curing Methods On Bcsa Cement Concrete, Hannah Allen

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

BCSA cement is a type of cement that makes concrete set up much quicker than typical portland cement concrete. BCSA cement concrete also has a much higher compressive strength than that of portland cement concrete. This study was conducted to determine the effect of different curing conditions on the compressive strength of BCSA cement concrete.

Optimizing The Self-Healing Efficiency Of Hydrogel Encapsulated Bacteria In Concrete, Ricardo Hungria

LSU Master's Theses

Calcium carbonate precipitation through microbial means is a promising pathway for concrete self-healing technologies, mainly for its microcrack sealing attributes. The main goal of this project was to study and optimize the crack healing efficiency of hydrogel encapsulated bacteria in concrete. To achieve this purpose, Bacillus pseudiformus was implemented as the bacteria strain at a concentration of 10⁸ cells/ml. This bacterium strain along with yeast extract was combined along with three different mineral precursors corresponding to magnesium acetate, calcium lactate, and sodium lactate. All these three precursors were evaluated at two concentrations (67.76 mM/l and 75 mM/l). For each …

Austenitic, Duplex, And Lean Duplex Stainless Steel Critical Pitting Temperature In Simulated Concrete Environment, Bobby Giebel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this work, the critical pitting temperature (CPT) will be observed for a selection of austenitic (316LN and 24100) and duplex (2205), and lean duplex (2304, 2001) stainless steels in simulated concrete pore solution. To study the influence of temperature on the pitting stability of the stainless steels, three temperatures were tested: 25oC, 45oC, and 65oC for cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Electrochemical properties of the interfaces we studied via EIS analysis. Kinetics were studied via CPP testing. To reveal the critical pitting temperature of the stainless steels, cyclic thermammetry was used. Characterization of the pits …

New Type Of Lightweight Aggregate For Use In Structural Concrete, Jamal Khatib, Ali Jahami, Oussama Baalbaki, Adel Elkordi

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

This research studied the utilization of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWI-BA) in lightweight coarse aggregate (LWC) production. A special method was followed to prepare the new aggregate to fully replace the normal aggregates (NWA) in concrete. The mechanical properties such as compressive strength, tensile strength, and elasticity modulus were investigated for the LWC concrete. Then, two beams were prepared; one from LWC and the other from NWC. The structural performance of beams made up of lightweight aggregates compared to normal aggregates was investigated. The results showed that this type of aggregates led to a 20% reduction in concrete …

Shear Strength Of Concrete Beams Made With Belitic Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement, Caleb W. Chesnut

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The need for a cleaner alternative to portland cement (PC) concrete has led to increasing interest in alternatives to PC. Structural properties of most of these alternative cements are still an open research topic. One promising alternative cement is belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement. The study presented in this paper investigated the shear strength, long term compressive strength, and carbonation in BCSA cement and PC concrete beams. A total of twelve eight-foot long beams were made; eight BCSA cement concrete beams and four PC concrete beams to be tested at various ages depending on cement type. Two beams of each …

Impact Of Exposure On Thin Epoxy Overlay Performance, Abul Fazal Mazumder

Dissertations

Thin epoxy overlays are used for improving the condition and extending the service life of bridge decks. The tensile bond pull-off strength, evaluated as per the ASTM C1583, is used as the performance indicator. A failure in the substrate with a tensile strength of 250 psi or greater is considered acceptable. However, the performance evaluated on in-service bridge decks shows inconsistent results. Laboratory studies by several researchers documented a distinct performance difference when the overlays are exposed to room temperatures in comparison to elevated temperatures. However, the most influential parameters such as concrete surface profile, thermal compatibility between overlay and …

Assessment Of Carbon Dioxide Emission And Its Impact On High-Rise Mixed-Use Buildings In Egypt, Ahmed Salah Hamza

Theses and Dissertations

With Egypt's vision of 2030 focusing on sustainable development with a true emphasis on Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emission reduction in the newly built cities and high-rise buildings, efforts are exerted on various levels towards accomplishing the vision’s goals. This is achieved through multiple tools and models associated with aiding the reduction of carbon emissions, yet not a clear one was introduced for the mixed-use buildings in Egypt.

Through this work, a significant gap was identified with respect to high-rise buildings carbon emission assessment in Egypt. This was a main driving force for this work in an attempt to …

An Investigation Into The Effects Of Fly Ash On Freeze-Thaw Durability Prediction, Yancy Schrader

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Air is purposefully entrained into concrete primarily to improve resistance to freeze-thaw deterioration while saturated with water. Air entraining admixtures (AEAs) are chemical admixtures designed to entrain air into the concrete to provide adequate resistance to the effects of freezing and thawing. One of the challenges associated with air entrainment in concrete is the interaction of an AEA with supplementary cementitious materials present in the concrete, particularly fly ash. Fly ash is a by-product of the coal fired electrical generation industry, and often contains residual unburned carbon and other components that can increase the AEA demand of a particular concrete …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18CLSU03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"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 …

Uhpc Shear Keys In Concrete Bridge Superstructures, Craig Newtson, Brad Weldon, Elsy Flores, Jordan Varbel, William Toledo

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18CNMS01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"This research investigated the use of locally produced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as a grouting material to repair deteriorated shear keys. Shear keys are used in adjacent girder superstructures to produce monolithic behavior and load transfer across the structure. Shear key durability is a concern since shear key degradation can jeopardize the integrity of the structure. Transportation agencies have reported that 75% of distress in adjacent girder bridges is due to cracking and de-bonding along shear keys. Previous research has shown that …