scholarly journals The Influence of Thermo-Mechanical Activation of Bentonite on the Mechanical and Durability Performance of Concrete

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (24) ◽  
pp. 5549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Safi Ur Rehman ◽  
Muhammad Yaqub ◽  
Muhammad Noman ◽  
Babar Ali ◽  
Muhammad Nasir Ayaz Khan ◽  
...  

Despite presenting a very high global warming toll, Portland cement concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. The eco-efficiency, economy, and the overall mechanical and durability performances of concrete can be improved by incorporating supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) as partial substitutions to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Naturally found bentonite possesses pozzolanic properties and has very low carbon footprint compared to OPC. By applying activation techniques, the reactivity of bentonite can be improved, and its incorporation levels can be maximized. In this study, the influence of mechanical and thermo-mechanical activation of bentonite is investigated on properties of concrete. Bentonite was used for 0%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35% mass replacements of OPC. Mechanical (compressive strength and split tensile strength) and durability (water absorption, sorptivity coefficient, and acid attack resistance) properties were studied. Results of experimental testing revealed that, concrete containing bentonite showed good mechanical performance, while durability was significantly improved relative to control mix. Application of thermo-mechanical activation can enhance the incorporation levels of bentonite in concrete. At 15% and 25%, bentonite produced optimum results for mechanical and thermo-mechanical activation, respectively. Bentonite inclusion is more beneficial to the durability than the mechanical strength of concrete.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8678
Author(s):  
Wahidul K. Biswas ◽  
Xihong Zhang

Effectively consumed plastic waste is an emerging technical and social issue for Australia. Adding plastic waste into construction material and ensuring minimised impact to the mechanical performance of the construction material could bring significant benefits. In this study, plastic waste material was mixed into cement-stabilised rammed earth (RE) material for brick manufacture. Techno framework consisting of compressive strength test and split tensile strength derivation for structural performance assessment and life cycle assessment for determining EE(EE) performance was applied to compare recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) added RE with conventional bricks. The compressive properties of different mixtures were studied. The replacement of conventional rock aggregates in stabilised RE brick with recycled plastic waste was found to improve the structural mechanical performance with the developed composition. Following this, an EE analysis was important to assess whether these waste-based bricks can improve environmental performance in a cost-competitive manner while maintaining structural performance. The increase of recycled HDPE in RE was found to likely affect the EE performance of RE, which could possibly be overcome by using less energy-intensive cementitious materials and recycled HDPE.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongxia Qiao ◽  
Desire Ndahirwa ◽  
Yuanke Li ◽  
Jinke Liang

The research gap about the application of basalt rock powder (BRP) and superfine sand (SS) as fillers in preparation of cement mortar is significant. This study characterizes the mechanical performance of the cement mortar formulated considering Portland cement, artificial sand and water as principal mixture components. To analyze the influence of BRP and SS on the strength properties of the mortar, the Portland cement and artificial sand have been replaced by BRP and SS respectively. The replacement percentages are 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% when the basalt rock powder replaces Portland cement and in case artificial sand is replaced by superfine sand, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%. The percentages of basalt rock powder and superfine sand replace, in volume, the same quantity of Portland cement and artificial sand that forms portion of the mixture. The strength indexes such as flexural strength, compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity and dynamic elastic modulus were investigated. Overall results show that despite the reduction of mechanical properties of cement mortar, BRP and SS can be used as partial replacement of Portland cement and artificial sand in account of ratios from 10% to 25% basalt rock powder quantity by Portland cement weight and 10% to 20% superfine sand amount by volume of artificial sand.


Author(s):  
Thiago Melanda Mendes ◽  
Wellington Longuini Repette

abstract: For a controlled granulometry, this study evaluates the effect of nano-silica on mechanical and rheological properties, as well in the microstructure of Portland cement matrices containing a fixed amount of supplementary cementitious materials and three different types of cements. The rheological behavior of cement pastes was evaluated by rotational rheometry and mechanical performance was measured througth the compressive strength. The microstructure was analyzed by intrusion mercury porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy. There was an increasing on the viscosity of the cementitious matrices, as a consequence of the reduction in the inter particle separation of these suspensions. The optimum content of nano-silica varied according to Ca/Si ratio of Portland cement matrices containing supplementary cementitious materials. The use of nano-silica allowed to modify the pore size distribution of cementitious matrices. And the structure of nano-silica in cementitious matrices has occurred in layers or agglomerates of nano-particles covered by hydration products.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Ram Krishna Mishra ◽  
Pradeep Kumar Ghosh ◽  
Manoj Kulshreshtha

Background: The previous studies have focused curing effect of mainly on high strength concrete, where strict supervision is maintained. This study is based upon general purpose concreting work for commercial and residential construction in absence of skilled manpower and supervision. Objective: The objective of this study is to establish a thumb rule to provide 7 days initial curing for maintaining quality for unsupervised concreting irrelevant to type of cement and grading. Methods: In this study concrete samples made with locally available commercial cements were cured for various initial exposure. Results: The results shows that concrete cured after a gap of 4 days from the time of de-moulding have given lowest strength as compared to concrete cured in standard practices i.e. where proper curing protocol had been followed. Conclusion: Initial curing is most important aspect of gaining desired strength. The findings after this study shows that curing affects the strength of concrete in variable grading. Initial curing has great importance for concrete with all types of Portland cement. Concrete with supplementary cementitious materials gives lowest strength initially but results higher strength after 28 days as compared to Portland cement.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2291
Author(s):  
Alessandro P. Fantilli ◽  
Daria Jóźwiak-Niedźwiedzka

The environmental impact of the Portland cement production and the large use of cement-based building materials is a growing problem [...]


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4028
Author(s):  
Asghar Gholizadeh Vayghan ◽  
Liesbeth Horckmans ◽  
Ruben Snellings ◽  
Arne Peys ◽  
Priscilla Teck ◽  
...  

This research investigated the possibility of using metallurgical slags from the copper and lead industries as partial replacement for cement. The studied slags were fayalitic, having a mainly ferro-silicate composition with minor contents of Al2O3 and CaO. The slags were treated at 1200–1300 °C (to reduce the heavy metal content) and then granulated in water to promote the formation of reactive phases. A full hydration study was carried out to assess the kinetics of reactions, the phases formed during hydration, the reactivity of the slags and their strength activity as supplementary cementitious material (SCM). The batch-leaching behaviour of cementitious mixtures incorporating treated slags was also investigated. The results showed that all three slags have satisfactory leaching behaviour and similar performance in terms of reactivity and contribution to the strength development. All slags were found to have mediocre reactivity and contribution to strength, especially at early ages. Nonetheless, they passed the minimum mechanical performance requirements and were found to qualify for use in cement.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 3467
Author(s):  
Ankit Kothari ◽  
Karin Habermehl-Cwirzen ◽  
Hans Hedlund ◽  
Andrzej Cwirzen

Most of the currently used concretes are based on ordinary Portland cement (OPC) which results in a high carbon dioxide footprint and thus has a negative environmental impact. Replacing OPCs, partially or fully by ecological binders, i.e., supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) or alternative binders, aims to decrease the carbon dioxide footprint. Both solutions introduced a number of technological problems, including their performance, when exposed to low, subfreezing temperatures during casting operations and the hardening stage. This review indicates that the present knowledge enables the production of OPC-based concretes at temperatures as low as −10 °C, without the need of any additional measures such as, e.g., heating. Conversely, composite cements containing SCMs or alkali-activated binders (AACs) showed mixed performances, ranging from inferior to superior in comparison with OPC. Most concretes based on composite cements require pre/post heat curing or only a short exposure to sub-zero temperatures. At the same time, certain alkali-activated systems performed very well even at −20 °C without the need for additional curing. Chemical admixtures developed for OPC do not always perform well in other binder systems. This review showed that there is only a limited knowledge on how chemical admixtures work in ecological concretes at low temperatures and how to accelerate the hydration rate of composite cements containing high amounts of SCMs or AACs, when these are cured at subfreezing temperatures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1036 ◽  
pp. 240-246
Author(s):  
Jin Tang ◽  
Su Hua Ma ◽  
Wei Feng Li ◽  
Hui Yang ◽  
Xiao Dong Shen

The use of calcined clay and limestone as supplementary cementitious materials, can have a certain influence on the hydration of Portland cement. This paper reviewed the influence of limestone and calcined clay and the mixture of limestone and calcined clay on the hydration of cement. Both limestone and calcined clay accelerate the hydration reaction in the early hydration age and enhance the properties of cement. Limestone reacts with C3A to form carboaluminate, which indirectly stabilized the presence of ettringite, while calcined clay consumed portlandite to form C-(A)-S-H gel, additional hydration products promote the densification of pore structure and increase the mechanical properties. The synergistic effect of calcined clay and limestone stabilize the existence of ettringite and stimulate the further formation of carboaluminate, as well as the C-(A)-S-H gel, contributed to a dense microstructure.


Author(s):  
O. R. Ogirigbo ◽  
J. O. Ukpata ◽  
I. Inerhunwa

Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) is a type of Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) that is currently being used extensively in the global construction industry. SCMs are cheaper than Portland cement, help to improve certain properties of concrete and also help to reduce the environmental footprint associated with the production of Portland cement. GGBS is readily available in most parts of the world as a waste product from iron and steel production. However, its use as a SCM in some countries has not been fully maximized. This is primarily because of lack of documented studies on the properties of GGBS that influences its suitability as a SCM, especially in tropical environments. This paper reviewed the use of GGBS as a SCM for the partial replacement of Portland cement, with particular emphasis on its potential use in tropical warm environments such as Nigeria and other similar countries.


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