scholarly journals Self-Compacting Alkali-Activated Materials: Progress and Perspectives

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Zengqing Sun ◽  
Qingyu Tang ◽  
Xiaohui Fan ◽  
Min Gan ◽  
Xuling Chen ◽  
...  

Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) are considered to be alternative cementitious materials for civil infrastructures. Nowadays, efforts have been made in developing AAMs with self-compacting ability. The obtained self-compacting AAMs (SCAAMs) accomplish superior passing and filling properties as well as excellent mechanical and environmental advantages. This work critically revisits recent progresses in SCAAMs including mixture proportions, fresh properties, mechanical strength, microstructure, acid and sulfate resistance, high temperature behaviors, impact resistance and interface shear strength. To facilitate direct comparison and interpretation of data from different publications, mixture proportions were normalized in terms of the content of key reactive components from precursors and activators, and correlation with mechanical behaviors was made. Moreover, special attention was paid to current research challenges and perspectives to promote further investigation and field application of SCAAMs as advanced construction material.

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (22) ◽  
pp. 7017
Author(s):  
Thanon Bualuang ◽  
Peerapong Jitsangiam ◽  
Teewara Suwan ◽  
Ubolluk Rattanasak ◽  
Weerachart Tangchirapat ◽  
...  

Supplementary cementitious materials have been widely used to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by ordinary Portland cement (OPC), including in the construction of road bases. In addition, the use of OPC in road base stabilization is inefficient due to its moisture sensitivity and lack of flexibility. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of hybrid alkali-activated materials (H-AAM) on flexibility and water prevention when used as binders while proposing a new and sustainable material. A cationic asphalt emulsion (CAE) was applied to increase this cementless material’s resistance to moisture damage and flexibility. The physical properties and structural formation of this H-AAM, consisting of fly ash, hydrated lime, and sodium hydroxide, were examined. The results revealed that the addition of CAE decreased the material’s mechanical strength due to its hindrance of pozzolanic reactions and alkali activations. This study revealed decreases in the cementitious product’s peak in the x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) tests and the number of tetrahedrons detected in the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis (FTIR) tests. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed some signs of asphalt films surrounding hybrid alkali-activated particles and even some unreacted FA particles, indicating incomplete chemical reactions in the study material’s matrix. However, the H-AAM was still able to meet the minimum road base strength requirement of 1.72 MPa. Furthermore, the toughness and flexibility of the H-AAM were enhanced by CAE. Notably, adding 10% and 20% CAE by weight to the hybrid alkali-activated binder produced a significant advantage in terms of water absorption, which can be explained by its influence on the material’s consolidation of its matrices, resulting in significant void reductions. Hence, the outcomes of this study might reveal an opportunity for developing a new stabilizing agent for road bases with water-prevention properties and flexibility that remains faithful to the green construction material concept.


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.


1987 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 824
Author(s):  
J.E. Bechtold ◽  
Y. Dohmae ◽  
R.E. Sherman ◽  
R.B. Gustilo

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Niklas Hansson ◽  
Stig Hansson

The surface roughness affects the bone response to dental implants. A primary aim of the roughness is to increase the bone-implant interface shear strength. Surface roughness is generally characterized by means of surface roughness parameters. It was demonstrated that the normally used parameters cannot discriminate between surfaces expected to give a high interface shear strength from surfaces expected to give a low interface shear strength. It was further demonstrated that the skewness parameter can do this discrimination. A problem with this parameter is that it is sensitive to isolated peaks and valleys. Another roughness parameter which on theoretical grounds can be supposed to give valuable information on the quality of a rough surface is kurtosis. This parameter is also sensitive to isolated peaks and valleys. An implant surface was assumed to have a fairly well-defined and homogenous “semiperiodic” surface roughness upon which isolated peaks were superimposed. In a computerized simulation, it was demonstrated that by using small sampling lengths during measurement, it should be possible to get accurate values of the skewness and kurtosis parameters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 11286
Author(s):  
Marina Paula Secco ◽  
Débora Thaís Mesavilla ◽  
Márcio Felipe Floss ◽  
Nilo Cesar Consoli ◽  
Tiago Miranda ◽  
...  

The increasingly strong search for alternative materials to Portland cement has resulted in the development of alkali-activated cements (AAC) that are very effective at using industrial by-products as raw materials, which also contributes to the volume reduction in landfilled waste. Several studies targeting the development of AAC—based on wastes containing silicon and calcium—for chemical stabilization of soils have demonstrated their excellent performance in terms of durability and mechanical performance. However, most of these studies are confined to a laboratory characterization, ignoring the influence and viability of the in situ construction process and, also important, of the in situ curing conditions. The present work investigated the field application of an AAC based on carbide lime and glass wastes to stabilize fine sand acting as a superficial foundation. The assessment was supported on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and initial shear modulus (G0) of the developed material, and the field results were compared with those prepared in the laboratory, up to 120 days curing. In situ tests were also developed on the field layers (with diameters of 450 and 900 mm and thickness of 300 mm) after different curing times. To establish a reference, the mentioned precursors were either activated with a sodium hydroxide solution or hydrated with water (given the reactivity of the lime). The results showed that the AAC-based mixtures developed greater strength and stiffness at a faster rate than the water-based mixtures. Specimens cured under controlled laboratory conditions showed better results than the samples collected in the field. The inclusion of the stabilized layers clearly increased the load-bearing capacity of the natural soil, while the different diameters produced different failure mechanisms, similar to those found in Portland cement stabilization.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1000 ◽  
pp. 118-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Rovnaník ◽  
Patrik Bayer

Alkali-activated slag (AAS) is a material which has great potential for use in building industry. The aim of this work was to gain new superior properties by the addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This material can act as a microreinforcement improving mechanical properties of cementitious materials. The effect of 0–1 wt.% addition of CNTs on the mechanical properties, hydration characteristics and microstructure of AAS binder was determined. The addition of CNTs delays the setting of the binder and a partial deterioration of strength parameters was observed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. 171-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Qiang Chandler ◽  
Jesse A. Sherburn ◽  
Paul G. Allison ◽  
Robert D. Moser ◽  
Kevin A. Torres-Cancel ◽  
...  

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