The Efficacy of Accelerated Test Methods to Evaluate Alkali Silica Reactivity of Recycled Concrete Aggregates

The effectiveness of accelerated tests in evaluating the Alkali-Silica Reactivity of Recycled Concrete Aggregates was evaluated. The Accelerated Mortar Bar Test was found effective for evaluating potential alkali-reactivity when the test variables, such as crushing method and absorption, are carried out in a well-defined process. The method of crushing was found to have significant impact on the expansion. The Concrete Microbar Test (CMBT) provides good correlation to the expansion of Concrete Prisms incorporating Supplementary Cementing Materials when an expansion limit of 0.10% at 56 days or 0.04% at 28 days were used, based on the limited number of tests carried out here.

The Efficacy of Accelerated Test Methods to Evaluate Alkali Silica Reactivity of Recycled Concrete Aggregates

The effectiveness of accelerated tests in evaluating the Alkali-Silica Reactivity of Recycled Concrete Aggregates was evaluated. The Accelerated Mortar Bar Test was found effective for evaluating potential alkali-reactivity when the test variables, such as crushing method and absorption, are carried out in a well-defined process. The method of crushing was found to have significant impact on the expansion. The Concrete Microbar Test (CMBT) provides good correlation to the expansion of Concrete Prisms incorporating Supplementary Cementing Materials when an expansion limit of 0.10% at 56 days or 0.04% at 28 days were used, based on the limited number of tests carried out here.

A Computational Study of the Shear Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Beams Affected from Alkali–Silica Reactivity Damage

In this study, an investigation of the shear behavior of full-scale reinforced concrete (RC) beams affected from alkali–silica reactivity damage is presented. A detailed finite element model (FEM) was developed and validated with data obtained from the experiments using several metrics, including a force–deformation curve, rebar strains, and crack maps and width. The validated FEM was used in a parametric study to investigate the potential impact of alkali–silica reactivity (ASR) degradation on the shear capacity of the beam. Degradations of concrete mechanical properties were correlated with ASR expansion using material test data and implemented in the FEM for different expansions. The finite element (FE) analysis provided a better understanding of the failure mechanism of ASR-affected RC beam and degradation in the capacity as a function of the ASR expansion. The parametric study using the FEM showed 6%, 19%, and 25% reduction in the shear capacity of the beam, respectively, affected from 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% of ASR-induced expansion.

Accelerated test methods for evaluating alkali-silica reactivity of recycled concrete aggregates

This thesis reports the findings of a study carried out to determine the effectiveness of Accelerated Tests in evaluating the Alkali-Silica Reactivity of Recycled Concrete Aggregates. The study evaluated the variability of the Accelerated Mortar Bar Test due to test variables as well as the single and multi-laboratory variation. The variability of the Concrete Microbar Test due to test variables and the correlation to results from Accelerated Mortar Bar and Concrete Prism Test results were also evaluated. The tests were corroborated by comparing the porosity, permeability and alkali binding capacity of samples tested by the accelerated tests. It was found that the Accelerated Mortar Bar Test provides acceptable results when the test variables, such as crushing methods and absorption values, are carried out and evaluated properly. The Concrete Microbar Test was found to underestimate the expansion of reactive aggregates. However, the same test was found to provide good correlation to the expansion results of Concrete Prisms incorporating Supplementary Cementing Materials when the test duration was increased.

Accelerated test methods for evaluating alkali-silica reactivity of recycled concrete aggregates

This thesis reports the findings of a study carried out to determine the effectiveness of Accelerated Tests in evaluating the Alkali-Silica Reactivity of Recycled Concrete Aggregates. The study evaluated the variability of the Accelerated Mortar Bar Test due to test variables as well as the single and multi-laboratory variation. The variability of the Concrete Microbar Test due to test variables and the correlation to results from Accelerated Mortar Bar and Concrete Prism Test results were also evaluated. The tests were corroborated by comparing the porosity, permeability and alkali binding capacity of samples tested by the accelerated tests. It was found that the Accelerated Mortar Bar Test provides acceptable results when the test variables, such as crushing methods and absorption values, are carried out and evaluated properly. The Concrete Microbar Test was found to underestimate the expansion of reactive aggregates. However, the same test was found to provide good correlation to the expansion results of Concrete Prisms incorporating Supplementary Cementing Materials when the test duration was increased.

Oligomictic alluvial aggregates: petro-mineralogical and geochemical evaluation of sandy gravel formations on the middle course of the Danube (Hungary)

This paper evaluates the applicability of Hungarian oligomictic alluvial gravel formations at two sections of the Danube river for construction use. The classification of these aggregates is more challenging than monomictic rock aggregates due to their heterogeneous nature. Multi-source clastic sediments cannot be characterized by single values of physical properties but only a distribution, and they are generally less predictable than monomictic materials. The possible applications in concrete manufacturing were evaluated by complex macro-microscopic petrographic, heavy mineral and nuclear analytical geochemical investigations. The two regions falling on the middle course of the Danube have similar sandy gravel formations, applicable as aggregates for conventional and unconventional concrete building purposes or road construction. Their utilization in open-air constructions might be problematic due to their probable alkali-silica reactivity.

Investigation of Alkali-Silica Reactivity in Sustainable Ultrahigh Performance Concrete

Considering its superior engineering properties, ultrahigh performance concrete (UHPC) has emerged as a strong contender to replace normal strength concrete (NSC) in diverse construction applications. While the mechanical properties of UHPC have been thoroughly explored, there is still dearth of studies that quantify the durability of UHPC, especially for sustainable mixtures made with local materials. Therefore, this research aims at investigating the alkali-silica reactivity (ASR) potential in sustainable UHPC in comparison with that of NSC. Sustainable UHPC mixtures were prepared using waste untreated coal ash (CA), raw slag (RS), and locally produced steel fibers. UHPC and benchmark NSC specimens were cast for assessing the compressive strength, flexural strength, and ASR expansion. Specimens were exposed to two curing regimes: accelerated ASR conditions (as per ASTM C1260) and normal water curing. UHPC specimens incorporating RS achieved higher compressive and flexural strengths in comparison with that of identical UHPC specimens made with CA. ASR expansion of control NSC specimens exceeded the ASTM C1260 limits (>0.20% at 28 days). Conversely, experimental results demonstrate that UHPC specimens incurred much less ASR expansion, well below the ASTM C1260 limits. Moreover, UHPC specimens incorporating steel fibers exhibited lower expansion compared to that of companion UHPC specimens without fibers. It was also observed that the mechanical properties of NSC specimens suffered more drastic degradation under accelerated ASR exposure compared to UHPC specimens. Interestingly, UHPC specimens exposed to accelerated ASR conditions attained higher mechanical properties compared to that of reference identical specimens cured in normal water. Therefore, it can be concluded that ASR exposure had insignificant effect on sustainable UHPC incorporating CA and RS, especially for specimens incorporating fibers. Results indicate that UHPC is a robust competitor to NSC for the construction of mega-scale projects where exposure to ASR conducive conditions prevails.