Microstructure and properties of Ag–Ti_3SiC_2 contact materials prepared by pressureless sintering

Ti3SiC2-reintbrced Ag-maJxix composites are expected to serve as eleclrical contacts. In this study, the wettability of Ag on a Ti3SiC2 subslxate was measured by the sessile drop melkod. The Ag-Ti3SiC2 composites were prepared from Ag mad Ti3SiC2 powder mix- tures by pressureless sintering. The effects of compacting pressure （100-800 MPa）, sintering temperature （850-950~C）, mad soaking time （0.5-2 h） on the microslxucture mad properties of the Ag-Ti3SiC2 composites were investigated. The experimental results indicated that Ti3SiC2 paxticulates were uniformly distxibuted in flae Ag matrix, wiflaout reactions at the interthces between flae two phases. The prepared Ag-10wt%Ti3SiC2 had a relative density of 95% mad an electrical resistivity of 2.76 x 10 3 m~）＇cm when compacted at 800 MPa mad sintered at 950~C for 1 h. The incorporation of Ti3SiC2 into Ag was found to improve its hardness without substantially compromising its electrical conductivity; INs behavior was attxibuted to the combination of ceramic and metallic properties of the Ti3SiC2 reinforcement, suggesting its potential application in electrical contacts.

Properties of Steel Slag and Stainless Steel Slag as Cement Replacement Materials:A Comparative Study

To enhance the understanding about the utilization of steel slags as a cementitious material, we comparatively studied the chemical, mineralogical and morphological properties of two types of steel slag; basicoxygen-furnace carbon slag(BOF C) and electric-arc-furnace stainless steel slag(EAF S). Moreover, we studied the standard consistency, setting time and the effect of the slag replacement ratios on the fluidity and compressive strength of blended cement mortar. The experimental results showed that BOF C had higher alkalinity, higher pH value and more hydraulic phases than EAF S. Both types of slag showed water reduction effect due to its high fineness. Neat BOF C paste showed flash set and acceleration in the initial setting time of blended cement especially at high slag proportions. However, EAF S prolonged the setting time of blended cement even at low slag proportions. The pH values for blended cement contained 50% BOF C or EAF S were lower than those of pure cement paste. Despite of slag type, compressive strength gradually decreased with increasing slags content. The strength of BOF C mortar was higher than that of EAF S mortar with the same replacement ratio for the same age. Slag activity index demonstrated that BOF C and EAF S conformed to the Chinese National Standard(GB/T 20491-2006) requirements for steel slag as grade one and grade two, respectively.

Multi-scale Modeling of the Effective Chloride Ion Diffusion Coefficient in Cement-based Composite Materials

N-layered spherical inclusions model was used to calculate the effective diffusion coefficient of chloride ion in cement-based materials by using multi-scale method and then to investigate the relationship between the diffusivity and the microstructure of cement-basted materials where the microstructure included the interfacial transition zone （ITZ） between the aggregates and the bulk cement pastes as well as the microstructure of the bulk cement paste itself. For the convenience of applications, the mortar and concrete were considered as a four-phase spherical model, consisting of cement continuous phase, dispersed aggregates phase, interface transition zone and their homogenized effective medium phase. A general effective medium equation was established to calculate the diffusion coefficient of the hardened cement paste by considering the microstructure. During calculation, the tortuosity （n） and constrictivity factors （Ds/Do） of pore in the hardened pastes are n^3.2, Ds/Do=l.Ox 10-4 respectively from the test data. The calculated results using the n-layered spherical inclusions model are in good agreement with the experimental results; The effective diffusion coefficient of ITZ is 12 times that of the bulk cement for mortar and 17 times for concrete due to the difference between particle size distribution and the volume fraction of aggregates in mortar and concrete.

Influence of mill scale and rust layer on the corrosion resistance of low-alloy steel in simulated concrete pore solution

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic potentiodynamic polarization measurements, and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to investigate the influence of mill scale and rust layer on the passivation capability and chloride-induced corrosion behaviors of conventional low-carbon（LC） steel and low-alloy（LA） steel in simulated concrete pore solution. The results show that mill scale exerts different influences on the corrosion resistance of both steels at various electrochemical stages. We propose that the high long-term corrosion resistance of LA steel is mainly achieved through the synergistic effect of a gradually formed compact, adherent and well-distributed Cr-enriched inner rust layer and the physical barrier protection effect of mill scale.

Electrochemical and analytical characterization of three corrosion inhibitors of steel in simulated concrete pore solutions

Corrosion inhibitors for steel, such as sodium phosphate （Na3PO4）, sodium nitrite （NaNO2）, and benzotriazole （BTA）, in simulated concrete pore solutions （saturated Ca（OH）2） were investigated. Corrosion behaviors of steel in different solutions were studied by means of corrosion potential （Ecorr）, linear polarization resistance （LPR）, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）, and potentiodynamic polarization （PDP）. A field emission scanning electron microscope （FESEM） equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis （EDXA） was used for observing the microstructures and morphology of corrosion products of steel. The results indicate that, compared with the commonly used nitrite-based inhibitors, Na3PO4 is not a good inhibitor, while BTA may be a potentially effective inhibitor to prevent steel from corrosion in simulated concrete pore solutions.

The Transport Properties of Concrete under the Simultaneous Coupling of Fatigue Load and Environment Factors

A set of coupling experimental instrument was designed to study the transport properties of chloride ion in concrete under simultaneous coupling action of fatigue load and environmental factors. Firstly the water-saturated performance of modem concrete was investigated, then diffusion performance of chloride ion under different stress levels and different temperature were studied respectively; meanwhile, the time- dependent behavior of the chloride ion diffusion in concrete was also researched. The results showed that the saturation degree of concrete can reach as high as 99%. Besides, diffusion coefficient of chloride ion increased with increasing of the stress level and temperature, and when the stress level and temperature are at 0.6 and 60 ℃ respectively, the diffusion coefficient is 6.3 ×10 -14 m2/s, moreover the diffusion coefficient of chloride ion in concrete decreased with time under the simultaneous coupling action of fatigue load and environment factors.

Early Hydration and Setting Process of Fly Ash-blended Cement Paste under Different Curing Temperatures

A specially developed ultrasonic measurement apparatus (UMA) was used to in situ monitor the setting process of fly ash blended cement paste. Combined with the results of Vicat Needle tests, isothermal calorimetric measurement, XRD analysis, SEM morphology and compressive test, the influence of curing temperature (20, 40, 60, and 90 ℃) and fly ash content (0,10%, 20% and 30%) on the setting and hydration process of fly ash blended cement paste was analyzed. The results show that setting and hardening process of fly ash blended cement paste at elevated temperature can be clearly identified into three stages including dormant stage, acceleration stage and deceleration stage. The increasing of curing temperature greatly accelerates the setting and hardening process. However, the content of fly ash does not have significant effect on the setting in condition of 90 ℃. Besides, the initial and final setting time of cement paste is correspondent with the time of duration of dormant stage and the time of UPV value is 1500 m/s (T1500), respectively. Thus, the UMA can be used to determine the initial and final setting time of cementitious material under different curing temperatures. The compressive test results indicate that the paste with 20% fly ash presents higher compressive strength than the plain paste at curing temperatures of 90 ℃. Therefore, appropriate amount of fly ash is beneficial for concrete in the high temperature curing conditions.

Quantitative Analysis and Affecting Factors of the Overlapping Degree of Interfacial Transition Zone between Neighboring Aggregates in Concrete

Based on the nearest surface function formula, a quantitative formula to measure the overlapping degree between the interfacial transition zone （ITZ） of neighboring aggregate particles was put forward. The formula was further deduced to quantitatively analyze the influence of the volume fraction of aggregate, ITZ thickness and the maximum aggregate diameter on the overlapping degree between neighboring ITZ. The volume of ITZ was quantitatively calculated in actual concrete by comparing the nearest surface function formula with an approximate method, that is the surface area of the aggregates multiplied by the uniform thickness of the ITZ layers. The results showed that the influencing order of these three factors on the overlapping degree between neighboring ITZ in turn was the interface thickness, aggregate volume fraction and the maximum aggregate diameter; As long as the interface thickness 50 μm and the aggregate volume fraction 50%, the calculated error between two methods mentioned above is about 10 %.

Preparation and properties of thermal insulation coatings with a sodium stearate-modified shell powder as a filler

Waste shell stacking with odor and toxicity is a serious hazard to our living environment. To make effective use of the natural resources, the shell powder was applied as a filler of outdoor thermal insulation coatings. Sodium stearate(SS) was used to modify the properties of shell powder to reduce its agglomeration and to increase its compatibility with the emulsion. The oil absorption rate and the spectrum reflectance of the shell powder show that the optimized content of SS as a modifier is 1.5wt%. The total spectrum reflectance of the coating made with the shell powder that is modified at this optimum SS content is 9.33% higher than that without any modification. At the optimum SS content of 1.5wt%, the thermal insulation of the coatings is improved by 1.0℃ for the cement mortar board and 1.6℃ for the steel plate, respectively. The scouring resistance of the coating with the 1.5wt% SS-modified shell powder is three times that of the coating without modification.

Pitting corrosion resistance of a novel duplex alloy steel in alkali-activated slag extract in the presence of chloride ions

In this study, two types of reinforcing steels(conventional low-carbon steel and a novel duplex alloy steel with Cr and Mo) were exposed to chloride-contaminated extract solutions(ordinary Portland cement(OPC) extract and alkali-activated slag(AAS) extract) to investigate their pitting corrosion resistance. The results confirm that the pitting corrosion resistance of the alloy steel is much higher than that of the low-carbon steel in both extract solutions with various Na Cl concentrations. Moreover, for each type of steel, the AAS extract contributes to a higher pitting corrosion resistance compared with the OPC extract in the presence of chloride ions, likely because of the formation of flocculent precipitates on the steel surface.

Microstructure Evolution of Sandstone Cemented by Microbe Cement Using X-ray Computed Tomography

The bio-sandstone, which was cemented by microbe cement, was firstly prepared, and then the microstructure evolution process was studied by X-ray computed tomography （X-CT） technique. The experimental results indicate that the microstructure of bio-sandstone becomes dense with the development of age. The evolution of inner structure at different positions is different due to the different contents of microbial induced precipitation calcite. Besides, the increase rate of microbial induced precipitation calcite gradually decreases because of the reduction of microbe absorption content with the decreasing pore size in bio-sandstone.

Single and Multiple Dynamic Impacts Behaviour of Ultra-high Performance Cementitious Composite

Single and multiple dynamic impacts tests were conducted on ultra-high performance cementitious composite （UHPCC） with various volume fractions of steel fibers （0, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%） by using the split hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB）. Besides, the ultrasonic velocity method was used to test the damage on specimens caused by dynamic impacts. For single dynamic impact, the data suggest that UHPCC obviously presents dynamic strength enhancement. With increasing of strain rate, the peak stress and peak strain increase rapidly. For multiple dynamic impacts, the results show that addition of steel fibers can obviously enhance the properties of UHPCC to resist the repeated dynamic impacts. Firstly, the number of impacts sharply increases with the increasing of volume fraction of steel fibers. Secondly, the energy absorption ability linearly increases with addition of steel fibers. Thirdly, the steel fibers can prevent the disruption phenomenon and maintain the integrity of specimen.

Spatial Distribution of the Increased Porosity of Cement Paste due to Calcium Leaching

Using the tomography image, a method to characterize the 3D spatial distributions of increased porosity was proposed, and the increased porosity distributions of cement pastes with different leaching degrees were given using the current method. The leaching processes of CH/C-S-H and the contribution of CH/C-S-H leaching to porosity evolution were discussed. The proposed method can be applied to all cement- based materials with any leaching degrees. From the quantitative increased porosity results, we find that the CH leaching finished quickly on the sharp CH leaching front.

Effect of flexural loading on degradation progress of recycled aggregate concrete subjected to sulfate attack and wetting-drying cycles

The degradation progress of recycled aggregate concrete(RAC) subjected to sulfate attack under wetting-drying cycles and flexural loading is studied. Three different stress ratios(0, 0.3 and 0.5) were applied in this test. The variations of relative dynamic elastic modulus Erd and water-soluble SO2-4 contents in RAC were used to evaluate degradation progress. The changes in mineral products and microstructures of interior concrete were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD), the environmental scanning electron microscope(ESEM) and X-ray computed tomography(X-CT). The results indicate that flexural loading accelerates the degradation of RAC under sulfate attack and wetting-drying cycles by expediting the transmission of SO2-4 into interior concrete. Furthermore, the accelerated effect of flexural loading is more obvious with the increase of stress ratio, that is because higher stress ratios can accelerate the extension of microcracks and generate more channels for the transmission of SO2-4. Also, more expansive products(gypsum and ettringite) are generated by the reaction of Ca(OH)2 with SO2-4, which can further accelerate the degradation of RAC.

A 2D Elliptical Model of Random Packing for Aggregates in Concrete

In the present work, a computer model was developed to simulate random packing of aggregates. For the sake of simplicity, two dimensional situation was considered and all of the aggregates in concrete were assumed as ellipse. 2D elliptical models of random packing were firstly demonstrated in periodic boundary condition. In addition, the ellipse random packing model was employed for the influence of aspect ratios on the packing fraction of ellipses. The modeling results demonstrate that the packing fraction of ellipses firstly increases then drops down with increasing aspect ratio. The maximal random packing fraction is 0.66 when aspect ratio is 1.04 in the periodic boundary condition.

Dispersion of graphene in silane coupling agent aqueous solutions

In order to reduce the agglomeration of nanographene and improve its dispersibility,six silane coupling agents were used to modify the surface of the nanographene particles.Visual inspection,Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy,Raman spectroscopy,and X-ray diffraction were employed to evaluate the dispersion properties of the resulting graphene in an aqueous solution of silane coupling agents.Results show that all six types of silane coupling agents are efficient in promoting the dispersion of graphene in aqueous solutions,and no obvious sedimentation of the graphene dispersion solution is observed after a stationary storage period of 30 d.Taking 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane(KH-550)as an example,after the graphene is dispersed in the KH-550 aqueous solution,the carboxyl group on the surface of the graphene reacts with the KH-550 amino group to form an amide bond,and KH-550 is successfully grafted onto the graphene surface.Polar functional groups ionize in water,creating an electrostatic repulsion effect,or hydrophilic functional groups form hydrogen bonds with water molecules,which is believed to improve the dispersion stability of graphene.The dispersed graphene is curled and contains many folds.Each fold has about three or four layers,with an interlayer spacing of about 0.65 nm.The dispersed graphene also has a complete lattice and a reduced number of defects.Nanographene disperses well in silane coupling agent aqueous solutions and can,therefore,be used to prepare cement-based composites.

Damage process and performance of PVA fiber-reinforced alkali-activated slag mortar plate under bending

The effects of unoiled polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)fiber with four different volume fractions of 0%,1.0%,1.5%and 2.0%on the bending properties of alkali-activated slag(AAS)mortar plates were studied.Meanwhile,the acoustic emission(AE)technique and a high-speed camera were utilized to detect the crack development over the complete damage process,and the scanning electronic microscopy(SEM)was used to observe the fiber-matrix interface.Test results show that PVA fibers play a significant role in the toughness improvement of AAS plates.However,the enhancing effect of PVA fibers on the bending behaviour of AAS plates at 120 d is not as remarkable as at early ages.It is observed that the failure process of the PVA fiber-reinforced alkali-activated slag plate can be divided into three stages:elastic stage,main crack formation stage and post-peak load stage.Observations on the fracture surface of specimens indicate that the deterioration process of specimens under bending changed from fiber pull-out at 3 and 28 d to fiber fracture at 120 d.

Application of Image Analysis Based on SEM and Chemical Mapping on PC Mortars under Sulfate Attack

The degradation mechanisms of cementitious materials exposed to sulfate solutions have been controversial, despite considerable research. In this paper, two methodologies of image analysis based on scanning electron microscope and chemical mapping are used to analyse Portland cement mortars exposed to sodium sulfate solution. The effects of sulfate concentration in solution and water to cement ratio of mortar, which are considered as the most sensitive factors to sulfate attack, are investigated respectively by comparing the macro expansion with microstructure analysis. It is found that the sulfate concentration in pore solution, expressed as sulfate content in C-S-H, plays a critical role on the supersaturation with respect to ettringite and so on the expansion force generated.

Application of X-ray Computed Tomography in Characterization Microstructure Changes of Cement Pastes in Carbonation Process

The microstructure characteristics and meso-defect volume changes of hardened cement paste before and after carbonation were investigated by three-dimensional （3D） X-ray computed tomograpby （XCT）, where three types water-to-cement ratio of 0.53, 0.35 and 0.23 were considered. The high-resolution 3D images of microstructure and filtered defects were reconstructed by an XCT VG Studio MAX 2.0 software, The meso- defect volume fractions and size distribution were analyzed based on 3D images through add-on modules of 3D defect analysis. The 3D meso-defects volume fractions before carbonation were 0.79%, 0.38% and 0.05% corresponding to w/c ratio=0.53, 0.35 and 0.23, respectively. The 3D meso-defects volume fractions after carbonation were 2.44%, 0.91% and 0.14% corresponding to w/c ratio=0.53, 0.35 and 0.23, respectively. The experimental results suggest that 3D meso-defects volume fractions after carbonation for above three w/c ratio increased significantly. At the same time, meso-cracks distribution of the carbonation shrinkage and gray values changes of the different w/c ratio and carbonation reactions were also investigated.

Effect of Curing Conditions on the Durability of Ultrahigh Performance Concrete under Flexural Load

We experimentally investigated the effect of curing conditions on the durability of UHPC under flexuralload.Moreover,the mechanisms of the effect of curing conditions were revealed from the microstructuralpoint of view with environmentalscanning electron microscopy（ESEM）and X-ray computerized tomography（X-ray CT）.The experimentalresults show that the flexuralload has negative influence on the durability of UHPC,but UHPC stillexhibits excellent durability under flexuralload.Besides,the curing conditions do show influences on the durability of UHPC.Compared with standard and steam curing,oven curing led to a lower chloride resistance and freeze-thaw performance of UHPC.The microstructure of UHPC paste was detected with ESEM.It is revealed that,compared with standard and steam cured UHPC,the lower reaction degree and internalmicrocracks are the causes for the lower chloride resistance of oven cured UHPC.The defects distribution in UHPC before and after freeze-thaw action was investigated with X-ray CT.The number of defects in oven cured UHPC increases the fastest during the freeze-thaw action due to its more defective microstructure