Hydration Characteristics and Microstructure of Alkali-Activated Slag Concrete: A Review

Alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC) is a new green building material. The amount of CO_(2) produced by AASC is 1/5th of that produced by ordinary Portland cement concrete (OPCC). In addition, AASC promotes the reuse of slag and other wastes and saves resources. Furthermore, the scope of use of slag has been expanded. The progress of the research on the hydration characteristics, microstructure, interfacial transition zone, and pore structure of AASC based on the relevant literatures was analyzed and summarized in this study. The influences of the slag composition, the type and dosage of the alkali activator, and the curing conditions on the hydration characteristics and the microstructure of the AASC were discussed. Relatively few research results on the microstructure of AASC are available, and the relevant conclusions are not completely consistent. Moreover, there are many constraints on the development of AASC (e.g., complex composition of raw materials of slag, large shrinkage deformation, and low fluidity). Therefore, further research is required.

Effects of Mineral Admixtures on Chloride Diffusion in Environment-Friendly Coral Aggregate Concrete

Coral materials can replace concrete aggregates and achieve material self sufficiency for reducing the construction costs of island projects.This paper studies the effects of different mineral admixtures on the properties of coral aggregate concrete(CAC).The chloride concentration of CAC after different erosion times is measured using the potentiometric method,and the porosity of the CAC is ca lculated using thermogravimetric and drying methods.The chloride concentration of the CAC presents a two-phases dis tribution.The peak chloride concentration fol-lowed a power function,increasing with the erosion time.The chloride diffusion coefficient of CAC is 7.9%-37.5%larger than that of ordinary aggregate concrete,and the addition of 15% fly ash and 5%silica fume can significantly reduce the chloride diffusion coefficient,with a maximum reduction of 45.0%.The porosity obtained via the thermogravimetric and drying methods is well correlated.The porosity has a strong negative correlation with the compressive strength and a strong positive correlation with the chloride diffusion coefficient.

Influence of freeze-thaw damage gradient on stress-strain relationship of stressed concrete

Freeze-thaw damage gradients lead to non-uniform degradation of concrete mechanical properties at different depths.A study was conducted on the stress-strain relationship of stressed concrete with focus on the freeze-thaw damage gradient.The effects of relative freeze-thaw depths,number of freeze-thaw cycles(FTCs)and stress ratios on the stress-strain curves of concrete were analyzed.The test results demonstrated that freeze-thaw damage was more severe in the surface layers of concrete than in the deeper layers.The relative peak stress and strain of concrete degraded bilinearly with increasing depth.The stress-strain relationship of stressed concrete under FTC was established,and it was found to agree with the experimental results.