Microscopic Analysis of Cementitious Sand and Gravel Damming Materia

The mechanical properties of cementitious sand and gravel damming material have been experimentally determined by means of microscopic SEM(Scanning Electron Microscopy)image analysis.The results show that the combination of fly ash and water can fill the voids in cemented sand and gravel test blocks because of the presence of hydrated calcium silicate and other substances;thereby,the compactness and mechanical properties of these materials can be greatly improved.For every 10 kg/m^(3) increase in the amount of cementitious material,the density increases by about 2%,and the water content decreases by 0.2%.The amount of cementitious material used in the sand and gravel in these tests was 80-110 kg/m^(3),the water-binder ratio was 1-1.50.Moreover,the splitting tensile strength was 1/10 of the compressive strength,and the maximum strength was 7.42 MPa at 90 d.The optimal mix ratio has been found to be 50 kg of cement,60 kg of fly ash and 120 kg of water(C50F60W120).The related dry density was 2.6 g/cm^(3),the water content was 6%,and the water-binder ratio was 1.09.

A Machine-Learning Approach for the Prediction of Fly-Ash Concrete Strength

The composite exciter and the CaO to Na_(2)SO_(4) dosing ratios are known to have a strong impact on the mechanical strength offly-ash concrete.In the present study a hybrid approach relying on experiments and a machine-learn-ing technique has been used to tackle this problem.The tests have shown that the optimal admixture of CaO and Na_(2)SO_(4) alone is 8%.The best 3D mechanical strength offly-ash concrete is achieved at 8%of the compound activator;If the 28-day mechanical strength is considered,then,the best performances are obtained at 4%of the compound activator.Moreover,the 3D mechanical strength offly-ash concrete is better when the dosing ratio of CaO to Na_(2)SO_(4) in the compound activator is 1:1;the maximum strength offly-ash concrete at 28-day can be achieved for a 1:1 ratio of CaO to Na_(2)SO_(4) by considering a 4%compound activator.In this case,the compressive andflexural strengths are 260 MPa and 53.6 MPa,respectively;the mechanical strength offly-ash concrete at 28-day can be improved by a 4:1 ratio of CaO to Na_(2)SO_(4) by considering 8%and 12%compound excitants.It is shown that the predictions based on the aforementioned machine-learning approach are accurate and reliable.