Analysis of Air Voids Evolution in Cement Pastes Admixed with Non-ionic Cellulose Ethers

Four cellulose ethers（CEs） were compared for their effects on the pore structure of cement paste using mercury intrusion porosimetry. The experimental results show that the total pore volume and porosity of cement pastes containing the four cellulose ethers are significantly higher than that of the pure cement pastes and the total pore volume and porosity of cement pastes containing HEC（hydroxyethyl cellulose ether） or low viscosity cellulose ethers are low in four CEs. By changing the surface tension and viscosity of liquid phase and the strengthening of liquid film between air voids in cement pastes, CEs affect the formation, diameter evolution and upward movement of air voids and the pore structure of hardening cement paste. For the four CEs, the pore volume of cement pastes containing HEC or low viscosity cellulose ethers is higher with the diameter of 30-70 nm while lower with the diameter larger than 70 nm. CEs affect the pore structure of cement paste mainly through their effects on the evolvement of the small air voids into bigger ones when the pore diameter is below 70 nm and their effects on the entrainment and stabilization of air voids when the pore diameter is above 70 nm.

Research on segregation evaluation methods of asphalt pavement based on air voids distribution

Eye observation was used to evaluate the segregation degree of asphalt pavement, which was not much creditable. To the asphalt pavement, road surface texture measuring method which has appeared recently can identify gradational segregation; but it can’t reflect the influence of the temperature segregation. However, using infrared temperature detector to evaluate the segregation must be taken during paving, which brings much inconvenience. In this paper, measuring the air voids distribution using non-nuclear density gauge to evaluate asphalt pavement segregation was introduced. Result shows that this method can directly reflect the comprehensive results of the two types of segregation in a high efficient and accurate way. Moreover, using the sketch map of segregation area can help to analyze the segregation reason visually.

Distribution Properties of Internal Air Voids in Ultrathin Asphalt Friction Course

The distribution characteristics of air voids in ultrathin asphalt friction course(UAFC) samples with different gradations and compaction methods were statistically analyzed using X-ray computed tomography(CT) and image analysis techniques. Based on the results, compared with the AC-5 sample, the OGFC-5mixture has a higher air void ratio, a larger air void size and a greater number of air voids, with the distribution of internal air voids being more uniform and their shapes being more rounded. The two-parameter Weibull function was applied to fit the gradation of air voids. The fitting results is good, and the function parameters are sensitive to changes in both mineral gradation and compaction method. Moreover, two homogeneity indices were proposed to evaluate the compaction uniformity of UAFC samples. Compared with the Marshall method,the SGC method is more conducive to improve the compaction uniformity of UAFC samples. The compaction method significantly influences the air void distribution characteristics and compaction uniformity of AC-5sample, but has a less significant impact on OGFC-5 sample. The experimental results in the study provides a solid foundation for further explorations on the internal structure and mixture design of UAFC.

Numerical Investigation into the Effect of Air Voids on the Anisotropy of Asphalt Mixtures

The aim of this study is to investigate the asphalt mixture anisotropy of both the modulus and Poisson＇s ratio due to air voids using a discrete element modeling simulation method. Three three-dimensional cubic digital samples of asphalt mixture with different shapes of single air void were built using discrete element software PFC^（3D）. The aggregate gradation, air voids and mastic included in the digital samples were modeled using different contact models, with due consideration of the volumetric fractions of the different phases. Laboratory uniaxial complex modulus test and indirect tensile strength test were conducted to obtain material input parameters for numerical modeling. Simulation of the uniaxial cyclic compressive tests was performed on the three cubic samples loaded in three different directions. Dynamic modulus in three directions and Poisson＇s ratio in six directions were calculated from the compression stress-strain responses. Results show that both the modulus and Poisson＇s ratio are dependent on the preferential orientation of air voids. The anisotropy of the modulus and Poisson＇s ratio increases as the pressure loading on the asphalt mixture increases. Compared to the modulus, Poisson＇s ratio due to air voids has been shown to be more anisotropic. The maximum of Poisson＇s ratio and modulus is shown to be up to 80% and 11% higher than the minimum, respectively.

Enhancement of optical characteristic of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum-well structures by self-growing air voids

InGaN/GaN multiple quantum-well(MQW) structures with a wavelength range of green were successfully grown on a c-plane GaN template with SiO_2 stripe patterns along the [11-20] and [1-100] directions as a mask. The surface morphologies of both samples were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and demonstrated anisotropic growth characteristics of GaN. The optical characteristics were investigated using Raman spectra and photoluminescence(PL). The InGaN/GaN MQW structure grown on the GaN template with SiO_2 stripes along the [1-100] orientation exhibited less stress and higher PL intensity.Transmission electron microscopy results indicated that portions of MQWs were grown on an inclined semipolar plane, and air voids occurred only when the direction of the mask stripe was along the [1-100] orientation. The enhancement of the optical characteristic was due to the air-void structure and inclined semipolar quantum-well sidewalls.

Effect of the Entrained Air Void on Strength and Interfacial Transition Zone of Air-Entrained Mortar

In order to facilitate the development and application of air entraining agents (AEA) in the high performance concrete, entrained air void structure parameters (air void size range from 10 to 1 600 mu m) of 28 d sifted mortar were measured by image analysis method. The relationship between the air void size distribution and strength of mortar was studied by methods of grey connection analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. The multiple linear regression equation was established with a correlation coefficient of 0.966. The weight of the affection of hierarchical porosity on the compressive strength ratio was also obtained. In addition, the effect of air voids on the paste-aggregate interfacial transition zone (ITZ) was analyzed by microhardness. The results show that the correlation between different pore size range and the compressive strength is negative. The effect of air void size distribution on 28 days compressive strength is different: under the condition of similar total porosity, with the increase of the porosity of the air void size, ranging from 10 to 200 mu m, and the decrease of the porosity, ranging from 200 to 1 600 mu m, the average air void diameter and mean free spacing are decreased; as well as the width of ITZ. On the contrary, the microhardness of the ITZ is increased while the compressive strength loss is decreased.

Influence of Hydrostatic Pressure on Compressive Strength of Self-consolidating Concrete

The design of unique chamber, in which the SCUWC （self-consolidating underwater concrete） can be tested under the impact of the hydrostatic pressure from 0.1 MPa to 0.5 MPa, is presented in the paper. The results of the preliminary tests of the effect of the hydrostatic pressure on the compressive strength of SCUWC were shown. The impact of the hydrostatic pressure on the compressive strength values of test specimens has been confirmed. There has been an increase in the strength of the specimens taken from the upper parts of the concrete samples. As it can be seen from the preliminary research, the differences in compressive strength are related to the differences that occur in the size and distribution of air voids in the samples taken from upper and lower parts of the test specimens. On the basis of the carried out investigations of the compressive strength, it can be concluded that the hydrostatic pressure has a favorable effect on the compressive strength of the tested specimens of SCUWC. Increase of the compressive strength is observed mostly in the upper layers of the samples. Preliminary analysis of the quantity and distribution of air pores in the samples of concrete subjected to pressure 0.5 MPa confirms the positive impact of the hydrostatic pressure on the layers close to the surface indicated by the absence of large air voids above 1,500μm and by reducing the quantity of air pores of size above 300μm.

Prediction of Marshall Parameters of Modified Bituminous Mixtures Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques

This study presents the application of artificial neural networks(ANN)and least square support vector machine(LS-SVM)for prediction of Marshall parameters obtained from Marshall tests for waste polyethylene(PE)modified bituminous mixtures.Waste polyethylene in the form of fibres processed from utilized milk packets has been used to modify the bituminous mixes in order to improve their engineering properties.Marshall tests were carried out on mix specimens with variations in polyethylene and bitumen contents.It has been observed that the addition of waste polyethylene results in the improvement of Marshall characteristics such as stability,flow value and air voids,used to evaluate a bituminous mix.The proposed neural network(NN)model uses the quantities of ingredients used for preparation of Marshall specimens such as polyethylene,bitumen and aggregate in order to predict the Marshall stability,flow value and air voids obtained from the tests.Out of two techniques used,the NN based model is found to be compact,reliable and predictable when compared with LS-SVM model.A sensitivity analysis has been performed to identify the importance of the parameters considered.

Investigation of influential factors on the tensile strength of cold recycled mixture with bitumen emulsion due to moisture conditioning

The present study attempts to investigate the effect of moisture conditioning on the in- direct tensile strength （ITS） of cold recycled mixture with bitumen emulsion. Firstly, samples were prepared using a Superpave gyratory compactor. They were hence condi- tioned using moisture induced sensitivity tester （MIST） device. Factorial design was carried out considering four factors each at two different levels. These factors were specimen thickness, air voids content, pressure and number of cycles. In the MIST device, samples are cyclically subjected to water pressure through the sample pores. The MIST conditioned samples were tested for indirect tensile strength. The analysis of two-level full-factorial designed experiments revealed that all four factors have a negative effect on tensile strength of cold recycled mixture with bitumen emulsion. Specimen thickness was the most significant factor affecting the tensile strength followed by air voids content. In two- factor interaction, specimen thickness-number of cycles, air voids content-pressure, and pressure-number of cycles were significant. The most significant three-factor interaction was specimen thickness-pressure-number of cycles. The results from the study suggest that in measuring tensile strength, the appropriate specimen thickness and air voids content should be selected to quantify the representative tensile strength for in-situ conditions.

Stability of three-dimensional printable foam concrete as function of surfactant characteristics

Extrudability is one of the most critical factors when designing three-dimensional printable foam concrete.The extrusion process likely affects the foam stability which necessitates the investigation into surfactant properties particularly for concrete mixes with high foam contents.Although many studies have been conducted on traditional foam concrete in this context,studies on three-dimensional printed foam concrete are scarce.To address this research gap,the effects of surfactant characteristics on the stability,extrudability,and buildability of three-dimensional printed foam concrete mixes with two design densities(1000 and 1300 kg/m^(3))using two different surfactants and stabilizers(synthetic-based sodium lauryl sulfate stabilized with carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt,and natural-based hingot surfactant stabilized with xanthan gum)were investigated in this study.Fresh density tests were conducted before and after the extrusion to determine stability of the foam concrete.The results were then correlated with surfactant qualities,such as viscosity and surface tension,to understand the importance of key parameters in three-dimensional printing of foam concrete.Based on the experimental results,surfactant solu1tion with viscosity exceeding 5 m Pa·s and surface tension lower than 31 mN/m was recommended to yield stable three-dimensional printable foam concrete mixes.Nevertheless,the volume of foam in the mix significantly affected the printability characteristics.Unlike traditional foam concrete,the variation in the stabilizer concentration and density of concrete were found to have insignificant effect on the fresh-state-characteristics(slump,slump flow,and static yield stress)and air void microstructure of the stable mixes.