Effect of drying-wetting cycles on pore characteristics and mechanical properties of enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation-reinforced sea sand

Enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation(EICP)is an emanating,eco-friendly and potentially sound technique that has presented promise in various geotechnical applications.However,the durability and microscopic characteristics of EICP-treated specimens against the impact of drying-wetting(D-W)cycles is under-explored yet.This study investigates the evolution of mechanical behavior and pore charac-teristics of EICP-treated sea sand subjected to D-W cycles.The uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)tests,synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography(micro-CT),and three-dimensional(3D)recon-struction of CT images were performed to study the multiscale evolution characteristics of EICP-reinforced sea sand under the effect of D-W cycles.The potential correlations between microstructure characteristics and macro-mechanical property deterioration were investigated using gray relational analysis(GRA).Results showed that the UCS of EICP-treated specimens decreases by 63.7% after 15 D-W cycles.The proportion of mesopores gradually decreases whereas the proportion of macropores in-creases due to the exfoliated calcium carbonate with increasing number of D-W cycles.The micro-structure in EICP-reinforced sea sand was gradually disintegrated,resulting in increasing pore size and development of pore shape from ellipsoidal to columnar and branched.The gray relational degree suggested that the weight loss rate and UCS deterioration were attributed to the development of branched pores with a size of 100-1000 m m under the action of D-W cycles.Overall,the results in this study provide a useful guidancee for the long-term stability and evolution characteristics of EICP-reinforced sea sand under D-W weathering conditions.

Effect of Carbonation and Drying-Wetting Cycles on Chloride Diffusion Behavior of Coral Aggregate Seawater Concrete

Based on seawater immersion,drying-wetting cycles,carbonation and drying-wetting cycles for coral aggregate sea-water concrete(CASC)with different strength grades,the effect of carbonation and drying-wetting cycles on chloride diffusion be-havior of CASC is studied.The results show that the free surface chloride concentration(Cs),free chloride diffusion coefficient(Df)and time-dependent index(m)of CASC in the drying-wetting cycles is obviously higher than that in seawater immersion.The Df and m of CASC of carbonation and drying-wetting cycles is higher than that in the drying-wetting cycles.Carbonation increases the Df and m of CASC,which is against CASC to resist chloride corrosion.The corrosion possibility of CASC structures in different ex-posed areas is as follows:splash zone(carbonation and drying-wetting cycles)>tidal zone(drying-wetting cycles)>underwater zone(seawater immersion).Besides,the chloride diffusion rate of C65-CASC is 17.8%-63.4%higher than that of C65-ordinary aggre-gate concrete(OAC)in seawater immersion(underwater zone).Therefore,anti-corrosion measures should be adopted to improve the service life of CASC structure in the oceanic environment.

Chloride Ion Transmission Model under the Drying-wetting Cycles and Its Solution

The chloride ion transmission model considering diffusion and convection was established respectively for different zones in concrete by analyzing chloride ion transmission mechanism under the dryingwetting cycles. The finite difference method was adopted to solve the model. The equation of chloride ion transmission model in the convection and diffusion zone of concrete was discreted by the group explicit scheme with right single point （GER method） and the equation in diffusion zone was discreted by FTCS difference scheme. According to relative humidity characteristics in concrete under drying-wetting cycles, the seepage velocity equation was formulated based on Kelvin Equation and Darcy＇s Law. The time-variant equations of chloride ion concentration of concrete surface and the boundary surface of the convection and diffusion zone were established. Based on the software MATLAB the numerical calculation was carried out by using the model and basic material parameters from the experiments. The calculation of chloride ion concentration distribution in concrete is in good agreement with the drying-wetting cycles experiments. It can be shown that the chloride ion transmission model and the seepage velocity equation are reasonable and practical. Studies have shown that the chloride ion transmission in concrete considering convection and diffusion under the drying-wetting cycles is the better correlation with the actual situation than that only considering the diffusion.

Numerical Analysis of Moisture Influential Depth in Concrete During Drying-Wetting Cycles

The influential depth of moisture transport in a concrete surface subject to drying-wetting cycles was analyzed numerically. The moisture transport was described by a diffusion model with different diffusivities for drying and wetting. A finite difference scheme was developed to solve the partial differential equations The influential depth was then investigated numerically for initially saturated and unsaturated concretes exposed to drying-wetting actions in marine environments using an equilibrium time ratio concept. The equilibrium time ratio was calculated numerically for a saturated condition and the moisture influential depth is shown to be a linear function of the square root of the drying time. However, this equilibrium time ratio does not exist for an unsaturated condition and the moisture influential depth depends on the initial saturation as well as the drying-wetting time ratio. The results indicate that this model gives more realistic predictions of moisture transport of in situ structural concrete and its durability.

Soil type-dependent effects of drying-wetting sequences on aggregates and their associated OC and N

Evaluating the impacts of drying-wetting(DW)cycles on soil aggregates and their associated organic carbon(OC)and nitrogen(N)is crucial to understand the OC and N cycles.Soils are likely subjected to DW cycles with different sequences depending on seasons or in agroecosystems.However,studies on how DW sequences influence OC and N dynamics within aggregates,and whether this effect is dependent on soil type,are relatively limited.Herein,two DW sequences,i.e.,drying-wetting-dryingwetting(2DW)and wetting-drying-wetting-drying(2WD)treatments were designed,and a consistent wetting(CW)was set as a control to assess the effects of DW sequences.Four soils(Entisol,Ultisol,Anthrosol and Mollisol)varying in texture and OC content were used.The aggregate size distribution,the OC,total N(TN),readily oxidizable OC(ROOC)and mineral N(Min-N)content in aggregates were determined.Results showed that 2DW treatment increased but 2WD treatment decreased the large aggregates of Entisol and Ultisol,while 2DW and 2WD treatments synchronously increased the large aggregates of Anthrosol but decreased them of Mollisol.Two DW treatments increased the OC in each aggregate of Entisol,Anthrosol and Mollisol but decreased them of Ultisol.The 2DW didn't affect but 2WD treatment decreased ROOC in 1e2 mm aggregates of Entisol and<0.25 mm aggregates of Ultisol and Mollisol.The 2DW and 2WD treatments minimally affected TN but potentially influenced Min-N in aggregates.The 2DW and 2WD treatments both decreased the Min-N in each aggregate size class of Entisol and Mollisol,while 2DW increased but 2WD treatment decreased Min-N in each aggregate of Ultisol and Anthrosol.These results indicated that the varied effects of DW sequences and the interactive effects of soil type with DW sequences on aggregate turnover and OC and N cycling should be reconsidered to provide more precisive evidences for global C and N cycles under the scenario of future climate changes.

Durability of Concrete under Multi-damage Action

Several different experiments,including freezing-thawing,freezing-thawing+drying-wetting,and drying-wetting,in salt solution and in water respectively,were designed to determine the durability of concrete.The durability damage features of concrete in the above experiments were studied.It is demonstrated that the damage extent of concrete under freezing-thawing and freezing-thawing+drying-wetting in salt solution is larger than that in water.Thus,freezing-thawing and freezing-thawing+drying-wetting in salt solution are stricter and more effective methods to evaluate the durability of concrete in salt-existing environment in cold regions.The damage extent of concrete under freezing-thawing+drying-wetting shows an ultra-superposition effect.The order of concrete durability deterioration degree in these experiments is determined.It shows that effects of multi-damage factors are greater than those of single-damage factor.

Fabrication of Baking-Free Bricks Using Gold Tailings and Cemented Materials with Low Alkalinity

The purpose of this paper was using gold mine tailings and cemented materials with low alkalinity to fabricate baking-free bricks.The obtained baking-free brick samples were evaluated by unconfined compressive strength(UCS),water absorption percentage,freezing-thawing cycle,and drying-wetting cycle.The microstructures of the baking-free brick samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction(XRD)and scanning electron microscope(SEM)techniques.The baking-free brick specimens cured for 28 days with the addition of 10%mixing water consumption and 1:6 cement/tailing ratio tended to obtain favorable comprehensive properties such as a high compressive strength of 15.15 MPa,a low water absorption percentage of 11.8%,excellent freezing-thawing resistance with a 8.9%UCS loss rate after 15 freezing-thawing cycles and good drying-wetting resistance with a 11%UCS loss rate after 10 drying-wetting cycles.The XRD and SEM test results verified that different kinds of hydrate products including C-S-H and C-S-A-H gels,and ettringite were produced during hydration process,which were responsible for good physical,mechanical properties,and durability of the obtained baking-free bricks.Therefore,the experimental results showed that it was practical and reasonable to utilize the homemade cementitious materials in our laboratory to stabilize the gold tailings for production of baking-free bricks,which still met the requirements of major regional construction standards in some countries.