Shrinkage and Expansive Strain of Concrete with Fly Ash and Expansive Agent

The effects of fly ash and MgO-type expansive agent on the shrinkage and expan-sive strain of concrete with high magnesia cement were investigated. The results show that high volumes of fly ash may reduce the shrinkage strain of concrete and inhibit the expansive strain of concrete with MgO-type expansive agent, but can not eliminate the shrinkage of concrete. MgO-type expansive agent may produce expansive strain and compensate the shrinkage strain of concrete, re-lieve the cracking risk, but the hydration product of magnesia tends to get together in paste and pro-duce expansive cracking of concrete with high magnesia content according to SEM observation.

Influence of MgO-type Expansive Agent Hydration Behaviors on Expansive Properties of Concrete

The hydration behaviors and expansive properties of MgO-type expansive agent curing at different temperatures and environment were investigated.When the curing temperatures changed from 25℃ to 50℃,the conductivities of MgO samples increased from 40 to 80 μs/cm,and the hydrations of MgO were quickened up obviously.Through SEM observation,the hydration product of MgO cured at 50℃ for 28 day was about 2-3μm in length.The expansion of pastes with 5% of the MgO-type expansive agent was from 0.36% to 1.01% when the curing temperature changed from 25oC to 50℃.When 8% of the MgO-type expansive agent was added,the early shrinkage of concrete was reduced.The expansion ratio increased with the curing temperature,and the expansive cracking of concrete with MgO-type expansive agent might be decreased by blending fly ash.

Effect of Combination of Steel Fiber and MgO-type Expansive Agent on Properties of Concrete

The effect of combination of steel fiber and MgO-type expansive agent （MEA） on strength, air-permeability and porosity of concrete was investigated. The porosity and air-permeability of concrete were determined by method of evaporated water and Torrent permeability tester, respectively. Pore structures of mortars in concrete were analyzed using mercury intrusion porosimetry （MIP）. Interfacial structures between steel fibers and matrix were examined by use of optical microscope. The experimental results show that improvement of pore structures of mortar and fiber-matrix interfacial structure in concrete by combination of steel fiber and MEA may remarkably increase properties of concrete. In comparison with plain concrete, compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of steel fiber reinforced expansive concrete increased by 15.3% and 38.1%, permeability coefficient Kt, penetration depth L and porosity of concrete decreased by 41.1%, 21.3% and 13.1% at 28 days, respectively.

Experimental investigation on basic law of rock directional fracturing with static expansive agent controlled by dense linear multi boreholes

Directional rupture is one of the difficult problems in deep rock mechanics and engineering.A directional fracturing method with static expansive agent controlled by dense linear multi boreholes is proposed.A physical experiment is designed and performed to investigate the basic laws of this method.The fracture initiation and propagation process,and the mechanism of directional fracturing are analyzed.The results indicate that a directional fracture is formed along the direction of boreholes layout through directionally fracturing with static expansive agents controlled by the dense linear multi boreholes.According to the variation of strain and the distribution of associated acoustic emission(AE)events and energy,the experiment can be divided into three stages.In the first stage,the static expansive agent expand slowly with no fracturing inside the rock.In the second stage,some initial micro-fracturing occurs inside the rock.In the third stage,a wide range of fracturing occurs inside the sample.The internal micro-fracturing planes are connected to form a macro-fracture.Finally,it propagates to the surface of the sample.The directional fracturing plane presents a relatively smooth plane with little bias but much local fluctuation.

Properties of Ettringite Type Expansive Agent

By employing different forms and amounts of materials, many kinds of ettringite type expansive agents had been prepared. The relationship between the compositions and properties of expansive agents was analyzed. The design methods of expansive agent have been put forward according to the property, requirement of expansive concrete.

On the Preparation of Low-Temperature-Rise and Low-Shrinkage Concrete Based on Phosphorus Slag

The effects of different contents of a MgO expansive agent and phosphorus slag on the mechanical properties,shrinkage behavior,and the heat of hydration of concrete were studied.The slump flow,setting time,dry shrinkage,and hydration heat were used as sensitive parameters to assess the response of the considered specimens.As shown by the results,in general,with an increase in the phosphorus slag content,the hydration heat of concrete decreases for all ages,but the early strength displays a downward trend and the dry shrinkage rate increases.The 90-d strength and dry shrinkage of concrete could be improved with a phosphorus residue content between 0%-20%,with the best performances in terms of mechanical properties and shrinkage characteristics being achieved for a content of 20 kg/m^(3).On the basis of these results,it can be concluded that appropriate amounts of phosphorus slag and MgO expansive agent can be used to improve the compressive strength of concrete in the later stage by reducing the hydration heat and dry shrinkage rate,respectively.

Mechanism and Process of Sulfate Attack on Roller Compacted Concrete with MgO Expansive Agent

The mechanisms and processes of sulfate attack on roller compacted concrete(RCC)with MgO expansive agent are proposed by investigating the microstructure and hydration products in specimens immersed in 5%sodium sulfate solution for one year with the optical micrograph,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometer(SEM-EDS).The results show that the deterioration of concrete due to the sulfate attack is mainly loss of stiffness,strength and adhesion,and expansion cracking is mainly caused by the formation of gypsum and ettringite.In the presence of MgO expansive agent,the microstructures of RCC can be improved by hydration and un-hydrated products,the large pores and permeability are reduced,and the resistance to sulfate corrosion of concrete and durability of hydraulic structure are improved slightly.

Modelling urban expansion using a multi agentbased model in the city of Changsha

Although traditional urban expansion simulation models can simulate dynamic features, these models fail to address complex changes produced by different agents＇ behaviors. The paper has built up a set of spatial-temporal land resource allocation rules and developed a dynamic urban expansion model based on a multi-agent system, which can simulate the interaction among different agents, such as residents, peasants, and governments. This model is applied to simulate urban expansion process taking Changsha City, in China as a study area. The results show that this model can not only reflect basic characteristics of urban expansion, but also help explain the reasons for urban expansion process and understand the effect of agents＇ behavior on the expansion process, and provide insights into the causing factors behind the expansion. In addition, in contrast to simulation results with land use classification map from remote sensing images, the precision of the simulation reached over 68% with higher precision than cellular automata model according to the cell-by-cell comparison. The results suggest that the model can help to provide land use decision making support to government and urban planners.

An improved outer pipe method for expansive pressure measurement of static cracking agents

Static cracking agent(SCA)is actively investigated as an alternative to explosive blasting for rock breakage due to its immense expansion property.SCA can eliminate the negative effects of shock,noise and harmful gases encountered in explosive blasting processes.Accurate measurement and deep understanding of the expansive properties of SCAs are important in their industrial application.An improved outer pipe method(OPM),termed the upper end surface method(UESM),is proposed in this paper to overcome the shortcomings of the OPM in the expansive pressure measurement of SCAs.Numerical simulation is used to proof the concept and a mathematical model established to relate the internal pressure and the radial strains at different positions in the upper end surface method test equipment.The new equipment is calibrated using oil pressure and strain measurements.The calibrated equipment is then used to measure the expansion pressure of SCA at three different water contents to proof its potential.The differences in the measurements with OPM and UESM at three different moisture contents are less than 4%.The experimental results confirm the accuracy and applicability of the more user friendly and less expensive UESM in the measurement of the expansive pressures of SCAs.

THE SHRINKAGE OF EXPANSIVE CONCRETE FILLED STEEL TUBE AND ITS IMPROVEMENT METHOD

The shrinkage characteristics tics of expansive concrete filled steel tube (CFST) are analyzed, Cold shrinkage, creep and autogenous shrinkage are considered as the main reasons of causing CFST contraction. In accordance with the shrinkage characteristics of expansive CFST, a kind of energy-stored delayed expansive agent is exploited, which can not only compensate the shrinkage of the core concrete in every stages, but also make CFST expand according to the delayed expansion mechanism. As the result, the prestress loss weill be reduced and expansive energy will be utilized effectively.

Cracking and Mechanical Properties of Airport Concrete Pavement with Fiber and Expansive Agent

Polypropylene fiber and expansive agent are used in airport concrete to improve its shrinkage cracking resistance and mechanical properties.The concrete specimens with amount content of polypropylene fiber or expansive agent or both of them are prepared.The morphology of specimens is observed by scanning electron microscope,the time when the first crack occurred is recorded through slap test,and the mechanical properties such as compressive strength and impact energies of concrete are measured.The results show that polypropylene fiber in concrete can reduce the shrinkage and delay the first crack,improve the impact resistance obviously,and improve the compressive strength slightly.Expansive agent can compensate the shrinkage and reduce cracks of concrete pavement markedly,and improve the mechanical properties of concrete pavement slightly.The study provides recommendations for cracking control of airport concrete pavement in the future.

An Investigation into the Effects of Oil-Well Cement Expansion Agent on the Integrity of Cement Sheath

Generally,the so-called expansion agent is very effective in eliminating all the micro-annuli that exist between the casing and the cement sheath or between the cement sheath and the formation.However,this approach can detrimentally affect the sealing ability of cement sheath if the expansion agent is used in an unreasonable way.For these reasons,in the present work,numerical simulations have been conducted to analyze the effect of elasticity modulus of cement sheath,the elasticity modulus of formation,the expansion rate of cement,the geo-stress on the micro-annulus caused by cement expansion,and the cement sheath expansion on the integrity of cement sheath and formation.The micro-annulus between the casing and the cement sheath has been found to decrease according to the ratio between the elasticity modulus of formation and the elasticity modulus of cement sheath.A positive correlation has been observed between the micro-annulus and the cement expansion ratio.The microannulus decreases as the geo-stress increases,but the effect of the geo-stress on the micro-annulus is much smaller.In conclusion,the expansion agent is suitable for the formation in which the elasticity modulus is higher than the cement sheath.

Influence of CaO-based expansive agent,superabsorbent polymers and curing temperature on pore structure evolution of early-age cement paste

Cracks easily generate in concrete at early age owing to the shrinkage deformation.CaO-based expansion agent(CEA)and superabsorbent polymers(SAP)have been extensively used for the mitigation of concrete shrinkage.The macroscopic properties of concrete are highly determined by the microstructure.In this study,the influence of CEA and SAP addition on the pore structure evolution of cement paste under different curing temperatures was evaluated via low-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Test results indicated that,in cement paste,a higher CEA content led to a higher porosity and a larger most probable pore diameter(MPPD).Meanwhile,SAP addition increased the porosity and MPPD of CEA cement paste at early age but decreased them after 7 d,and a higher SAP content always brought a higher porosity and MPPD.Furthermore,the addition of SAP led to a lower porosity and MPPD of CEA cement paste than that of plain cement paste after 14 d.Moreover,the porosity and MPPD of CEA cement paste decreased first and subsequently increased as the curing temperature raised.

Molecular Dynamic Simulation on the Absorbing Process of Isolating and Coating of α-olefin Drag Reducing Polymer

The absorbing process in isolating and coating process of α-olefin drag reducing polymer was studied by molecular dynamic simulation method, on basis of coating theory of α-olefin drag reducing polymer particles with polyurethane as coating material. The distributions of sodium laurate, sodium dodeeyl sulfate, and sodium dodeeyl benzene sulfonate on the surface of α-olefin drag reducing polymer particles were almost the same, but the bending degrees of them were obviously different. The bending degree of SLA molecules was greater than those of the other two surfactant molecules. Simulation results of absorbing and accumulating structure showed that, though hydrophobie properties of surfactant molecules were almost the same, water density around long chain sulfonate sodium was bigger than that around alkyl sulfate sodium. This property goes against useful absorbing and accumulating on the surface of α-olefin drag reducing polymer particles; simulation results of interactions of different surfactant and multiple hydroxyl compounds on surface of particles showed that, interactions of different surfaetant and one kind of multiple hydroxyl compound were similar to those of one kind of surfaetant and different multiple hydroxyl compounds. These two contrast types of interactions also exhibited the differences of absorbing distribution and closing degrees to surface of particles. The sequence of closing degrees was derived from simulation; control step of addition polymerization interaction in coating process was absorbing mass transfer process, so the more closed to surface of particle the multiple hydroxyl compounds were, the easier interactions With isoeyanate were. Simulation results represented the compatibility relationship between surfactant and multiple hydroxyl compounds. The isolating and coating processes of α-olefin drag reducing polymer were further understood on molecule and atom level through above simulation research, and based on the simulation, a referenced theoretical basis was provided for practical optimal selection and experimental preparation of α-olefin drag reducing polymer particles suspension isolation agent.

Review on the applications and developments of drag reducing polymer in turbulent pipe flow

Drag reduction phenomenon in pipelines has received lots of attention during the past decades due to its potential engineering applications, especially in fluid transporting industries. Various methods to enhance drag reduction have been developed throughout the years and divided into two categories;non-additives method and additives method. Both categories have different types of methods, with different formulations and applications which will generally be discussed in this review. Among all the methods discussed, drag reduction using polymer additive is as one of the most enticing and desirable methods. It has been the subject of research in this field and has been studied extensively for quite some time. It is due to its ability to reduce drag up to 80% when added in minute concentrations. Reducing drag in the pipe will require less pumping power thus offering economic relieves to the industries. So, this paper will be focusing more on the use of polymer additives as drag reducing agent, the general formulations of the additives, major issues involving the use of drag reducing polymers, and the potential applications of it. However, despite the extensive works of drag reduction polymer, there are still no models that accurately explain the mechanism of drag reduction. More studies needed to be done to have a better understanding of the phenomenon. Therefore, future research areas and potential approaches are proposed for future work.

A review of electrolyte additives and impurities in vanadium redox flow batteries

As one of the most important components of the vanadium redox flow battery （VRFB）, the electrolyte can impose a significant impact on cell properties, performance and capital cost. In particular, the electrolyte composition will influence energy density, operating temperature range and the practical applications of the VRFB. Various approaches to increase the energy density and operating temperature range have been proposed. The presence of electrolyte impurities, or the addition of a small amount of other chemical species into the vanadium solution can alter the stability of the electrolyte and influence cell perfor- mance, operating temperature range, energy density, electrochemical kinetics and cost effectiveness. This review provides a detailed overview of research on electrolyte additives including stabilizing agents, im- mobilizing agents, kinetic enhancers, as well as electrolyte impurities and chemical reductants that can be used for different purposes in the VRFBs.

A new design of dual-constituent triangular lattice metamaterial with unbounded thermal expansion

Triangular lattice metamaterials composed of bi-layer curved rib elements (called the Lehman-Lakes lattice) possess unbounded thermal expansion, high stiffness and impossibility of thermal buckling, which are highly desirable in many engineering structural applications subjected to large fluctuations in temperature. However, the requirement of such lattice metamaterial is that it must be a hinged joint in order to achieve the bending deformation upon heating freely, which directly leads to poor manufacturability, especially in small dimensions. In this study, a new design of dual-constituent triangular lattice metamaterial (DTLM) with good manufacturability is proposed to achieve the identical unbounded thermal expansion. In this lattice, a special bi-layer curved rib element where layer one is partially covered by layer two is presented, where the hinge joints are not necessary because the flexural rigidity in the single-layer part is much smaller than that in the bi-layer part, and the desirable thermal bending deformation can be achieved. A sample fabricated by additive manufacturing is given in order to show the good manufacturability;simultaneously, the multifunctional performance of the tailored DTLM with zero, large positive or negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) can remain excellent, as well as the Lehman-Lakes lattice. Examples illustrate that the DTLM with zero CTE has about 34.2% improvement in stiffness and meanwhile has 17% reduction in weight compared with the Lehman-Lakes lattice. The stiffness of the DTLM has a moderate reduction when achieving the same large positive or negative CTE. In addition, the thermomechanical properties of the DTLM are given by the closed-form analytical solution and their effectiveness is verified by the detailed numerical simulation.

Development of Soda Residue Concrete Expansion Agent

A new type of concrete expansion agent has been successfully developed for the first time in the world by utilizing an industrial waste residue soda residue and an industrial wasteliquor.Adding 3%-6% of the agent into Portland cement enables a shrinkage compensating concrete to be prepared.Mortar and concrete containing this expansion agent have better shrinkage compensating and mechanical properties.The raw materials component,production process,technical properties,micro analysis of mortar made with this expansion agent,mechanism of expansion and research results are described in this article.The experimental results show that the new type of concrete expansion agent accords with the standard and its main mineral component is xCaO ySO 3 zAl 2O 3.

Experimental study on expansion and cracking properties of static cracking agents in different assembly states

Rolled static cracking agent(RSCA)can solve the intractable problem of traditional bulk static cracking agent(BSCA)in engineering applications.This paper innovatively studies the rational water-cement ratio of BSCA and the immersion soaking time of RSCA under the condition of controlling temperature.Through the expansion and cracking performance experiments,the development characteristics of expansion pressure,the cracking effect of the single-hole specimen and the performance of hole spraying prevention under the action of BSCA and RSCA were compared and analyzed.The results show that:(1)The volume growth rate of static cracking agent decreases with the increase of water-cement ratio,and the fluidity increases with the increase of water-cement ratio.The rational water-cement ratio for BSCA application is 0.3,and the rational immersion time of RSCA is 2-2.5 min;(2)Under the bore diameters of 30,35,40 and 45 mm,the expansion pressure of BSCA with a water-cement ratio of 0.3 is 38.2,52.3,61.5 and 68 MPa,and the expansion pressure of RSCA immersed in water for 2.5 min is 43.5,58.8,69.5 and 75.1 MPa,respectively.Among them,the development speed of expansion pressure of BSCA is higher than that of RSCA,and the arrival time of the peak expansion pressure of RSCA is 1.7 times that of BSCA;(3)The crack initiation speed of single-hole specimen under the action of RSCA is 10.3%lower than that under the action of BSCA,but the cracking speed of the former is 72.6%higher than that of the latter;(4)The hole spraying occurs in BSCA under the bore diameter of 50,55 and 60 mm,while the hole spraying occurs in RSCA under the bore diameter of 60 mm.In terms of bore diameter,the hole spraying prevention of the RSCA is better than that of BSCA.The research results enrich the static blasting technology and provide data support and theoretical reference for field application.

Mechanics Model to Determine Swelling Potential of Expansive Soils

The factors influencing on soil expansion are reviewed in the paper. A mechanics model to determine swelling potential of expansive soils is presented. The mechanics model is based on the softening of expansive soil following absorption of water. The constitutive relationships of the mechanics model include the relationship among swelling under free load, swelling under load, and vertical pressure, and the relationship of swelling under free loading and swelling pressure. A concept of additional compression modulus is introduced and the method determining the modulus is proposed. Finally, the predicted results of swelling potential using the mechanics model compare well with the measured data.