Quality Assessment of Concrete Blocks Exposed in Nature for Eighty Years

The concrete blocks used on a jetty in Shanghai were made in 1909 and 1910. Having been exposed in nature for 80 years, now there are 4600 pieces of blocks left on the jetty. Comprehensive inspections, such as external appearance examination, core-drilling of concrete blocks, ultrasonic detection, nuclear densimeter inspection and in-door and out-door chemical analysis, show that 75% of the blocks are of the rebound number of 21 - 23, and the saturated limit compressive strength and dry limit compressive strength of 10MPa; the carbonized depth of concrete is 1 - 2 mm. Compared with the state of the jetty in 1968, already used for 60 years then, the jetty is expected to serve another 40 years or more after being repaired.

Experimental Performance Measures of Recycled Insulation Concrete Blocks from Construction and Demolition Waste

Construction and demolition(C&D)waste has seriously affected the ecological environment.The utilization of C&D waste resources can greatly alleviate this problem,and it is an important way to help achieve the goal of zero carbon in 2050.In this study,insulation concrete blocks were developed with recycled aggregates,cement,fly ash as main raw materials,expanded polystyrene(EPS)insulation boards as block insulation filling material,and selfdeveloped construction waste composite activator,interface enhancer,surface modifier and other additives.Through experimental research and performance test analysis,the best mix ratio of the product and the mechanism of each additive were proved.The experimental results showed that the insulation concrete block prepared under the conditions of recycled aggregates sand ratio of 45%,active activator Na_(2)SO_(4)content of 0.15%and fly ash content of 30%has the best performance and meets the relevant standards.

Ductility improvement of GFRP-RC beams using precast confined concrete block in compression zone

Fiber-reinforced polymers(FRPs)have received considerable research attention because of their high strength,corrosion resistance,and low weight.However,owing to the lack of ductility in this material and the quasi-brittle behavior of concrete,FRP-reinforced concrete(FRP-RC)beams,even with flexural failure,do not fail in a ductile manner.Because the limited deformation capacity of FRP-RC beams depends on the ductility of their compression zones,the present study proposes using a precast confined concrete block(PCCB)in the compression zone to improve the ductility of the beams.A control beam and four beams with different PCCBs were cast and tested under four-point bending conditions.The control beam failed due to shear,and the PCCBs exhibited different confinements and perforations.The goal was to find an appropriate PCCB for use in the compression zone of the beams,which not only improved the ductility but also changed the failure mode of the beams from shear to flexural.Among the employed blocks,a ductile PCCB with low equivalent compressive strength increased the ductility ratio of the beam to twice that of the control beam.The beam failed in pure flexure with considerable deformation capacity and without significant stiffness reduction.

Coupled Conductive-Convective-Radiative Heat Transfer in Hollow Blocks with Two Air Cells in the Vertical Direction Subjected to an Incident Solar Flux

This work presents the results of a set of steady-state numerical simulations about heat transfer in hollow blocks in the presence of coupled natural convection,conduction and radiation.Blocks with two air cells deep in the vertical direction and three identical cavities in the horizontal direction are considered(typically used for building ceilings).Moreover,their outside horizontal surface is subjected to an incident solar flux and outdoor environment temperature while the inside surface is exposed to typical indoor environment conditions.The flows are considered laminar and two-dimensional over the whole range of parameters examined.The conservation equations are solved by means of a finite difference method based on the control volumes approach,relying on the SIMPLE algorithm for what concerns the coupling of pressure and velocity.The effects of the number of cells in the horizontal direction and the thermal conductivity on the heat transfer through the alveolar structure have been investigated.The results show that the number of holes has a significant impact on the value of the overall heat flux through the considered structure.