Experimental Study on Mechanical Properties of Self-Compacting Recycled Concrete

The application of self-compacting recycled concrete can solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by construction waste but its mechanical properties have not been unified and need further study.The strength of recycled concrete is unstable,and its performance still needs further study.The combination of fixed sand and stone volume method and free water cement ratio method is used to determine the mix ratio of self-compacting recycled concrete.24 sets of slump expansion tests and 24 sets of cube axial compression tests were carried out to study the effect of recycled aggregate replacement rate on the flow performance and axial compressive strength of self-compacting recycled concrete,and the performance conversion formula of self-compacting recycled concrete was given.The results show that with the increase of the regenerated coarse aggregate substitution rate,the fluidity and filling property of the self-compacting regenerated concrete mix decreased.The failure of self-compacting recycled concrete is mainly due to the failure of strength between old mortar and new mixture.As the substitution rate increases from 0 to 100%,the axial compressive strength decreases by 15.2%.

Three-Dimensional Multi-Phase Microscopic Simulation of Service Life of Recycled Large Aggregate Self-Compacting Concrete

Recycled large aggregate self-compacting concrete (RLA-SCC) within multiple weak areas. These weak areas have poor resistance to chloride ion erosion, which affects the service life of RLA-SCC in the marine environment. A three-dimensional multi-phase mesoscopic numerical model of RLA-SCC was established to simulate the chloride ions transportation in concrete. Experiments of RLA-SCC immersing in chloride solution were carried out to verify the simulation results. The effects of recycled large aggregate (RLA) content and RLA particle size on the service life of concrete were explored. The results indicate that the mesoscopic numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. At the same depth, the closer to the surface of the RLA, the greater the chloride ion concentration. The service life of RLA-SCC in marine environment decreases with the increase of RLA content. Compared with the service life of 20% content, the service life of 25% and 30% content decreased by 20% and 42% respectively. Increasing the particle size of RLA can effectively improve the service life of RLA-SCC in chloride environment. Compared with the service life of 50 mm particle size, the service life of 70 mm and 90 mm increased by 61% and 163%, respectively. .

Chloride ion penetration into concrete under hydraulic pressure

The lining concrete of subsea tunnel services under combined hydraulic pressure, mechanical and environmental loads. The chloride ion and water penetrations into concrete under hydraulic pressure were investigated. The experimental results indicate that the water penetration depth, chloride ion transportation depth, and the concentration of chloride ion ingression into concrete increase with raised hydraulic pressure and hold press period. But the chloride ion transportation velocity is only 53% of that of water when concrete specimens are under hydraulic pressure. The chloride transportation coefficient of concrete decreases with hold press period as power function. And that would increase 500% 600% in chloride transportation coefficient when the hydraulic pressure increases from 0 to 1.2 MPa. The hydraulic pressure also decreases the bound chloride ion of concrete to about zero. Besides, the low water-cementitions materials and suitable content of mineral admixture(including fly ash and slag) improve the resistance capacity of chloride penetration, and binding capacity of concrete under hydraulic pressure.

An efficient approach for mesoscale fracture modeling of fully-graded hydraulic concrete

Large coarse aggregates used in fully-graded hydraulic concrete necessitate large specimens for numerical modeling.This leads to a high computational cost for mesoscale modeling and thus slows the development of multiscale modeling of hydraulic mass concrete structures.To overcome this obstacle,an efficient approach for mesoscale fracture modeling of fully-graded hydraulic concrete was developed based on the concept of the governing mesostructure.The mesostructure was characterized by a critical aggregate size.Coarse aggregates smaller than the critical size were homogenized into mortar matrices.Key issues in mesostructure generation of fully-graded hydraulic concrete are discussed,as is the development of mesoscale finite element modeling methodology.The basic concept and implementation procedures of the proposed approach are also described in detail.The numerical results indicated that the proposed approach not only significantly improves the compu-tational efficiency of mesoscale modeling but also captures the dominant fracturing mechanism at the mesoscale and reproduces reasonable fracture properties at the macroscale.Therefore,the proposed approach can serve as a basis for multiscale fracture modeling of hydraulic mass concrete structures.

Influence of Types of Fillers on Workability, Bleeding, Compressive Strength, and Degree of Compaction of Hydraulic Concrete

This study aims to determine the optimal quantity of fillers to add to hydraulic concrete and to assess the influence of these fillers on its rheological characteristics and mechanical properties. The characterization of the aggregates shows that they meet the specifications for the formulation of hydraulic concrete according to the Dreux-Gorisse method. Normalizing the formula to the cubic meter enables to define the standard concrete. The cement content is 350 kg/m3. The mineral materials added to the concrete to increase its characteristics and properties are limestone, basalt, and sandstone fillers with a weight percent of 4%, 5%, and 3% respectively. Changes in concrete properties with the addition of fillers were determined through geotechnical tests. The results obtained show a decrease in the workability measured by slump test which returned 7.8 cm for the standard concrete sample, 7.2 cm with 5% of basalt, 7.3 cm with 4% of limestone, and 6.1 cm with 3% of sandstone. Regarding the bleeding, the results show that it decreases leading to a substantial improvement in stabilization reaching 26% with 5% of basalt fillers, 29% with 4% of limestone fillers, and 31% with 3% of sandstone fillers. The compressive strengths noted Rc28 at 28 days increases compared to that of the standard concrete, which is 31.5 MPa. They increase to 34.3 MPa with 5% of basalt fillers being 8.9%, 36.2 MPa with 4% of limestone fillers being 14.9%, and 36.8 MPa with 3% of sandstone fillers being 16.8%. Finally, the addition of fillers increases the degree of compaction values to 83.62% with 5% of basalt fillers, 84.2% with 4% of limestone fillers, and 84.34% with 3% of sandstone fillers.

Experimental Study about Activated Water Generated by the Electro-hydraulic Impulse Strengthening the Mechanical Performance of Concrete

On the basis of a great number of experiments, it is proved that the strength of concrete is improved greatly when it is mixed with activated water produced by the electro-hydraulic impulse. With the proper parameters, the compression strength of concrete can be increased by 45%. The reason for improvement of concrete strength by using activated water is discussed from the aspect of the structure of molecule.

Effect of the Substitution of Sand by Rubber of Waste Tires on the Mechanical Properties of Hydraulic Concrete and Exposure to Gamma Radiation

For a long time and until now, rubber is the most used material for the manufacture of tires for motor vehicles. Unfortunately, once the tire meets its life cycle, the remaining rubber cannot be recycled, so the tires are discarded in collection centers and often in clandestine dumps. This represents a serious environmental problem because, in one case, these waste tires become breeding grounds for insects and wildlife that is harmful to humans. In the second case, the tires are burned, releasing highly damaging gases into the atmosphere. On the other hand, concrete is worldwide the construction material par excellence. It is basically composed of cement, gravel and sand. Mixing these three components in different proportions, their mechanical strength in compression can be increased. However, due to its fragile nature, concrete, once a crack is formed, it rapidly advances by fragmenting the material and producing its rapid collapse. In the present work, in order contribute to the care of the environment as well as to modify the fracture mode of the concrete, rubber particles obtained from waste tires were used as sand substitute in hydraulic concrete. In addition, rubber modified samples concrete were lately exposed to 70 kGy of gamma radiation in order to study the effects of this radiation on the mechanical deformation of concrete. The results showed a decrease in the mechanical properties of the concrete with rubber particles with respect to the traditional concrete itself. However, such decreases were offset by the fact that samples with rubber addition do not collapses as fast as the free rubber samples. The acquired data pave the way for research with great benefits, such as the use of recycled tires in concrete for its fracture mode modification in a beneficial way, as well as a possible decrease in the cost of concrete.

Substitution of Kasila Group Basalt with the Archean Man Gneiss in Asphalt and Hydraulic Concrete Mix Design (Sierra Leone)

The study of the performances of the Archean of Man gneiss aggregates with the addition of filler to replace the basalt of Kasila group in the asphalt and concrete mix design of southern Sierra Leone is presented in this document. The goal is to compare the results of the asphalt and concrete mix design with gneiss and basalt aggregate. The applied methods and design used are 1) Volumetric design and Marshall method for the asphalt, 2) French Dreux-Gorisse Method for the concrete. We added 2% of gneissic filler and 2% portland cement type 42.5 R to the asphalt hot mix with the gneiss aggregates to follow the criteria variation. The Marshall, the diametric compression and the Duriez tests require us to perform four different types of mix design. The four mix designs meet the requirements but F2 and F4 give the best mechanical properties. F2 (gneiss + 2% filler) and F4 (basalt) have many similarities from which we can conclude their interchangeability. F2 gives 5255 of optimal bitumen content. In regards to hydraulic concrete, the results of the compressive strength test (cement content 350 kg CMI 42.5 R/m3) with the gneiss and basalt aggregates are respectively 40 MPa and 45 MPa at 28 days curing: these values are greater than 35 MPa required by the technical specifications. The use of the Super Fluid &#174 Thermoplast 120 admixture, to increase the concrete compressive strength, is justified by the requirement of a minimum of 80% Rc28 at 24 hours. For both types of concrete, we have at 24 hours, 34 and 35 MPa which are higher than the minimum of 32 MPa (in 24 h). These results meet the requirements of the technical specifications.

Determination of the Sound Absorption Capacity of Hydraulic Concrete Mixtures Added with Waste Tire Rubber

There are different types of pollutants that are harmful to the environment, including smog, chemicals that are dumped into rivers, scrap tires, etc. The latter have the particularity that it is not possible to recycle them to manufacture new tires. In the present work, hydraulic concrete plates added with waste tire rubber were manufactured to modify their sound absorption capacity. It was found that the rubber additions produce changes in the density of the material and in the sound absorption capacity. When the material is exposed to high-frequency sounds that correspond to high-pitched sounds, its absorption capacity increases. On the contrary, when the test frequency is low, that is, bass sounds, the sound absorption capacity decreases. The results obtained in this work suggest that the proposed mixtures are suitable for the possible manufacture of acoustic insulating shields.

The Frost-resisting Durability of High Strength Self-Compacting Pervious Concrete in Deicing Salt Environment

A high strength self-compacting pervious concrete(SCPC) with top-bottom interconnected pores was prepared in this paper. The frost-resisting durability of such SCPC in different deicing salt concentrations(0%, 3%, 5%, 10%, and 20%) was investigated. The mass-loss rate, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity, compressive strength, flexural strength and hydraulic conductivity of SCPC after 300 freeze-thaw cycles were measured to evaluate the frost-resisting durability. In addition, the microstructures of SCPC near the top-bottom interconnected pores after 300 freeze-thaw cycles were observed by SEM. The results show that the high strength SCPC possesses much better frost-resisting durability than traditional pervious concrete(TPC) after 300 freeze-thaw cycles, which can be used in heavy loading roads. The most serious freeze-thaw damage emerges in the SCPC immersed in the 3% of Na Cl solution, while there is no obvious damage in 20% of Na Cl solution. Furthermore, it can be deduced that the high strength SCPC can be used for 100 years in a cold environment.

Experimental Study of Waste Tire Rubber,Wood-Plastic Particles and Shale Ceramsite on the Performance of Self-Compacting Concrete

In recent decades,the utilization of waste tires,plastic and artificial shale ceramsite as alternative fine aggregate to make self-compacting concrete(SCC)has been recognized as an eco-friendly and sustainable method to manufacture renewable construction materials.In this study,three kinds of recycled aggregates:recycled tire rubber particles,wood-plastic particles,artificial shale ceramsite were used to replace the sand by different volume(5%,10%,20%and 30%),and their effects on the fresh and hardened properties of SCC were investigated.The slump flow and V-funnel tests were conducted to evaluate the fresh properties of modified-SCC mixtures.The hardened properties include 3,7 and 28-day compressive strengths,axial compressive strength,static elastic modulus,and compressive stress-strain behavior at 28 days.The test results showed that the incorporation of these three kinds of alternative aggregates had a negative impact on the fresh properties of SCC.Besides,the 28-day compressive strength and axial compressive strength decreased with the increase of rubber and wood-plastic particles content.In this experiment,all the three kinds of recycled aggregates can improve the ductility and deformability of SCC,and the most excellent performance comes from SCC with recycled rubber particles.

A Study on the Effect of Low Calcium Ultra-fine Fly Ash as a Partial Sustainable Supplementary Material to Cement in Self-compacting Concrete

The aim and scope of the present study were to determine the efficacy of UFFA in evaluating the workability,static and dynamic stabilization properties,retention period,and slump loss of SCC systems in their fresh state,as well as their compressive strength at various ages.Microstructure(SEM and XRD)of blended SCC systems were studied.Also,the thermogravimetry behavior of blended SCC specimens were researched.According to the evaluated results,incorporating up to 20%UFFA into fresh concrete improved its performance due to its engineered fine particle size and spherical geometry,both of which contribute to the enhancement of characteristics.Blends of 25%and 30%of UFFA show effect on the water-binder ratio and chemical enhancer dosage,resulting in a loss of homogeneity in fresh SCC systems.The reduced particle size,increased amorphous content,and increased surface area all contribute to the pozzolanic reactivity of the early and later ages,resulting in denser packing and thus an increase in compressive strength.The experimental results indicate that UFFA enhances the properties of SCC in both its fresh and hardened states,which can be attributed to the particles’fineness and their relative effect on SCC.

Rheological Properties of Self-compacting Concrete Paste Containing Chemical Admixtures

Self-compacting concrete （SCC） was used for the filling layer of CRTSⅢ plate ballastless track, which needs excellent workability. The rheological properties of SCC cement paste containing chemical admixtures （CA） such as polycarboxylate-based superplasticizer （PCE）, air-entraining agent （AE） and defoamer （DF） were investigated using a Brookfield R/S SST2000 soft solid tester with a vane geometry spindle. The cementitious materials were designed as one, two and, three components systems by addition of ordinary portland cement （OPC） with these chemical admixtures. The rheological properties of one-component system （PCE paste） were improved with increasing the content of PCE. For two components systems of PCE-AE and PCE-DF, yield stress and plastic viscosity reduced firstly and increased afterward with the increasing of AE content. And the plastic viscosity reached the optimum when the content of AE is 0.004wt%. In general, the trend of yield stress and plastic viscosity decreased with the increasing of the DF content. For three components systems, PCE-AE-DF systems, the rheological properties were improved compared with the sample with AE or DF, which attributed to mixes of the active components mentioned above （CA） which could have a synergetic effect.

The Impermeability Mechanism of Self-compacting Water Proof Concrete

The impermeability mechanism of water-proof self-compacting concrete (WPSCC )w as studied. The mechanism and influential factors, such as water-cement ratio(w /c), dosage of powder, superplasticizer, sand content, aggregate conte nt, fly ash, UEA, PP fiber, on compactibility and crack resistance of WPSCC were analyzed. A type of WPSCC successfully applied in tunnel liner with its validit ies, conveniences and economies by mockup test was developed and optimized. Expe rimental results show that the WPSCC has good workability, mechanical properties and impermeability when reasonable requirements are fulfilled.

Design and Preparation of High Elastic Modulus Self-compacting Concrete for Pre-stressed Mass Concrete Structures

Requirements of self-compacting concrete （SCC） applied in pre-stressed mass concrete structures include high fluidity, high elastic modulus, low adiabatic temperature rise and low drying shrinkage, which cannot be satisfied by ordinary SCC. In this study, in order to solve the problem, a few principles of SCC design were proposed and the effects of binder amount, fly ash （FA） substitution, aggregate content and gradation on the workability, temperature rise, drying shrinkage and elastic modulus of SCC were investigated. The results and analysis indicate that the primary factor influencing the fluidity was paste content, and the main methods improving the elastic modulusof SCC were a lower sand ratio and an optimized coarse aggregate gradation. Lower adiabatic temperature rise and drying shrinkage were beneficial for decreasing the cement content. Further, based on the optimization of mixture, a C50 grade SCC （with binder amount of only 480 kg/ m3, fly ash substitution of 40%, sand ratio of 51% and proper coarse aggregate gradation （Vs.~0 mm： V10-16 ram： V16.20 mm= 30%： 30%：40%）） with superior workability was successfully prepared. The temperature rise and drying shrinkage of the prepared SCC were significantly reduced, and the elastic modulus reached 37.6 GPa at 28 d.

Properties of Chemically Synthesized Nano-geopolymer Cement based Self-Compacting Geopolymer Concrete(SCGC)

The physical and mechanical properties of self-compacting geopolymer concrete(SCGC) using chemically synthesized nano-geopolymer cement was investigated. Nano-geopolymer cement was synthesized using nano-silica, alkali activator, and sodium aluminate in the laboratory. Subsequently, nine nanogeopolymer cement sbased SCGC mixes with varying nano-geopolymer cement content, alkali activator content, coarse aggregate(CA) content, and curing temperature were produced. The workability-related fresh properties were assessed through slump flow diameter and slump flow rate measurements. Mechanical performances were evaluated through compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity measurements. In addition, rapid chloride penetration test, water absorption, and porosity tests were also performed. It was assessed that all mix design parameters influenced the fresh and hardened properties of SCGC mixes. Based on test results, it was deduced that nano-geopolymer cement SCGC performed fairly well. All the SCGC mixes achieved the 28-day compressive strength in the range of 60-80 MPa. Additionally, all mixes attained 60% of their 28-day strength during the first three days of elevated temperature curing. FTIR and SEM analyses were performed to evaluate the degree of polymerization and the microstructure respectively for SCGC mixes.

Self-compacting Concrete-filled Steel Tubes Prepared from Manufactured Sand with a High Content of Limestone Fines

To meet the requirements of construction of concretes filled in the steel tube arches,a C60 grade micro-expansive self-compacting concrete （SCC） was prepared from manufactured sand （MS）.The utilization of MS with a high content of quarry limestone fines was dealed for SCC applications.The workability,compressive and splitting strength,modulus of elasticity,restrained expansion and chloride ion permeability as well as freeze-thaw resistance of three MS-SCC mixes with fines content of 3%,7% and 10% were tested and compared with those of the natural sand （NS）-SCC mix.The experimental results indicate that the performances of the C60 MS-SCC with fines content of 7% are excellent and compared favorably with those of C60 NS-SCC.

Mechanical Properties and Microcosmic Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete Modified by Compound Admixtures

It has become a research hotspot to explore raw material substitutes of concrete.It is important to research the mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete(SCC)with slag powder(SP)and rubber particle(RP)replacing cement and coarse aggregate,respectively.12 kinds of composite modified self-compacting concrete(CMSCC)specimens were prepared by using 10%,20%and 30%SP and 30%,40%,50%and 60%RP.The rheological properties,mechanical properties and microstructure of the CMSCC were investigated.Results indicate that the workability,compressive strength,splitting tensile strength and flexural strength of CMSCC prepared by 20%SP and less than 40%RP are improved.In order to maximize the utilization of waste materials,20%SP and 40%RP can be used as the optimal ratio of the combined modifier.The microstructure shows that the addition of proper amount of SP is conducive to the formation of increasingly more uniform C-S-H gel.C-SH gel can fill the internal pores of the sample and enhance the adhesion between the aggregate,thus improving the mechanical properties of CMSCC.RP has a rougher surface and lower density and stiffness,which inhibits the workability and mechanical properties of CMSCC.The above research results have important theoretical and practical significance for the selection of raw materials of self-compacting concrete and the rational use of industrial wastes.

Mechanical Properties of Self-Compacting Rubberized Concrete with Different Rubber Types under Triaxial Compression

Different rubber aggregates lead to changes in the effect of stress conditions on the mechanical behavior of concrete,and studies on the triaxial properties of self-compacting rubber concrete(SCRC)are rare.In this study,35 cylindrical specimens taking lateral stress and rubber type as variables were prepared to study the fresh properties and mechanical behaviors of SCRC under triaxial compression,where the rubber contains two types,i.e.,380μm rubber powder and 1–4 mm rubber particles,and four contents,i.e.,10%,20%and 30%.The test results demonstrated that SCRC exhibited a typical oblique shear failure mode under triaxial compression and had a more moderate descending branch compared with self-compacting concrete(SCC).The presence of lateral stress can significantly improve the compression properties,including initial elastic modulus,peak stress and peak strain,with an improvement range of 3%–73%for peak stress.While rubber aggregates mainly targeted the deformation abilities and toughness for improvement,and the peak strain improvement ranges were 0.1–3.1 times and 0.1–1.0 times for SCRC containing rubber powder and SCRC containing rubber particles,respectively,relative to SCC.At a high lateral stress of at least 12 MPa,the loss of strength due to the addition of rubber can be controlled within 10%,in which case the content of rubber powder and rubber particles was recommended to be at most 20%and 30%,respectively.Based on the Mohr-Coulomb theory,the failure criteria of SCRC with different rubber types were established.For analysis and design purposes,an empirical model was proposed to predict the stressstrain behavior under triaxial compression,considering the influence of different rubber content and lateral stress.The results obtained in this study can provide a valuable reference for the design and application of self-compacting rubberized concrete in practical projects,especially those involving three-way compression states and requiring high-quality deformation and energy dissipation.

Long term behavior of self-compacting reinforced concrete beams

Tests were carried out on 8 self-compacting reinforced concrete(SCC) beams and 4 normal reinforced concrete beams. The effects of mode of consolidation,load level,reinforcing ratio and structural type on long term behavior of SCC were investigated. Under the same environmental conditions,the shrinkage-time curve of self-compacting concrete beam is very similar to that of normal concrete beam. For both self-compacting reinforced concrete beams and normal reinforced concrete beams,the rate of shrinkage at early stages is higher,the shrinkage strain at 2 months is about 60% of the maximum value at one year. The shrinkage strain of self-compacting reinforced concrete beam after one year is about 450×10-6. Creep deflection of self-compacting reinforced concrete beam decreases as the tensile reinforcing ratio increases. The deflection creep coefficient of self-compacting reinforced concrete beam after one and a half year is about 1.6,which is very close to that of normal reinforced concrete beams cast with vibration. Extra cautions considering shrinkage and creep behavior are not needed for the use of SCC in engineering practices.