Simulation of Fracture Process of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete Based on Digital Image Processing Technology

The mechanical properties and failure mechanism of lightweight aggregate concrete(LWAC)is a hot topic in the engineering field,and the relationship between its microstructure and macroscopic mechanical properties is also a frontier research topic in the academic field.In this study,the image processing technology is used to establish a micro-structure model of lightweight aggregate concrete.Through the information extraction and processing of the section image of actual light aggregate concrete specimens,the mesostructural model of light aggregate concrete with real aggregate characteristics is established.The numerical simulation of uniaxial tensile test,uniaxial compression test and three-point bending test of lightweight aggregate concrete are carried out using a new finite element method-the base force element method respectively.Firstly,the image processing technology is used to produce beam specimens,uniaxial compression specimens and uniaxial tensile specimens of light aggregate concrete,which can better simulate the aggregate shape and random distribution of real light aggregate concrete.Secondly,the three-point bending test is numerically simulated.Thirdly,the uniaxial compression specimen generated by image processing technology is numerically simulated.Fourth,the uniaxial tensile specimen generated by image processing technology is numerically simulated.The mechanical behavior and damage mode of the specimen during loading were analyzed.The results of numerical simulation are compared and analyzed with those of relevant experiments.The feasibility and correctness of the micromodel established in this study for analyzing the micromechanics of lightweight aggregate concrete materials are verified.Image processing technology has a broad application prospect in the field of concrete mesoscopic damage analysis.

Utilization of Basalt Saw Mud as a Spherical Porous Functional Aggregate for the Preparation of Ordinary Structure Concrete

To promote the production and application of artificial aggregates,save natural sand resources and protect the ecological environment,we evaluated the feasibility of using spherical porous functional aggregates(SPFAs) formed by basalt saw mud under autoclave curing in ordinary structural concrete.In our work,two types of prewetted functional aggregates were taken as replacements for natural aggregates with different volume substitution rates(0%,5%,10%,15%,20%,25%,and 30%) in the preparation of ordinary structural concrete with water-to-binder ratios(W/B) of 0.48 and 0.33.The effects of the functional aggregate properties and content,W/B,and curing age on the fluidity,density,mechanical properties and autogenous shrinkage of ordinary concrete were analyzed.The experimental results showed that the density of concrete declined at a rate of not more than 5%,and the 28 d compressive strength could reach 31.0-68.2 MPa.Low W/B,long curing age and high-quality functional aggregates were conducive to enhancing the mechanical properties of SPFAs concrete.Through the rolling effects,SPFAs can optimize the particle gradation of aggregate systems and improve the fluidity of concrete,and the water stored inside SPFAs provides an internal curing effect,which prolongs the cement hydration process and considerably reduces the autogenous shrinkage of concrete.SPFAs exhibits high strength and high density,as well as being more cost-effective and ecological,and is expected to be widely employed in ordinary structural concrete.

Influence Mechanism of Curing Regimes on Interfacial Transition Zone of Lightweight Ultra-High Performance Concrete

This study aims to clarify the effects of curing regimes and lightweight aggregate(LWA)on the morphology, width and mechanical properties of the interfacial transition zone(ITZ) of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC), and provide reference for the selection of lightweight ultra-high performance concrete(L-UHPC) curing regimes and the pre-wetting degree LWA. The results show that, under the three curing regimes(standard curing, steam curing and autoclaved curing), LWA is tightly bound to the matrix without obvious boundaries. ITZ width increases with the water absorption of LWA and decreases with increasing curing temperature. The ITZ microhardness is the highest when water absorption is 3%, and the microhardness value is more stable with the distance from LWA. Steam and autoclaved curing increase ITZ microhardness compared to standard curing. As LWA pre-wetting and curing temperatures increase, the degree of hydration at the ITZ increases, generating high-density CSH(HD CSH) and ultra-high-density CSH(UHD CSH), and reducing unhydrated particles in ITZ. ITZ micro-mechanical properties are optimized due to hydration products being denser.

Progress in developing self-consolidating concrete(SCC)constituting recycled concrete aggregates:A review

Recycled concrete aggregate(RCA)derived from demolition waste has been widely explored for use in civil engineering applications.One of the promising strategies globally is to incorporate RCA into concrete products.However,the use of RCA in high-performance concrete,such as self-consolidating concrete(SCC),has only been studied in the past decade.This paper summarizes recent publications on the use of coarse and/or fine RCA in SCC.As expected,the high-water absorption and porous structure of RCA have posed challenges in producing a high-fluidity mixture.According to an analysis of published data,a lower strength reduction(within 23%regardless of coarse RCA content)is observed in SCC compared with vibrated concrete,possibly due to the higher paste content in the SCC matrix,which enhances the weak surface layer of RCA and interfacial transition zone.Similarly,SCC tends to become less durable with RCA substitution although the deterioration can be minimized by using treated RCA through removing or strengthening the adhered mortar.To date,the information reported on the role of RCA in the long-term performance of SCC is still limited;thus,a wide range of research is needed to demonstrate the feasibility of RCA–SCC in field applications.

Combined Recycling of White Rice Husk Ash as Cement Replacement and Metal Furnace Slag as Coarse-Aggregate Replacement to Produce Self-Consolidating Concrete

According to empirical evidence,high levels of energy and considerable amounts of natural resources are used in the production of concrete.Given the context,this study explores self-consolidating concrete(SCC)that includes rice husk ash(RHA)and metal furnace slag(MFS)as an alternative to cement and the natural aggregates in standard SCC mixes.In this study,mixture designs are investigated with 20 wt.%of RHA,10–30 wt.%of MFS and water-to-powder material ratios of 0.30 and 0.40.Based on the findings regarding the fresh-state,hardened-state,and durability properties of the resulting SCC mixes,it is evident that the use of RHA and MFS can significantly improve the properties of concrete.The highest compressive strength was achieved for SCC with 20 wt.%RHA and 10 wt.%MFS.This outcome should be used as a basis for further investigations into the production of concrete materials that are both high-performance and sustainable.

Cracking behaviors and crack control of self-consolidating concrete: a review of literature

Cracking in concrete occurs from volumetric instability, mechanical loading, and/or environmental attack. Compared to conventional vibrated concrete, self-consolidating concrete often has a higher susceptibility to crack due to different mixture design, material properties and construction practices. To obtain a better understanding of self-consolidating concrete cracking behaviors for designing and constructing crack-controlled structural elements, reported current research and practices are reviewed and analyzed in this paper. It has been believed that when well designed and welt constructed, high quality self- consolidating concrete can be successfully used in various structures with cracks properly controlled.

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.

The Testing Strength Curves of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete by Rebound Method and Ultrasonic-rebound Combined Method

The strength curves of lightweight aggregate concrete （LWAC） were tested based on detecting LWAC with density of 1 400-1 900 kg/m3 and LWAC with strength grade of LC15-LC50 by rebound method and ultrasonic-rebound combined method.The results show that the common measured strength curves tested by above two methods can not satisfy the required accuracy of LWAC strength test.In addition,specified compressive strength curves of testing LWAC by rebound method and ultrasonic-rebound combined method are obtained,respectively.

Temperature and Stress Analysis of An Experimental Model of Prestressed Lightweight Concrete Platform

This paper presents an experimental study of a prestressed lightweight concrete platform model with a tank and for five steel-columns. This platform can be used not only for extraction but also for storage of oil and is suitable for the Bohai Sea and other shallow seas of China. The platform is subjected to temperature. load, or both. The corresponding temperature distribution. strains, cracks. and vulnerable parts of the platform are analyzed respectively. By use of the finite element method and empirical formulas, the temperature field of the model is analyzed. The results agree with the experimental results, thereby verifying! the reliability of these two calculating methods. The paper provides an experimental basis for the des sign of the bearing capacity and normal service state of prestressed concrete platforms.

Autogenous Shrinkage of High Strength Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

The characteristic of autogenous shrinkage（AS） and its effect on high strength lightweight aggregate concrete（HSLAC） were studied.The experimental results show that the main shrinkage of high strength concrete is AS and the amount of cement can affect the AS of HSLAC remarkably,At the early stage the AS of HSLAC is lower than that of high strength normal concrete,but it has a large growth at the later stage.The AS of high strength normal concrete becomes stable at 90d age,but HSLAC still has a high AS growth .It is found that adjusting the volume rate of lightweight aggregate,mixing with a proper dosage of fly ash and raising the water saturation degree of lightweight aggregate can markedly reduce the AS rate of HSLAC.

Influence of Polymer Addition on Performance and Mechanical Properties of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

The influence of polymer addition on microstructure, performance and mechanical properties of lightweight aggregate concrete was investigated. It was found that the addition of polymer improved the performance and mechanical properties of lightweight aggregate concrete. It was ascertained that the modification of microstructural uniformity and densification with the addition of polymer is responsible for the enhancement of mechanical properties. With respect to compressive strength and bending strength, the lightweight aggregate concrete added with 13% ethylene-acetate ethylene interpolymer (EVA) exhibits preferred mechanical properties. Key words lightweight aggregate concrete - polymer - microstructure - mechanical properties CLC number TU 528.2 Foundation item: Supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (50272045)Biography: Jiang Cong-sheng (1963-), male, Ph. D candidate, Associate professor, research direction: advanced architectural materials.

Cellular lightweight concrete containing high-calcium fly ash and natural zeolite

Cellular lightweight concrete （CLC） with the controlled density of approximately 800 kg/m3 was made from a preformed foam, Type-I Portland cement （OPC）, fly ash （FA）, or natural zeolite （NZ）, and its compressive strength, setting time, water absorption, and microstructure of were tested. High-calcium FA and NZ with the median particle sizes of 14.52 and 7.72 μm, respectively, were used to partially replace OPC at 0, 10wt%, 20wt%, and 30wt% of the binder （OPC and pozzolan admixture）. A water-to-binder mass ratio （W/B） of 0.5 was used for all mixes. The testing results indicated that CLC containing 10wt% NZ had the highest compressive strength. The replacement of OPC with NZ decreased the total porosity and air void size but increased the capillary porosity of the CLC. The incorporation of a suitable amount of NZ decreased the setting time, total porosity, and pore size of the paste compared with the findings with the same amount of FA. The total porosity and cumulative pore volume decreased, whereas the gel and capillary pores increased as a result of adding both pozzolans at all replacement levels. The water absorption increased as the capillary porosity increased; this effect depended on the volume of air entrained and the type or amount of pozzolan.

Engineering properties of sintered waste sludge as lightweight aggregate in a densified concrete mixture

The global trend towards carbon reduction,energy conservation,and sustainable use of resources has led to an increased focus on the use of waste sludge in construction.We used waste sludge from a reservoir to produce high-strength sintered lightweight aggregate,and then used the densified mixture design algorithm to create high-performance concrete from the sintered aggregate with only small amounts of mixing water and cement.Ultrasonic,electrical resistance and concrete strength efficiency tests were perfo...

Mechanical Characterization of Rhecktophyllum Camerunense (RC) Fiber Reinforced Concrete

This work presents the development and mechanical characterization of a concrete reinforced with plant fiber extracted from Rhecktophyllum Camerunense (RC), a plant found in the regions of Center and South Cameroon. A comparative study between ordinary concrete and concrete reinforced with RC fiber at different percentages (0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3%) was carried out. The mechanical characterization of the material consisted in studying the flexural, compressive and splitting tensile strength by using cylindrical specimens of dimensions 160 × 320 in accordance with standards EN 12390-3 and EN 12390-6. The study of the mechanical properties was completed by the three-point bending test using prismatic test specimens of dimension 40 × 40 × 160 made according to the EN 196 standard. It emerges from this work that the addition of RC fiber improves the mechanical properties of concrete up to 0.2% with a peak at 0.1% of fiber corresponding to respective increases of 9%, 16% and 6% of the values of mechanical resistance to compression, flexion and tension after 28 days. From 0.3% of fiber, the values of the mechanical characteristics of the composite drop to values lower than those of ordinary concrete. The density reduction rate at 28 days is about 10% compared to the mass of ordinary concrete. These results allow us to conclude that the RC fiber could be valorized for the production of lightweight concrete.

Evaluation method of cracking resistance of lightweight aggregate concrete

The cracking behavior of lightweight aggregate concrete(LWAC) was investigated by mechanical analysis, SEM and cracking-resistant test where a shrinkage-restrained ring with a clapboard was used. The relationship between the ceramsite type and the cracking resistance of LWAC was built up and compared with that of normal-weight coarse aggregate concrete(NWAC). A new method was proposed to evaluate the cracking resistance of concrete, where the concepts of cracking coefficient ζt(t) and the evaluation index Acr(t) were proposed, and the development of micro-cracks and damage accumulation were recognized. For the concrete with an ascending cracking coefficient curve, the larger Acr(t) is, the lower cracking resistance of concrete is. For the concrete with a descending cracking coefficient curve, the larger Acr(t) is, the stronger the cracking resistance of concrete is. The evaluation results show that in the case of that all the three types of coarse aggregates in concrete are pre-soaked for 24 h, NWAC has the lowest cracking resistance, followed by the LWAC with lower water absorption capacity ceramsite and the LWAC with higher water absorption capacity ceramsite has the strongest cracking resistance. The proposed method has obvious advantages over the cracking age method, because it can evaluate the cracking behavior of concrete even if the concrete has not an observable crack.

Preparation and properties of geopolymer-lightweight aggregate refractory concrete

Geopolymer-lightweight aggregate refractory concrete (GLARC) was prepared with geopolymer and lightweight aggregate. The mechanical property and heat-resistance (950 ℃) of GLARC were investigated. The effects of size of aggregate and mass ratio of geopolymer to aggregate on mechanical and thermal properties were also studied. The results show that the highest compressive strength of the heated refractory concrete is 43.3 MPa,and the strength loss is only 42%. The mechanical property and heat-resistance are influenced by the thickness of geopolymer covered with aggregate,which can be expressed as the quantity of geopolymer on per surface area of aggregate. In order to show the relationship between the thickness of geopolymer covered with aggregate and the thermal property of concrete,equal thickness model is presented,which provides a reference for the mix design of GLARC. For the haydite sand with size of 1.18-4.75 mm,the best amount of geopolymer per surface area of aggregate should be in the range of 0.300-0.500 mg/mm2.

Effects of Vibration Technology and Polyvinyl Acetate Emulsion on Microstructure and Properties of Expanded Polystyrene Lightweight Concrete

To prevent expanded polystyrene （EPS） beads from rising up to the surface in the molding process of EPS lightweight concrete, vibration with pressure was applied and the polyvinyl acetate （PVA） emulsion was adopted to improve its mechanical properties. The mechanical properties, thermal properties and durability of EPS lightweight concrete were tested. The microstruetures of EPS lightweight concrete were observed by scanning electron microscope （SEM）. Vibration with pressure reduces the number of small cracks. The 180 d compressive strength and flexural strength increase obviously as a large amount of PVA was added. The mixed amount of PVA has no obvious influence on the thermal performance when it is not more than 10% of the cement. Vibration with pressure and surface modification of EPS beads by PVA improve the combination of EPS beads with cement stone and the mechanical properties of EPS lightweight concrete.

BIM-based construction technologies for precast foamed lightweight concrete wallboards

To promote the visualisation and informatisation of the construction process of precast foamed lightweight concrete wallboards(PFLCWs),from the analysis of the construction requirements of PFLCWs,three key construction technologies based on building information modelling(BIM),namely,parameterised modelling for the PFLCW layout design,drawing generation to draw the PFLCW layout and quantity statistics for extracting PFLCW quantities,are proposed.Then,a reinforced concrete(RC)frame infilled with PFLCW is considered the test model to verify the feasibility of the aforementioned technologies.The results show that PFLCW layout design can be accomplished rapidly and visually using parameterised modelling technology.The PFLCW layout diagram can be generated directly using drawing generation technology.The proposed quantity statistics technology enables the automatic export of PFLCW bills of quantities.The built parameterised model helps construction workers rapidly and intuitively understand the specific layout details of PFLCWs.Moreover,the generated layout drawing and the bills of quantities based on the parameterised model can guide the production and on-site installation of PFLCWs.The research conclusions can serve as a practical guide and technical support for PFLCW engineering applications.

Durability of Lightweight Concrete Using Oil Palm Shell as Aggregates

Oil Palm Shell (OPS) concrete can be used in different fields of construction. To determine more accurately the fields of application, it is important to know and understand the behaviour of OPS concrete over the long term and when it is in aggressive environments. This paper presents the results of studies conducted on the durability of OPS concrete. Water absorption capacity, electrical resistivity and apparent diffusion of chloride ions have been measured on different concrete samples. In addition, the behaviour of OPS concretes to carbonation was studied in an environment rich in carbon dioxide. Results show that OPS concrete has an absorptivity of 0.97 kg/m2·h1/2, an electrical resistivity of 64.37 Ω·m and an apparent diffusion coefficient of chloride ions of 3.84 × 10-12 m2/s after 90 days. All these results of OPS concrete are very close to those of concrete with normal aggregate and other lightweight concrete, which mean OPS concretes have globally good properties with regard to durability.

Mechanical Characterization of Rhecktophyllum Camerunense (RC) Fiber Reinforced Concrete

This work presents the development and mechanical characterization of a concrete reinforced with plant fiber extracted from Rhecktophyllum Camerunense (RC), a plant found in the regions of Center and South Cameroon. A comparative study between ordinary concrete and concrete reinforced with RC fiber at different percentages (0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3%) was carried out. The mechanical characterization of the material consisted in studying the flexural, compressive and splitting tensile strength by using cylindrical specimens of dimensions 160 × 320 in accordance with standards EN 12390-3 and EN 12390-6. The study of the mechanical properties was completed by the three-point bending test using prismatic test specimens of dimension 40 × 40 × 160 made according to the EN 196 standard. It emerges from this work that the addition of RC fiber improves the mechanical properties of concrete up to 0.2% with a peak at 0.1% of fiber corresponding to respective increases of 9%, 16% and 6% of the values of mechanical resistance to compression, flexion and tension after 28 days. From 0.3% of fiber, the values of the mechanical characteristics of the composite drop to values lower than those of ordinary concrete. The density reduction rate at 28 days is about 10% compared to the mass of ordinary concrete. These results allow us to conclude that the RC fiber could be valorized for the production of lightweight concrete.