Use of Plant-Based Accelerator to Enhance Rate of Gain of Strength of Kenyan Blended Cement

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. The situation in the country is not an exception as most of the infrastructures in Kenya such as buildings, bridges, concrete drainage among others, are constructed using concrete. Sadly, the failure of buildings and other concrete structures is very common in Kenya. Blended Portland cement type 32.5 N/mm2 is the most widely used concrete binder material and is found in all parts of the country. Despite blended cement CEM 32.5 being the most commonly used cement type in construction industry in Kenya and most developing countries as a result of its low price and availability locally, its strength gain has been proven to be lower compared to when other types of cement are used due to quantity of pozzolanic material added to the blend. This paper outlines findings of an experimental investigation on the use of cypress tree extract as an accelerator to enhance rate of gain of strength on Kenyan blended cements. Six different blended cement brands locally available were used during the study. Cement chemical analysis was done using X-ray diffraction method while for the cypress extract, Atomic Absorption Spectrometer machine was used. Physical and mechanical properties were checked based on the British standards. The generation of the concrete mix design was done using the British DOE method and concrete was tested for the compressive strength at 7, 14, 21, 28, 56 and 90 days. It was observed that 15% dosage of the extract expressed as a mass percentage of the cement content gives the most improved compressive strength of concrete, 10.4% at 7 days and 9.5% at 28 days hence the optimum. It was further noted that when Cypress tree extract is used as an accelerator in the mix, the blended cement concrete achieves the design strength at 27 days saving 10 days of the project duration compared to when no accelerator is used while the ultimate strength is achieved at 67 days. The study therefore recommends the use of the cypress tree bark extract at a dosage of 15%, by mass, of the cement content as an accelerator when the structure is to be loaded at 28 days and waiting up to 39 days before loading the structure if no accelerator is used for blended cement concrete.

Reliability Based Analysis of Ground Improvement Using a Polymeric Chemical Stabilizer

In view of the challenges posed by the nature of expansive soil to structural stability which makes it necessary in some cases to improve the soils before structures can be placed on them, there is a need to investigate modern trends in ground improvement techniques in order to determine their reliability. This study is thus aimed at using the reliability based approach to analyze the use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in combination with 1,2,3,4 Butane-tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) for ground improvement. This study is necessary given the challenges posed by the nature of expansive soil to structural stability which makes it necessary in some cases to improve the soils before structures can be placed on them. Simplex lattice design was employed to build the design of experiment before experimental investigations were carried out on the PVA-BTCA treated soft soils. Reliability indices were computed on the basis of the 28th day unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the treated soil. Reliability index models were developed using the Scheffe’s technique and optimized using excel solver. From analysis of results, reliability model developed proved adequate at 5% level of significance. PVA-BTCA combination provided a potential reliability or probability of success of 99.936% at components combination of: 98.4256% for soil, 1.2352% for PVA, 0.3392% for BTCA and 15.9934% for water. It was therefore recommended that financial implications of using PVA-BTCA for stabilization be compared to those of conventional methods, in order to compare their performance-cost ratio.

Simulating the Stress-Strain Response of Building under Oscillating Wind Conditions

Wind load is one of the main lateral control loads that need to be considered in the design of high-rise building structures. It is also of great engineering significance to study the influence of static wind load or time-varying wind load on the dynamic response of structures. In this paper, a high-rise building with a rectangular section (46.8 m × 27 m × 33 m) is simulated based on Ansys18.0 APDL software. The real situation of its response under no lateral wind load and different fluctuating wind load conditions is simulated and the stress and strain response of the building under steady-state and time-varying wind load is given. The results show that the upper strain of the structure under wind load is about 1/1000 of the bottom strain, and the strain of the structure shows obvious accumulation from the top to the bottom, that is, the bottom strain of the building will be higher than the top strain. The influence of time-varying wind load on building structure is related to the loading position of wind load on the structure. The results provide a basis for the structural wind resistance design of this type of building.

Influence of the Temperature on Coated Bituminous of Road Structures in Senegal (West Africa)

The Senegalese road network is strongly influenced in the long term by seasonal variations in climate and weather conditions. Indeed, much of the damage is due to these environmental factors. The objective of this paper is to study the behaviour of bituminous structures under the effect of high temperatures. Material samples were taken for a physico-mechanical characterization of the coated components. The results show that Marshall creep (2.87, 3.39, 5, 5.5 mm) and the bitumen penetrability increase with the increasing of temperatures respectively from 34°C to 45°C and from 20°C to 50°C. Marshall Stability drops from 15.81 kN to 11.31 kN for temperatures between 34°C and 45°C. The simulation carried out on Alize-LCPC shows an increase in distortions of traction at the basis of the rolling layer and at the top of the platform if temperatures vary between 34°C and 45°C. This work makes it possible to conform that the bituminous concrete is thermally sensitive and the hypothesis of fixing the constant modulus of the bituminous layers in Senegal for all projects remains unsuitable for a good dimensioning of sustainable road structures. The knowledge of the equivalent regional temperature will make it possible to produce quality pavements with a long lifespan.

Indicators Benchmarking of Cement-Based Construction Technologies: Brazilian Case Study

The adoption of performance indicators promotes knowledge of quantitative and qualitative material wastes in businesses and, when inserted in a collaborative process, provides a comparative evaluation of results between companies and, thereafter, an identification of best practices (bench-marking). The purpose of this paper is to present the best practices identified by performance indicators, related to the measurement of wastes and associated to construction companies participation in the benchmarking research process “Implementation of a system of performance indicators of cement-based construction technologies of the Community of Construction of Recife city in Brazil-PROGRIDE”, coordinated by the Brazilian Association of Portland Cement-ABCP. Therefore, it was sought to characterize best practices that led to the benchmarking of performance indicators related to the wastes of concrete, industrialized mortar for masonry settling and blocks/ bricks. As a contribution, a set of factors that characterize the best practices for each technology and conducted to benchmarking were identified.

Size Variation of Palm Kernel Shells as Replacement of Coarse Aggregate for Lightweight Concrete Production

The utilization of palm kernel shells (PKS) as an alternative to conventional materials for construction is desirable to promote sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of lightweight concrete produced with different sizes of PKS of 6, 8, 10, 12 mm and mix (consisting of 25% each of the four sizes). RPK sizes were used to replace coarse aggregate in the concrete and cured for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The tests performed on the concrete are dry density, compressive strength, flexural strength, EDS and SEM. It was revealed that the densities of the concrete specimens were all less than 2000 kg/m3, which implies that the PKS concrete satisfied the requirement of lightweight concrete for structural application. The compressive strength of the 12 mm PKS concrete specimens at 28-day of curing was 10.2 MPa which was 4% to 15.9% better than the other PKS sizes concrete. The flexural strength of the 12 mm PKS concrete specimens at 28-day of curing was 2.85 MPa which was also 3.2% to 57.07% better than the other PKS sizes concrete. It was also revealed by the SEM analysis that there was a good bond between the palm kernel shells and the mortar. A high calcium-silicate content was found in the concrete which resulted in a Ca/Si ratio of 1.26 and Al/Si ratio of 0.11. The study therefore concludes that size variations of PKS as replacement of coarse aggregate have an influence on the properties of the lightweight concrete and recommends 12 mm PKS for use by construction practitioners for lightweight concrete structural application.

Assessment of Seismic Indirect Losses Based on Utility Curves

In the process of quantifying optimum seismic design parameters, the losses implying the failure of the system must be assessed. Intangibles such as human lives may lie among indirect losses. In this paper, we propose a model to calculate the value of the investment that society should be willing to make for saving lives. In order to do this, we analyze both individual and social problems. However, special treatment is given to the individual problem where the value of the life of a human being is inferred by what the person should be willing to pay or willing to accept to reduce the risk of dying. Due to the use of utility curves in the calculation of this kind of intangible, we pay special attention to shape and requirement conditions of these curves. We also pay attention when personal impact and legacies or bequests are considered in utility curves. The results are shown through some applications, especially in the computation of optimum seismic design coefficients at a low seismicity site.

Design of Tall Cable-Supported Windbreak Panels

The design and construction of tall and slender steel structures is always challenging. This paper discusses several design aspects (structural information, analysis methods, applied loads, cost optimisation) and a case study regarding the design and construction of 10-m-tall windbreak panels for a Greek electricity producer. The purpose of the panels is to reduce wind turbulence and improve the performance of the electricity producer’s air-cooled condenser. In this case, the main wind load acts in the longitudinal direction, with friction inducing only a small amount of wind load in the transverse direction. The steel columns are constructed from 10-m-tall hot-rolled IPE 270 (S235) cross-sections, and are supported by cables in the longitudinal direction and bracing systems in the transverse direction. Concrete anchorages and concrete footings are used for the cables and steel columns, respectively. System optimisation is investigated in terms of the steel weight, cable length, and overall cost, and practical issues are explained regarding technical decisions. Furthermore, the construction details, construction methods, and cost estimation are discussed.

The Influence of Metakaolin from Saaba (Burkina Faso) over Physico-Mechanical and Durability Properties of Mortars

The paper evaluates the feasibility of reducing clinker in the Portland Cement production using local metakaolin in Burkina Faso. Standardized testing methods have been used for this purpose, and experiments were performed on mortar prisms containing different amounts of metakaolin. Important results about the physical, mechanical and durability characterization of blended mortars were carried out in this study. The obtained results are discussed based on available literature data. These results have shown increased physical and durability properties for blended mortars. Although the mechanical strengths remained relatively low for higher MK incorporations, the latter grow to surpass these of PC mortars (the reference) at 28, 56 and 90 days of curing. The results in the paper, have confirmed the possibility of using metakaolin to partially substitute cement, a possibility to reduce the CO2 production by the cement industry in Burkina Faso.

Intersheet Distance Modeling and Thermal Characterization of New Micro/Nano-Composites Composed by Clay Matrix and PEG 6000 Addition

Nowadays, the energetic efficiency becomes one of the major interests of the global society. Thus, the energetic challenges of the new century enforce the scientific and industrial environment to the development of new efficient materials, which present more than the classical thermal properties, according to the energy storage, energy consumption and other specific needs. In this context, the present work constitutes the third step of the development of a new kind of composite materials (micro-composites and nano-composites), using natural marl (clay) clay and biodegradable polymer, which is the PolyEthylene Glycol 6000 (PEG 6000). This step corresponds to characterization of the variation of the specific heat (denoted Cp) of the materials elaborated. So, in order to estimate the capacity of thermal energy adsorption, we utilized a SHIMATZU-DSC 60 Differential Scanning Calorimeter. The main results present the evolution of the Cp according to the PEG 6000 doping and also the specific melting enthalpy of the polymer within the natural clay matrix;by the way this enthalpy constitutes the specific heat stocked in the materials.

Behaviour and Analysis of Horizontally Curved Steel Box-Girder Bridges

Various theories and analytical formulations were implemented and exploited in the 1980s and 1990s for the design of bridge beams or decks curved in the horizontal plane and subjected to out-of-plane loads. Nowadays, the Finite Element Method (FEM) is a valid tool for the analysis of structures with complex geometries and, therefore, the development of sophisticated analytical formulations is not needed anymore. However, they are still useful for the validation of FE models. This paper presents the case study of an existing viaduct built in North Italy, aiming to compare analytical approaches and numerical modelling. The bridge is characterized by an axis curved in two directions and a rectilinear segment. The global analysis of the viaduct is carried out with special attention to the attributes that cause torque action and bending moment. The theoretical developments focus on a deeper understanding of the torsional response under different constraint and loading conditions and aspire to raise awareness of the mutual interaction of flexural and torsional behaviour, that are always present in these complex curved systems. The examination of the case study is also obtained by comparing the response of isostatic and hyperstatic curvilinear steel box-girders.

Seismic Performance Evaluation of Improved Jet Grouted Grid Form with Horizontal Slab in Liquefaction Mitigation

A chain event of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes caused considerable geotechnical damage related to liquefaction in many places around Kumamoto plain. Many low-rise houses and traditional Japanese style houses, which were constructed on shallow foundation, suffered differential settlement and tilting due to liquefaction. To mitigate the building damages due to the liquefaction, a new countermeasure method of jet grout grid form with a horizontal slab is introduced in this study. The effectiveness of the proposed technique was evaluated through physical modelling and numerical modelling. As a part of the physical modelling, a set of 1 g shaking table tests for unimproved case and improved case were performed, in which the mitigation effects of the grid form with a horizontal reinforcing slab were examined based on the acceleration, excess pore water pressure ratio as well as ground settlement. Numerical simulation was also performed for assessing the effect of improved method on soil-structure interaction and building settlement during the earthquake. The physical and numerical results confirmed that the grid form with horizontal slab reinforced method is effective in settlement control and offers favorable contribution in liquefaction mitigation.

Impact of the Objective Function on the Construction of Internal Grids of Wind Farms Using Genetic Algorithm

The macro complex of the construction industry is energy intensive. Solutions that enable the supply of this demand while meeting the principles of sustainability are needed. The construction of wind farms has been a strategy employed by many countries to produce clean energy. An increase in the construction of wind farms has also been witnessed in Brazil. This calls for different activities, such as the design and construction of infrastructure. This article focuses on the design of internal medium voltage distribution grids for wind farms. The purpose is to find a radial configuration that connects a set of wind generators to the substation, in an optimum way, minimizing operational and construction costs, reducing loss and therefore contributing to sustainability. In large farms, the project design consists of a large combinatorial optimization problem, given the large number of possible configurations to be deployed. Finding the best solution for the internal grid depends on the criterion adopted for the objectives pursued. This article analyzes the different criteria that can be adopted in the design of the wind farm’s internal grid using a methodology based on genetic algorithm (GA). Its aim is to identify their influence on the solution of the problem and help decision-making by finding the most adequate criterion for the objectives pursued. The results show that the design of the internal grid is sensitive to the criteria adopted for the objective function. In addition, the degree of sensitivity is analyzed, showing that, in some cases, the solutions are not economically attractive and do not contribute to the reduction of losses.

A Review of Building Energy Efficiency Technology

In China, there’s high energy consumption in buildings with less attention to building energy efficiency. All of these facts prove that there are great potentialities in energy conservation. On account of this, this paper introduces multiple building energy-saving technologies at home and abroad, including the technologies for innovative wall materials, exterior wall external insulation, heat insulation of window, utilization of solar energy, heat storage and recovery as well as the illumination energy saving technology. On the basis of new buildings, this paper gives five suggestions on building energy efficiency. Meanwhile it raises five suggestions on energy conservation based on the existing building, for which it presents purposely the technologies and measures about energy saving transformation from four aspects.

The Impact of Acoustics and Energy Efficiency Protocols on Comfort in the Building Industry

Comfort in buildings is one of the most requested value to reach. Today, designers have to deal with so many technical features including outer appearance, air-conditioning, structural layouts, acoustic insulation and inner treatments, materials bio-compatibility, material recycling and reuse, water wasting and so on. In the same time, costumers want to buy buildings which won’t cost a lot in terms of heating and cooling as in the past. Besides, every single apartment, loft, office etc., even if there are many of them in a single building, has to be very quiet. Voluntary or compulsory standards, protocols and state laws lead the designers throughout the project and in some cases to the final in field tests too. Nevertheless, different sort of calculations, leading philosophy, expected results, parameters and tags are included in order to achieve the final aims. In this paper, energy efficiency and acoustic performances of buildings are discussed, proposing and comparing designing solutions for a specific case study.

Seepage Mitigation in Hydropower Dams by Optimization in Roller Compacted Concrete Interlayer (Monoliths) Joint Bonding Technology

Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) has gained favorable recognition in hydropower and water resource dam construction. With optimization in construction technology and materials used for RCC Dams, cost is no longer a major disadvantage as compared to environmental impact, that is, wildlife habitat disruption. In as much as it has become optimal for investment in hydropower dam construction, the scourge for dam failure is still eminent, which is as a result of excessive seepage compromising the integrity of the mechanical properties of the dam. The aim of the paper is to highlight successful application methods in joint bonding to avoid excessive seepage and reduce the autogenous healing to a few years of operation. In view of optimization, this paper presents a comprehensive study on the influences of interlayer joints bonding quality from RCC mix performances and how it consolidates the RCC layers to withstand the shear strength along the interface, especially on the high dams. The case study is the RCC dam at the 750 MW Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station. The scope of the study reviews the joint type judged by Modified Maturity Factor (MMF) with joint surface long time exposed in regions with dry and high temperature, technical measures of layer bonding quality control under condition of long time joint surface exposure, effects of joints shear strength and impermeability of the RCC layers when under the conditions of plastic and elasticity. The subtle observations made during the dam construction phases were with respect to the optimal use of materials in relation to RCC mix designs and the basis for equipment calibration for monitoring important data that can be referenced during analysis of shear forces acting on the RCC dam over time.

Detecting Damage in Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Vibrational Characteristics

This paper evaluates two methods of diagnosing damage, Natural frequency and Stiffness-Frequency change-Based damage detection method in reinforced concrete beams under load using vibration characteristics such as natural frequency and mode shape. The research uses finite element method with crack damage instead of deleting or reducing the bearing capacity of the element like in previous studies. First, a theory of the damage diagnosis method based on the change of natural frequency and mode shape is presented. Next, the simulation results of reinforced concrete beams using ANSYS will be compared with the experiment. Particularly, the investigated damage cases are cracks in reinforced concrete beams under loads. Finally, we will evaluate the accuracy of the damage diagnosis methods and suggest the location of the vibration data and specify the failure threshold of the methods.

Effects of Soil-Cement Stabilization on the Index Properties of Subgrades of Three Selected Roads in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

In this study, the impact of soil-cement stabilization on the index properties of the subgrade of roads was investigated. Efforts were on the means of improving the bearing capacity of the subgrade of a flexible pavement structure. Three selected roads (Ogbia-Nembe, section of the East-West Road and section of Port Harcourt-Aba Road) in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria were examined to determine the effect of sand-cement stabilization on the compaction index property of their undisturbed subgrade and the optimal ratio of soil-cement on the expansive soils at which the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) is optimized. Disturbed soil samples were collected from twenty trial pits on each of the three study roads using a hand ulger and tested for their respective compaction index properties. It was discovered that their California Bearing Ratio (CBR) was very low. Some of the collected specimen materials were stabilized with varying percentages of soil-cement contents ranging from 6% - 14% in order to ascertain its effects on the compaction index properties of the sample soils. Results of the various stabilization test procedures show that: Stabilization of the soil using Soil-Cement Stabilization affected the Compaction Index properties of the soil and further improved the California Bearing Ratio (CBR). On the Ogbia-Nembe Road;Soil-Cement stabilization improved the CBR and is optimized at a 10% sand-cement ratio with optimum moisture content ranging from 6.2% - 14%, maximum dry density ranges from 1700 - 1780 kg/m3, yielding an average CBR of 42.7% for soaked samples. On the section of East-West Road from Eleme Junction to Etteh Junction;Soil-Cement stabilization improved the CBR and is optimized at a 14% sand-cement ratio with optimum moisture content ranging from 6.2% - 14.2%, maximum dry density ranges from 1660 - 1800 kg/m3, yielding an average CBR of 43.9% for soaked samples. On the section of Port Harcourt-Aba Express Road from Eleme Junction to Osisioma Junction;Soil-Cement stabilization improved the CBR and is optimized at a 12% sand-cement ratio having an optimum moisture content ranging from 5.4% - 17.3%, maximum dry density ranges from 1610 - 1740 kg/m3, and an average California Bearing Ratio for soaked samples at 40%.

Effect of Filler and Binder Contents on Air Voids in Hot-Mix Asphalt for Road Pavement Construction

Filler and binder make up a small proportion of bituminous mixtures, hence they are considered as important ingredients of mixtures. Sometimes due to equipment error during production, some mixtures retain extra or a reduced amount of filler or binder as compared to the design mix formula. It is thought that the poor performance of bituminous mixtures is a result of inadequate proportioning of materials and the use of inappropriate compaction tools. This study was intended to appreciate the influence of contents of filler and binder in relation to durability in asphalt mixtures. Filler used was crushed stone passing 0.075 mm sieve, while the binder was 35/50 penetration grade. Several trial mixes were prepared following Ugandan specifications for Road and Bridge Works, and the Asphalt Institute in MS-2. Marshall design method was used, studying volumetric properties with an average stability value of 22.3 kN, average flow value of 3.7 mm, VA of 4.4%, VFB of 69.3%, and VMA of 14.2%. Also, compaction of mixtures to assess its performance at optimum filler and binder contents was done. Compaction was done using an Automatic Impact Hammer, a Vibrating Hammer, and a Superpave Gyratory compactor aimed at simulating secondary compaction by traffic and assessing the retained air voids which was 3.3%, 1.3%, and 0.7% respectively. Generally, in bituminous mixtures when a vibrating hammer or a gyratory compactor is recommended for compaction, coarser mixes would be the best choice.

An Evaluation of the Water Absorption and Density Properties of Expanded Polystyrene Sanded Concrete

In this paper, the evaluation of the mechanical and hygro-thermal properties of expanded polystyrene-sanded lightweight concrete (EPSLC) was examined. Evaluated are the mechanical properties in terms of density;and the hygro-thermal property using water absorption (capillary absorption and total immersion) as measures. The research used 30% volume of EPS to replace natural coarse aggregate to produce a lightweight concrete, which is expected to be economical, serviceable and meet the required standards for lightweight concretes. The concrete bulk and oven dry densities were obtained as 1789 KN/m3 and 1674 kg/m3 respectively, while the total water and capillary water absorption increases with time of suction. The high rate of water absorption at the early periods of the test has corresponding capillary coefficient of steep slope within the same period. The relationship between the variables Q the water absorption per unit area of the specimen and K the capillary coefficient, is that as the water absorption gets higher, so does the capillary coefficient and the percentage of the variation is expressed by the correlation coefficient R2. Therefore, the values of R2 as depicted in the graphs shows a high percentage of variation. The moisture capacity is 6.9%. All the laboratory tests were, conducted in accordance with standard codes of practice. The significance of the research is that innovative technology is employed to modify and improve processes in construction industry, thus, enhancing sustainable environmental, management of industrial waste, and cheaper and economic construction. With the 30% replacement of coarse aggregate, the density and water absorption properties of concrete produced are within acceptable limits. Therefore, EPS can be used to produce lightweight concrete that will perform the required function at this level of replacement.