This thesis presents the results of an investigation of factors which influence the geotechnical properties of frozen mine backfill (FMB). FMB has extensive application potential for mining in permafrost areas. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of hardened backfill is often used to evaluate mine backfill stability. However, the deformation behaviour and stiffness of the FMB are also key design properties of interest. In this thesis, uniaxial compressive tests were conducted on FTB and FCPB samples. Information about the geotechnical properties of FMB is obtained. The effects of FMB mix components and vertical compression pressure on the geotechnical properties of FMB are discussed and summarized. An optimum total water content of 25%-35% is found in which the strength and the modulus of elasticity of the FTB are 1.4-3.2 MPa and 35-58 MPa, respectively. It is observed that a small amount (3-6%) of cement can significantly change the geotechnical properties of FTB.

Microtruss cellular materials have large internal surface areas and small cross-sectional strut dimensions, permitting surface modification to substantially enhance their mechanical performance. For instance, a ~400% increase in compressive strength with virtually no weight penalty can be induced by a hard anodized Al2O3 ceramic coating of only ~50 µm thickness. The present study seeks the optimal architecture of these composites by exploring three research challenges: architecture and degree of forming are interdependent due to stretch-forming, architecture and the material properties are interdependent due to work-hardening, and ceramic structural coatings add design complexity. Theoretical predictions and architectural optimizations demonstrated a potential weight reduction of ~3% to ~60% through the increase of internal truss angle for both annealed and work-hardened microtruss cores. While further validation is needed, experimental evidence in this study suggested the collapse in ceramic-aluminum microtruss composites could be considered as a mixture of composite strut global buckling and oxide local shell buckling mechanisms.

Microtruss cellular materials have large internal surface areas and small cross-sectional strut dimensions, permitting surface modification to substantially enhance their mechanical performance. For instance, a ~400% increase in compressive strength with virtually no weight penalty can be induced by a hard anodized Al2O3 ceramic coating of only ~50 µm thickness. The present study seeks the optimal architecture of these composites by exploring three research challenges: architecture and degree of forming are interdependent due to stretch-forming, architecture and the material properties are interdependent due to work-hardening, and ceramic structural coatings add design complexity. Theoretical predictions and architectural optimizations demonstrated a potential weight reduction of ~3% to ~60% through the increase of internal truss angle for both annealed and work-hardened microtruss cores. While further validation is needed, experimental evidence in this study suggested the collapse in ceramic-aluminum microtruss composites could be considered as a mixture of composite strut global buckling and oxide local shell buckling mechanisms.

This thesis presents the results of an investigation of factors which influence the geotechnical properties of frozen mine backfill (FMB). FMB has extensive application potential for mining in permafrost areas. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of hardened backfill is often used to evaluate mine backfill stability. However, the deformation behaviour and stiffness of the FMB are also key design properties of interest. In this thesis, uniaxial compressive tests were conducted on FTB and FCPB samples. Information about the geotechnical properties of FMB is obtained. The effects of FMB mix components and vertical compression pressure on the geotechnical properties of FMB are discussed and summarized. An optimum total water content of 25%-35% is found in which the strength and the modulus of elasticity of the FTB are 1.4-3.2 MPa and 35-58 MPa, respectively. It is observed that a small amount (3-6%) of cement can significantly change the geotechnical properties of FTB.

Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) is new technology gaining popularity in the recent years due to its low cost, rapid construction, and using opportunity of by-products. RCC is widely used in the world. However, the use of RCC has been restricted to construction of few cofferdams, and limited to local use in dam construction up to date. In this thesis, two types of cement, two types of natural pozzolan, aggregates with varying gradations, and a type of water reducing chemical admixture were used. Prior to carrying out the tests, the chemical and physical properties of materials were determined. Additionally, steam curing was applied to the test specimens in order to get long term compressive strength at early ages. Differences between steam cured specimens and normal cured specimens have been discussed in the discussion part. In the study, the results indicate that usage of water reducing chemical admixture improves compressive strength of RCC. Moreover, it is revealed that usage of fine material is essential to obtain desired results since the amount of cementitious materials is considerably low in RCC. Steam curing is known as its property of providing long term compressive strength at early ages. It was observed that application of steam curing in CEM I type cement used RCC mixtures generated expected results. However, in CEM IV type cement used RCC mixtures compressive strength results did not behave in the same manner.

The aim of this thesis is to twofold, in order to demonstrate the variabilities that can be faced within the compressive strength of blended cements, one blended cement namely CEM IV / B (P-V) 32.5N is selected and the 28-day compressive strength is obtained by 16 different laboratories following TS EN 196-1 standard. Later, to show the variabilities that could be faced by different standards, three different cement types were selected and their compressive strengths are determined following two procedures first with TS EN 196-1, later with similar procedure described in ASTM. The strength of cement is determined by TS EN 196-1 in Turkey that is the same for all types of cements. However, American cement producers use different standards for testing the strength of Portland cement and blended cements. The main difference is the amount of water utilized in producing the cement mortar. It was observed that for Portland and Portland composite cements / there is not any significant difference in between the compressive strength results of cement mortars prepared by both methods. However, for pozzolanic cements, there is much deviance in the compressive strength results of cement mortars prepared by TS EN 196-1.

This thesis describes improvements on newly-discovered high-strength pozzolan-based materials fabricated via a low-cost chemical reaction that takes place between 90 and 115 ℃ for 3 to 24 hours. The reported results focus on pozzolan constituents acquired from Coal Combustion Products (CCPs) such as cenospheres, fly ash C and F, as well as bottom ash. The thesis reports on various types of these materials with specific gravity ranging from 0.5 to 1.6; compressive strength ranging from 300 to 3600 psi, and compressive modulus ranging from 50 to 240 ksi. In addition to their good mechanical properties under compression that are attractive for the building and construction industries, the materials further exhibit great potential for applications as energy absorption cores in sandwich construction that could extend their value in other industries including the automotive and aerospace industries. For example, the load-displacement curve exhibits a short elastic zone followed by a long load-plateau; while the materials crush through a controlled vertical cracking process. Additionally, an attempt was made to further decrease the manufacturing cost of the material by investigating incorporation of chemicals that accelerates dehydration of the mixture. One such successful chemical reported in this thesis is aluminum phosphate; while it is not conclusive how the chemical improves any major property.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjamos porceliano ir olivino užpildų įtakos kaitrai atsparaus betono savybėms problemos, jo gaminimas, tyrimas ir įdiegimas pramonėje. Išnagrinėti pagrindiniai užpildai, rišamosios medžiagos bei priedai, kuriuos naudojant buvo gaminamas kaitrai atsparus betonas. Šio darbo pagrindinis tikslas - sukurti plūkiamąjį, SiO2 mikrodulkėmis modifikuotą, kaitrai atsparų betoną, susidedantį iš aliuminatinio cemento, porceliano, olivino bei plastiklio, kuris būtų naudojamas šiluminių agregatų išklojų įrengimui, taip pat suirusių išklojų remontui. / In the master thesis are examined the problems of the influence of fillers from porcelain and olivine on the properties of fireproof concrete, its production, study and introduction in the industry; are examined basic fillers, binding agents and compounding material, on basis of which the fireproof concrete was made. The basic purpose of this work is to create packed fireproof concrete, modified by micro-specks of SiO2, which consists of the aluminates cement, porcelain, olivine and plastic, which would be used for the pavement of heat engine units, and also for repairing of the worn pavement.

This thesis presents the results of an investigation of factors which influence the geotechnical properties of frozen mine backfill (FMB). FMB has extensive application potential for mining in permafrost areas. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of hardened backfill is often used to evaluate mine backfill stability. However, the deformation behaviour and stiffness of the FMB are also key design properties of interest. In this thesis, uniaxial compressive tests were conducted on FTB and FCPB samples. Information about the geotechnical properties of FMB is obtained. The effects of FMB mix components and vertical compression pressure on the geotechnical properties of FMB are discussed and summarized. An optimum total water content of 25%-35% is found in which the strength and the modulus of elasticity of the FTB are 1.4-3.2 MPa and 35-58 MPa, respectively. It is observed that a small amount (3-6%) of cement can significantly change the geotechnical properties of FTB.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The Brazilian civil construction showed in the last few years a large increase in technology, thus increasing the competitiveness in the labor market. In order to remain in compliance with the standard requirements, builders need to improve, both in workmanship as in materials used questions. The masonry had an important growth in the last few years, thus increasing the need to develop studies and constantly improve the National Standards. The compressive strength is the most important factor in structural masonry, than a study and deep knowledge of the subject is necessary for designers can accomplish the projects in the best possible manner. For the use of ceramic block, NBR 15812-1 recommends that the efficiency factor walls/prism that must be used is 0,70, but there is no standardized value for the efficiency factor prism/block, leaving only to designer the choice of this value. For the project to be well specified, with the components selected as best as possible, the efficiency factor prism block have decisive role, as thought the designer calculate the prism designer strength, he must specify the mean compressive strength of mortar as the characteristic compressive strength of blocks and, if necessary, grout. With the aid of the Building Construction Material Laboratory of the Federal University of Santa Maria, which provided its tests results of the years 2007 to 2014, a study was conducted to calculate the efficiency factor of prism/block in different strength ranges of the blocks. Following this study, analyzes were made to try to predict behavior of efficiency factor due to the compressive strength of the block and be able to get a usual value for the conditions of the tested components. Only ceramic hollow blocks with no grout were approached in this study because they were in a large amount, providing greater reliability to the results. / A Construção Civil no Brasil apresentou nos últimos anos um grande aumento na área tecnológica, aumentando com isso a competitividade no mercado de trabalho. Para poderem se manter atuais e cumprindo com os requisitos de normas, as empresas da área da construção necessitam se aprimorar, tanto no quesito mão de obra como no quesito dos materiais utilizados. O método construtivo de alvenaria estrutural obteve um crescimento muito importante nos últimos anos, aumentando assim a necessidade de se desenvolver estudos e melhorar cada vez mais as normas que regem tal método. A resistência à compressão é o fator mais importante na alvenaria estrutural, logo um estudo e conhecimento aprofundado do tema se faz necessário para os projetistas poderem conseguir realizar os projetos da melhor maneira possível. Para a utilização de blocos cerâmicos, a NBR 15812-1 preconiza que o fator de eficiência parede/prisma que se deve utilizar é de 0,70, porém, não existe um valor normatizado para o fator de eficiência prisma/bloco, deixando apenas para o projetista a escolha desse valor. Para o projeto ser bem especificado, com os componentes escolhidos da maneira mais condizente com o cenário, o fator de eficiência prisma/bloco têm função determinante, visto que apesar de o projetista calcular a resistência de projeto do prisma, ele precisa especificar a resistência à compressão média da argamassa como a resistência característica à compressão de blocos e, quando necessário, grautes. Com a ajuda do Laboratório de Materiais de Construção Civil da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, que disponibilizou os seus ensaios dos anos de 2007 até 2014, foi realizado um estudo para se calcular o fator de eficiência/prisma bloco em diferentes faixas de resistência dos blocos. Após este estudo, foram feitas análises para tentar prever o comportamento do fator de eficiência frente à resistência à compressão dos blocos e poder se chegar em um valor usual para as condições dos componentes ensaiados. Apenas blocos cerâmicos de parede vazada e não grauteados foram abordados no estudo pois eram em uma quantidade maior, fornecendo uma maior confiabilidade aos resultados obtidos.