No description available.

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

The use of high performance concrete in construction has been enhanced by the use of pozzolanic materials. However, the use of these materials has not been optimized. Such optimization may be achieved by a systematic increase in the amount and combination of pozzolanic material additions, with accompanying studies of their effects on the mechanical, durability and microstructural characteristics of blended concrete. This work evaluated various concrete durability issues by studying systematic increases of pozzolanic materials such as fly ash and blast furnace slag (BFS) in the range of 25, 50 and 70%, and silica fume at 10% of total cementitious materials, forming various binary and ternary concrete blends. The concrete specimens were cured for a period of seven days after demoulding in line with widely practiced commercial curing procedures. The research explored the role and effectiveness of various binary and ternary blends of pozzolanic materials on the mechanical, durability and microstructural characteristics of concrete. Durability was evaluated by two independent rapid chloride permeability tests measured as charge passed and chloride conductivity from the RCPT and UCT tests respectively. These two rapid tests were coupled with long-term ponding tests to evaluate chloride ingress and the extent of corrosion for a period of two years. Further durability tests such as carbonation, drying shrinkage and porosity of these blends were also undertaken. This study also utilized micro-analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy to follow the hydration mechanism in various binary and ternary blends. Statistical significance testing was used to analyse and confirm all experimental results and conclusions. It is well known that a level of caution is exercised in the construction industry in the use of ternary blends. This study aims to evaluate the durability aspects of ternary concrete blends, in addition to binary blends, for resistance to chloride, corrosion, carbonation attacks and provide recommendations relating to the limits of blending level, as well as exposure conditions for blended concretes, based on the results of this study. It is expected that this will fill a major knowledge gap observed in the concrete industry. A comparison of two rapid chloride permeability tests such as UCT and RCPT indicates that the UCT test is easy and practicable, and does not contradict results obtained in the standard RCPT. However, the statistical significance of results obtained for some blends was only able to be established by using the RCPT. This effect can be attributed to the larger size specimens compared to UCT. The recommended blend to acquire both early-age and long-term strength development in fly ash is the ternary blends comprising 10% silica fume and 25% fly ash cast using lower w/b ratio. In addition, the same blend exhibited lower carbonation depth, lower charge passed from RCPT, lower chloride ingress and higher corrosion resistance characteristics from long-term ponding test compared to other blends of fly ash. In BFS blends, an increase in compressive strength was observed only in the specimens of 25% BFS compared to other higher percentage blends, while the higher addition of 50 and 70% replacement showed no significant difference in compressive strength between them and their corresponding ternary blends with addition of silica fume. The results of this study indicate that control (OPC) specimens cast with increased w/b ratio of 0.48 showed higher chloride ingress compared to both binary blends of 70% fly ash and 70% BFS specimens. This indicates that (OPC) cast using higher w/b ratio is to be avoided in chloride environments. On the other hand, though, the ternary blends of 10% silica fume and up to 50% fly ash exhibited lower chloride ingress compared to their respective binary blends of fly ash. However, these ternary blends exhibited lower compressive strength, more negative corrosion potential and higher corrosion rate, compared to the respective binary blends of 25% fly ash and its ternary blends. Therefore, the recommended blend observed in the long-term ponding test is the ternary blend of 25% fly ash and 10% silica fume. The recommended level of corrosion resistance in slag specimens is achieved by the use of ternary blends comprising silica fume at 10% added to the blend that contains up to 70% slag. However, the recommended level of slag for a lower carbonation effect is the use of a ternary blend comprising 50% slag and 10% silica fume (3B5S1) which showed a carbonation depth of 10.8 mm and a compressive strength of 53.2 MPa after 365 days of exposure. The drying shrinkage of concrete increased with the increase in fly ash and the same trend was observed in BFS specimens. However, the results were not significantly different between their respective blends. The extent of carbonation in fly ash specimens was higher compared to BFS blends specimens. This can be attributed to the formation of dusty and weak surfaces on the outer surface in addition to the excessive leaching of sodium chloride solution from the long-term ponding test in the former specimens compared to later. The high volume pozzolanic materials, irrespective of fly ash or BFS and addition of silica fume (70% fly ash and 10% silica fume, and 70% BFS and 10% silica fume), showed higher cumulative pore volume indicating that these blends with seven days of curing were not beneficial. These high volume ternary blends required prolonged curing to release portlandite from the hydration of cement to continue the pozzolanic reaction. This study has shown that 7-days curing of the pozzolanic concrete is inadequate if pozzolanic activity is to be invoked. This is particularly the case when it is expected that the concrete is likely to be subjected to a harsher than usual environment characterised by a dry atmosphere.

Understanding high temperature interfacial phenomena with Al-alloys is essential for improving corrosion performance of refractories in melting/holding furnaces. Both physical and chemical properties are known to influence wetting and corrosion behaviour. However, uncertainties exist regarding the influence of SiO2 in refractory compositions on interfacial reactions/mechanisms, particularly when present along with non-wetting chemical additives like BaSO4, CaF2 and AlF3. An experimental study was conducted to clarify the interfacial phenomena of Al-alloy7075 with high-alumina refractories at extreme furnace temperatures of 1250??C and 815??C, using classical sessile drop approach and industrial cup tests respectively. At 1250??C, Al-alloy reacted more intensely with SiO2 compared to Al2O3. The interfacial behaviour of SiO2-Al2O3 system with Al-alloy was strongly dependent on SiO2 percentage, such that when upto 25% silica was present, wetting was reduced due to the presence of both original and newly formed corundum. Formation of mullite and originally present silica, along with decreasing corundum contents increased wetting in systems where silica varied from 25-45wt% and more than 45wt% respectively. Moreover, the nature of silica did not influence wetting when present in concentrations less than 20wt%. Different additives produced varying interfacial reactions in the Al-alloy/high-alumina refractory system. AlF3 did not improve the wetting resistance, except when present in high concentrations (>10wt%) in the refractory; this improvement attributed to corundum-rich matrix formation resulting from silica loss as gaseous fluorides. Low CaF2 amounts (<3wt%) improved the wetting resistance due to corundum presence and anorthite formation in the refractory. As CaF2 content exceeded 5wt%, proportion of glassy phases increased, hence enhancing interfacial reactions. However unlike CaF2, low BaSO4 levels (<5wt%) decreased the wetting resistance due to barium silicate formation, while high BaSO4 concentrations (≥10wt%) increased the wetting resistance due to celsian formation. Also, CaF2 dominated interfacial mechanisms when present along with BaSO4 in the refractory. The effect of additives on modifying wetting resistance was found to strongly vary with SiO2 levels of the refractory. The study demonstrated that additive effect is also influenced by treatment temperatures such that generally higher additive amounts are required at lower temperatures for improving the wetting resistance of high-alumina refractories.

Experimental and analytical studies have been carried out to better understand the effects of additives on viscosity, density and surface tension of intermediate and heavy crude oils. The studies have been conducted for the following oil samples: San Francisco oil from Columbia with specific gravity of 28o-29o API, Duri oil with gravity of 19o-21o API, Jobo oil with gravity of 8o-9o API and San Ardo oil gravity of 11o-13o API. The additive used in all of the experiments is petroleum distillate. The experiments consist of using petroleum distillate as an additive for different samples of heavy crude oils. The experiments include making a mixture by adding petroleum distillate to oil samples and measuring surface tension, viscosity and density of pure oil samples and mixtures at different temperatures. The petroleum distillate/oil ratios are the following ratios: 1:100, 2:100, 3:100, 4:100 and 5:100. Experimental results showed that use of petroleum distillate as an additive increases API gravity and leads to reduction in viscosity and surface tension for all the samples. Results showed for all petroleum distillate/oil ratios viscosity and interfacial tension decreases with temperature. As petroleum distillate/oil ratio increases, oil viscosity and surface tension decrease more significantly at lower temperatures than at higher temperatures. After all experiments were completed an analytical correlation was done based on the experiment results to develop “mixing rules”. Using this correlation viscosity, density and surface tension of different petroleum distillate/oil mixtures were obtained (output).These had properties of pure oil and petroleum distillate, mixture ratios and temperatures at which measurement is supposed to be done (output). Using this correlation a good match was achieved. For all of the cases (viscosity, density and surface tension), correlation coefficient (R²) was more than 0.9 which proved to be optimum for a really good match.

In this research, we studied the effect of different structures of organic precursors on the performance of LiFePO4/C composite by co-precipitation route. The composite material¡¦s electrochemical and physical properties were characterized by CV, XRD, SEM, PSA, BET-surface area, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1985.

published_or_final_version / Biological Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis describes a series of studies of the physical behaviour of commercially important stabilizing additives in polyolefins. A series of nickelthiocarbamates have been synthesised and their solubilities measured as a function of temperature in linear hydrocarbon solvents, low density polyethylene and isotactic polypropylene. The results are compared with predictions from a regular solution model. The loss of three benzophenone UV-stabilizers from supersaturated solution has been investigated with the aim of determining whether the loss is a diffusion controlled blooming or involves phase separation. Our data shows this phenomenon is a diffusion controlled blooming process. The volatilities of these same UV-stabilizers have been measured as a function of temperature. The solubility of a typical hindered amine (Tinuvin 770) has been investigated in hydrocarbon solvents and in polypropylene by infrared methods. Low solubility values were obtained in all cases. The diffusion of Tinuvin 770 in polypropylene has been monitored by an infrared method developed for the purpose and the diffusion coefficient estimated over a range of temperatures. Litp.rature data on solubility of additives together with our own data are critically reviewed and the effect of structure on solubility is analysed. Data on the benzophenone additives allows prediction of loss times and mechanisms to be made for the first time.

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy