Light-weight aggregate has been used successfully for structural and non-structural applications, and its most common use has been in light-weight concrete. Limited research has been done on light-weight grout though and there are no standards in place. The research performed in this study is intended to increase the knowledge of light-weight grout specifically made with expanded shale aggregate. The research presented herein is a pilot study and consists of preliminary aggregate and grout testing that resulted in the mix design of six grout types: three fine grout designs and three coarse grout designs. Conventional normal-weight aggregate was employed in the first grout mix. A light-weight aggregate batch was made with the same material proportions, as well as the same target water-cement (w/c) ratio and cement content. The weight of the cement was increased by 30 percent in the third grout type of each set to determine the effect on strength. The slump, component temperature, unit weight, air content, segregation, cement content, w/c ratio, and compressive strength for each grout type was gathered throughout testing. Correlations between grout testing results are examined and discussed. In addition, the effectiveness of expanded shale grout, other light-weight grouts, and normal-weight grout with respect to compressive strength to cement content ratio are determined. Results of the testing show that all six grout types studied in this research reached the minimum 28-day strength of 13.8 MPa (2000 psi) ASTM standard. In addition, the results indicate that the cement content in expanded shale light-weight grout would need to be increased to reach comparable compressive strengths to that of the normal-weight grout. The comparison between the compressive strength to cement content ratio of the different grouts indicate that normal-weight grout is more efficient. In addition, light-weight grout made with blast furnace slag grout is slightly more efficient than that made with expanded shale; however, this observation was only possible after several crucial assumptions were made about an existing blast furnace slag study. These strength-cement ratios do not account, however, for the benefits of reduced dead loads, improved thermal insulation, and improved sound insulation that could potentially influence the choice of the material used in and the life-cycle cost of the construction. Additional research should be done to verify the results of the ratios and the assumptions made herein. Furthermore, a life-cycle analysis needs to be conducted before a definite conclusion is made about which type grout is more efficient.

The objective of this research was to measure and analyze the long-term modulus values of cement-treated base (CTB) layers constructed in Utah using microcracking. Because modulus values of pavement layers are among the most influential inputs affecting mechanistic-empirical pavement design, obtaining reasonable estimates of modulus values is critical. Testing was performed with a portable falling-weight deflectometer, also called a lightweight deflectometer, and modulus values were backcalculated with the computer program BAKFAA. Testing occurred at five asphalt pavement sites in northern Utah, where reconstruction with full-depth reclamation and cement stabilization, in the form of cement slurry, was performed approximately 2 to 14 years previously. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) data collected for the CTB materials during earlier projects were compiled for all five sites. The correlation between backcalculated CTB modulus values, which ranged from 42 to 433 ksi, and 7-day UCS values, which ranged from 366 to 559 psi, was analyzed, and uniformity and sensitivity analyses were performed. Based on the results of this research, a new correlation is proposed for estimating the long-term modulus values of microcracked CTB layers constructed in a seasonally cold climate, such as northern Utah. For an average 7-day UCS of 450 psi, a CTB modulus value of 114 ksi would be estimated using this correlation, whereas a much higher modulus value of 630 ksi would be estimated from an existing correlation chart that was published in 1972 before microcracking was developed as a CTB construction practice. The results of the uniformity analyses indicate that statistically significant spatial variability in the CTB modulus values exists at each site. In comparison to a proposed maximum threshold coefficient of variation of 40 percent presented in the literature for aspects of CTB construction, the CTB modulus at all of the sites would be characterized as having low uniformity, with values ranging from 42.9 to 90.3 percent. The results of the sensitivity analyses indicate that backcalculated CTB modulus values are sensitive to typical deviations from design values that may occur in pavement layer thicknesses and suggest that CTB modulus estimation errors may range from -22,561 to 62,097 psi, or -3.73 to 10.81 percent, for pavements similar to those studied in this research when the actual asphalt and CTB layer thicknesses are different than the assumed values by up to 0.25 or 0.50 in., respectively.

The pervious concrete system and its corresponding strength are as important as its permeability characteristics. The strength of the system not only relies on the compressive strength of the pervious concrete but also on the strength of the soil beneath it for support. Previous studies indicate that pervious concrete has lower compressive strength capabilities than conventional concrete and will only support light traffic loadings. This thesis investigated prior studies on the compressive strength on pervious concrete as it relates to water-cement ratio, aggregate-cement ratio, aggregate size, and compaction and compare those results with results obtained in laboratory experiments conducted on samples of pervious concrete cylinders created for this purpose. The loadings and types of vehicles these systems can withstand will also be examined as well as the design of appropriate thickness levels for the pavement. Since voids are supposed to reduce the strength of concrete 1% for every 5% voids(Klieger, 2003), the goal is to find a balance between water, aggregate, and cement in order to increase strength and permeability, two characteristics which tend to counteract one another. In this study, also determined are appropriate traffic loads and volumes so that the pervious concrete is able to maintain its structural integrity. The end result of this research will be a recommendation as to the water-cement ratio, the aggregate-cement ratio, aggregate size, and compaction necessary to maximize compressive strength without having detrimental effects on the permeability of the pervious concrete system. This research confirms that pervious concrete does in fact provide a lower compressive strength than that of conventional concrete; compressive strengths in acceptable mixtures only reached 1700 psi. Extremely high permeability rates were achieved in most all mixtures regardless of the compressive strength. Analysis of traffic loadings reinforce the fact that pervious concrete cannot be subjected to large numbers of heavy vehicle loadings over time although pervious concrete would be able to sustain low volumes of heavy loads if designed properly. Calculations of pavement thickness levels indicate these levels are dependent on the compressive strength of the concrete, the quality of the subgrade beneath the pavement, as well as vehicle volumes and loadings.

The present research is conducted to investigate the behaviour of elliptical tube columns filled with self-compacting concrete (SCC). In total, ten specimens, including two empty columns, were tested to failure. The main parameters investigated were the length and the sections of the columns, and the concrete compressive strength. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was developed to predict the compressive strength of SCC using a comprehensive database collected from different previous studies. The database was used to train and test the developed ANN. Moreover, parallel to the experimental works, a three dimensional nonlinear finite element (FE) model using ABAQUS software was developed to predict the behaviour of SCC elliptical tube columns. The proposed ABAQUS model was verified against the current experimental results. The experimental results indicated that the failure modes of the SCC filled elliptical steel tube columns having large slenderness ratios were dominated by global buckling. Moreover, the composite columns possessed higher critical axial compressive capacities compared with their hollow section companions due to the composite interaction. However, due to the large slenderness ratio of the test specimens, the change of compressive strength of concrete core did not show significant effect on the critical axial compressive capacity of concrete filled columns although the axial compressive capacity increased with the concrete grade increase. The comparisons between the axial compressive load capacities obtained from experimental study and those predicted using simple methods provided in Eurocode 4 for concrete-filled steel rectangular tube columns showed a reasonable agreement. The proposed three dimensional FE model accurately predicted the failure modes, the load capacity and the load-deflection response of the columns tested. The experimental results, analysis and comparisons presented in this thesis clearly support the application of self-compacting concrete filled elliptical steel tube columns in construction engineering practice.

Yes / This paper examines the impacts of clay mineralogy on the effectiveness of lime stabilisation at different temperatures. A comprehensive experimental programme was conducted to track down the evolution of lime-clay reactions and their durations through monitoring the evolution of strength gain at predetermined times using the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) test. The study examined clays with different mineralogy compositions comprising Na+ Bentonite and Ball (Kaolinite) clay. Four different clays were tested including 100% bentonite, 100% Ball clay and two clay mixtures with ratios of 1:1 and 1:3 by mass of bentonite to Ball clay. All clays were treated using a range of lime content up to 25% and cured for a period of time up to 672 h at two different temperatures of 20 and 40 °C. The results showed that the continuity of the fast phase (stage 1) of strength gain was dependent on the availability of lime in particular at the higher temperature. Whereas, for the same lime content, the duration of the fast phase and the kinetic of strength gain were significantly related to the clay mineralogy and curing temperature. Except for the initial strength gain at 0 h curing time, the lime-treated Ball clay specimens at 20 °C appeared to show no strength gain throughout the curing period that extended up to 672 h. However, when curing occurred at 40 °C, the no strength gain stage only lasted for 72 h after which a gradual increase in the strength was observed over the remaining curing period of time. The addition of Bentonite to Ball clay succeeded in kicking off the strength gain after a short period of curing time at both curing temperatures.

Yes / In this study, the main emphasis is placed on the development and characterization of alkali-activated binders completely produced by the use of mixed construction and demolition waste (CDW)-based masonry units as aluminosilicate precursors. Combined usage of precursors was aimed to better simulate the real-life cases since in the incident of construction and demolition, these wastes are anticipated to be generated collectively. As different masonry units, red clay brick (RCB), hollow brick (HB) and roof tile (RT) were used in binary combinations by 75-25%, 50-50% and 25-75% of the total weight of the binder. Mixtures were produced with different curing temperature/periods and molarities of NaOH solution as the alkaline activator. Characterization was made by the compressive strength measurements supported by microstructural investigations which included the analyses of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX). Results clearly showed that completely CDW-based masonry units can be effectively used collectively in producing alkali-activated binders having up to 80 MPa compressive strength provided that the mixture design parameters are optimized. Among different precursors utilized, HB seems to contribute more to the compressive strength. Irrespective of their composition, main reaction products of alkali-activated binders from CDW-based masonry units are sodium aluminosilicate hydrate (N-A-S-H) gels containing different zeolitic polytypes with structure ranging from amorphous to polycrystalline.

Yes / As a viable option to upcycle construction and demolition waste (CDW) into value-added materials, geopolymer technology is emerging. Most studies investigate CDWs in a separated form or in combination with mainstream pozzolanic/cementitious materials focusing only on fundamental properties of geopolymer pastes, not considering to scale such materials to the level of their application in the forms of structural mortars/concretes or to characterize long-term performance/durability. This study investigated the development and characterization of ambient-cured mortars with mixed CDW-based geopolymer binders and untreated fine recycled concrete aggregates (FRCA). Mixture of CDW-based roof tile (RT), red clay brick (RCB), hollow brick (HB), concrete (C), and glass (G) was used as the precursor, while ground granulated blast furnace slag (S) was used in some mixtures to partly replace CDW precursors. Compressive strength, durability-related parameters including drying shrinkage, water absorption, and efflorescence, microstructure and materials sustainability were evaluated. Results showed that 28 d compressive strength results above 30 and 50 MPa is achievable with the entirely CDW-based and slag-substituted mortars, which were found improvable to have entirely CDW-based structural concretes. Drying shrinkage of the mortars is slightly higher than that of conventional cementitious/geopolymeric systems although it can be minimized significantly through mixture optimization. Water absorption values remain comparable with the literature. CDW-based geopolymer mortars outperform Portland cement mortars in terms of CO2 emission and energy requirement. Our findings show that via utilizing CDW-based constituents in mixed form as precursor and waste aggregates, it is possible to develop greener construction materials with acceptable strength and long-term performance. / This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 894100. The authors also wish to acknowledge the support of the Scientific and Technical Research Council (TUBITAK) of Turkey provided under project: 117M447.

Yes / Extensive experimental and theoretical studies have been conducted on the compressive strength of concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns, but little attention has been paid to their compressive stiffness and deformation capacity. Despite this, strength prediction approaches in existing design codes still have various limitations. A finite element model, which was previously proposed by the authors and verified using a large amount of experimental data, is used in this paper to generate simulation data covering a wide range of parameters for circular and rectangular CFST stub columns under axial compression. Regression analysis is conducted to propose simplified models to predict the compressive strength, the compressive stiffness, and the compressive strain corresponding to the compressive strength (ductility) for the composite columns. Based on the new strength prediction model, the capacity reduction factors for the steel and concrete materials are recalibrated to achieve a target reliability index of 3.04 when considering resistance effect only.

Yes / This paper aims to evaluate the influence of surface area and amount of nano silica (NS) on the performance of concrete with different water/binder (w/b) ratios. For this purpose, 63 different mixes were produced using three NS having three differentsurface areas (52, 250 and 500 m2/g) and w/b ratios (0.4, 0.5 and 0.6). Compressive strengths , workability, water absorption and the microstrcture of concrete mixtures were measured and analysed. and the optimum ratio for each type was determined. The results indicated that the performance of NS particles in concrete is significantly dependent on its amount and surface area as well as w/b ratio. As the w/b ratio increased, a better performance was observed for all types of NS used, whilst NS having 250m2/g surface area was found to be the most effective. The optimum amount of NS ranged from 2 to 5%, depending on NS surface area. / The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 15 May 2020.

Cemented paste backfill (CPB) technology is widely used in the mining industry as an effective means of tailings disposal. CPB is a mixture of tailings, binder, water, and additional admixtures when required. It is prepared in a mixing plant on the ground surface and then transported into the mine cavities through pipelines either by gravity and/or using pumps. To ensure efficiency during transportation and avoid pipe clogging (which can cause unnecessary delays and loss of productivity), fresh CPB must have sufficient flowability. To achieve that, high-range water reducing admixtures, also known as superplasticizers, are usually added to the CPB during mixing. These admixtures are widely used in the construction industry due to their ability to improve flowability without undermining other important engineering properties. However, their influence on the rheology, mechanical strength and environmental performance (reactivity and permeability) of CPB is not fully understood. Thus, experimental studies were conducted to investigate the effects of superplasticizers on the performance properties of cemented paste backfill at different curing temperatures. Yield stress and viscosity of fresh CPB cured for 0, 1, 2, and 4 hours were measured using a vane shear device and a Brookfield Viscometer respectively. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of samples cured for 1, 3, 7, and 28 days was determined in accordance with ASTM - C39. Superplasticizer contents were varied as 0%, 0.125%, and 0.25% of the total weight of the CPB. Preparations and curing of the specimens were performed at controlled conditions of 2, 20, and 35 °C to investigate the effect of ambient or curing temperatures. To have a better understanding of the environmental performance of CPB containing superplasticizer, reactivity, and hydraulic conductivity up to 90 days of curing were also investigated. The reactivity was measured using oxygen consumption test while hydraulic conductivity was measured using flexible wall permeability test. Microstructural analyses (thermogravimetric analyses, X-Ray diffraction, and mercury intrusion porosimetry) and monitoring tests (pH, zeta potential, electrical conductivity, and matric suction) were carried out to understand the principles behind the changes of the observed properties. The obtained results show that superplasticizer dosage and temperature variation have significant effects on the rheology, strength development, hydraulic conductivity and reactivity of the CPB. The polycarboxylic ether-based superplasticizer significantly reduces the yield stress and viscosity by creating strong electrostatic repulsion between the solid particles in the CPB and by steric hinderance. The CPB containing the superplasticizer remains fluid for longer period (as compared with the CPB without superplasticizer) due to the retardation of binder hydration. However, high curing temperature induces faster cement hydration, which thickens the fresh CPB. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the CPB containing superplasticizer was observed to be lower in the early age (up to 7 days), which is also attributed to retardation of the binder hydration. At later ages, the superplasticizer improves the mechanical strength as the binder hydration accelerates and the solid particles self-consolidate. Coupled THMC processes in the CPB showed the role played by the changes in electrical conductivity, volumetric water content, matric suction, and temperature on the development of mechanical strength of the CPB containing superplasticizer. Similarly, addition of the superplasticizer in the CPB decreases both the hydraulic conductivity and reactivity of CPB, thus improving its environmental performance. The improvement is largely attributed to enhanced binder hydration and self-consolidation which decrease the porosity of the CPB. Increasing the curing temperature was found to magnify the improvement of the CPB properties by inducing faster binder hydration. The findings from this study will undoubtedly inform the design of CPB structure with better mechanical stability and environmental performance.