published_or_final_version / abstract / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis is the study of the effects of several commercial admixtures on the properties of concrete in the plastic and the hardened state. The project is divided into two parts. Part I deals with the laboratory investigation and Part II takes into account the theoretical study of Part I. Three standard concrete mixtures at different water-cement ratios and approximately at constant slump were designed without the addition of admixtures to serve as a parameter for the test mixtures. Eighteen different test mixtures were made with local aggregates. Three test mixtures for each individual admixture and combination admixtures were used for comparison purposes. From the results obtained in the laboratory study, it was found that all the admixture used, separately and in combination, the test mixtures with an air entraining agent produced the greatest improvement in the plastic state as compared with their standard. In the hardened state, the cement dispersing agent (normal set) and the accelerator produced the greatest increase in the compressive strengths at all ages of testing as compared with their standard. It is further revealed that the accelerator imparted the greatest influence when used in rich mixture. In the theoretical study, by making alterations in the water-cement ratio so as to obtain a desired slump of four inches, the theoretical test mixtures so designed predicted a further increase in the compressive strengths, except in the case of the accelerator. It is noteworthy that the accelerator produced the same magnitude of compressive strength as was produced by the cement dispersing agent (normal set) at 28 days in the rich mixture, but in the case of the poor mixture, the latter was more effective. / Master of Science

This paper presents the comparison of shrinkage and corrosion characteristics of optimized hybrid Rice Husk Ash (RHA)/Fly Ash (FA)-modified Concrete, with those of normal concrete in the marine environment. Uses of both FA and RHA have numerous environmental benefits. Shrinkage performance was determined by subjecting the mixes to restrained shrinkage testing per ASTM C1581. The time to cracking of the specimens improved an average of 18% with the hybrid mixes. Corrosion testing of reinforced columns was performed in a simulated tidal cycle Marine Environment. Corrosion potential improved by as much as 35% for the mix with the highest FA/RHA replacement, and corrosion activity as measured with potentiostat equipment improved by an average of 34% . These results indicate a clear performance improvement of the modified concrete that is proportional to the percent replacement of cement. / by Diana Arboleda. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010 / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.