<p> Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world, and Portland Cement is the most commonly used cement in the industry. The manufacturing of materials is dependent on research and industry specification standards. This report focuses on current innovations in concrete developments, with a specific emphasis on Aluminosilicate or &lsquo;geopolymer&rsquo; cements and their possible implications on the evolution of a sustainable architecture in the United States. </p><p> Aluminosilicate cements are currently being researched worldwide and have been implemented in various countries as a replacement for portland cement. It is one of many sustainable cement solutions, but unlike others, provides enhanced characteristics while remaining in the same price range as ordinary portland cement mixtures. This technology uses no limestone or water, thus eliminating the need for high amounts of energy use in the production of its initial ingredients. </p><p> Introducing new construction materials is challenging, especially to a well-established concrete industry such as that of the United States. Precast concrete offers an ideal medium for new concrete materials and their introduction into common practice due to the ability for tight controls. As more sustainable and durable materials are becoming available, construction processes can change and have the ability to affect the future evolution of architectural design. This report articulates these advancements and the importance of architectural involvement within the United States construction industry.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: A, page: 4159. Adviser: Mir M. Ali. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 224-234) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p> The objective for this thesis is to outline a Performance-Based Engineering (PBE) framework to address the multiple hazards of Earthquake (EQ) and subsequent Fire Following Earthquake (FFE). Currently, fire codes for the United States are largely empirical and prescriptive in nature. The reliance on prescriptive requirements makes quantifying sustained damage due to fire difficult. Additionally, the empirical standards have resulted from individual member or individual assembly furnace testing, which have been shown to differ greatly from full structural system behavior. The very nature of fire behavior (ignition, growth, suppression, and spread) is fundamentally difficult to quantify due to the inherent randomness present in each stage of fire development. The study of interactions between earthquake damage and fire behavior is also in its infancy with essentially no available empirical testing results. This thesis will present a literature review, a discussion, and critique of the state-of-the-art, and a summary of software currently being used to estimate loss due to EQ and FFE. A generalized PBE framework for EQ and subsequent FFE is presented along with a combined hazard probability to performance objective matrix and a table of variables necessary to fully implement the proposed framework. Future research requirements and summary are also provided with discussions of the difficulties inherent in adequately describing the multiple hazards of EQ and FFE.</p>