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O presente estudo refere-se a uma das deteriorações mais freqüentes nas estruturas de concreto armado: a ação da carbonatação. Para essa verificação construiu-se uma câmara de carbonatação acelerada, que foi calibrada, com a finalidade de estudar o processo de carbonatação em corpos-de-prova executados em concreto e argamassa com cimentos CP V ARI Plus e CP V ARI RS com e sem adição de sílica ativa, curados em câmara úmida por sete dias e posteriormente expostos à atmosfera agressiva de gás carbônico por 7, 14, 28, 63 e 91 dias. Também foram executados corpos-de-prova semelhantes (controle), os quais foram ensaiados à compressão axial e à compressão diametral para determinação da resistência à compressão, tração e medida da profundidade de carbonatação. A partir destes resultados é ajustado um modelo teórico experimental para previsão da profundidade de carbonatação em função do tempo. Observa-se que para todas as composições estudadas a profundidade de carbonatação é pequena. Analisa-se também, a influência da carbonatação no ganho da resistência mecânica das argamassas e dos concretos, e o efeito da adição de sílica ativa e do tipo de cimento no fenômeno de carbonatação. Finalizando, é apresentada uma justificativa dos resultados com base no banco de dados existente no LMABC-SET-EESC-USP. / The present study refers to one of the most frequent deterioration in reinforced concrete structure: the action of carbonation. For this, an accelerated carbonation chamber was built and gauged in order to study the carbonation process in concrete and mortar specimens with CP V ARI Plus and CP V ARI RS cements, with and without silica fume addition. The specimens were cured in a humidity chamber for seven days and exposed to aggressive atmosphere of carbonic gas for 7, 14, 28, 63 and 91 days. Similar specimens of control were also manufactured and left in humidity chamber during the same periods. These specimens were tested an axial compression and splitting tensile strength to determine the compression and tensile strength and the carbonation depth. From all the obtained results an experimental theoretical model was forecasted to determine the depth carbonation in function of time. It is observed that all the depths carbonation measured is small. The carbonation influence on mechanical resistance gain of the mortar and concrete, as well as the effect addition of both of silica fume and cement type on the phenomenon of carbonation is also analyzed. Finally, it is presented a justification of results based on the existent database at LMABC-SET-EESC-USP.

O presente estudo refere-se a uma das deteriorações mais freqüentes nas estruturas de concreto armado: a ação da carbonatação. Para essa verificação construiu-se uma câmara de carbonatação acelerada, que foi calibrada, com a finalidade de estudar o processo de carbonatação em corpos-de-prova executados em concreto e argamassa com cimentos CP V ARI Plus e CP V ARI RS com e sem adição de sílica ativa, curados em câmara úmida por sete dias e posteriormente expostos à atmosfera agressiva de gás carbônico por 7, 14, 28, 63 e 91 dias. Também foram executados corpos-de-prova semelhantes (controle), os quais foram ensaiados à compressão axial e à compressão diametral para determinação da resistência à compressão, tração e medida da profundidade de carbonatação. A partir destes resultados é ajustado um modelo teórico experimental para previsão da profundidade de carbonatação em função do tempo. Observa-se que para todas as composições estudadas a profundidade de carbonatação é pequena. Analisa-se também, a influência da carbonatação no ganho da resistência mecânica das argamassas e dos concretos, e o efeito da adição de sílica ativa e do tipo de cimento no fenômeno de carbonatação. Finalizando, é apresentada uma justificativa dos resultados com base no banco de dados existente no LMABC-SET-EESC-USP. / The present study refers to one of the most frequent deterioration in reinforced concrete structure: the action of carbonation. For this, an accelerated carbonation chamber was built and gauged in order to study the carbonation process in concrete and mortar specimens with CP V ARI Plus and CP V ARI RS cements, with and without silica fume addition. The specimens were cured in a humidity chamber for seven days and exposed to aggressive atmosphere of carbonic gas for 7, 14, 28, 63 and 91 days. Similar specimens of control were also manufactured and left in humidity chamber during the same periods. These specimens were tested an axial compression and splitting tensile strength to determine the compression and tensile strength and the carbonation depth. From all the obtained results an experimental theoretical model was forecasted to determine the depth carbonation in function of time. It is observed that all the depths carbonation measured is small. The carbonation influence on mechanical resistance gain of the mortar and concrete, as well as the effect addition of both of silica fume and cement type on the phenomenon of carbonation is also analyzed. Finally, it is presented a justification of results based on the existent database at LMABC-SET-EESC-USP.

Orientador: Gladis Camarini / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-05T12:07:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bardella_PauloSergio_M.pdf: 1317917 bytes, checksum: 2bd53842fd42fd70b176488c91fedd8f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: A durabilidade das estruturas de concreto depende da estrutura porosa e da impermeabilidade do concreto, uma vez que a entrada de água e de agentes deletérios iniciam os processos patológicos que diminuem a vida útil de uma estrutura de concreto. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a resistência mecânica, permeabilidade, absorção e carbonatação natural de concretos submetidos a diferentes condições de cura. Os procedimentos de cura adotados são normalmente utilizadds em canteiros de obra e na produção de estruturas pré-moldadas de concreto: cura imersa até a idade de 7 dias, cura ambiente e cura térmica. A cura térmica foi realizada na temperatura de 60°C. Foram empregados concretos produzidos com cimento Portland de Alta Resistência Inicial (CP V ARI) e cimento Portland de Alto Forno (CP III) sem e com sílica ativa (em substituição ao cimento na proporção de 10% em massa) para cada um dos diferentes tipos de cura utilizados. Os resultados evidenciaram que o tipo de cura afeta o desempenho do concreto. A mudança do tipo de cura aplicada proporcionou variações nas propriedades mecânicas e na durabilidade dos concretos, principalmente no que diz respeito à sua estrutura porosa. Assim, um regime de cura adequado é essencial para garantir a resistência mecânica e a durabilidade dos concretos. A utilização de sílica ativa em substituição ao cimento melhorou o desempenho dos concretos, tanto para a resistência mecânica quanto para a durabilidade, independente do tipo de cura empregado / Abstract: The durability of concrete structures depends on porous structure and its impermeability. The entrance of water and deleterious agents begin the damage processes and reduce the life of the concretestructure. ln that way, the aim of this work was to evaluate the mechanical resistance, permeability, absorption and natural carbonation of concretes submitted to different curing procedures. The curing procedures adopted were usually used in civil construction and in the production of precast structures: moist curing until the age 6f 7 days, curing in air, and steam curing. The maximum temperature of steam curing was 60°C. All concretes were produced with High Early Strength Portland cement (CP V ARl) and Blastfurnace Portland cement (CP TIl) without and with silica fume (10% of replacement, by mass, of Portland cement) for each one of the different curing procedure used. The results showed that the curing procedure affects the concrete performance, providing variations in their mechanical properties and in their durability, mainly in porous structure. Therefore, the curing process used is essential to guarantee the mechanical resistance and the durability of the concretes. The use of silica fume improved the performance of the concretes, as for the mechanical resistance as for its durability, independent of the curing procedure used. / Mestrado / Edificações / Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T15:03:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao Adrielli.pdf: 5370662 bytes, checksum: 4e167ff0f119f9298b4d7ed2791baa06 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-08-29 / The present work aims to study the performance of concrete with regard to the action of chloride ions, evaluating the influence of both mineral additions and water/binder ratio (w/b), considering kinetic and thermodynamic aspects of the corrosive phenomenon. A experimental research was carried out considering the following variables: the presence of mineral additions in partial substitution to the cement weight (10% of silica fume; 25% of fly ash; 10%, 20% and 30% of metakaolin) and the water/binder ratio (0,40 and 0,55). Thus, cubic concrete test specimens were produced, in addition to cylindrical test specimens for concrete characterization in relation to the compressive strength, specific mass, void ratio and capillary water absorption. After 645 days of casting, the cubic concrete test specimens were submitted to the chlorides attack during 308 days, totality 44 weekly cycles of immersion in chlorides aggressive solution. They were monitored, throughout this period, by means of techniques, such as: the concrete electric resistivity, the half-cell potential, the polarization resistance and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. At the end of the experiment, visual inspections of reinforcing steels allowed to observe their superficial aspects after attack. As general result, it was gotten that the incorporation of mineral additions to the concretes promoted significant profits in all the evaluated properties, evidencing the beneficial effect of these additions in concretes exposed to aggressive conditions, specially in those in which there are chloride ions. In this direction, the statistical analysis has shown evidences that concretes with silica fume and metakaolin achieved the best results of electrical resistivity. In relation to the half-cell potentials, the reference concrete (without mineral additions) presented the worst performance, with an indication of despassivation in the reinforcing steels accentuated fall in the values of resistance of polarization with the time, proving the susceptibility of these systems to the action of chlorides. The concrete with mineral additions did not present depassivation of the reinforcing steels meaning that these systems possess great durability and service life in relation to those without mineral additions / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo estudar o desempenho de concretos quanto à ação de íons cloreto, avaliando tanto a interveniência das adições minerais incorporadas ao concreto quanto da relação água/aglomerante (a/ag), considerando aspectos cinéticos e termodinâmicos do fenômeno corrosivo. Para tanto, desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa experimental que contemplou as seguintes variáveis: a presença de adições minerais em substituição parcial à massa de cimento (10% de sílica ativa; 25% de cinza volante; 10%, 20% e 30% de metacaulim) e a relação água/aglomerante (0,40 e 0,55). Foram moldados corpos-de-prova cúbicos, além de corpos-de-prova cilíndricos para caracterização dos concretos quanto à resistência à compressão, massa específica, índice de vazios e absorção de água por capilaridade. Após 645 dias de moldagem, os corpos-de-prova cúbicos de concreto foram submetidos ao ataque por cloretos durante 308 dias, totalizando 44 ciclos semanais de imersão em solução agressiva e posterior secagem em ambiente de laboratório. Foram monitorados, ao longo deste período, a resistividade elétrica desses concretos, os potenciais de corrosão, a resistência de polarização e a impedância eletroquímica. Ao fim do experimento, inspeções visuais à armadura permitiram observar o seu aspecto superficial após o período de ataque. Como resultado geral, obteve-se que a incorporação de adições minerais aos concretos promoveu ganhos significativos em todas as propriedades avaliadas, evidenciando o efeito benéfico dessas adições em concretos submetidos às condições agressivas, sobretudo contendo íons cloreto. Nesse sentido, a análise estatística evidenciou que os concretos com sílica ativa e com metacaulim obtiveram os melhores resultados de resistividade elétrica. Quanto aos potenciais de corrosão, os concretos de referência (sem adições minerais) apresentaram desempenho inferior, com a indicação da despassivação das armaduras e a queda acentuada nos valores de resistência de polarização com o tempo, comprovando a susceptibilidade desses sistemas à ação de cloretos. Os concretos com adições minerais não apresentaram despassivação das armaduras, denotando que esses sistemas possuem maior durabilidade e vida útil em comparação àqueles referentes aos concretos sem adição mineral, tendo em vista o ataque por cloretos

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T15:18:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 pretextual.pdf: 140883 bytes, checksum: 5d9ee4b9b3884a0032825e604304580f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-09-28 / Increasing the durability of concrete structural elements is primordial, especially those related to power generation in eolic areas that are subjected to the phenomenon of reinforcement corrosion. In this context, this study aims to evaluate the overall protection ability of concrete to the phenomenon of reinforcement corrosion induced by chlorides. To this end, it was adopted a statistical program based on a fractional factorial design in which the variables studied were as follows: the water-binder ratio (0.35, 0.45 and 0.55), the type of mineral admixture (silica fume and blast furnace slag at specific levels), the type of corrosion inhibitor (calcium nitrite, sodium nitrite and amine) and the level of corrosion inhibitor (minimum and maximum recommended by each manufacturer). In the concrete investigations, the tests performed were corrosion potential, polarization resistance and electrochemical impedance. Throughout the experiments, it was possible to testify the beneficial effect of reducing the water-binder ratio. It was also possible to prove the very positive effect of the incorporation of mineral admixtures, especially of silica fume. The satisfactory performance of various inhibitors evaluated was also verified, specially when concrete contains mineral admixtures. A parallel study was conducted to make a comparative analysis of inhibitors at the same range of concentrations (at solid levels of 0.76%, 2.21% and 3.66% of the compound on the cement mass), nevertheless this study have demonstrated that fixing contents for all inhibitor is not appropriated, and the recommended dosages by the manufacturer is the best condition. As the levels recommended by manufacturers, it was found that the higher percentages have not worked well for sodium nitrite otherwise, for amine and nitrite calcium, the higher levels implied better results. Regarding the tannin inhibitor also assessed in the parallel study mentioned above (related to specific inhibitors), its good performance related to corrosion inhibition happened just for the content of 0.76% (the lowest levels). For the other contents, it was verified anomalous results. These results demonstrated that each type of corrosion inhibitor has its optimal concentration for use in concrete. Based on a cost-benefit analysis and evaluating the increase in the concrete value for cubic meter (in R$) in the presence of inhibitors at the same contents, it was verified a relative parity prices among the tested nitrites and an extremely high cost of amine. However, when performing the same analysis but using the levels recommended by the manufacturers for each inhibitor independent, it was found that the large disparity in prices between nitrite and amine was reduced considerably. An assessment of technical and economic feasibility was also performed based on the efficiency of corrosion inhibition and cost per cubic meter of concrete mixtures that did not show a typical depassivation of their stell bar up to the attack age evaluated / O aumento da durabilidade é um aspecto primordial para os elementos estruturais de concreto, em especial aqueles constituintes das estruturas de geração de energia em parques eólicos, sujeitos ao fenômeno de corrosão das armaduras. Nesse contexto, este trabalho tem como objetivo geral avaliar a capacidade de proteção de diferentes concretoS frente ao fenômeno da corrosão da armadura induzida por cloretos. Para tanto, foi adotado um planejamento estatístico baseado em um modelo fatorial fracionado em que as variáveis estudadas foram: a relação água/aglomerante (0,35; 0,45 e 0,55), o tipo de adição mineral (sílica ativa e escória de alto-forno, em teores específicos), o tipo de inibidor de corrosão (nitrito de cálcio, nitrito de sódio e amina) e o teor de inibidor de corrosão (mínimo e máximo recomendado por cada fabricante). Na avaliação dos concretos, foram realizados ensaios de potencial de corrosão, resistência de polarização e impedância eletroquímica. Ao longo de todo experimento foi possível constatar o efeito benéfico da redução da relação a/agl. Também foi possível verificar o efeito extremamente positivo da incorporação das adições minerais, em especial da sílica ativa. Constatou-se também o efeito positivo dos diversos inibidores avaliados, em seus teores mínimo e máximo, beneficio que se mostrou mais pronunciado quando da utilização conjunta com as adições minerais. Um estudo paralelo foi realizado para se fazer uma análise comparativa dos inibidores dentro da mesma faixa de teores empregados (teores de 0,76%; 2,21% e 3,66% de sólidos do aditivo em relação à massa de cimento), no qual se verificou que a utilização desses teores fixos para os diferentes tipos de inibidores não se mostrou tão eficiente quanto em relação à utilização dos aditivos na dosagem de recomendação do fabricante. Quanto a estes teores (recomendados pelos fabricantes), verificou-se que os percentuais mais altos não funcionaram bem para o nitrito de sódio, ao passo que para a amina e para o nitrito de cálcio os teores mais elevados resultaram em melhores resultados. Em relação ao tanino, inibidor que também foi avaliado no estudo paralelo referido anteriormente (específico sobre os inibidores), só houve algum resultado de inibição de corrosão para o teor de 0,76% (mais baixo dos teores), tendo-se obtido resultados anômalos para os outros 2 teores mais altos. Tais resultados permitiram constatar que cada tipo de inibidor de corrosão possui sua concentração ótima de utilização no concreto. Fazendo-se uma análise de custo e avaliando-se o acréscimo em Reais no valor do m3 do concreto proporcionado pelos diversos aditivos inibidores e nos teores de mesma faixa de emprego, verificou-se uma relativa paridade de preços entre os nitritos e um elevadíssimo custo da amina. No entanto, ao se realizar a mesma análise, mas utilizando os teores recomendados pelos fabricantes de cada inibidor, verificou-se que a grande disparidade de preços entre os nitritos e a amina foi reduzida de forma considerável. Uma avaliação da viabilidade técnico-econômica dos concretos também foi realizada, a partir dos dados de eficiência de inibição à corrosão e custo/m3 das misturas que não apresentaram comportamento típico de despassivação de suas armaduras até a idade de ataque considerada

L’étude du comportement des bétons à hautes températures est d’une grande importance pour déterminer la stabilité et la résistance des structures en béton en situation d’incendie. Des incendies spectaculaires, ces dernières années, ont montré que le béton pouvait être très fortement sollicité. Ainsi il apparaît qu’assurer un très bon comportement du béton en température permet de sauver des vies et de diminuer les frais d'immobilisation et de réparation des structures endommagées. Le travail présenté vise, par une étude expérimentale, à apporter une meilleure compréhension des phénomènes mis en jeu lors de l’exposition aux hautes températures des bétons à hautes performances (BHP). Il s’intéresse, plus particulièrement, aux transferts des fluides dans les bétons (perméabilité) et à l’étude de l’instabilité thermique (phénomène d’éclatement) des bétons à hautes performances. Le travail de thèse a été mené sur des bétons à hautes performances (80 MPa) avec 5% de fumée de silice (matériau à faible perméabilité pour améliorer la durabilité), et différents pourcentages de fibres de polypropylène. L’utilisation des fibres de polypropylène (PP) est considérée comme une solution technique efficace pour améliorer la tenue au feu des bétons à hautes performances, notamment grâce aux phénomènes physiques apparaissant aux températures inférieures à 200°C. Notre travail concerne, dans un premier temps, la caractérisation de l’évolution des propriétés physiques (porosité, perte de masse), thermiques (conductivité et diffusivité) et mécaniques (résistance à la compression et en traction) ainsi que les isothermes de sorption. La deuxième partie de ce travail concerne l’étude de l’évolution de la perméabilité en fonction de la température (jusqu’à 200°C), principale propriété caractérisant les transferts hydriques au sein des bétons. Les paramètres étudiés sont : le type de béton (avec ou sans fibres de PP), deux types de fibre de géométries différentes, la nature du fluide (air ou vapeur d’eau) et la méthode de mesure (en résiduel et à chaud). Les résultats expérimentaux montrent que les fibres génèrent une perméabilité plus importante au-delà de 150°C et que les valeurs obtenues en résiduel ou à chaud peuvent être liés aux modes opératoires. Enfin, dans la dernière partie une investigation sur le phénomène d’éclatement explosif en lien avec la composition du matériau est menée. Une nouvelle méthode d’investigation expérimentale de la sensibilité des formulations à l’instabilité thermique est proposée avec une étude sur des sphères portées en température. Cette méthode devra être comparée aux méthodes traditionnelles d’investigation. L’analyse des résultats des essais permet de discuter sur les causes de l’instabilité thermique et de caractériser les propriétés du béton en température, données indispensables à la modélisation. / The study of the behaviour of concrete at high temperatures is of great importance to determine the stability and strength of concrete structures in fire conditions. Spectacular fires, these last years, showed that the concrete could be very strongly solicited. Thus it appears that to ensure a very good behaviour of the concrete at temperature it is saved people and reduced the expenses of immobilisation and repair of the damaged structures. The aims of the present work, by the experimental study, are to provide a better comprehension of the involved phenomena during the exposure to the high temperatures of the high performance concretes (HPC). It focuses, in particular, on the fluids transfers (permeability) and the study of the thermal instability (spalling) of high performance concrete. The thesis work was conducted on high-performance concrete (80 MPa) with 5% silica fume (low permeability material to improve durability), and different amount of polypropylene fibres. The use of polypropylene fibres (PP) is regarded as an effective technical solution to improve the behaviour of the HPC at fire conditions, in particular thanks to the physical phenomena appearing at the temperatures lower than 200°C. Our work is concerned, initially, on the characterization of the evolution of physical properties (porosity, mass loss), thermal properties (conductivity and diffusivity) and mechanical properties (compressive strength and tensile) and the sorption isotherms. The second part concerns the study of the evolution of the permeability, as a main property characterising the hydrous transfers inside the concrete exposed to temperature. An experimental study is conducted concerning the evolution of the permeability of concrete as a function of temperature (up to 200 ° C). The studied parameters are: the type of concrete (with and without fibres), two types and geometry of fibres, the nature of the fluid (air and vapour) and the measurement methods (residual and under temperature). The experimental results shows that the existing fibres generate a most important permeability beyond 150°C and that the obtained results, by residual or under temperature measurements, may be related to the operating procedures. Finally, in the last part an investigation on the spalling phenomenon related to the material compositions is conducted. A new experimental method of investigation of the sensitivity of the formulations to thermal instability is proposed: the study of spherical specimens exposed in high temperatures. This method will be compared to the traditional methods of investigation. The analysis of the test results makes to discuss the thermal instability causes and to characterize the concrete properties at high temperatures, important data to modelling.

Dans un site de stockage profond de déchets radioactifs, l’utilisation de matériaux à base de ciment Portland en association avec de l’argile pourrait se révéler inadaptée en raison de leur forte alcalinité. Une alternative serait de mettre en œuvre des ciments générant des solutions interstitielles de pH réduit (de l’ordre de 11 au lieu de 13,5 pour un CEM I). Les formulations étudiées dans cette thèse font appel à des ciments composés (également appelés « liant bas pH ») élaborés à partir de mélanges binaires (CEM I / fumée de silice) ou ternaires (CEM I / fumée de silice / cendres volantes ou laitier), avec de forts taux de substitution du CEM I (de 30% à 80%). Le travail réalisé répond à un double objectif : (i) étudier l’évolution chimique des liants bas pH à 50°C ou 80°C, températures qui pourraient être rencontrées dans certaines zones du stockage, et (ii) préciser les mécanismes à l’origine de la bonne rétention des alcalins par ces liants hydratés. (i) Le suivi sur une période d’un an de pâtes de liant bas pH montre que l’accroissement de la température de 20 à 80°C accélère l’hydratation des liants et favorise la consommation de la portlandite. L’allongement et la réticulation des chaînes de silicates des C-A-S-H est mise en évidence par RMN de l’27Al et du 29Si. L’ettringite observée dans les pâtes conservées à 20°C est par ailleurs déstabilisée. Les sulfates ainsi relâchés sont pour partie adsorbés sur les C-A-S-H et dissous dans la solution interstitielle. Le pH de cette dernière est réduit de 1,7 à 2,2 unités selon les formulations. En revanche, les fractions solubles d’alcalins n’évoluent pas de façon importante. Le liant ternaire T1 composé de 37,5% de CEM I, 32,5% de fumée de silice et 30% de cendres volantes est le seul des ciments étudiés à conduire à un pH de solution interstitielle inférieur à 11 aux trois températures considérées (20, 50 et 80°C - échéances 6 mois et 1 an). Son évolution à plus long terme a pu être simulée à l’aide de systèmes modèles reproduisant sa composition chimique à partir d’oxydes réactifs. A l’équilibre thermodynamique, l’assemblage minéralogique est constitué de C-A-S-H (rapports Ca/Si et Al/Si de 0,75 et 0,15 respectivement) ainsi que d’hydroxyde d’aluminium et de silice amorphes, et il impose un pH de 10,3 à 20°C. (ii) Ce sont les C-A-S-H qui jouent le rôle essentiel dans la rétention des alcalins. Le mécanisme mis en jeu est celui d’une compensation des charges négatives des C-A-S-H par interaction électrostatique. Il existe une sélectivité de sorption : le potassium est mieux retenu que le sodium. Celle-ci pourrait être attribuée en première approche à la différence de rayon solvaté entre ces ions. Une modélisation Monte Carlo des interactions électrostatiques entre des particules de C-S-H et un électrolyte contenant des ions sodium et potassium montre cependant que cette hypothèse ne suffit pas à elle seule à expliquer la sélectivité observée expérimentalement. / Because of their high alkalinity, Portland cement (OPC)-based materials may have deleterious effects in an underground waste repository. A solution would be to use low-alkalinity cements (also referred as low-pH cements) generating interstitial solutions with a reduced pH (11 instead of 13.5 for OPC), and thus showing an improved chemical compatibility with the repository environment. In this work, the investigated formulations were based on binary (OPC / silica fume) or ternary (OPC / silica fume / slag or fly ash) blends, with high substitution levels of CEM I (from 30% to 80%). This research project met two main objectives: (i) study the chemical evolution of low-pH cements at 50°C or 80°C, since such temperatures could be encoutered in certain zones of the waste repositories, and (ii) determine the mechanisms of alkali retention by hydrated low-pH cements. (i) Investigation of low-pH cement pastes with ongoing hydration over one year showed that increasing the temperature from 20°C to 80°C accelerated cement hydration and favoured the depletion of portlandite. A lengthening of the C-A-S-H silicate chains was also detected by 27Al and 29Si NMR analyses. Besides, ettringite precipitated at 20°C, but was destabilised at higher temperature. The released sulphates were partly adsorbed on the C-A-S-H and dissolved in the interstitial solution. The pH of this solution was reduced from 1.7 to 2.2 units depending on the formulations. The soluble fractions of alkalis did not significantly change with temperature. Among the five investigated blends, ternary binder T1 (37.5% CEM I, 32.5% silica fume, 30% fly ash) was the only one giving a pore solution pH lower than 11 at 20, 50 and 80°C (curing time of 6 months and 1 year). Its long-term evolution was simulated by model systems reproducing its chemical composition with reactive oxides. At equilibrium, the hydrate assemblage comprised C-A-S-H (Ca/Si and Al/Si ratios of 0.75 and 0.15 respectively), amorphous silica and aluminium hydroxide. It led to a pH of 10.3 at 20°C. (ii) C-A-S-H hydrates played a major role in the retention of alkalis. Sorption of potassium was higher than that of sodium and mainly resulted from electrostatic interactions with C-A-S-H. Monte Carlo modelling of these interactions showed that the difference of solvated radii between these ions could not explain by itself the sorption selectivity experimentally observed.

This work is devoted to study of physical-mechanical properties and structure of high performance concretes (HPC) based on portland cement. The attention is focused on possibility of substitution of economic high-cost components of concrete with utilization of secondary raw materials or cheaper components. Properties of raw materials and their influence on whole quality of concrete were tracked by various methods. Mechanical properties of prepared HPC samples were tested especially (compression and flexural strength) with further microscopic study of structure. Isoperibolic calorimetry and X-ray powder diffraction method were also used for concrete characterisation. These methods allowed to determine the influence of raw materials on prepared HPC and to carry out a certain optimization among price and quality of this material.

Concrete as a building material is subject to continuous innovation and thanks to advanced technology and quantum of research, its properties are still improved. It is logical that the more concrete we produce, the more waste it arises. The volume of this waste can not be stored in landfills endlessly, nowadays most of the waste economies in the world are trying to recycle concrete rubble. The recycling is not such a problem, the technology has been long verified but the quality of the recycled concrete aggregate is unquestionably one of the primary assumption which leads to accomplish required properties of concrete. In fact, the recycling process is „crushing“ the concrete into particles with an effort to eliminate the cement paste on the surface of the aggregate. An ideal solution would be create a resistant and firm coating that would adhere perfectly to the cement matrix. This diploma thesis is focused on the properties of recycled concrete aggregate and methods of improvement and optimization of the concrete mix composition.