In recent years, there has been a growing trend for the use of industrial by-products in the production of blended cements because of economical, environmental, ecological and diversified product quality reasons. Granulated blast furnace slag, a by-product of the transformation of iron ore into pig-iron in a blast furnace, is one of these materials which is used as a cementitious ingredient. The aim of this study is to investigate the properties of Portland slag cement (CEMII/B-S) by using separate grinding and intergrinding of granulated blast furnace slag and Portland cement clinker. For this purpose, granulated blast furnace slag was used as mineral admixture replacing 30% of the clinker. Clinker and granulated blast furnace slag were ground to four different Blaine fineness values of 3000 cm2/g, 3500 cm2/g, 4000 cm2/g and 4500 cm2/g by intergrinding and separate grinding in a laboratory ball mill. Then, eight Portland slag cement mixes and four Portland cement control mixes were prepared, in order to determine and compare 2-, 7-, 28-, and 90-day compressive and flexural strengths, normal consistencies and setting times. It was found that for the Blaine fineness values of 3000 cm2/g, 3500 cm2/g and 4000cm2/g, the 2-, 7-, 28-, and 90-day compressive strength of the interground Portland slag cements had higher values than the separately ground Portland slag cements. However, for the Blaine fineness values of 4500 cm2/g, separately ground Portland slag cement specimens had slightly higher 2-, 7-, 28-, and 90-day compressive strength values than the interground ones.

Perlite is a volcanic mineral. The latest investigations on ground perlite showed that it is suitable for pozzolanic usage. Thus, it is of vital importance especially for countries rich in perlite such as Turkey. The aim of this study is to investigate the advantages and problems associated with using perlite in concrete and to identify accurate methods and amounts of use for producing durable cementitious mixtures. Within the scope of this study, the alkali-silica reactivity of perlite containing cementitious mixtures were compared using four different methods. Expansion mechanism of the mixtures were tried to be understood by measuring the alkalinity of bath waters. In order to cope with early strength decreases caused by perlite addition, activation of the mixtures by chemical and thermal methods were attempted. It was found that chloride containing chemicals are very effective at later ages and sodium containing chemicals are more effective at early ages. Sodiumhydroxide addition to the perlite containing mixtures was found to be detrimental to both the initial and late-age strengths of mortars. It was concluded that perlite addition generally results in a decrease in alkali-silica expansions. However, the expansion of concrete samples should be investigated comprehensively. Thermal curing at high temperatures resulted in a rapid increase at 1-day strengths, however, for better ultimate strengths lower thermal treatments or no-thermal curing were found to be more effective. Compared to the traditional portland cement concretes, high-volume ground perlite concretes have environmental and economical advantages.

Synthesis of hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HAp) from commercial grade plaster of paris (CaSO4&bull / 0.5H2O, PoP) and gypsum (CaSO4&bull / 2H2O) has been performed. HAp synthesis was achieved by reacting 1 M of (NH4)2HPO4 (or 0.5 M of (NH4)2HPO4) solutions with solid calcium sulfate precursors under ambient pressure (1 atm) and hydrothermal-like (2 &plusmn / 0.2 atm, 120 &deg / C) conditions. Under ambient conditions, HAp formation kinetics was investigated at 25 &deg / C, 50 &deg / C and 90 &deg / C using 1 M of (NH4)2HPO4 solution. Conversion to HAp at such low temperature takes more than 21 days and it also promotes formation of additional calcium phosphate with HAp. At 25 &deg / C, HAp formation started after 7 days accompanied with formation of brushite (CaHPO4&bull / 2H2O). At 50 &deg / C no significant conversion was observed after 6 h. However, at 90 &deg / C, phase pure HAp was formed after 2 h. On the other hand, under hydrothermal-like conditions, the HAp formation proceed much faster and it was also shown that HAp could be also synthesized from gypsum powders and bulk gypsum pellets. Using 1 M of (NH4)2HPO4 solution, HAp formation from PoP started 15 min and completed almost in 30 min, whereas 0.5 M of (NH4)2HPO4 reactant solution slowed down the conversion. The exact chemical identity of the HAp product of hydrothermal-like reaction was evaluated by post-synthesis calcinations and the thermal phase stability was related with the stoichiometry (Ca/P at ratio) of the HAp. The HAp phase was stable up to 600 &deg / C and above 600 &deg / C, &beta / -tricalcium phosphate (&beta / -Ca3(PO4)2, &beta / -TCP) was formed, suggesting that the resultant HAp was calcium-deficient. Mechanical testing by diametrical compression was performed to the HAp samples produced from bulk gypsum pellets. The strength was measured 1.2 MPa with highest solid to liquid (s:l) ratio 3.33 and decreased with s:l ratio. This change was found to be related with the porosity differences due to differences in s:l ratio. Additional mechanical tests were applied to the polycaprolactone (PCL) coated bulk HAp pellets for which the tensile strength was doubled. This study presents an easy and feasible method for production of HAp from a cheap and abundant calcium source &ndash / PoP. In addition, the findings provide a potential processing route for developing irregularly shaped bulk porous HAp structures.

The aim of this thesis is to twofold, in order to demonstrate the variabilities that can be faced within the compressive strength of blended cements, one blended cement namely CEM IV / B (P-V) 32.5N is selected and the 28-day compressive strength is obtained by 16 different laboratories following TS EN 196-1 standard. Later, to show the variabilities that could be faced by different standards, three different cement types were selected and their compressive strengths are determined following two procedures first with TS EN 196-1, later with similar procedure described in ASTM. The strength of cement is determined by TS EN 196-1 in Turkey that is the same for all types of cements. However, American cement producers use different standards for testing the strength of Portland cement and blended cements. The main difference is the amount of water utilized in producing the cement mortar. It was observed that for Portland and Portland composite cements / there is not any significant difference in between the compressive strength results of cement mortars prepared by both methods. However, for pozzolanic cements, there is much deviance in the compressive strength results of cement mortars prepared by TS EN 196-1.

This study is dedicated to give a production route for a kind of low energy cement called alinite cement using the waste material of soda industry as the main raw material. Soda solid waste, clay and minor amount of iron ore were mixed with certain quantities and burned at six different burning temperatures of 1050, 1100, 1150, 1200, 1350, and 1450 &ordm / C. The resultant clinkers were investigated by mineralogical and chemical analysis. Mineralogical analyses were performed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) technique. XRD analyses revealed the formation of alinite phase in the clinkers. Chemical analyses were performed by X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy technique and by wet chemical analysis. Especially, free lime content of the clinkers was searched and an optimum burning temperature was determined. In order to find the compressive strength of the alinite cement, larger amounts of alinite clinker were manufactured in wet rod shape raw mix in a laboratory type of furnace at 1200, 1350 and 1450 &ordm / C. The results have shown that forming alinite phase requires ~6wt % chlorine. Alinite clinker is obtained using soda waste at the temperature range between 1050 and 1200 &ordm / C. However, the free CaO becomes much lower as 0.12 at 1200 &ordm / C. Moreover, a lime saturation factor of 76, which is lower than ordinary Portland clinker is obtained. Satisfactory compressive strength was achieved by gypsum addition.

This thesis presents a study about the determination of the stress intensity factors in cracked sheets with riveted stiffeners. Stress intensity factors are determined with both analytical method and finite element method for different combination of rivet/stringer spacing and stringer to sheet stiffness ratio. Analytical part of the thesis is a replication of the original study of Poe which assumes rigid rivet connections with no stringer offset. In the analytical part, the whole systems of equations of Poe are re-derived, and it is shown that there are two typographical errors in the expressions for the calculation of the influence coefficients of the cracked sheet and the stringer. Major objective of the analytical part is to develop a computer code which calculates the variation of the normalized stress intensity factor with the crack length for any combination of rivet/stringer spacing and stringer to sheet stiffness ratio. Analytical part of the study also covers the effect of broken stiffener on the stress intensity factor of the cracked sheet. The stress intensity factors of stiffened cracked sheets are calculated by the finite element method by incorporating fastener flexibility and stringer offset. Finite element solutions are performed by Franc2D/L and Abaqus, and comparisons are made. The effect of geometry, fastener flexibility, and stringer offset on the stress intensity factors are studied by presenting normalized stress intensity factor versus crack length curves. Finally, as a case study a sample damage tolerant stiffened panel is designed according to FAR 25 safety criteria. Experiments are performed for determining mechanical and crack growth properties of Al 2124 which is used as the material in the case study. Present study showed that the most significant effect on the stress intensity factor is seen when stringer-cracked sheet offset is included in the analysis model.

The application of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) is one of the effective retrofitting and strengthening methods that is used worldwide and is starting to be used in Turkey as well because they have high strength and high modulus in the fiber direction, have very low coefficient of thermal expansion when compared to concrete and steel and are known not to corrode. Since FRPs are lightweight, their mass can be neglected when compared to concrete and steel. However, before proposing this material as an alternative for strengthening and retrofitting applications their long-term behavior should be understood because they are applied on to concrete by several layers of epoxy-based adhesives, which can be affected by change in humidity, temperature and load. Therefore, behavior of CFRP-strengthened structures in varying temperature and humidity conditions must be investigated. In this dissertation, behavior of CFRP confined cylindrical and prismatic concrete specimens having square cross-section were investigated under sustained compressive loads, dry and wet heating-cooling cycles, and outdoor exposures under direct sunlight, to determine the possible changes in their mechanical properties. Sustained loads were applied as the 40% and 50% of their confined axial load capacity. In addition to the sustained loads, specimens were subjected to 200 heating-cooling cycles between -10&deg / C to 50&deg / C. In order to understand the change in behavior of CFRP confined concrete specimens better, they were divided in six groups. A single effect was investigated in each group. After aging tests mechanical properties of the specimens were recorded via monotonic uniaxial loading. It was observed that temperature cycles had little effect on behavior but sustained loads changed the shape of the axial stress-strain diagram and resulted in a dramatic decrease in ultimate strain. Based on the test results and also using the data of similar studies available in the literature, strength and strain models considering the exposures as independent parameters were established and finally axial stress-strain curve was tried to be predicted.

Nanoindentation is a method of contacting a material whose mechanical properties are unknown with another material whose properties are known. Nanoindentation has the advantage of being able to probe a material’s microstructure while being sensitive enough to detect variations in mechanical properties. However, nanoindentation has some limitations as a testing technique due to the specific formation and structure of some biomaterials. The main objective of this research is to identify any factors that influence the nanoindentation measurement of wood cell walls (a typical biomaterial).The function of the embedding media in describing the properties of wood cells is poorly understood. This research demonstrated that Spurr’s resin, when diffused into wood cell wall during the embedding process, enhanced both the Young’s modulus and hardness of the cell walls. A substitute sample preparation method was developed to avoid this resin penetration into cell wall and was determined to be both effective and easy to perform.The nanoindentation procedure involves the application of a monitor and an analysis of the load-displacement behavior and the response in the material. It can be anticipated that various ways of loading, including the maximum force, the loading time, and others, will cause a variety of mechanical properties. Thus, our second aim was to study the effect of load function on nanoindentation measurement in wood. It was discovered that a fast loading rate contributed to greater contact depth and lower hardness. Increasing the holding time decreased measured values for both Young’s modulus and hardness. However, no significant difference of Young’s modulus and hardness among three loading functions with different unloading rates.The final part of the research was to study the effect of moisture content on the micromechanical properties of wood material. Several nanoindentations were performed on the wood cell wall while varying the moisture content of wood. Results indicated that both the Young’s modulus and hardness decreased significantly with an increase of moisture content. A rheology model was developed to describe the nanoindentation behaviors of wood cell walls at different moisture contents. Five parameters were extracted from Burger’s model, and the relationships among those five parameters were quantified.

Heat of hydration is a source of problem in mass concrete since it causes the difference between the inner and the outer temperatures increase excessively, which leads thermal cracks. The first step in fighting against this problem is to keep the initial temperature of concrete as low as possible. From this point of view, Preplaced Aggregate Concrete (in short PAC) is quite advantageous, because the friction taking place among the coarse aggregates during the mixing operation causes the initial temperature of concrete increase. However, since coarse aggregates are not subjected to the mixing operation in PAC method, comparatively lower initial temperatures can be achieved. On the other hand, making PAC by the conventional injection method is quite troublesome, since it requires special equipment and experienced workmanship. Because of this, it would be very useful to investigate alternative methods for making PAC. In this research, a new method for making PAC has been investigated. The new method is briefly based on increasing the fluidity of the grout by new generation superplasticizers to such an extent that, it fills all the voids in the preplaced coarse aggregate mass when it is poured over, without requiring any injection. In the scope of the study, twelve concrete cube specimens, each with 1 m volume, have been prepared / one of which as conventional concrete, seven of which as PAC by injection method, and four of which as PAC by the new method mentioned above. In order to examine the specimens that have been prepared by three different methods from thermal properties point of view, the difference between the central and the surface temperatures of the specimens have been followed by the thermocouples located in the specimens during preparation. Also, in order to examine the mechanical properties of the specimens, three core specimens have been taken from each specimen at certain ages, compressive strength and modulus of elasticity tests have been carried out on these core specimens. As a result of the experiments it has been observed that, the PAC specimens prepared by injection method performed better from thermal properties point of view, but worse from mechanical properties point of view than conventional concrete. On the other hand, the PAC specimens prepared by the new method have performed both as well as the other PAC specimens from thermal properties point of view, and as well as conventional concrete from mechanical properties point of view.

Concrete block pavement (CBP) can be an alternative pavement to asphalt and concrete pavements. CBP is formed from individual concrete paving blocks (CPBs) that fit next to one another on a suitable sub base leaving a specific joint space among them to be filled with jointing sand. CBP differ from other pavements according to their mechanical behavior, manufacturing technique, structural design, installation technique and structural behavior. For a serviceable pavement all of these subjects have to be studied. The literature about the mechanical behavior of CPBs is not adequate. This study aims to determine the performance of CPBs formed from different mixes prepared with a white portland cement. For this purpose, 10 mixes with different cement contents and W/C ratios and 2 mixes from a commercial CPB manufacturer were tested. The compressive strength, tensile splitting strength, abrasion resistance, density and % water absorption tests were performed on each mix at 7, 14, 28 days. It was concluded that, the cement content in the mix, optimum water volume for a given cement content, the way the manufacturing equipment is operated and their interaction was effective on the mechanical properties of CPBs. It was also observed that there was no handicap to stop the abrasion resistance test at 8*22 revolutions instead of 16*22 revolutions given in TS 2824.