Os investimentos iniciais em moldes na indústria de pré-moldados de concreto de cimento Portland, em geral, são altos, havendo a necessidade de utilizá-los o mais intensivamente possível entre uma e outra moldagem. A conseqüência é que a desforma pode ocorrer em instantes inadequados, comprometendo a durabilidade do produto. Isto contraria o conceito fundamental da pré-moldagem que está relacionado ao rigoroso controle de qualidade do produto. A cura térmica é uma alternativa, pois é utilizada para acelerar a resistência mecânica inicial do concreto. Esse beneficio imediato é acompanhado por uma redução na resistência final comparativamente à cura normal em câmara úmida. Esta redução é atribuída ao desenvolvimento de uma microestrutura modificada. Para investigar esse fenômeno, com base nos conhecimentos em ciência e engenharia dos materiais, desenvolve-se um estudo experimental, aplicado a pré-moldados com pequena espessura. O objetivo principal é analisar tais modificações e os compostos hidratados, formados ao longo do tempo após a cura térmica, considerando os materiais empregados e estabelecendo relações com a perda de resistência final. Leva-se em conta a influência das adições e da duração dos ciclos térmicos. A análise da microestrutura está baseada nos seguintes ensaios: porosimetria por intrusão de mercúrio, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, termogravimetria e difração de raio-X. Confirma-se com base nos resultados que a cura térmica favorece a maior formação de portlandita e também acelera a reação pozolânica. Para a composição entre cimento Portland, a escória de alto forno (30%) e a sílica ativa (10%), submetidas a ciclos térmicos longos (12 horas Tmax=61°C), observa-se a maior perda na resistência mecânica a longo prazo. Neste caso, há fortes indícios de que há formação de fases com menor desempenho mecânico. Através de micrografias, para essa amostra, sugere-se a formação da etringita secundária com maior prejuízo na interface pasta-agregado. As conclusões sugerem que para minimizar as interferências no processo de cura e garantir resistências mínimas nas desmoldagens rápidas, com poucas perdas a longo prazo, é interessante associar ciclos térmicos curtos, cimento de alta resistência inicial, sílica ativa e superplastificante. / The initial investments of molds in the industry which makes pre-cast of Portland cement concrete is usually very high, thus creating a necessity to maximize the utilization of each moldings. The consequence is that the forms can be removed at inadequate time, which compromise the durability of the product. This contradicts the fundamental concepts of the pre-castings, which is related to a severe quality control. Steam curing is an alternative treatment and is used to accelerate the initial mechanical resistance of the concrete. This immediate benefit is accompanied by the decrease on final resistance compared to normal curing in humid chamber. This reduction is attributed to the development of a modified microstructure. To investigate this phenomenon, based on knowleledge of materials science and engineering, an experimental study is developed which is applied in pre-cast wich small thichness. The main objective of this work is to analyze the microstructure modifications and the hydrated compounds formed, after a period of steam curing, taking in account the used materiaIs, also to establish a relations with the loss of final strength. The influence of additions and duration of steam cycles are considered. The analyses of microstructures are based on the following tests: mercury intrusion porosimetry, scanning electron microscope, thermogravimetry and X-ray diffraction. Based on the results it can be confirmed that steam curing favors a large formation of ponlandite and also accelerates pozzolanic reaction. For the composition of Portland cement, slag fumace blast (30%) and active silica (10%), submitted for long period of thermal cycles (12 hours, Tmax=61°C), a great loss strength was observed. In this case it is possible the formation of phases with poor mechanical performance. Through micrographs, for this sample, it is observed the formation of secondary ettringite with a large damage in the interface aggregate-paste. The conclusions suggest that to minimize the interference in the process of curing and to guarantee a minimum strength during the rapid separation of the concrete from the molds, with a minor loss in a long term, it is interesting to associate short steam cycles, high initial resistance cement, adive silica and superplasticizer.

Os investimentos iniciais em moldes na indústria de pré-moldados de concreto de cimento Portland, em geral, são altos, havendo a necessidade de utilizá-los o mais intensivamente possível entre uma e outra moldagem. A conseqüência é que a desforma pode ocorrer em instantes inadequados, comprometendo a durabilidade do produto. Isto contraria o conceito fundamental da pré-moldagem que está relacionado ao rigoroso controle de qualidade do produto. A cura térmica é uma alternativa, pois é utilizada para acelerar a resistência mecânica inicial do concreto. Esse beneficio imediato é acompanhado por uma redução na resistência final comparativamente à cura normal em câmara úmida. Esta redução é atribuída ao desenvolvimento de uma microestrutura modificada. Para investigar esse fenômeno, com base nos conhecimentos em ciência e engenharia dos materiais, desenvolve-se um estudo experimental, aplicado a pré-moldados com pequena espessura. O objetivo principal é analisar tais modificações e os compostos hidratados, formados ao longo do tempo após a cura térmica, considerando os materiais empregados e estabelecendo relações com a perda de resistência final. Leva-se em conta a influência das adições e da duração dos ciclos térmicos. A análise da microestrutura está baseada nos seguintes ensaios: porosimetria por intrusão de mercúrio, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, termogravimetria e difração de raio-X. Confirma-se com base nos resultados que a cura térmica favorece a maior formação de portlandita e também acelera a reação pozolânica. Para a composição entre cimento Portland, a escória de alto forno (30%) e a sílica ativa (10%), submetidas a ciclos térmicos longos (12 horas Tmax=61°C), observa-se a maior perda na resistência mecânica a longo prazo. Neste caso, há fortes indícios de que há formação de fases com menor desempenho mecânico. Através de micrografias, para essa amostra, sugere-se a formação da etringita secundária com maior prejuízo na interface pasta-agregado. As conclusões sugerem que para minimizar as interferências no processo de cura e garantir resistências mínimas nas desmoldagens rápidas, com poucas perdas a longo prazo, é interessante associar ciclos térmicos curtos, cimento de alta resistência inicial, sílica ativa e superplastificante. / The initial investments of molds in the industry which makes pre-cast of Portland cement concrete is usually very high, thus creating a necessity to maximize the utilization of each moldings. The consequence is that the forms can be removed at inadequate time, which compromise the durability of the product. This contradicts the fundamental concepts of the pre-castings, which is related to a severe quality control. Steam curing is an alternative treatment and is used to accelerate the initial mechanical resistance of the concrete. This immediate benefit is accompanied by the decrease on final resistance compared to normal curing in humid chamber. This reduction is attributed to the development of a modified microstructure. To investigate this phenomenon, based on knowleledge of materials science and engineering, an experimental study is developed which is applied in pre-cast wich small thichness. The main objective of this work is to analyze the microstructure modifications and the hydrated compounds formed, after a period of steam curing, taking in account the used materiaIs, also to establish a relations with the loss of final strength. The influence of additions and duration of steam cycles are considered. The analyses of microstructures are based on the following tests: mercury intrusion porosimetry, scanning electron microscope, thermogravimetry and X-ray diffraction. Based on the results it can be confirmed that steam curing favors a large formation of ponlandite and also accelerates pozzolanic reaction. For the composition of Portland cement, slag fumace blast (30%) and active silica (10%), submitted for long period of thermal cycles (12 hours, Tmax=61°C), a great loss strength was observed. In this case it is possible the formation of phases with poor mechanical performance. Through micrographs, for this sample, it is observed the formation of secondary ettringite with a large damage in the interface aggregate-paste. The conclusions suggest that to minimize the interference in the process of curing and to guarantee a minimum strength during the rapid separation of the concrete from the molds, with a minor loss in a long term, it is interesting to associate short steam cycles, high initial resistance cement, adive silica and superplasticizer.

Civil engineers are at times required to stabilize sulfate bearing clay soils with calcium based stabilizers. Deleterious heaving in these stabilized soils may result over time. This dissertation addresses critical questions regarding the consequences of treating sulfate laden soils with calcium-based stabilizers. The use of a differential scanning calorimeter was introduced in this research as a tool to quantify the amount of ettringite formed in stabilized soils. The first part of this dissertation provides a case history analysis of the expansion history compared to the ettringite growth history of three controlled low strength mixtures containing fly ash with relatively high sulfate contents. Ettringite growth and measurable volume changes were monitored simultaneously for mixtures subjected to different environmental conditions. The observations verified the role of water in causing expansion when ettringite mineral is present. Sorption of water by the ettringite molecule was found to be a part of the reason for expansion. The second part of this dissertation evaluates the existence of threshold sulfate levels in soils as well as the role of soil mineralogy in defining the sensitivity of soils to sulfate-induced damage. A differential scanning calorimeter and thermodynamics based phase diagram approach are used to evaluate the role of soil minerals. The observations substantiated the difference in sensitivity of soils to ettringite formation, and also verified the existence of a threshold level of soluble sulfates in soils that can trigger substantial ettringite growth. The third part of this dissertation identifies alternative, probable mechanisms of swelling when sulfate laden soils are stabilized with lime. The swelling distress observed in stabilized soils is found to be due to one or a combination of three separate mechanisms: (1) volumetric expansion during ettringite formation, (2) water movement triggered by a high osmotic suction caused by sulfate salts, and (3) the ability of the ettringite mineral to absorb water and contribute to the swelling process.

The aim of the theoretical part of this Master´s thesis is to make a research of possible ways in repairing PCC pavements without anchoring transverse joints. The pratical part is focused on the design of PCC pavements segmentations in experimental sections and evaluation measurement by testing muted impact.

Because winter maintenance is so costly, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) personnel asked researchers at Brigham Young University to determine whether asphalt or concrete pavements require more winter maintenance. Differing thermal properties suggest that, for the same environmental conditions, asphalt and concrete pavements will have different temperature profiles. Climatological data from 22 environmental sensor stations (ESSs) near asphalt roads and nine ESSs near concrete roads were used to 1) determine which pavement type has higher surface temperatures in winter and 2) compare the subsurface temperatures under asphalt and concrete pavements to determine the pavement type below which more freeze-thaw cycles of the underlying soil occur. Twelve continuous months of climatological data, primarily from the 2009 calendar year, were acquired from the road weather information system operated by UDOT, and erroneous data were removed from the data set. To predict pavement surface temperature, a multiple linear regression was performed with input parameters of pavement type, time period, and air temperature. Similarly, a multiple linear regression was performed to predict the number of subsurface freeze-thaw cycles, based on month, latitude, elevation, and pavement type. A finite-difference model was created to model surface temperatures of asphalt and concrete pavements based on air temperature and incoming radiation. The statistical analysis predicting pavement surface temperatures showed that, for near-freezing conditions, asphalt is better in the afternoon, and concrete is better for other times of the day, but that neither pavement type is better, on average. Asphalt and concrete are equally likely to collect snow or ice on their surfaces, and both pavements are expected to require equal amounts of winter maintenance, on average. Finite-difference analysis results confirmed that, for times of low incident radiation (night), concrete reaches higher temperatures than asphalt, and for times of high incident radiation (day), asphalt reaches higher temperatures than concrete. The regression equation predicting the number of subsurface freeze-thaw cycles provided estimates that did not correlate well with measured values. Consequently, an entirely different analysis must be conducted with different input variables. Data that were not available for this research but are likely necessary in estimating the number of freeze-thaw cycles under the pavement include pavement layer thicknesses, layer types, and layer moisture contents.

The full text will be available at the end of the embargo: 26th April 2025