Thesis (M. S.)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. / Committee Chair: Jacobs, Laurence; Committee Co-Chair: Kurtis, Kimberly; Committee Member: Kim, Jin-Yeon. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

The most prevalent method for the prevention of freeze-thaw and salt scaling damage in cement based materials is through the entrainment of air voids using air entraining chemical admixtures (AEA's). However, the common field methods for measuring air content in fresh concrete cannot distinguish between entrained and entrapped air voids, and the actual air content in the hardened concrete can vary from that determined by these tests due to a variety of factors such as workability, placing operations, consolidation efforts, and environmental conditions. Previous research has shown the ability of ultrasonic attenuation to distinguish between entrained and entrapped air voids in hardened cement paste, providing a foundation for an inversion procedure to calculate the size and volume content of the two scatterer sizes. While additional challenges are present with measurements in fresh paste, the use of an immersion setup can overcome the limitations of cement paste containment vessels and provide a means to measure air content from batching to placement. An immersion apparatus to monitor ultrasonic wave attributes including attenuation in fresh cement paste is designed and built. Results comparing air entrained and non-air entrained cement pastes are presented. Ultrasonic wave attributes are studied as a function of time and level of chemical air entrainer. Finally, recommendations are made to improve the accuracy of the immersion apparatus in order to develop an in situ, quality control procedure to quantify the air content of fresh cement paste from batching to placement.

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In the present study, possible scale effects on the formation of air-entraining vortices at horizontal intakes are studied experimentally. Basic dimensionless parameters that govern the onset of vortices at a horizontal intake in a model and a prototype are stated by dimensional analysis. Series of experiments are conducted on four intake pipes of different diameters located in a large reservoir. The relationship of critical submergence ratio with other dimensionless parameters is considered for a given Froude number and it is found out that the critical submergence ratio is affected by model length scale ratio and its natural result of side-wall clearance ratio and Reynolds number differences between model and prototypes. It is observed that, side-wall clearance ratio is not effective on the critical submergence ratio after it exceeds about 6. In addition to this, Reynolds number limit, beyond which viscous forces do not affect the vortex flow, is found out to be increasing with the increase in Froude number. An empirical relationship, which gives the critical submergence ratio as a function of Froude number, side-wall clearance ratio and Reynolds number is obtained by using data collected in the experiments.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:07:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 IrantecioMF_DISSERT_Parcial.pdf: 354207 bytes, checksum: e43a8d49123a8e937d996a1e4e80ba39 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-28 / Lightweight oilwell cement slurries have been recently studied as a mean to improve zonal isolation and sheath-porous formation adherence. Foamed slurries consisting of Portland cement and air-entraining admixtures have become an interesting option for this application. The loss in hydrostatic pressure as a consequence of cement hydration results in the expansion of the air bubbles entrapped in the cement matrix, thus improving the sheath-porous formation contact. Consequently, slurries are able to better retain their water to complete the hydration process. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of an air-entraining admixture on the density, stability and permeability of composite slurries containing Portland cement and diatomite as light mineral load. Successful formulations are potential cementing materials for low fracture gradient oilwells. The experimental procedures used for slurry preparation and characterization were based on the American Petroleum Institute and ABNT guidelines Slurries containing a pre-established concentration of the air-entraining admixture and different contents of diatomite were prepared aiming at final densities of 13 to 15 lb/gal. The results revealed that the reduction of 15 to 25% of the density of the slurries did not significantly affect their strength. The addition of both diatomite and the air-entraining admixture increased the viscosity of the slurry providing better air-bubble retention in the volume of the slurry. Stable slurries depicted bottom to top density variation of less than 1.0 lb/gal and length reduction of the stability sample of 5.86 mm. Finally, permeability coefficient values between 0.617 and 0.406 mD were obtained. Therefore, lightweight oilwell cement slurries depicting a satisfactory set of physicochemical and mechanical properties can be formulated using a combination of diatomite and air-entraining admixtures for low fracture gradient oilwells / Atualmente, busca-se a formula??o de pastas de cimento leves para prevenir o fraturamento de forma??es de baixa resist?ncia ou depletadas e combater a perda de circula??o, com boa ader?ncia e isolamento hidr?ulico entre cimento e meio poroso. O cimento espumado composto pela mistura de cimento com incorporador de ar ? um material alternativo para essa aplica??o. A perda de press?o hidrost?tica durante o processo de hidrata??o causa expans?o das bolhas de g?s, mantendo o grau de contato cimento-meio poroso, diferentemente do que ocorre apenas com o uso do cimento tradicional. A ader?ncia entre o cimento e o meio poroso (forma??o rochosa) faz com que haja estabilidade da pasta, impedindo a perda de ?gua do cimento no estado fresco para o meio. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo estudar a estabilidade e a permeabilidade de comp?sitos ciment?ceos contendo diatomita (carga leve) e incorporador de ar, verificando se o uso desses aditivos ? vi?vel para cimentos projetados para ambientes de baixo gradiente de fratura. A metodologia empregada no trabalho consiste na prepara??o e avalia??o de pastas comp?sitas, por meio de procedimentos adotados pelo American Petroleum Institute e pela Associa??o Brasileira de Normas T?cnicas. Partiu-se de uma dosagem fixa do incorporador de ar e variou-se a concentra??o de diatomita. As densidades calculadas foram 13,0 lb/gal, 14,0 lb/gal e 15,0 lb/gal, com o intuito de observar a contribui??o do fator ?gua/cimento na estabiliza??o das espumas geradas pela adi??o do incorporador de ar em rela??o a uma pasta padr?o, sem incorporador de ar. Os resultados revelaram que as pastas tiveram suas densidades reduzidas entre 15% e 25%, com a adi??o do incorporador de ar e diatomita e boa resist?ncia mec?nica. O aumento da viscosidade nas formula??es com diatomita proporcionou maior reten??o das bolhas, visto que houve redu??o acentuada da migra??o de ar para a superf?cie do cimento durante cura em repouso. Observou-se que pastas est?veis apresentaram varia??o entre o valor de densidade de fundo e topo de 0,96 lb/gal e rebaixamento de topo de 5,86 mm, al?m de baixos coeficientes de permeabilidade (0,617 mD a 0,406 mD). Concluiu-se que ? poss?vel formular pastas ciment?ceas espumadas de baixa densidade com propriedades mec?nicas e reol?gicas satisfat?rias, al?m de boa estabilidade e baixa permeabilidade, a partir de uma combina??o de cimento, diatomita e incorporador de ar. Os materiais resultantes s?o adequados visando ? cimenta??o de po?os de petr?leo com forma??es de baixa resist?ncia ou depletadas / 2020-01-01

The thesis deals with the possibility of specific weight lowering of kaolin suspensions using air-entraining agents. These agents are usually used as concrete admixtures. The goal of the thesis is to verify an alternative possibility of creating porous structure in kaolin suspensions in order to prepare heat insulating moulded refractory concretes without using lightweight fillers. The effect of several air-entraining agents was compared, after that the dosage of agent and mixing conditions were optimized. The stabilization of prepared foams and practical application of selected agents were also part of the thesis.

Geopolymers are amorphous to semi-crystalline aluminosilicate polymers which are formed from inorganic polycondensation reaction of a solid aluminosilicate precursor with an alkaline sodium hydroxide or silicate. The resulting materials exhibit high durability, resistance to aggressive environments, high temperature resistance and many other properties that make them have received much attention in recent years, not only in construction. This thesis describes the influence of additives commonly used in concrete and mortar (water reducing, superplasticizer, air-entraining, foamer and defoamer, anti-shrinkage, stabilization) on the behavior of metakaolin in geopolymer fresh and hardened state. It describes metakaolin geopolymer effect on rheological properties of fresh mixtures, compressive strength and flexural strength after 28 days and a density in the fresh and hardened state.

Increasing awareness of sustainability in the concrete industry forces structural design and executionto focus on avoiding costly and unpredictable maintenance action, instead paying higher attention todamage prevention by direct actions on early stages of production. One of such approaches, whichdeals with the problem of freezing and thawing deterioration, is intentional air bubble introductionto the concrete mix. However, the mechanism of air entrainment in concrete can be negativelyaffected on different stages of production by many factors including cement type, admixture dosage,casting conditions or mixing procedure. Therefore, reliable tools for the end-product evaluationought to be considered. The experimental study, presented in this work, focuses on understandingthe blast furnace slag (BFS) influence as well as admixtures’ dosage effect on pore structure ofhardened concrete. Three types of cement were evaluated, including ordinary portland cement(OPC) and two types of CEM III cements with different BFS percentage. The optimal amountsof air entraining agent (AEA) and super plasticizer (SP) were chosen and later reduced in orderto evaluate their impact on total air content, spacing factor and specific surface of the air voids.The main method chosen for this evaluation was the use of an office flat-bed scanner to acquireimages and application of BubbleCounter software for the analysis of the air void structure. Thisapproach is based on linear traverse method and requires special surface treatment for contrastenhancement. Specimens for the analysis were cut from hardened concrete cubes and polishedto achieve a flat surface. The samples were later treated with black ink and zinc oxide paste toachieve a clear contrast between white voids and black paste/aggregate area. In order to estimatethe accuracy of this method, more conventional tools such as pressurised gauge method and air voidanalyser were applied for comparison. Resulted mixtures showed significant differences in air voidproperties between OPC and BFS containing concrete, with the latter being less affected by AEAdosage reduction. Changes in spacing factor and specific surface were also registered; however,their deterioration did not follow the same pattern as that of total air content. No significantdeviation between the two cements containing BFS was observed. An interesting effect of the usedpolycarboxylate ether SP on the AEA reactivity was registered, showing deterioration of air voidproperties with the decrease of plasticizer amount. Comparison of the results from different air voidanalysis methods, suggested an overall agreement on the measured air void system changes due tochanging the AEA content. However, the BubbleCounter software tended to slightly overestimatethe material’s resistance to freeze and thaw phenomenon, giving the most optimistic values inspacing factor and specific surface of air voids. / Betongindustrins ökande medvetenhet om hållbarhet leder till att man inom dimensionering ochutförande fokuserar mot att undvika kostnadskrävande och oförutsedda underhållsåtgärder ochistället lägga större vikt på att förebygga skador i produktionens tidiga skeden. En av dessaåtgärder, som hanterar problemet frostnedbrytning, är en medveten inblandning av luftbubblor ibetongen. Mekanismen för att skapa luftporssystemet kan emellertid bli negativt påverkad underolika skeden av produktionen av många faktorer såsom cementtyp, tillsatsmedelsdos, gjutvillkoroch blandningsordning. Därför behöver man reflektera över pålitliga verktyg för utvärderingenav slutprodukten. Den experimentella studien, som presenteras i detta arbete, fokuserar motförståelse hur slagg och tillsatsmedelsdos påverkar den hårdnade betongens luftporssystem. Tretyper av cement utvärderades, dels ett normalt portlandcement, dels två typer av CEM III-cementmed olika andelar av slagg. Optimala mängder av luftporbildare och flyttillsatsmedel valdesmen reducerades senare för att undersöka deras inverkan på totalt luftinnehåll samt luftporernasavståndsfaktor och specifika yta. Den huvudsakliga metoden som valdes för denna utvärderingvar en flatbäddsscanner (kontorsmodell) för att ta bilder och användningen av en programvaravid namn BubbleCounter för att analysera luftporssystemet. Detta tillvägagångssätt baseras påanalys av tvärgående linjer och kräver en speciell behandling av ytan för att åstadkomma kontraster.Provkroppar för analysen sågades ut ur hårdnade betongkuber och polerades för att erhålla en jämnyta. Provkropparna var senare behandlade med svart bläck och zinkoxidpasta för att åstadkomma entydlig kontrast mellan de vita porerna och den svarta ytan av cementpasta och ballast. För att studeranoggrannheten hos denna metod användes som jämförelse även mer konventionella metoder sommätningar med trycksatta givare och luftporsanalys. De framtagna blandningarna visade signifikantaskillnader i luftporernas egenskaper mellan betong med normalt portlandcement och betong medslaggcement, där den senare påverkades i mindre grad av reduktioner i dosen luftporbildare.Förändringar I avståndsfaktor och specifik yta noterades också men försämringen följde inte sammamönster som den för totala luftinnehållet. Ingen signifikant skillnad mellan de två cementeninnehållande slagg kunde observeras. En intressant inverkan av det använda polykarboxylateterbaseradeflyttillsatsmedlet på luftporbildarens reaktivitet noterades. Den visade en försämringav luftporernas egenskaper vid en reduktion av mängden flyttillsatsmedel. En jämförelse avresultaten från de olika metoderna för luftporsanalys indikerade en övergripande överensstämmelsegällande de uppmätta luftporssystemens förändring p.g.a. förändringar i mängden luftporbildare.Programvaran BubbleCounter tenderade emellertid att något överskatta materialets motstånd motfrostnedbrytning med de mest optimistiska värdena för luftporernas avståndsfaktor och specifikayta.

Para la presente investigación de tesis desarrollada entre los distritos de Imperial y Pampas, provincia de Tayacaja, en el departamento de Huancavelica, se tiene como unidad de análisis a 60 muros de contención, donde se aplicó criterios muestréales de 23 muros f´c 210 kg/cm2. Como resultados alcanzados se logró elaborar concreto hidráulico de calidad usando agregado fino marginal con el cual se pudo satisfacer los parámetros de resistencia y durabilidad. Para demostrar la durabilidad se realizaron distintos ensayos; los que no cumplieron con las especificaciones de la norma EG-2000 fueron el de Equivalente de arena MTC E 114, Material que pasa el Tamiz N°200 MTC E 202 y Análisis granulométrico por tamizado ASTM C 136, por lo cual se efectuaron análisis más rigurosos como: el ensayo de Valor de azul de metileno y el ensayo de Análisis petrográfico macroscópico y microscópico en agregados para concreto ASTM C 295, donde se obtuvo como resultado que la arena no presenta elementos activos en su composición, lo que quiere decir que ante las condiciones ambientales de la zona estos elementos no se expanden ni se contraen y adicionalmente como medida de control se diseñó la mezcla de concreto hidráulico con aditivo incorporador de aire AirMix-200. Del mismo informe petrográfico se concluyó que la composición principal del agregado es la caliza, la cual es materia prima para la elaboración del cemento, que de alguna manera adicional ayuda a cumplir satisfactoriamente el parámetro de resistencia. Así mismo quedó demostrado que a través de ensayos a compresión no confinada de testigos de concreto, se alcanzó resistencias superiores a lo requerido en la norma EG-2000. Research for this thesis developed between the districts of Imperial and Pampas, Tayacaja province, in the department of Huancavelica, it has the analysis unit 60 retaining walls, where 23 sample criteria applied walls f´c 210 kg/cm2. Results obtained are as elaborate hydraulic concrete achievement of marginal quality using fine aggregate with which it was able to satisfy the parameters of strength and durability. To demonstrate the durability various tests were performed; those who do not comply with the specifications of the EG-2000 were rule the sand equivalent MTC E 114, passes what material the sieve No. 200 MTC E 202 and sieve analysis ASTM C 136, here by which they were made Analysis More rigorous like: The test value of methylene blue and testing of macroscopic and microscopic petrographic analysis in paragraph aggregate concrete ASTM C 295, where it resulted the sand without presents elements active in their composition, which means they say to the area Environmental Conditions These elements do not expand or contract and additionally as a control measure of self-design hydraulic concrete mix with entraining admixture AirMix-200 air. Same petrographic report concluded that the composition of the director of aggregate is limestone, which is a raw material for the production of cement, which in some additionally helps one perform satisfactorily resistance parameter. Also it demonstrated that one through essays of unconfined compressive concrete witness, higher strengths than required was reached in the EG-2000 standard.