A deposição de rejeitos radioativos em repositórios geológicos profundos vem sendo estudada nos últimos anos em diversos países. Materiais à base de cimento são utilizados nesses repositórios como material estrutural, matriz de imobilização de rejeitos ou material de preenchimento. Compreender o desempenho desse material é essencial para garantir a segurança da instalação durante o seu tempo de vida útil (de milhares a centenas de milhares de anos, dependendo do tipo de rejeito). Este trabalho objetiva modelar o comportamento em longo prazo do cimento Portland e estudar a influência de diversos fatores na hidratação e na evolução desse material. A modelagem descritiva abordou a hidratação do cimento nas condições ambientais esperadas no repositório e os efeitos desses fatores em propriedades mecânicas, mineralógicas e morfológicas do cimento. Os fatores ambientais considerados relevantes neste trabalho foram: alta temperatura e pressão, penetração de água subterrânea contendo íons quimicamente agressivos ao cimento e a presença do campo de radiação proveniente dos rejeitos. Ensaios acelerados de degradação também foram realizados para corroborar com o modelo descrito. Observou-se uma sinergia entre diversos fatores na degradação do cimento, como a influência da temperatura e da radiação em reações deletérias ao material. O resultado da modelagem apontou três principais possíveis causas de falha nas barreiras artificiais: a) a formação de um caminho preferencial; b) a perda de resistência e coesão do material; e c) o aumento na corrosão das estruturas metálicas. A descrição do modelo apresentada é a base para a modelagem matemática e a análise de segurança dos repositórios estudados no Brasil. / The radioactive waste disposal in deep geological repositories has been studied for many countries in the last years. Cementitious materials are used in these repositories as structural material, immobilization matrix and as backfill material. The understanding of the performance of these materials is essential to ensure the safety of the installation during its life time (from thousand to hundreds of thousands of years, depending on the type of waste). This works aims at modeling the long-term performance of Portland cement and study the influence of many environmental factors in the hydration and evolution of this material. The modeling approached the cement hydration in the conditions expected in the repository and the effects of these factors on cement mechanical, mineralogical and morphological properties. The environmental factors considered relevant was: high temperature and pressure, the penetration of groundwater containing aggressive chemical ions, and a radiation field from the waste. Degradation accelerated tests were done to corroborate with the descriptive model. It was observed a synergism between some factors on the cement degradation, as the influence of temperature and radiation field in some deleterious reactions in the material. The results of modeling pointed to three main causes of engineered barrier failure: a) the formation of a preferential pathway; b) loss of resistance and cohesion in the material; and c) the increase in the metallic structures corrosion process. The descriptive model is the basis for a mathematical modeling and to perform the safety assessment of the repositories studied in Brazil.

Atualmente, o aproveitamento de resíduos na construção civil tem sido estimulado devido essa atividade ser um dos maiores consumidores de materiais naturais em seus processos e produtos. As cinzas agroindustriais ocupam lugar de destaque dentre os resíduos com possibilidades de aplicação em materiais cimentícios, pois algumas, como a cinza da casca do arroz, apresentam propriedades pozolânicas, contribuindo para a redução do consumo de cimento Portland. Nesse sentido, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo principal a avaliação da viabilidade técnica do uso de cinza agroindustriais em matrizes de cimento Portland, tendo como estudo de caso a cinza da casca da castanha de caju (CCCC). As cascas das castanhas de caju, resíduos da produção das castanhas, são incorporadas novamente ao processo, e, nas caldeiras, irão gerar calor para a decorticação de novas castanhas. A CCCC é o resíduo colhido no fundo da grelha das caldeiras, resultante da queima das cascas de castanhas. Atualmente, esse resíduo é utilizado como adubo em plantações de caju, sendo uma pequena parte destinada à aterros sanitários comuns. Foram realizados ensaios para avaliar a composição físico-química da CCCC; analisar o potencial pozolânico; analisar a retração por secagem e da profundidade de carbonatação de argamassas confeccionados com CCCC; e determinar a capacidade de estabilização/solidificação da CCCC pela matriz cimentícia. A partir dos resultados, pode-se apontar como características principais da CCCC: i) não apresentar potencial pozolânico; ii) favorecer a incorporação de ar em matrizes cimentícias; iii) ocasionar solubilidade de metais pesados e Fenol quando no estado in natura; iv) contribuir para o aumento da retração por secagem e da carbonatação em argamassas; v) liberar Cromo e Sódio mesmo quando estabilizada/solidificada em pastas em teores de até 10% de substituição. Por essas considerações, a CCCC não apresentou viabilidade técnica para uso em matrizes cimentícias. / Nowadays, the use of wastes on civil building has been stimulated for it to be one of most consumers of raw materials in their processes and products. The agroindustrial ashes have a prominent place among the wastes with possibilities of application in cementitious materials, because some ashes, such rice husk ash, have pozzolanic activity, and they contribute to reduce the Portland cement consumption. This work aimed to study the evaluation of technical feasibility of the agroindustrial ashes for use in Portland cement matrices, using the ash of the rind of the cashew nut (ARCN) as case study. The rinds of cashew nut (wastes of nuts\' production) are burned again during the heating process, and in boilers, they will generate heat for shelling other nuts. The ARCN is the waste collected from the boiler grid, resulted from burning of the rind of nuts. This waste is used as compostes in plantings of cashew and a little part of it is dumped in landfill sites. Tests were made for evaluation of physico-chemical composition of ARCN; for analyse of pozzolanic activity; for analyse of drying shrinkage and carbonation in mortars made with ARCN; and the analyse of the stabilization/solidification of ARCN in pastes. After the analyse of results, it may be pointed as main features of ARCN: i) not show pozzolanic activity; ii) to promote air entrainment in cementitious matrices; iii) to cause heavy metals and Phenol solubilization as in raw state; iv) to increase the drying shrinkage and carbonation in mortars; and, v) to let out Chrome and Sodium when stabilizated/solidificated in pastes in levels of replacement until 10%. For all these considerations, the ARCN haven\'t showed technical feasibility for use in cementitious matrices.

Esta pesquisa trata da estabilização de misturas de agregados reciclados por meio da ativação de seus finos, cujas composições possibilitam a ocorrência de reações químicas de cimentação. Para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa foram utilizados dois tipos de agregados reciclados: um proveniente de resíduo de demolição de natureza cimentícia e outro da indústria de cerâmica vermelha. O uso dos materiais foi feito por meio de dosagens para obtenção de misturas cujas combinações de materiais pudessem, quimicamente, potencializar a ocorrência de hidratação do cimento anidro existente nos finos do agregado reciclado cimentício e de reação pozolânica pela pozolanicidade da cerâmica vermelha. Com isso foram obtidas cinco misturas, compostas pelos agregados reciclados em estudo misturados entre si e com a adição de aglomerantes hidráulicos, sobre as quais foram realizados ensaios em laboratório para verificação da ocorrência das reações químicas esperadas com consequente estabilização das misturas, de modo a influenciar nos respectivos comportamentos mecânicos. Também foi realizada a avaliação de características do empacotamento dos grãos como forma de verificar se o arranjo físico, neste caso, exerce influência significativa na melhora do comportamento mecânico das misturas estudadas. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que, de fato, ocorreram as reações químicas esperadas, comprovadas pelos resultados dos ensaios de termogravimetria e difração de raios x, realizados em três diferentes idades de cura. Verificou-se, também, a melhora no comportamento mecânico das misturas por meio do aumento da resistência à compressão simples e do módulo de resiliência com a evolução da cura, além de baixa deformabilidade aos 91 dias de cura. Com isso foi comprovada a estabilização das misturas em estudo, com a consequente melhora de seus desempenhos, sendo devida, principalmente, à ocorrência das reações químicas de hidratação do cimento anidro e pozolânica. A pesquisa demonstrou a possibilidade de se estabilizar misturas de agregados reciclados cimentícios e de cerâmica vermelha por meio da ocorrência de reações químicas de cimentação promovidas pela combinação destes materiais. / This research deals with the stabilization of mixtures constituted by recycled aggregates through the activation of its fines portions, whose components enable the occurrence of chemical cementation reactions. In order to develop this research, two types of recycled aggregates were used: one from demolition waste with cementitious origin, and the other one from the red ceramic industry. The use of these materials was done through mix designs to obtain mixtures whose combinations of materials could chemically increase the occurrence of hydration of the anhydrous existing in fine portion of the recycled cementitious aggregates, and pozzolanic reactions due to the pozzolanicity of red ceramics. Thus, five mixtures were obtained, and they were composed by the studied recycled aggregates, mixed together and with the addition of hydraulic binders, on which laboratory tests were performed in order to verify the occurrence of the expected chemical reactions with consequent stabilization of the mixtures, in order to influence their mechanical behavior. Furthermore, it was performed the evaluation of packing characteristics of the particles to verify if the physical arrangement, in this case, has any significant influence on improving the mechanical behavior of the mixtures studied. The results obtained indicated that in fact the expected chemical reactions occurred, which was verified by the results from thermogravimetry and X-ray diffraction tests performed at three different times of curing. The improvement of the mixtures mechanical behavior by increasing of their compressive strength and their resilient modulus was also verified as the mixtures were cured, in addition to low deformability at 91 days of curing. Thus, the stabilization of the mixtures studied was confirmed, which was mainly due to the occurrence of chemical hydration reactions of the anhydrous cement and pozzolanic reactions. The study demonstrated the possibility of stabilizing mixtures of recycled aggregates cementitious waste and red ceramic by the occurrence of cementing chemical reactions promoted by combination of these materials.

O Engineered Cementitious Composite ou ECC é um compósito cimentício de elevada capacidade de deformação, concebido na Universidade de Michigan. Constituído por agregados miúdos, cimento e fibras, o compósito apresenta elevada ductilidade associada com a capacidade de gerar microfissuras quando submetido a carregamentos, num comportamento conhecido como strain-hardening. As pesquisas previamente desenvolvidas no Laboratório de Ensaios e Modelos Estruturais (LEME) da UFRGS objetivaram caracterizar um ECC adaptado aos materiais do Brasil, adicionando-se fibras de polipropileno na elaboração do compósito, e estudando-se alternativas para a substituição parcial de cimento. Na pesquisa aqui relatada, adotou-se o traço de referência definido previamente (ECCRef) e também foi utilizado um traço alternativo com 30% (em volume) de cinza de casca de arroz moída por 4 horas, em substituição parcial do cimento (ECCCCA). A pesquisa foi dividida em duas abordagens. A primeira consistiu na caracterização das propriedades mecânica dos traços em laboratório com a realização de ensaios de resistência à tração na flexão, à compressão simples, avaliação da aderência por cisalhamento direto e da trabalhabilidade, bem como ensaios de fadiga em viga quatro pontos. Em ensaios monotônicos o ECCCCA apresentou uma resistência à tração na flexão média (ft,f) de 8,2 MPa e resistência à compressão simples média (fc) de 50 MPa; já o ECCRef teve valores médios de 6,8 MPa e 36 MPa, respetivamente. Nos ensaios de aderência obtiveram-se resistências ao cisalhamento de 2050 kPa (ECCCCA) e 1900 kPa (ECCRef) A avaliação da trabalhabilidade permitiu estabelecer critérios para aprimorar o processo de mistura e manuseio do material em estado fresco, desta forma obteve-se adequada trabalhabilidade no ensaio de flow table, que aumentou de 44 para 90, possibilitando a utilização de betoneiras de tombo e obter os volumes de material necessários. Com os resultados dos ensaios dinâmicos foram estabelecidos modelos de fadiga em termos da deformação específica de extensão inicial (εti), deformação específica de extensão inicial normalizada (ti/εtP) e tração inicial (σti), assim como da energia dissipada (DE), igualmente foi possível estudar o processo de degradação dos compósitos. A segunda abordagem da pesquisa consistiu na realização de ensaios em verdadeira grandeza, com a utilização do simulador de tráfego do Laboratório de Pavimentação (LAPAV). Foram construídos dois recapeamentos (de 50 e 30 mm de espessura) sobre pavimentos flexíveis que apresentavam idêntico padrão de trincamento. Em cada recapeamento foram aplicados 100 mil ciclos da carga de semi-eixo de 5,5 toneladas. Foram acompanhados, visualmente, o surgimento e evolução de fissuras e outras manifestações patológicas, bem como o desgaste superficial, por meio dos ensaios de Pêndulo Britânico e Altura de Mancha de Areia. Após o fim do tráfego, foram serradas placas das seções trafegadas para verificar a propagação das fissuras e a aderência entre o compósito e o pavimento. Concluiu-se que o controle de qualidade na mistura é fundamental para garantir a qualidade da superfície. Além disso, percebeu-se que a aparição de fissuras está associada com possíveis problemas de aderência ECC-pavimento asfáltico, e em menor escala reflexão de fissuras. Globalmente, constatou-se que é possível produzir ECC’s com materiais disponíveis no estado e que este material pode ser aplicado na restauração de pavimentos. / Engineered Cementitious Composite or ECC is a material with a high deformation capacity, designed at the University of Michigan. Composed of fine aggregates, cement and fibres, the composite presents high ductility associated with the ability to generate microcracks when loaded, in a behavior known as strain-hardening. The research previously developed in the Laboratory of Structural Models and Tests (LEME) of UFRGS aimed to characterize an ECC adapted to the materials of Brazil, adding polypropylene fibres in the preparation of the composite, and studying alternatives for the partial replacement of cement. In the research reported here, the previously defined reference mix proportion (ECCRef) was adopted and an alternative mix proportion was used with 30% (by volume) of unprocessed rice-husk ash grinded for 4 hours, in partial replacement of the cement (ECCCCA). The research was divided into two approaches. The first one consisted in the characterization of the mechanical properties of the ECC’s in the laboratory with the execution of tests of flexural behavior and compressive strength, evaluation of adhesion by direct shear tests and the workability, as well as fatigue tests in four point configuration. In monotonic tests ECCCCA showed a resistance to flexural strength of 8.2 MPa and average compression strength of 50 MPa; ECCRef had mean values of 6.8 MPa and 36 MPa, respectively. In the adhesion tests, shear strengths of 2050 kPa (ECCCCA) and 1900 kPa (ECCRef) were obtained The evaluation of the workability allowed for the determination of criteria to improve the process of mixing and handling of the material in fresh state, in this way, adequate workability was obtained in the flow table test, which increased from 44 to 90, permitting the use of concrete mixer machines and to obtain the required volumes of material. With the results of the dynamic tests, fatigue models were stipulated in terms of initial tensile strain (εti), normalized initial tensile strain (ti/εtP) and initial traction (σti), as well as the dissipated energy (DE), it was also possible to study the process of degradation of the composites. The second approach of the research consisted in the accomplishment of tests in true greatness, with the use of the Accelerated Loading Facility of the Laboratory of Pavements (LAPAV). Two overlays (50 and 30 mm thick) were built over flexible pavements that had the same cracking pattern. At each overlay, 100 thousand cycles of the semi-axle load of 5.5 tons were applied. The appearance and evolution of cracks and other pathologies were monitored visually, as well as surface wear through the British Pendulum and Sand Patch tests. After the end of the traffic simulator, plates of the trafficked sections were sawn to verify the propagation of the cracks and the adhesion between the composite and the pavement. It was concluded that the quality control in the mixture is fundamental to guarantee the quality of the surface. In addition, it was noticed that the appearance of cracks is associated with possible problems of adhesion ECC-asphalt pavement, and to a lesser extent reflective cracking. Overall, it has been found that it is possible to produce ECC's with Brazilian materials and the ECC can be applied in the restoration of pavements. / El ECC (Engineered Cementitious Composites) es un compósito cementicio de elevada capacidad de deformación desarrollado en la Universidad de Michigan. Conformado por agregados finos, cemento y fibras poliméricas, presenta una alta ductilidad asociada con la capacidad de generar microfisuras durante la aplicación de cargas, comportamiento conocido como strain-hardening. Las investigaciones previamente desarrolladas en el Laboratório de Ensaios e Modelos Estruturais (LEME) de la UFRGS se direccionaron para caracterizar un ECC adaptado a los materiales brasileros, utilizando fibras de polipropileno y estudiando alternativas para la sustitución parcial del cemento. En la presente investigación se adoptó el trazo de referencia definido previamente (ECCRef), también fue utilizado un trazo alternativo con 30% (en volumen) de ceniza de cáscara de arroz molida por 4 horas como substituto parcial del cemento (ECCCCA). La investigación fue dividida en dos abordajes. La primera consistió en la caracterización de las propiedades mecánicas en laboratorio con la realización de ensayos de resistencia a tracción por flexión e compresión simple, evaluación de la adherencia por corte directo y de la trabajabilidad, además de ensayos de fatiga en viga cuatro puntos. En ensayos monotónicos el ECCCCA presentó una resistencia a la tracción por flexión media (ft,f) de 8,2 MPa y resistencia a la compresión simple media (fc) de 50 MPa; ya el ECCRef tuvo valores medios de 6,8 MPa y 36 MPa, respectivamente. En los ensayos de adherencia se obtuvieron resistencias al corte de 2050 kPa (ECCCCA) y 1900 kPa (ECCRef). La evaluación de la trabajabilidad permitió establecer criterios para mejorar el proceso de mezcla y manipulación del material en estado fresco, de esa forma se obtuvo una adecuada trabajabilidad en el ensayo de flow table, que aumentó de 44 para 90, posibilitando la utilización de mezcladoras de tambor y la obtención de los volúmenes de material necesarios. Con los resultados de los ensayos dinámicos fueron establecidos modelos de fatiga en términos de la deformación específica de extensión inicial (εti), de la deformación específica de extensión inicial normalizada (ti/εtP), de la tracción inicial (σti) y de la energía disipada (DE), igualmente fue posible estudiar el proceso de degradación de los compósitos El segundo abordaje de la investigación consistió en la realización de ensayos en verdadera grandeza con la utilización del simulador de tráfico del Laboratório de Pavimentação (LAPAV). Fueron construidos dos recapeamentos (de 50 y 30 mm de altura) sobre pavimentos flexibles que presentaban idéntico patrón de fisuración. En cada recapeamento fueron aplicados 100 mil ciclos da carga de semi-eje de 5,5 toneladas. Fueron acompañados, visualmente, la aparición y evolución de fisuras y otras patologías, así como el desgaste superficial por medio de los ensayos de Péndulo Británico y Altura de Mancha de Arena. Una vez terminados los ciclos de carga, fueron extraídas placas de las secciones ensayadas para verificar la propagación de las fisuras y la adherencia entre el compósito y el pavimento. Se concluyó que el control de calidad durante el proceso de mezcla es fundamental para garantizar la calidad superficial. Además, fue percibido que la aparición de fisuras está asociada con posibles problemas de adherencia ECC-pavimento asfáltico y en menor escala reflexión de fisuras. Globalmente, se constató que es posible producir ECC’s con materiales disponibles a nivel local y que este material puede ser aplicado en la restauración de pavimentos.

abstract: Being a remarkably versatile and inexpensive building material, concrete has found tremendous use in development of modern infrastructure and is the most widely used material in the world. Extensive research in the field of concrete has led to the development of a wide array of concretes with applications ranging from building of skyscrapers to paving of highways. These varied applications require special cementitious composites which can satisfy the demand for enhanced functionalities such as high strength, high durability and improved thermal characteristics among others. The current study focuses on the fundamental understanding of such functional composites, from their microstructural design to macro-scale application. More specifically, this study investigates three different categories of functional cementitious composites. First, it discusses the differences between cementitious systems containing interground and blended limestone with and without alumina. The interground systems are found to outperform the blended systems due to differential grinding of limestone. A novel approach to deduce the particle size distribution of limestone and cement in the interground systems is proposed. Secondly, the study delves into the realm of ultra-high performance concrete, a novel material which possesses extremely high compressive-, tensile- and flexural-strength and service life as compared to regular concrete. The study presents a novel first principles-based paradigm to design economical ultra-high performance concretes using locally available materials. In the final part, the study addresses the thermal benefits of a novel type of concrete containing phase change materials. A software package was designed to perform numerical simulations to analyze temperature profiles and thermal stresses in concrete structures containing PCMs. The design of these materials is accompanied by material characterization of cementitious binders. This has been accomplished using techniques that involve measurement of heat evolution (isothermal calorimetry), determination and quantification of reaction products (thermo-gravimetric analysis, x-ray diffraction, micro-indentation, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy) and evaluation of pore-size distribution (mercury intrusion porosimetry). In addition, macro-scale testing has been carried out to determine compression, flexure and durability response. Numerical simulations have been carried out to understand hydration of cementitious composites, determine optimum particle packing and determine the thermal performance of these composites. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2018

Water is the most used substance in the world, followed by concrete. Water scarcity is nowadays more common due to concentrated population growth and climate change. Concrete demand is ~15 billion m3 per year fulfilling the need for more and better housing and infrastructure for a growing and wealthier population. Since no other material could fulfil this demand, concrete needs to be produced in a sustainable way, minimizing environmental loads such as water consumption. The water footprint is a tool that measures water use over a products\' life cycle and estimates its potential environmental impacts. Despite the growing concern on water, the existing water footprint methodologies are too complex and require large amounts of data. This study develops a streamlined water footprint methodology for concrete production, simple enough to be useful to the industry and robust enough to be environmentally meaningful. An extensive study on existing water footprint methodologies have been conducted. Then a streamlined methodology was proposed focused on the water flows that are more relevant in concrete production including water quantity and quality letting to meaningful results with less data. Typical water inventory includes the batch water (150-200 H kg/m3), dust control (500-1500 H kg/day), truck washing (13-500 H kg/m3), cement production (0.185-1.333 H kg/kg) and aggregates production (0.116-2.0 H kg/kg). Regarding water quality, the most critical flows - Zinc, Lead, Nitrate, Nitrogen oxides and Sulfur dioxide- were identified based on the contribution of these flows to the potential environmental impacts, the control or influence that the concrete producer has on the activities were these flows appear and the feasibility to measure these flows on site. Concrete water footprint varies due to mix design, technological routes, location and choice of impact assessment method. The results are of interest to the research community as well as to the stakeholders of the cement and concrete industries and a contribution to sustainable construction since study of water footprint is fundamental to improve water efficiency. / A água é a substância mais utilizada no mundo, seguida pelo concreto. A escassez de água é hoje em dia mais comum devido ao crescimento populacional concentrado e às mudanças climáticas. A demanda de concreto é ~15 billion m3 por ano que atende a demanda de mais e melhor moradia e infraestrutura para uma população crescente e mais prospera. Uma vez que nenhum outro material pode satisfazer essa demanda, o concreto precisa ser produzido de forma sustentável, minimizando as cargas ambientais, como o consumo de água. A pegada hídrica é uma ferramenta que mede o uso da água ao longo do ciclo de vida de um produto e estima seus potenciais impactos ambientais. Apesar da crescente preocupação com a água, as metodologias existentes de pegada hídrica são muito complexas e exigem grandes quantidades de dados. Este estudo desenvolve uma metodologia optimizada de pegada hídrica para produção de concreto, simples o suficiente para ser útil para a indústria e robusta o suficiente para ser ambientalmente significativa. Um estudo extensivo em metodologias existentes da pegada da água foi conduzido. Em seguida, uma metodologia optimizada foi proposta focada nos fluxos de água que são mais relevantes na produção de concreto, incluindo quantidade e qualidade, permitindo resultados significativos com menos dados. O inventário de água típica inclui a água de mistura (150-200 H kg/m3), controle de poeira (500-1500 H kg/dia), lavagem de caminhões (13-500 H kg/m3), produção de cimento (0.185-1.333 H kg/kg ) e produção de agregados (0.116-2,0 H kg/kg). Em relação à qualidade da água, os fluxos mais críticos -Zinco, Chumbo, Nitrato, Óxidos de nitrogênio e Dióxido de enxofre-foram identificados com base na contribuição destes fluxos para os potenciais impactos ambientais, o controle ou a influência que o produtor de concreto tem sobre as atividades onde esses fluxos aparecem e a viabilidade para medir esses fluxos no local. A pegada de água de concreto varia devido à formulação, rotas tecnológicas, localização e escolha do método de avaliação de impacto. Os resultados são de interesse para a comunidade de pesquisa, bem como para as partes interessadas das indústrias de cimento e concreto e uma contribuição para a construção sustentável, uma vez que o estudo da pegada hídrica é fundamental para melhorar a eficiência da água.

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.

Numerous recurrent situations following mixing and pumping of mortars and concretes cause degradation of fluidity and hardening characteristics. Which, in turn, lead to adverse effects on the quality of workmanship and structural defects. Nonetheless, relatively little research on the mixing and pumping energies used for the onsite transport and preparation of mortar or concrete has been directed at the core reasons or mechanisms for changes in technological properties. This dissertation describes and explains the effects of various mixing and pumping parameters on the mortar characteristics in a field trial and on a laboratory scale. Observations using a rheograph revealed that shearing action does exhibit the most pronounced influence on the characteristics of mortars during the pumping. The performed investigations indicate that higher shearing actions, for example, excessive mixing duration and long-distance pumping lead to reduced flowability, accelerated and increased hydration rate, increased early compressive strength and early-age shrinkage. From these findings, the underlying mechanism responsible for acceleration and increase of hydration rate is pinpointed as: the increased dissolution from the active surface area due to the destruction of the protective superficial layers of cement grains, as well as a transition from flocculation to dispersion. The creation of new surfaces leads to further consumption of active super plasticizer in solution phase and to subsequent degrading changes in fluidity (decreasing flowability). The degradation of fluidity and densification of microstructure provoked by the hydration changes do increase the early age shrinkage of mortar.

Using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as a replacement for natural aggregate in new concrete is a promising way to increase the overall sustainability of new concrete. This has been hindered, however, by a general perception that RCA is a sub-standard material due to the lack of technical guidance, specifically related to long-term durability, on incorporating RCA into new concrete. The goal of this research project was to determine whether current testing methods could be used to assess the potential alkali-silica reactivity of concrete incorporating RCA. The test methods investigated were ASTM C1260 and ASTM C1567 for assessing natural aggregate susceptibility to alkali-silica reactivity (ASR), and the ability of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) to mitigate ASR, respectively. Seven different RCA sources were investigated. It was determined that ASTM C1260 was effective in detecting reactivity but expansion varied based on RCA processing. Depending on the aggregate type and the extent of processing, up to a 100% increase in expansion was observed. Replicate testing was performed at four university laboratories to evaluate repeatability and consistency of results. The authors recommend modification to the mixing and aggregate preparation procedures, when testing the reactivity of RCA using ASTM C 1260. This study also investigated the efficacy of replacing portland cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), known to mitigate alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete with virgin aggregates, to control ASR in concrete incorporating reactive RCA. The SCMs investigated as part of this study included: fly ash (class F), silica fume, and metakaolin. The results of modified alkali-silica reactivity tests, ASTM C1260 and ASTM C1567 (AMBT), are presented for two different recycled concrete aggregates when using 100% portland cement, binary blends of portland cement and fly ash, and ternary blends of portland cement, fly ash and metakaolin or silica fume. The results indicate that SCMs can effectively mitigate ASR in concrete made with RCA. A 40% replacement of portland cement with class F fly ash was able to reduce expansions to below 0.10% in the AMBT for concrete containing 100% of a highly reactive recycled concrete aggregate. A ternary blend, however, of portland cement with a class F fly ash and metakaolin was most effective for both RCAs tested in this study. Higher levels of mitigation may be required for some RCAs, compared to the level required to mitigate ASR in concrete made with their original natural aggregates, depending on the age and composition of the RCA. / Graduation date: 2012

La prédiction du comportement à long terme des matériaux cimentaires est un enjeu majeur pour contribuer à l'étude de la durabilité des structures précontraintes. Le présent travail porte sur l'utilisation de la méthode de l'inclusion équivalente, approche d'homogénéisation multi-échelle simplifiée, pour la prédiction du fluage dans ces matériaux. Le fluage est modélisé par la viscoélasticité linéaire sans vieillissement. La méthode de l'inclusion équivalente permet de contourner certaines difficultés et limitations que présentent les approches classiques. Pour les matériaux cimentaires, fortement hétérogènes, les approches multiéchelles classiques sont ou bien numériquement lourdes et très complexes à mettre en œuvre, ou bien pas suffisamment détaillées pour prendre en compte les spécificités d'une microstructure. La méthode de l'inclusion équivalente présente un juste-milieu et permet de calculer des microstructures simplifiées de type matrice-inclusions et de fournir des estimations ou des bornes sur le comportement homogénéisé. Sous sa forme variationnelle, la méthode de l'inclusion équivalente n'a jusqu'alors été mise en œuvre que pour des inclusions de forme sphérique. Le présent travail propose d'étendre cette méthode à des inclusions de forme ellipsoïdale dont la variation de l'élancement permet de modéliser de nouveaux éléments asphériques tels que les fissures, les fibres et les cristaux de portlandite. Cette complexification de la géométrie a un impact sur le temps de calcul, qui est amplifié dans le cadre du fluage. Le second volet du travail porte alors sur l'extension de la méthode de l'inclusion équivalente à la viscoélasticité linéaire sans vieillissement par l'intermédiaire de la transformée de Laplace-Carson. Une méthodologie efficace (tant du point de vue de la précision que de celui du temps de calcul) est finalement proposée pour effectuer l'inversion numérique de cette transformée / The prediction of long-term behaviour of cementitious materials is a major concern which contributs to the study of the durability of prestressed structures. This work focuses on the use of the equivalent inclusion method, simplified multi-scale homogenization approach, for the prediction of creep in these materials. Creep is modelled by the non-ageing linear viscoelasticity. The equivalent inclusion method overcomes certain difficulties and limitations posed by conventional approaches. For cementitious materials (highly heterogeneous), conventional multi-scale approaches are, either digitally heavy and complex to implement, or not sufficiently detailed to take into account the specificities of a microstructure. The equivalent inclusion method presents a middle way and allows the calculation of simplified matrix-inclusion type microstructures and to provide estimates or bounds on the homogenized behaviour.Under its variational form, the equivalent inclusion method has, up to now, been implemented only for spherical inclusions. This work proposes to extend this method to ellipsoidal inclusions whose variation of slenderness allows the modelling of new aspheric elements such as cracks, fibers and portlandite crystals. Such enrichment of the geometry has an impact on the computation time, that is amplified in the context of creep. The second aspect of the work then applies to the extension of the equivalent inclusion method to the non-ageing linear viscoelasticity by means of the Laplace-Carson transform. An effective methodology (both from the viewpoint of precision and calculation time) is finally proposed to perform the numerical inversion of this transform