Fresh properties of mortars are important factors in altering the performance of self compacting concrete (SCC). Measurement of the rheological properties of the fine mortar part of concrete is generally used in the mix design of SCC. It can be stated that SCC rheology can be optimized if the fine mortar part of concrete is designed properly. However, measurement of the rheological properties is often impractical due to the need for complex equipment. Therefore, more practical methods of assessing mortar workability are often preferred. In this study, four mineral admixtures, three superplasticizers (SP) and two viscosity modifying admixtures (VMA) were used to prepare self compacting mortar (SCM). The mineral admixtures included fly-ash, brick powder, limestone powder, and kaolinite. Two of the SPs were polycarboxylate based and another one was melamine formaldehyde based. One of the viscosity modifying admixtures was based on an aqueous dispersion of microscopic silica and the other one was based on high molecular weight hydroxylated polymer. Within the scope of the experimental program, 43 mixes of SCM were prepared from different materials with keeping the amount of mixing water constant. Workability of the fresh mortar were determined using V - funnel and slump flow tests. The setting time of the mortars, were also determined. The hardened properties that were determined included the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and the strength which was determined at 7, 28, and 56 days. It was concluded that among the mineral admixtures used, only fly-ash and limestone powder increased the workability of the mixes. The two polycarboxylate based SPs yield approximately the same workability and the melamine formaldehyde based SP was not as effective as the other two.

Att gjuta med betong under vatten är utmanande, och det ställs höga krav på både betongen och utförandet för att resultatet ska bli bra. Peab Anläggning har uppmärksammat en del problem med denna typ av gjutningar och ville därför tydliggöra problematiken för att öka chansen för bra resultat vid framtida undervattensgjutningar. Problemen bestod dels av gjutskador på den färdiga betongkonstruktionen, och dels av problem med betongen under gjutningens gång i form av skum och separation. Examensarbetet sammanställer svårigheterna med undervattensgjutning med självkompakterande betong (SKB) och undersöker vilka faktorer som påverkar det färdiga gjutresultatet. Detta har gjorts genom en litteraturstudie, intervjuer med kunniga personer inom ämnet samt besök på arbetsplatser där undervattensgjutningar utförts. De svårigheter som identifierats delas in under fyra huvudrubriker; planering inför gjutning, betong, form samt utförande. Planeringen inför gjutningen är mycket viktig men svår då många faktorer måste tas hänsyn till, såsom väder och trafik. För att minimera risken för oönskade gjutuppehåll krävs det även en förberedande plan med lösningar på problem som kan uppstå under gjutdagen. Svårigheten med färsk betong är att det är ett levande och därmed oförutsägbart material. Det är nödvändigt att betongen har god sammanhållning så att betongens cementpasta inte vaskas ut i vattnet. Det är även viktigt att betongen har rätt konsistens för att kunna omsluta all armering och fylla ut hela formen. Betongen testas när den kommer till arbetsplatsen. Bland annat kontrolleras betongens lufthalt samt homogenitet och flytbarhet, det senare med hjälp av flytsättmått. Det är viktigt att ta hänsyn till dessa kontroller och att ta beslutet att inte gjuta med dålig betong. Det ställs även höga krav på formen vid undervattensgjutningar. Den måste vara helt tät och byggas på rätt sätt så att skum och bottenslam kan rinna ut ur formen. En svårighet är att dykarna behöver utföra en del av formbyggandet under vattenytan. Utförandet är en stor utmaning, då arbetsmomentet är komplicerat och man gjuter i blindo. Metoden går ut på att betong pumpas ner under vattenytan genom ett betongrör med en undervattensventil. Under gjutningens gång är det viktigt att rörets mynning hela tiden är under betongytan och att gjutröret hålls vertikalt. Slutligen är det värt att nämna att litteraturen som finns idag om undervattensgjutningar är bristfällig, något som gör det svårt att lära sig om ämnet. De förslag på lösningar som grundas på slutsatsen är att all betong som kommer till arbetsplatsen bör testas, trots att det inte alltid är ett krav. Detta så att ett beslut kan tas kring varje enskilt betonglass om betongen är godkänd att gjuta med. För att öka chansen att betongen har önskade egenskaper är det viktigt att betongbilen som levererar betongen till arbetsplatsen är ren och inte innehåller rester av annan betong. Det krävs under hela arbetet en god kommunikation mellan både pumpmaskinist, dykare och arbetsledning för att de gemensamt ska kunna lösa eventuella problem som uppstår. Slutligen rekommenderas att ta hjälp av varandra och dra nytta av den kompetens och erfarenhet som finns inom företaget. / Casting with concrete under water is challenging, and requires high standards on both the concrete and the work practice to achieve good results. Peab noticed problems with this type of casting, and wanted to clarify the difficulties to increase the chance of good results with future underwater castings. The problems were injuries on the finished concrete structure and troubles with the concrete during casting such as foam and separation in the concrete. This paper compiles the difficulties with underwater casting with self-consolidating concrete (SCC) and investigates the factors that affect the final result. This has been done through interviews with experienced people, a literature review and visits to construction site that performed underwater casting. This paper identifies four main issues; pre-casting planning, concrete quality, form and work procedure. The planning is very important but difficult, as many factors need to be considered, such as weather, land traffic and boat traffic. In order to minimize the risk of unwanted breaks during casting, it is good to have a preparatory plan with solutions to problems that may occur. The difficulty with concrete is that it's a living, and thus unpredictable, material. It is very important that the concrete has good cohesion so that the concrete's cement paste is not washed out in the water. It is also necessary that the concrete has good consistency to ensure it will enclose all reinforcement and fill in the entire form. The concrete is tested when it arrives to the construction site. Among other things, the air content as well as homogeneity and flowability are controlled, the latter controlled by a slump flow test. It is important to take these controls into consideration, and to make the decision not to cast with bad concrete. The requirements on the form used during underwater casting are high. It must be completely dense and properly constructed so that foam and sludge can flow out of the form. One difficulty is that the divers sometimes need to build parts of the form under the water. The work practice is challenging as it's complicated and done blindly. The used method is to pump concrete under the water surface through a concrete pipe with an underwater valve. During the casting process, the mouth of the pipe must always be below the concrete surface and the casting tube should be kept vertically. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the literature available today about underwater casting is inadequate, which makes it difficult to learn about the subject. The suggested solutions presented in the report are that all concrete coming to the construction site should be tested, even though it is not always a requirement. Thus, the decision of whether the concrete had a high enough quality for casting would be made for each delivery. In order to increase the chances of the concrete having desired properties, it is important that the truck delivering concrete to the construction site is clean and does not contain residues of a different concrete. Throughout the work, a good communication between pump operator, diver and management is needed to jointly solve problems. At last, it is recommended to help each other and take advantage of the expertise and experience within the company.

When subjected to a combination of moment and shear force, a reinforced concrete (RC) beam with either little or no transverse reinforcement can fail in shear before reaching its full flexural strength. This type of failure is sudden in nature and usually disastrous because it does not give sufficient warning prior to collapse. To prevent this type of shear failure, reinforced concrete beams are traditionally reinforced with stirrups. However, the use of stirrups is not always cost effective since it increases labor costs, and can make casting concrete difficult in situations where closely-spaced stirrups are required. The use of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) could be considered as a potential alternative to the use of traditional shear reinforcement. Concrete is very weak and brittle in tension, SFRC transforms this behaviour and improves the diagonal tension capacity of concrete and thus can result in significant enhancements in shear capacity. However, one of the drawbacks associated with SFRC is that the addition of fibers to a regular concrete mix can cause problems in workability. The use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is an innovative solution to this problem and can result in improved workability when fibers are added to the mix. The thesis presents the experimental results from tests on twelve slender self-consolidating fiber reinforced concrete (SCFRC) beams tested under four-point loading. The results demonstrate the combined use of SCC and steel fibers can improve the shear resistance of reinforced concrete beams, enhance crack control and can promote flexural ductility. Despite extensive research, there is a lack of accurate and reliable design guidelines for the use of SFRC in beams. This study presents a rational model which can accurately predict the shear resistance of steel fiber reinforced concrete beams. The thesis also proposes a safe and reliable equation which can be used for the shear design of SFRC beams.

When subjected to a combination of moment and shear force, a reinforced concrete (RC) beam with either little or no transverse reinforcement can fail in shear before reaching its full flexural strength. This type of failure is sudden in nature and usually disastrous because it does not give sufficient warning prior to collapse. To prevent this type of shear failure, reinforced concrete beams are traditionally reinforced with stirrups. However, the use of stirrups is not always cost effective since it increases labor costs, and can make casting concrete difficult in situations where closely-spaced stirrups are required. The use of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) could be considered as a potential alternative to the use of traditional shear reinforcement. Concrete is very weak and brittle in tension, SFRC transforms this behaviour and improves the diagonal tension capacity of concrete and thus can result in significant enhancements in shear capacity. However, one of the drawbacks associated with SFRC is that the addition of fibers to a regular concrete mix can cause problems in workability. The use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is an innovative solution to this problem and can result in improved workability when fibers are added to the mix. The thesis presents the experimental results from tests on twelve slender self-consolidating fiber reinforced concrete (SCFRC) beams tested under four-point loading. The results demonstrate the combined use of SCC and steel fibers can improve the shear resistance of reinforced concrete beams, enhance crack control and can promote flexural ductility. Despite extensive research, there is a lack of accurate and reliable design guidelines for the use of SFRC in beams. This study presents a rational model which can accurately predict the shear resistance of steel fiber reinforced concrete beams. The thesis also proposes a safe and reliable equation which can be used for the shear design of SFRC beams.

When subjected to a combination of moment and shear force, a reinforced concrete (RC) beam with either little or no transverse reinforcement can fail in shear before reaching its full flexural strength. This type of failure is sudden in nature and usually disastrous because it does not give sufficient warning prior to collapse. To prevent this type of shear failure, reinforced concrete beams are traditionally reinforced with stirrups. However, the use of stirrups is not always cost effective since it increases labor costs, and can make casting concrete difficult in situations where closely-spaced stirrups are required. The use of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) could be considered as a potential alternative to the use of traditional shear reinforcement. Concrete is very weak and brittle in tension, SFRC transforms this behaviour and improves the diagonal tension capacity of concrete and thus can result in significant enhancements in shear capacity. However, one of the drawbacks associated with SFRC is that the addition of fibers to a regular concrete mix can cause problems in workability. The use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is an innovative solution to this problem and can result in improved workability when fibers are added to the mix. The thesis presents the experimental results from tests on twelve slender self-consolidating fiber reinforced concrete (SCFRC) beams tested under four-point loading. The results demonstrate the combined use of SCC and steel fibers can improve the shear resistance of reinforced concrete beams, enhance crack control and can promote flexural ductility. Despite extensive research, there is a lack of accurate and reliable design guidelines for the use of SFRC in beams. This study presents a rational model which can accurately predict the shear resistance of steel fiber reinforced concrete beams. The thesis also proposes a safe and reliable equation which can be used for the shear design of SFRC beams.

Idag är intresset för högpresterande betong (HPB) växande runt om världen då fördelarna är många, eftersom slankare, tätare, starkare och lättare konstruktioner kan tillverkas.   Detta examensarbete handlar om materialförsök och modellering för en typ av HPB som ska användas i husbyggnation. Arbetet inleddes med materialförsök i färskt tillstånd, där god gjutbarhet och konsistens eftersträvades. Utgångspunkten var från ett grundrecept med två olika ballastsorter (slaggballast med flygaska och krossballast från asfaltindustrin med silikastoft), vilka namngavs till pilotförsök 1 och pilotförsök 2. Vidare valdes pilotförsök 1 att provas i hårdnat tillstånd då det visades att det var mer ekonomiskt lönsam eftersom ballasten inte behövde siktas, lägre vct tillhandhölls och att flygaskan som användes i pilotförsök 1 är billigare än silikastoft som användes i pilotförsök 2. Resultaten efter 28 dygn för de materialförsök som utfördes i hårdnat tillstånd var: Tryckhållfasthet; 141,9 MPa Draghållfasthet; 7,0 MPa Böjdraghållfasthet; 10,0 MPa Elasticitetsmodul; 46,4 GPa Krympning efter 56 dygn; 0,5 ‰ Samtliga försök utfördes enligt svenska standarder (SS).   Dessutom vidareutvecklas och förbättrades ett redan arkitektoniskt gestaltat Attefallshus ur ett konstruktions- och hållbarhets perspektiv, där fokus låg på transport- och produktionsförutsättningar. Det resulterade i att horisontella avstyvningar tillades i väggelementen för att öka styvheten och minska risken för brott under transport och produktion. Huset är tänkt att produceras med prefabriceringsteknik. Avslutningsvis modellerades ett oarmerat väggelement i FE-programmet Abaqus under linjärt elastiskt tillstånd. Vid modelleringen användes de materialparametrar som erhölls från materialförsöken.  Det resulterade i att deformationer, spänningar samt knäcknings- och bucklingsanalys kunde redas ut. Väggelementen i huset klarar normenliga laster enligt modelleringen. / Nowadays the interest for high-performance concrete (HPC) is growing around the world as the benefits are many, for example slender, denser, stronger and lighter structures can be manufactured.   This thesis is about material and design experiments for a type of HPC to be used in building construction. The work began with materials experiments in the fresh state, where good workability and consistency were tried to be obtained. The starting point was from a basic recipe with two different aggregate types (slag aggregates with fly ash and crushed aggregates from the asphalt industry with silica fume), which were named as the pilot test 1 and the pilot test 2. Furthermore pilot test 1 was elected to be tested in hardened state as it turned out to be more economically profitable, had a lower vct, and that the flyash was cheaper than the silica fume used in the pilot test 2. The results after 28 days when the materials experiments were carried out in the hardened state were: Compressive strength; 141,9 MPa Tensile strength; 7,0 MPa Flexural strength; 10,0 MPa Modulus of elasticity; 46,4 GPa Shrinkage after 56 days; 0,5 ‰ All experiments were performed according to Swedish standards SS.   Moreover, an existing architecturally portrayed Attefallshus was further developed and improved from a design and a strength perspective that mainly focused on transport and production. It resulted in the horizontal stiffeners to be installed in the wall elements to increase rigidity and reduce the risk of breakage during shipment and production. The house is intended to be built with prefabrication technology. Finally the unreinforced wall elements were modeled in the FE program ABAQUS under linear elastic condition. During modeling the material parameters obtained from material tests were used in the model. Consequently, strain, stress and buckling analysis could be made. The wall sections in the house met the norm loads according to the model.

The Phase change materials (PCM) have the ability to absorb and release heat as the temperature changes from high to low temperature and vice versa. The use of phase change materials has increased in the construction sector due to the established environmental requirements and the various application benefits, especially in the thermal comfort of building applications and construction of sustainable infrastructure around the world (Berardi and Gallardo, 2019). Over the past decade, many studies have been conducted on the thermal properties of PCM (phase change material), however, few studies have focused on the study effect of PCM on mechanical and physical properties, although of great importance. In this work, three different microencapsulated types of phase change material (PCM) have been studied, while its effect on the mechanical and hydration properties of the cement paste with regard to constant ratio of water to cement ratio has been taken into account. The PCMs that have been studied are the following: Microencapsulated PCM, which is Nextek 24 D, Nextek 57D (Microtek Laboratories) and Croda Therm ME29P (Croda). In this study, various tests were performed on cementitious paste mixed with different doses of PCM to test the effect that PCM has on the cement hydration (under semi-adiabatic and isothermal conditions), the physical properties (setting time, slump flow, density) and the mechanical properties ( compressive strength). The results of this study indicated that both the melting point of the PCM and its amount have a decisive effect on the properties of the cement paste. Finally, the following conclusions have been drawn: • Additions of different dosage levels of the 24D and Croda PCM types showed that an increase in the dosage resulted in impaired mechanical and physical properties such as compressive strength of the cement paste (mechanical) decreased, and the density and random flow decreased (physical). While Nextek 57D did not show a great effect on cement paste according to density and random flow, which gives reduced negative impact on cement paste workability (physical). According to the mechanical properties, Nextek57D PCM with different levels of levels showed immediate positive effect on cement paste compressive strength compared to reference paste (no addition of PCM), and other cement pastes with other PCM types used in this study. • Mikrotek 57D PCM also gives a positive effect at different dose levels compared to two other types of Nextek 24D and Croda PCM regarding the effect of heat flow, which gives rise to hydration heat during the cement hydration process. However, other types of Nextek 24D and Croda in all quantities showed negligible effect on the heat flow during the cement hydration process.