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Cement and Concrete Research
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Cement and Concrete Research

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 8632

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Haleh Rasekh

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Guest Editor
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Interests: concrete technology; supplementary cementitious materials; civil engineering; rock mechanics; underground support systems; geotechnical engineering
Dr. Marie Joshua Tapas

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Guest Editor
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Interests: alternative binder systems; supplementary cementitious materials; low carbon concrete; concrete durability properties (alkali–silica reaction, carbonation, sulfate and chloride resistance); application of various material characterization techniques to cement and concrete research

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few decades, rapid urbanisation due to population growth has caused the redevelopment of housing sectors and infrastructures in many cities worldwide. These redevelopments produce an enormous quantity of demolition waste due to the destruction of existing infrastructures, e.g., buildings and bridges. New construction activities also generate concrete and building waste. Concrete is the single most widely used construction material around the world to produce structural and non-structural elements of buildings, even with the existence of many new materials. Cement is an essential ingredient of concrete, and the use of concrete is unavoidable for infrastructural development. About 3.4% of the global carbon dioxide is generated from fossil fuel combustion and cement production. Therefore, decreasing cement consumption and thus controlling the carbon footprint is vital.

Authors are invited to submit original research, theoretical and experimental work, case studies, and review papers for possible publication in this Special Issue. Relevant topics to this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following subjects:

  • Low-carbon building materials
  • Recycled materials in concrete
  • Alternative cements/binder systems
  • Life cycle assessment of buildings
  • Additives and admixtures for sustainable concrete production

Thank you for your contributions.

Dr. Haleh Rasekh
Dr. Marie Joshua Tapas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • green concrete
  • supplementary cementitious materials
  • durability properties
  • replacement of concrete ingredients
  • experimental work
  • life cycle assessment

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 11503 KiB  
Article
Early Age Performance of OPC-GGBFS-Concretes Containing Belite-CSA Cement Cured at Sub-Zero Temperatures
by Ankit Kothari, Thanyarat Buasiri and Andrzej Cwirzen
Buildings 2023, 13(9), 2374; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13092374 - 18 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 833
Abstract
This study determined how replacing sodium nitrate-based antifreeze admixture (AF) with belite-calcium sulfoaluminate (belite-CSA) cement affects the early age properties of ecological concretes based on ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS). Concrete specimens were cured at −15 °C and [...] Read more.
This study determined how replacing sodium nitrate-based antifreeze admixture (AF) with belite-calcium sulfoaluminate (belite-CSA) cement affects the early age properties of ecological concretes based on ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS). Concrete specimens were cured at −15 °C and treated in various ways before testing, i.e., no treatment, stored at 20 °C for 12 and 24 h. Generally, the addition of belite-CSA cement shortened the setting time due to the rapid formation of ettringite. The incorporation of 25 wt% of antifreeze admixture (AF) to the OPC-GGBFS concrete cured at −15 °C partially inhibited ice formation and enabled the continuation of hydration processes. This trend was observed for all samples, independent of the applied AF after freezing curing. On the contrary, the addition of 20 wt% of CSA failed to inhibit the ice formation and increased the risk of frost damage for concretes despite the treatment after freezing. These concrete specimens had lower hydration, lower strength, and a more porous binder matrix. The microstructure of the binder matrix was significantly affected by the amount of CSA and extreme negative curing, followed by no notable recovery post-curing at room temperature. Therefore, pre-curing at room temperature for at least 6 h has the potential to avoid frost damage. Concrete containing 25 wt% AF combined with 12 h and 24 h of curing at 20 °C after removal from freezing and prior to testing could enhance the compressive strengths of all concretes. The renewed hydration was indicated as the main influencing factor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement and Concrete Research)
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24 pages, 4962 KiB  
Article
A Locally Available Natural Pozzolan as a Supplementary Cementitious Material in Portland Cement Concrete
by Seyedsaleh Mousavinezhad, Judit M. Garcia, William K. Toledo and Craig M. Newtson
Buildings 2023, 13(9), 2364; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13092364 - 16 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1555
Abstract
For several decades, class F fly ash has been an attractive supplementary cementitious material, at least in part, due to its ability to reduce Portland cement consumption and mitigate alkali-silica reactions in concrete. However, fly ash availability is becoming uncertain as the energy [...] Read more.
For several decades, class F fly ash has been an attractive supplementary cementitious material, at least in part, due to its ability to reduce Portland cement consumption and mitigate alkali-silica reactions in concrete. However, fly ash availability is becoming uncertain as the energy industry decommissions coal burning power plants as it transitions to renewable energy production. This situation creates a need to identify viable and sustainable alternative supplementary cementitious materials. There are several types of supplementary cementitious materials, such as natural pozzolans, metakaolin, or ground granulated blast-furnace slag, which appear to be potential alternatives to fly ash in concrete. In this research, a locally available natural pozzolan (pumicite) was selected to replace fly ash in concrete. After conducting alkali-silica reaction tests on mortar mixtures, rheological and strength properties, shrinkage, resistance to freezing and thawing, and chloride ion permeability of concrete mixtures containing different amounts of fly ash and natural pozzolan were evaluated. The results showed that pumicite was more effective than fly ash at mitigating the alkali-silica reaction, and a pumicite content of 20% was necessary to mitigate the alkali-silica reaction. Ternary mixtures containing both pumicite and fly ash were the most effective cementitious materials combinations for mitigating the alkali-silica reaction expansion. Additionally, pumicite provided acceptable compressive strength and modulus of rupture values (greater than 4.0 MPa) that exceeded the flexural strengths provided by established mixtures containing only fly ash. Shrinkage and durability factor values for all mixtures were less than 710 μstrain and greater than 75, which are generally considered acceptable. Additionally, all mixtures with acceptable alkali-silica reaction expansions had very low chloride permeability. These results indicate that pumicite can be a reliable alternative for fly ash. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement and Concrete Research)
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18 pages, 7054 KiB  
Article
ICA-LightGBM Algorithm for Predicting Compressive Strength of Geo-Polymer Concrete
by Qiang Wang, Jiali Qi, Shahab Hosseini, Haleh Rasekh and Jiandong Huang
Buildings 2023, 13(9), 2278; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13092278 - 07 Sep 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 821
Abstract
The main goal of the present study is to investigate the capability of hybridizing the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) with an intelligent, robust, and data-driven technique named the light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM) to estimate the compressive strength of geo-polymer concrete (CSGCo). The [...] Read more.
The main goal of the present study is to investigate the capability of hybridizing the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) with an intelligent, robust, and data-driven technique named the light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM) to estimate the compressive strength of geo-polymer concrete (CSGCo). The hyper-parameters of the LightGBM algorithm have been optimized based on ICA and its accuracy improved. The obtained results from the proposed hybrid ICA-LightGBM are compared with the traditional LightGBM model as well as four different topologies of artificial neural networks (ANN) comprising a multi-layer perceptron neural network (MLP), radial basis function (RBF), generalized feed-forward neural network (GFFNN), and Bayesian regularized neural network (BRNN). The results of these models were compared based on three evaluation indices of R2, RMSE, and VAF for providing an objective evaluation of the performance and capability of the predictive models. Concerning the outcomes, the ICA-LightGBM with the R2 of (0.9871 and 0.9805), RMSE of (0.4703 and 1.3137), and VAF of (98.5773 and 98.0397) for training and testing phases, respectively, was a superior predictor to estimate the CSGCo compared to the LightGBM with the R2 of (0.9488 and 0.9478), RMSE of (0.9532 and 2.1631), and VAF of (94.3613 and 94.5173); the MLP with the R2 of (0.9067 and 0.8959), RMSE of (1.3093 and 3.3648), and VAF of (88.9888 and 84.9125); the RBF with the R2 of (0.8694 and 0.8055), RMSE of (1.4703 and 5.0309), and VAF of (86.3122 and 66.1888); the BRNN with the R2 of (0.9212 and 0.9107), RMSE of (1.1510 and 2.6569), and VAF of (91.4168 and 90.5854); and the GFFNN with the R2 of (0.9144 and 0.8925), RMSE of (1.1525 and 2.9415), and VAF of (91.4092 and 88.9088). Hence, the proposed ICA-LightGBM algorithm can be efficiently used in anticipating the CSGCo. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement and Concrete Research)
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34 pages, 6585 KiB  
Article
Durability Performance and Thermal Resistance of Structural Self-Compacting Concrete Improved with Waste Rubber and Silica Fume
by Robert Bušić, Ivana Miličević, Tihomir Dokšanović and Marin Grubišić
Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1331; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051331 - 19 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1026
Abstract
Waste rubber takes many years to decompose, and thus the increasing number of tires in the world can be characterised as an important environmental issue, which generated the idea of implementing crumb rubber in structural self-compacting concrete (SCC). According to previous studies, up [...] Read more.
Waste rubber takes many years to decompose, and thus the increasing number of tires in the world can be characterised as an important environmental issue, which generated the idea of implementing crumb rubber in structural self-compacting concrete (SCC). According to previous studies, up to 15% recycled rubber and 5% silica fume can be used to achieve the required properties of SCC in reinforced structural members with congested reinforcement, both in the fresh and hardened state. Most studies have focused on investigating the mechanical properties of self-compacting rubberised concrete (SCRC), and only a small number of studies investigated the durability and thermal properties, with contradictory findings. This study aims to determine the influence of crumb rubber and silica fume on the durability and thermal properties of SCC, with an emphasis on the selection of environmental exposure classes, the safety of using such a material in reinforced concrete members, and additional serviceability and durability requirements. This was further advanced by investigating the micro-structure of hardened SCC with recycled rubber and silica fume using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Test results indicate that the combining effect of crumb rubber and silica fume has a positive impact on the thermal and durability properties of SCC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement and Concrete Research)
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14 pages, 4349 KiB  
Article
Similarity Law Study of Shaped Charges Penetrating a Concrete Target
by Yi Zhang, Xiangru Zhang, Wenda Zhao and Feng Hu
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2268; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122268 - 19 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1797
Abstract
In order to study the similarity law of penetration of concrete targets by shaped charges, penetration tests of concrete targets with different sizes of shaped-charge jets were carried out, and the prototype and the model projectiles met the similarity law with a simulation [...] Read more.
In order to study the similarity law of penetration of concrete targets by shaped charges, penetration tests of concrete targets with different sizes of shaped-charge jets were carried out, and the prototype and the model projectiles met the similarity law with a simulation ratio of 1:1.5. LS-DYNA finite element software was used to simulate the tests, and the accuracy of the ALE algorithm, fluid–solid coupling algorithm, material model, equation of state, and corresponding material parameters was verified. Numerical simulations were further conducted for the different types of shaped-charge jets (jets, rod jets, and explosively formed projectiles) formed by different liner angles penetrating into the concrete target, and the results show that the shaped-charge jets basically meet the similarity law when penetrating concrete targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement and Concrete Research)
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Graphical abstract

19 pages, 3097 KiB  
Article
Iterative Finite Element Analysis of Concrete-Filled Steel Tube Columns Subjected to Axial Compression
by Payam Sarir, Huanjun Jiang, Panagiotis G. Asteris, Antonio Formisano and Danial Jahed Armaghani
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2071; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122071 - 25 Nov 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1520
Abstract
Since laboratory tests are usually costly, simulating methods using computers are always under the spotlight. This study performed a finite element analysis (FEA) using iterative solutions for simulating circular and square concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns infilled with high-strength concrete and reinforced with [...] Read more.
Since laboratory tests are usually costly, simulating methods using computers are always under the spotlight. This study performed a finite element analysis (FEA) using iterative solutions for simulating circular and square concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns infilled with high-strength concrete and reinforced with a cross-shaped plate (comprising two plates along the columns that divide the hollow columns into four equal sections) with and without opening. For this reason and for validation purposes, the columns had length of 900 mm, width/diameter of 150 mm and wall thickness of 3 mm. In this study, unlike in some other studies, the cross-shaped plate was assumed to be fixed at the top and the bottom of a column, and the columns were subjected to axial compression pointed in the center. The outcomes revealed that the cross-shaped plate could improve the axial strength of both circular and square CFST columns; however, the structural performance of the square CFST columns changed: local outward buckling was observed after inserting the cross-shaped plate. By inserting an opening on the cross-shaped plate, the bearing capacity of the circular CFST columns was further improved, while the square CFST columns experienced a decline in their ultimate bearing capacity compared with the corresponding models without the opening. The lateral deflection also improved for the circular CFST columns by adding the reinforcement. However, for the square CFST columns, while it initially improved, increasing the thickness of the cross-shaped plate inversely influenced the lateral deflection of the square CFST columns. The results were also compared with some available codes, and a good agreement was achieved with those outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement and Concrete Research)
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