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Special Issue "Advanced Cement and Concrete Composites - Volume 2"

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2023 | Viewed by 3842

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Prof. Dr. Moncef L. Nehdi

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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada
Interests: resilient infrastructure systems; artificial intelligence; sustainability; eco-friendly structures; cement and concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The cement and concrete industry is the world’s primary consumer of natural resources, and is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. To mitigate climate change and the threat to biodiversity, we need to produce eco-efficient and highly durable cement and concrete composites that meet the ever-increasing demand for enhanced mechanical performance and resiliency. This Special Issue seeks novel and impactful research on eco-efficient and sustainable cement and concrete; geopolymers and alkali-activated binders; self-healing, bio-inspired, multi-functional, stimuli-responsive, and other advanced and emerging engineered cement and concrete composites; pertinent studies on rheology, mechanical performance, and durability; life-cycle analysis studies; and numerical, artificial intelligence, and other modeling of cement and concrete composites.

Prof. Dr. Moncef L. Nehdi
Guest Editor

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

cement
concrete
alkali-activated materials
sustainability
durability
rheology
mechanical properties
modeling
artificial intelligence
life-cycle analysis

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Numerical Modeling of the Dynamic Elastic Modulus of Concrete

Gustavo de Miranda Saleme Gidrão

and

Carlos Francisco Pecapedra de Souza

Materials 2023, 16(11), 3955; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16113955 - 25 May 2023

Viewed by 471

Abstract

This article introduces simulations of theoretical material with controlled properties for the evaluation of the effect of key parameters, as volumetric fractions, elastic properties of each phase and transition zone on the effective dynamic elastic modulus. The accuracy level of classical homogenization models was checked regarding the prediction of dynamic elastic modulus. Numerical simulations were performed with the finite element method for evaluations of the natural frequencies and their correlation with E_d through frequency equations. An acoustic test validated the numerical results and obtained the elastic modulus of concretes and mortars at 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 water–cement ratios. Hirsch calibrated according to the numerical simulation (x = 0.27) exhibited a realistic behavior for concretes of w/c = 0.3 and 0.5, with a 5% error. However, when the water-to-cement ratio (w/c) was set to 0.7, Young’s modulus displayed a resemblance to the Reuss model, akin to the simulated theoretical triphasic materials, considering matrix, coarse aggregate and a transition zone. Hashin-Shtrikman bounds is not perfectly applied to theoretical biphasic materials under dynamic situations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Cement and Concrete Composites - Volume 2)

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Open AccessArticle

Microstructural and Mechanical Characteristics of Alkali-Activated Binders Composed of Milled Fly Ash and Granulated Blast Furnace Slag with µ-Limestone Addition

Francisco Vázquez-Rodríguez

Nora Elizondo

Myriam Montes-González

Cristian Gómez-Rodríguez

Yadira González-Carranza

Ana M. Guzmán

and

Edén A. Rodríguez

Materials 2023, 16(10), 3818; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16103818 - 18 May 2023

Viewed by 725

Abstract

Concrete is the most used construction material, needing large quantities of Portland cement. Unfortunately, Ordinary Portland Cement production is one of the main generators of CO₂, which pollutes the atmosphere. Today, geopolymers are an emerging building material generated by the chemical activity of inorganic molecules without the Portland Cement addition. The most common alternative cementitious agents used in the cement industry are blast-furnace slag and fly ash. In the present work, the effect of 5 wt.% µ-limestone in mixtures of granulated blast-furnace slag and fly ash activated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at different concentrations was studied to evaluate the physical properties in the fresh and hardened states. The effect of µ-limestone was explored through XRD, SEM-EDS, atomic absorption, etc. The addition of µ-limestone increased the compressive strength reported values from 20 to 45 MPa at 28 days. It was found by atomic absorption that the CaCO₃ of the μ-limestone dissolved in NaOH, precipitating Ca(OH)₂ as the reaction product. SEM-EDS analysis showed a chemical interaction between C-A-S-H- and N-A-S-H-type gels with Ca(OH)₂, forming (N, C)A-S-H- and C-(N)-A-S-H-type gels, improving mechanical performance and microstructural properties. The addition of μ-limestone appeared like a promising and cheap alternative for enhancing the properties of low-molarity alkaline cement since it helped exceed the 20 MPa strength recommended by current regulations for conventional cement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Cement and Concrete Composites - Volume 2)

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Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Alkali-Activated Slag-Based Composite Incorporating Dehydrated Cement Powder and Red Mud

Mohammed A. M. Abdulaziz

and

Moncef L. Nehdi

Materials 2023, 16(4), 1551; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16041551 - 13 Feb 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1131

Abstract

Recycled construction cementitious materials (RCCM) and red mud (RM) could be considered a type of discarded material with potential cementitious properties. Generally, landfilling and stacking are utilized to dispose of this type of solid waste, which can be detrimental to the environment and sustainability of the construction sector. Accordingly, a productive process for making eco-efficient alkali-activated slag-based samples with the inclusion of RCCM and red mud is studied in this paper. Dehydrated cement powder (DCP) is attained through the high-temperature treatment of RCCM, and red mud can be obtained from the alumina industry. Subsequently, DCP and RM are utilized as a partial substitute for granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) in alkali-activated mixtures. Two different batches were designed; the first batch had only DCP at a dosage of 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60% as a partial substitute for GBFS, and the second batch had both DCP and RM at 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60% as a partial substitute for GBFS. Different strength and durability characteristics were assessed. The findings show that when both dehydrated cement powder and red mud are utilized in high quantities, the strength and durability of the specimens were enhanced, with compressive strength improving by 42.2% at 28 days. Such improvement was obtained when 7.5% each of DCP and RM were added. The results revealed that DCP and RM have a negative effect on workability, whilst they had a positive impact on the drying shrinkage as well as the mechanical strength. X-ray diffraction and micro-structural analysis showed that when the amount of DCP and RM is increased, a smaller number of reactive products forms, and the microstructure was denser than in the case of the samples made with DCP alone. It was also confirmed that when DCP and RM are used at optimized dosages, they can be a potential sustainable binder substitute; thus, valorizing wastes and inhibiting their negative environmental footprint. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Cement and Concrete Composites - Volume 2)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Structural Performance of Infilled Steel–Concrete Composite Thin-Walled Columns Combined with FRP and CFRP: A Comprehensive Review

S. M. Priok Rashid

and

Alireza Bahrami

Materials 2023, 16(4), 1564; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16041564 - 13 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1138

Abstract

Fiber addition enhances the composite action between the steel tube and concrete core, increasing the strength of the concrete core. To better understand how fiber-reinforced infilled steel–concrete composite thin-walled columns (SCTWCs) behave, multiple investigations have been conducted using both experimental and analytical methods. This article provides a comprehensive review of SCTWCs’ confinement approaches using fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). In this research, the behavior and formation of FRP and CFRP wrappings of the SCTWCs are reviewed and discussed. The ability of the FRP to serve as a confining material and reinforcement for the columns has increased its use in columns applications. The FRP can be applied to reinforce the structures from the exterior. By applying the CFRP strips, the columns’ load-carrying capacity is improved up to 30% when compared with their corresponding un-strengthened columns. External bonding of the CFRP strips efficiently creates external confinement pressure, prevents local buckling of the steel tubes, and enhances the load-carrying capacity of the SCTWCs. The primary goal is to facilitate a clear understanding of the SCTWCs. This article helps structural researchers and engineers better understand the behavior of the SCTWCs that include the FRP and CFRP composites as external reinforcement. Future research directions are also suggested, which utilize previous research works. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Cement and Concrete Composites - Volume 2)

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Special Issue "Advanced Cement and Concrete Composites - Volume 2"

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