materials-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Multifunctional Cementitious Composites: Manufacturing and Characterization

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 11929

Special Issue Editors

School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan, China
Interests: material characterization; microstructure; mechanical testing; multiscale modeling; modeling and simulation; fracture mechanics; 3D concrete printing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Civil Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: concrete rheology; UHPC; concrete durability; CO2 capture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, 2628CN Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: multi-scale mechanics of construction materials; additive manufacturing of cementitious composites; concrete durability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of multifunctional cementitious composites has been a topic of interest in the construction industry for the past decades. Techniques developed in other fields have been implemented to create multifunctional cementitious composites beyond what is possible with conventional technologies. For example, technological developments in additive manufacturing and nanotechnologies present a great opportunity to further our efforts in the development of better, stronger, and more optimal cementitious composites. These high-performance and multifunctional cementitious composites with excellent mechanical properties, durability, and functions needed for structure is promising to implement the sustainable, durable, and multifunctional development of infrastructures such as bridges, tunnels, dams, and nuclear power plants.

The aim of this Special Issue of Materials is to cover recent research in multifunctional cementitious composites with various functions, e.g., self-healing, self-sensing, self-cleaning, air-purifying, and so on. The focus is on the manufacturing process, material structure, and properties characterization and modelling of these materials on multiple length scales, ranging from the microscale (pore-scale) all the way up to the macroscale (structural element/structure scale). Mechanical properties, cracking, damage, time-dependent phenomena (shrinkage, creep, fatigue), aging, and durability properties are all topics of interest.

With this Special Issue, it is our ambition to circulate the latest knowledge in the performance of multifunctional cementitious materials and reinforced concrete structures. Excellent contributions will form the basis for new research for both young researchers, as well as leading experts in the field.

Prof. Dr. Hongzhi Zhang
Prof. Dr. Xiaojian Gao
Dr. Branko Šavija
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. 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

  • multifunctional cementitious composites
  • additive manufacturing
  • nanotechnologies
  • self-healing
  • self-sensing
  • self-cleaning
  • air-purifying
  • mechanical properties
  • material structure

Published Papers (8 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 7704 KiB  
Article
Effect of PVA Fiber on the Mechanical Properties of Seawater Coral Sand Engineered Cementitious Composites
by Hongwei Han, Gongwen Gao, Yu Li, Dongxu Hou and Yudong Han
Materials 2024, 17(6), 1446; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17061446 - 21 Mar 2024
Viewed by 293
Abstract
The physical and mechanical characteristics of seawater coral sand engineered cementitious composites (SCECC) were examined through uniaxial compression, three-point bending, and splitting tensile tests. The mechanical properties were scrutinized under varying fiber volume fraction conditions (V = 0%, 0.575%, 1.150%, 1.725%, and 2.300%). [...] Read more.
The physical and mechanical characteristics of seawater coral sand engineered cementitious composites (SCECC) were examined through uniaxial compression, three-point bending, and splitting tensile tests. The mechanical properties were scrutinized under varying fiber volume fraction conditions (V = 0%, 0.575%, 1.150%, 1.725%, and 2.300%). The experimental results indicated that the compressive strength, three-point bending strength, and split tensile strength of SCECC tended to increase with the rise in fiber volume fraction. The strengths attained their maximum values of 45.88, 12.56, and 3.03 MPa when the fiber volume fraction reached 2.300%. In the compression test, the compressive strength of the 7-day specimen can achieve more than 78.50% of that observed in the 28-day specimen. Three-point bending test has revealed that SCECC exhibits favorable strain-hardening and multi-crack cracking characteristics. Fracture patterns of SCECC exhibited variations corresponding to changes in fiber content, as illustrated by their load–deformation curves, the addition of PVA fibers can change the damage mode of cementitious composites from brittle to ductile. The fracture energy of SCECC further attests to its elevated toughness. This is due to the fact that the fibers delay the formation of microcracks and prevent crack expansion, thus significantly increasing the deformability of the material. By verifying its strength, deformability, fracture energy, and other key performance indicators, the feasibility of SCECC in coastal construction projects has been clarified. The successful development of SCECC provides an innovative and high-performance option for the construction of future island projects. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 6180 KiB  
Article
Facile and Simple Post Treatment Ball Milling Strategy for the Production of Low-Cost TiO2 Composites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance and Applicability to Construction Materials
by Kabuyaya Kighuta, Sun-Woo Kim, Yao-Long Hou, Kwang-Pill Lee and Wha-Jung Kim
Materials 2023, 16(14), 4931; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16144931 - 10 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1180
Abstract
A facile and cost-effective approach assisted by ball milling (BM) of commercial titanium dioxide (TiO2), has been utilized to develop cheaper and efficient construction materials. At least three of the commercial and cheaper TiO2 samples (BA01-01, BA01-01+ and R996, designated [...] Read more.
A facile and cost-effective approach assisted by ball milling (BM) of commercial titanium dioxide (TiO2), has been utilized to develop cheaper and efficient construction materials. At least three of the commercial and cheaper TiO2 samples (BA01-01, BA01-01+ and R996, designated as A1, A4 and R1, respectively) were selected and subjected to BM treatment to enhance their photocatalytic efficiencies, if possible. It was noted, that the samples A1, A4 and R1 were typical composites of TiO2 and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and contained varying proportions of anatase, and rutile phases of TiO2 and CaCO3. Two of the highly efficient commercial TiO2 samples, Degussa P25 (simply designated as P25) and ST01 (Ishihara Ind.) were selected for making benchmark comparisons of photocatalytic efficiencies. The BM treated TiO2 samples (designated as TiO2-BM with respect to A1, A4 and R1) were evaluated for photocatalytic efficiencies both in both aqueous (methylene blue (MB)) and gaseous (NOx) photodegradation reactions. Based on detailed comparative investigations, it was observed that A1-BM photocatalyst exhibited superior photocatalytic performances over A4-BM and R1-BM, towards both MB and NOx photodegradation reactions. The difference of NOx photodegradation efficiency between the mortar mixed with A1-BM and that mixed with ST01, and P-25 at 15% were 16.6%, and 32.4%, respectively. Even though the mortar mixed with A1-BM at 15% composition exhibited a slightly lower NOx photodegradation efficiency as compared to mortar mixed with the expensive ST01 and P-25 photocatalysts, the present work promises an economic application in the eco-friendly construction materials for air purification considering the far lower cost of A1. The reasons for the superior performance of A1-BM were deduced through characterization of optical properties, surface characteristics, phase composition, morphology, microstructure and particle size distribution between pristine and BM treated A1 using characterization techniques such as diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy and particle size analysis. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4298 KiB  
Article
Behavior of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECCs) Subjected to Coupled Sustained Flexural Load and Salt Frost
by Yonghao Li, Ning Zhang, Renjuan Sun, Yanhua Guan, Lemin Liu, Changjin Tian, Yifeng Ling, Hongzhi Zhang and Branko Šavija
Materials 2023, 16(1), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16010165 - 24 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1255
Abstract
The performance of engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) under coupled salt freezing and loaded conditions is important for its application on the transportation infrastructure. However, in most of the studies, the specimens were generally loaded prior to the freezing. The influence of sustained load [...] Read more.
The performance of engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) under coupled salt freezing and loaded conditions is important for its application on the transportation infrastructure. However, in most of the studies, the specimens were generally loaded prior to the freezing. The influence of sustained load was merely considered. To this end, four sustained deflection levels, i.e., 0%, 10%, 30% and 50% of the deflection at the ultimate flexural strength, and three salt concentrations (1%, 3% and 5%) were applied. Prior to the salt frost resistance test, the fluid absorption of ECC specimens under various conditions were measured. The changes in relative dynamic elastic modulus (RDEM) during the freeze–thaw cycles were captured. The depth and the content profile of free chloride were measured after the coupled sustained load and freezing and thawing cycles. It is shown that 3% NaCl solution leads to the largest deterioration in all cases. There is no visible flaking or damage occurring on the surface. The relationships between locally sustained flexural stress and RDEM loss and also locally sustained flexural stress and free chloride penetration depth were proposed and showed satisfactory results. It is concluded that when ECC is subjected to the FTCs under 1% de-ice salt solution, no depassivation of the steel is expected even under a large deflection level. In terms of 3% and 5% salt solution, the thickness of cover should be no less than 20 mm when a deflection level of 0.5 is applied. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 5704 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Graphene Nanoplatelets Dispersion and Its Performance in Cement Mortars
by Yong Zhou, Yuliang Wang, Tianming Gao, Yifeng Ling, Nengdong Jiang, Abdullah M. Tawfek and Huaqiang Yuan
Materials 2022, 15(20), 7308; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15207308 - 19 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1075
Abstract
As promising next-generation conducting materials, Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) have been widely used to enhance the mechanical and pressure-sensitive properties of cement-based materials. However, this beneficial effect highly depended on its dispersion. In this study, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) surfactant, high-speed shear, and ultrasonication were [...] Read more.
As promising next-generation conducting materials, Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) have been widely used to enhance the mechanical and pressure-sensitive properties of cement-based materials. However, this beneficial effect highly depended on its dispersion. In this study, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) surfactant, high-speed shear, and ultrasonication were used to disperse GNPs. To fully exert the mechanical and pressure-sensitive properties and enhance the dispersion effect of GNPs in cement-based materials, the dispersing method parameters, including PVP concentration, ultrasonication time, shear time, and rate, were optimized. The dispersion degree of GNPs was evaluated by absorbance. The results show that the optimal dispersion parameters were 10 mg/mL of PVP concentration, 15 min of ultrasonication time, 15 min of shear time, and 8000 revolutions per minute (rpm) of shear rate. In addition, the effect of GNPs dosage (0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 wt%) on the setting time, flowability, and mechanical and pressure-sensitive properties of cement mortar were examined. Results reveal that the optimum dosage of GNPs was found at 1.0 wt%. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3252 KiB  
Article
Carbonation Behavior of Engineered Cementitious Composites under Coupled Sustained Flexural Load and Accelerated Carbonation
by Hongzhi Zhang, Yingxuan Shao, Ning Zhang, Abdullah M. Tawfek, Yanhua Guan, Renjuan Sun, Changjin Tian and Branko Šavija
Materials 2022, 15(18), 6192; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15186192 - 06 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1227
Abstract
Engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) belong to a broad class of fibre-reinforced concrete. They incorporate synthetic polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibres, cement, fly ash and fine aggregates, and are designed to have a tensile strain capacity typically beyond 3%. This paper presents an investigation on [...] Read more.
Engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) belong to a broad class of fibre-reinforced concrete. They incorporate synthetic polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibres, cement, fly ash and fine aggregates, and are designed to have a tensile strain capacity typically beyond 3%. This paper presents an investigation on the carbonation behaviour of engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) under coupled sustained flexural load and accelerated carbonation. The carbonation depth under a sustained stress level of 0, 0.075, 0.15, 0.3 and 0.6 relative to flexural strength was measured after 7, 14 and 28 days of accelerated carbonation. Thermogravimetric analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry and microhardness measurements were carried out to show the coupled influence of sustained flexural load and accelerated carbonation on the changes of the mineral phases, porosity, pore size distribution and microhardness along the carbonation profile. A modified carbonation depth model that can be used to consider the coupled effect of flexural tensile stress and carbonation time was proposed. The results show that an exponential relationship can be observed between stress influence coefficient and flexural tensile stress level in the carbonation depth model of ECC, which is different when using plain concrete. Areas with a higher carbonation degree have greater microhardness, even under a large sustained load level, as the carbonation process refines the pore structure and the fibre bridges the crack effectively. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 3991 KiB  
Article
Time and Crack Width Dependent Model of Chloride Transportation in Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC)
by Linglai Bu, Lei Qiao, Renjuan Sun, Wei Lu, Yanhua Guan, Nan Gao, Xinlei Hu, Zhenhuan Li, Lin Wang, Yuhe Tian and Yu Qin
Materials 2022, 15(16), 5611; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15165611 - 16 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1037
Abstract
This paper aims to develop a chloride transport model of engineered cementitious composites (ECC) that can consider the influence of both exposure time and crack width. ECC specimens with crack widths of 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm were soaked into NaCl [...] Read more.
This paper aims to develop a chloride transport model of engineered cementitious composites (ECC) that can consider the influence of both exposure time and crack width. ECC specimens with crack widths of 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm were soaked into NaCl solution with periods of 30, 60, 90 and 120 days. The free chloride content profile was measured and used for the development of the transport model. Regression analysis was applied to build the time and crack width dependent models of apparent diffusion coefficient and surface chloride content. The results show that the crack width has significant influence on the free chloride concentration profile when it is above 0.2 mm and the time-dependent constant n decreases linearly with the crack width. The chloride transport model was obtained by subscribing the models of apparent diffusion coefficient and surface chloride content into the analytical solution of Fick’s second law. The model was further validated with the experimental results, showing a deviation within 20%. The findings of the presented study can enhance the current understanding on the chloride transportation in ECC. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 6045 KiB  
Article
A Feasibility Study of Low Cement Content Foamed Concrete Using High Volume of Waste Lime Mud and Fly Ash for Road Embankment
by Zhanchen Li, Huaqiang Yuan, Faliang Gao, Hongzhi Zhang, Zhi Ge, Kai Wang, Renjuan Sun, Yanhua Guan, Yifeng Ling and Nengdong Jiang
Materials 2022, 15(1), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15010086 - 23 Dec 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2413
Abstract
This paper aims to study the feasibility of low cement content foamed concrete using waste lime mud (LM) and fly ash (FA) as mineral additives. The LM/FA ratio was first optimized based on the compressive strength. Isothermal calorimetry test, ESEM, and XRD were [...] Read more.
This paper aims to study the feasibility of low cement content foamed concrete using waste lime mud (LM) and fly ash (FA) as mineral additives. The LM/FA ratio was first optimized based on the compressive strength. Isothermal calorimetry test, ESEM, and XRD were used to investigate the role of LM during hydration. Afterward, the optimized LM/FA ratio (1/5) was used to design foamed concrete with various wet densities (600, 700, 800 and 900 kg/m3) and LM–FA dosages (0%, 50%, 60%, 70% and 80%). Flowability measurements and mechanical measurements including compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting strength, elastic modulus, and California bearing ratio were conducted. The results show that the foamed concretes have excellent workability and stability with flowability within 170 and 190 mm. The high alkalinity of LM accelerated the hydration of FA, thereby increasing the early strength. The significant power functions were fitted for the relationships between flexural/splitting and compressive strength with all correlation coefficients (R2) larger with 0.95. The mechanical properties of the foamed concrete increased with the density increasing or LM–FA dosage decreasing. The compressive strength, tensile strength, CBR of all prepared foamed concretes were higher than the minimum requirements of 0.8 and 0.15 MPa and 8%, respectively in the standard. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 7954 KiB  
Article
Study on Crack Development of Concrete Lining with Insufficient Lining Thickness Based on CZM Method
by Jian Liu, Xuesen Zhang, Gaohang Lv, Kang Wang, Bo Han and Quanyi Xie
Materials 2021, 14(24), 7862; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14247862 - 18 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2361
Abstract
The most common structural defect of a tunnel in the operation period is the cracking of concrete lining. The insufficient thickness of tunnel lining is one of the main reasons for its cracking. This study studied the cracking behavior of standard concrete specimens [...] Read more.
The most common structural defect of a tunnel in the operation period is the cracking of concrete lining. The insufficient thickness of tunnel lining is one of the main reasons for its cracking. This study studied the cracking behavior of standard concrete specimens and the failure behavior of tunnel structures caused by insufficient lining thickness using Cohesive Zone Model (CZM). Firstly, zero-thickness cohesive elements were globally inserted between solid elements of the standard concrete specimen model, and the crack development process of different concrete grades was compared. On this basis, a three-dimensional numerical model of the tunnel in the operation period was established. The mechanism and characteristics of crack propagation under different lining thicknesses were discussed. In addition, the statistics of cracks were made to discuss the development rules of lining cracks quantitatively. The results show that the CZM can reasonably simulate the fracture behavior of concrete. With the increase in concrete strength grade, the number of cohesive damaged elements and crack area increases. The insufficient lining thickness changes the lining stress distribution characteristics, reduces the lining structure’s overall safety, and leads to the cracking of the diseased area more easily. When surrounding rock does not contact the insufficient lining thickness, its influence on the structure is more evident than when surrounding rock fills the entire lining thickness. The number of cohesive damaged elements and the size of the crack area increases significantly. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop