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Cement-Based Materials Applied in Sustainable Construction

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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: closed (20 July 2023) | Viewed by 8884

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Gonzalo Ruiz

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ETS de Ingenieros de Caminos, C. y P., Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Av. Camilo José Cela s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Interests: cohesive materials; concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete; size effect; mechanical properties; fracture; fatigue; dynamic regime; testing; numerical moderation; computational mechanics

Dr. Ángel De La Rosa Velasco

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ETS de Ingenieros de Caminos, C. y P., Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Av. Camilo José Cela s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Interests: rheology of cementitious suspensions; design of high-technology concretes; quasi-static fracture mechanics; dynamic fracture mechanics; fatigue of concrete

Dr. Lucia Garijo

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Guest Editor

ETS de Ingenieros de Caminos, C. y P., Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Av. Camilo José Cela s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Interests: fatigue; loading rate effect; dosage; lime mortars; lime concretes; size effect; dynamic fracture mechanics; crack pattern

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, the demands of the construction industry have led to a paradigm shift, both from the point of view of procedures (pumping, additive manufacturing, 3D printing, etc.) and materials (high- and ultrahigh-performance concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, nanotechnology applied to concrete, etc.). To this must be added the growing requirements in terms of sustainability, taking into account its three pillars: economic, social, and environmental. For this purpose, cement-based materials are in the spotlight and interest of the scientific community as a consequence of the high CO2 emission derived from its production process, which makes it appropriate to promote a Special Issue of the journal Materials in this regard.

Discussions of concepts such as reinforcements at different scales, nanoparticles, recycled materials, 3D printing, etc. are becoming increasingly common in the field, and some of these technologies are already a reality at the construction level. Starting from the basis that the design of cement-based suspensions is governed by their rheological behavior in the fresh state, it is possible to manufacture compounds aimed at fulfilling specific performance in the hardened state in terms of mechanical strength and durability.

The design of this typology of high-technology composites implies understanding them as multi-phase and multi-scale systems of particles of a very diverse nature, with varied and complex physicochemical interactions with each other. For this reason, in this Special Issue, those who wish to contribute with their research to a better understanding of the functioning of cement-based materials that can be applied in increasingly sustainable construction are encouraged to participate.

Prof. Dr. Gonzalo Ruiz
Dr. Ángel De La Rosa Velasco
Dr. Lucia Garijo
Guest Editors

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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-based materials
sustainability
reinforcement scale
nano- and microparticles
rheology
recycled materials

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 7035 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence Mechanism of Initial Concreting Temperature and Water-Binder Ratio on Hydration Rate of Fly Ash Concrete

by Juanjuan Quan, Shaojun Fu, Jian Chen, Rudong Yang, Tao Luo and Ding Wang

Materials 2023, 16(12), 4286; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16124286 - 09 Jun 2023

Viewed by 566

Abstract

The hydration exothermic rate of fly ash concrete is significantly affected by the initial concreting temperature and water-binder ratio. Firstly, the adiabatic temperature rise and temperature rise rate of fly ash concrete at different initial concreting temperatures and water-binder ratios were obtained by a thermal test instrument; then, the effects of initial concreting temperature and water-binder ratio on the hydration kinetic parameters of the NG-I-D hydration process of fly ash concrete were analyzed by the theory of hydration kinetics; lastly, the effects of initial concreting temperature and water-binder ratio on chemically bound water and pore bulk of fly ash concrete during hydration were analyzed by applying a thermogravimetric analyzer and industrial CT scanning techniques. The results showed that the increase in initial concreting temperature and the decrease in water-binder ratio accelerated the rate of temperature rise, and the initial concreting temperature had a more significant effect than the water-binder ratio. During the hydration reaction, the I process was significantly influenced by the initial concreting temperature, and the D process was significantly influenced by the water-binder ratio; the content of bound water increased with the increase in water-binder ratio and age and the decrease in initial concreting temperature. The initial temperature had a significant effect on the growth rate of 1 to 3 days bound water, and the water-binder ratio had a more significant effect on the growth rate of 3 to 7 days bound water. The porosity was positively correlated with the initial concreting temperature and water-binder ratio and decreased with age, but 1 to 3 days was the key period of porosity change. Additionally, the pore size was also influenced by the initial concreting temperature and water-binder ratio. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement-Based Materials Applied in Sustainable Construction)

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16 pages, 4256 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nanocomposites as Substituent of Cement: Structure and Mechanical Properties

by Roxana Rada, Daniela Lucia Manea, Ramona Chelcea and Simona Rada

Materials 2023, 16(6), 2398; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16062398 - 16 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1207

Abstract

To date, the scientific research in the field of recycling of construction and demolition wastes was focused on the production of concrete, cements, and bricks. The attainment of these products was limited to the addition of suitable binder contents, such as lime or cement, compaction, and possibly heat treatment, without a concrete recycling method. In this paper, new cement materials consisting of 2.5 weight% composite and originating from construction and demolition waste powder, were prepared and investigated in view of applications in the construction industry as a substituent of cement. The materials with recycled powder from construction and demolition wastes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The XRD data indicate vitroceramic structures with varied crystalline phases. The NMR relaxometry data show four reservoirs of water associated with bounded water and with three types of pores in the composite construction material. The micro-Vickers hardness was measured to reflect the influence of composite nature in the local mechanical properties of the composite-cement for the mixture with Portland cement and (EC) expired cement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement-Based Materials Applied in Sustainable Construction)

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22 pages, 8879 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utilization of Gasification Coarse Slag Powder as Cement Partial Replacement: Hydration Kinetics Characteristics, Microstructure and Hardening Properties

by Kuizhen Fang, Dongmin Wang and Yue Gu

Materials 2023, 16(5), 1922; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16051922 - 25 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1173

Abstract

Coal gasification coarse slag (GFS) is a byproduct of coal gasification technology, which contains abundant amorphous aluminosilicate minerals. GFS has low carbon content, and its ground powder has potential pozzolanic activity, which can be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for cement. Herein, GFS-blended cement was studied in terms of ion dissolution characteristics, initial hydration kinetics, hydration reaction process, microstructure evolution process, and the development of the mechanical strength of their paste and mortar. Enhanced alkalinity and elevated temperature could increase the pozzolanic activity of GFS powder. The specific surface area of GFS powder and its content did not change the reaction mechanism of cement. The hydration process was divided into three stages: crystal nucleation and growth (NG), phase boundary reaction (I), and diffusion reaction (D). A higher specific surface area of the GFS powder could improve the chemical kinetic process of the cement system. The degree of reaction of GFS powder and blended cement had a positive correlation. A low GFS powder content (10%) with a high specific surface area (463 m²/kg) showed the best activation in cement as well as improving the late mechanical properties of cement. The results show GFS powder with low carbon content has the application value as SCM. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement-Based Materials Applied in Sustainable Construction)

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20 pages, 5062 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Sustainability of Waste Concrete towards Structural Concrete Application in Freeze-Thaw Environment

by Da Wei, Pinghua Zhu, Shan Gao, Xiancui Yan, Hui Liu and Haifeng Fan

Materials 2022, 15(17), 6153; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15176153 - 05 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1104

Abstract

To promote the in-situ and structural application of waste concrete in cold regions, the sustainable application potential of waste concrete in a freeze-thaw (F-T) environment was comprehensively evaluated from three aspects of performance, environmental load, and economic benefit. The recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) was produced by recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), which was obtained from the crushing of natural aggregate concrete (NAC) after every F-T 150 cycles until F-T failure. The effects of F-T damage of parent concrete on the physical properties of RCA and mechanical and frost resistance of RAC under 35% flexural stress were studied. Besides, the sustainability of NAC and RAC was compared and analyzed by emergy theory. The results suggested that the physical properties of RCA deteriorated gradually with the accumulation of F-T damage to parent concrete. The RCA obtained from parent concrete that suffered F-T damage could be used as coarse aggregate for structural concrete when F-T damage is smaller than 0.367. The F-T damage of parent concrete had an adverse effect on the mechanical properties and frost resistance of RAC. The frost resistance of RAC obtained from parent concrete with larger F-T damage was worse. The RAC prepared from parent concrete without F-T failure can serve 50 years in cold regions, while that with F-T failure can only serve 30 years. The F-T damage microelements were dispersed in the adhesive mortar of RCA and transferred to RAC, resulting in the reduction of the mechanical properties and frost resistance of RAC. Emergy analysis showed that the reuse of waste concrete after F-T failure required higher economic input, higher environment load, lower output efficiency, and sustainability. The performance, environmental load and economic benefit of RAC prepared by using waste concrete after F-T failure were inferior to that of waste concrete without F-T failure. Waste concrete after F-T failure is not recommended to be used as coarse aggregate for structural concrete. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement-Based Materials Applied in Sustainable Construction)

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18 pages, 5349 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Curing Temperature on the Properties of a MgO-SiO₂-H₂O System Prepared Using Dead-Burned MgO

by Fuan Cheng, Yaru Hu, Qiang Song, Jiao Nie, Jiahao Su and Yanxin Chen

Materials 2022, 15(17), 6065; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15176065 - 01 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1247

Abstract

The hydration of M-S-H prepared using silica fume (SF) and dead-burned MgO cured at 20 °C, 50 °C, and 80 °C was investigated, and the properties and performance of this M-S-H were measured. The formation of M-S-H was characterized using XRD, FTIR, TGA, and ²⁹Si MAS-NMR. Results show that the compressive strength of paste prepared using MgO calcined at 1450 °C for 2 h reached 25 MPa after 28 d. The shrinkage of mortar made with low reactivity MgO was lower than that made with high reactivity MgO. The pH value of MgO/SF paste mixed with dead-burned MgO did not exceed 10.4 at room temperature. The shrinkage of M-S-H prepared using dead-burned MgO was less than that prepared using more active MgO, and its strength did not decrease over time. No (or only a small amount of) Mg(OH)₂ was formed, which is why the strength of M-S-H prepared with dead-burned MgO continually increased, without decreasing. The promotion of curing temperature favor process of MgO hydration and is beneficial for degree of silica polymerization. The sample cured in 50 °C water showed the highest relative degree of reaction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement-Based Materials Applied in Sustainable Construction)

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18 pages, 3573 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Planar Crack Approach to Evaluate the Flexural Strength of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Sections

by Jacinto R. Carmona, Raúl Cortés-Buitrago, Juan Rey-Rey and Gonzalo Ruiz

Materials 2022, 15(17), 5821; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15175821 - 24 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1216

Abstract

This article describes a model based on concepts of Fracture Mechanics to evaluate the flexural strength of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) sections. The model covers the need by structural engineers to have tools that allow, in a simple way, the designing of FRC sections and avoiding complex calculations through finite elements. It consists of an analytical method that models FRC post-cracking behavior with a cohesive linear softening law (σ − w). We use a compatibility equation based on the planar crack hypothesis, i.e., the assumption that the crack surfaces remain plane throughout the fracture process, which was recently proven true using digital image correlation. Non-cracked concrete bulk follows a stress–strain law (σ − ε) combined with the Bernoulli–Navier assumption. We define a brittleness number derived from non-dimensional analyses, which includes the beam size and the softening characteristics. We show that this parameter is key to determining the FRC flexural strength, characterizing fiber-reinforced concrete, and reproducing the size-effect of sections in flexure. Moreover, we propose an expression to calculate the flexural strength of FRC as a function of the cited brittleness number. The model also gives the ratio between the residual strength in service conditions and the flexural strength. Model results show a good agreement with tests in the scientific literature. Finally, we also analyze the brittle–ductile transition in FRC sections. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement-Based Materials Applied in Sustainable Construction)

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18 pages, 2088 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Probabilistic Assessment of the Dynamic Viscosity of Self-Compacting Steel-Fiber Reinforced Concrete through a Micromechanical Model

by Ángel De La Rosa, Gonzalo Ruiz, Enrique Castillo and Rodrigo Moreno

Materials 2022, 15(8), 2763; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15082763 - 09 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1179

Abstract

This article develops a probabilistic approach to a micromechanical model to calculate the dynamic viscosity in self-compacting steel-fiber reinforced concrete (SCSFRC), which implies a paradigm shift in the approach of the deterministic models used. It builds on a previous work by the authors in which Bayesian analysis is applied to rheological micromechanical models in cement paste, self-compacting mortar, and self-compacting concrete. As a consequence of the varied characteristics of the particles in these suspensions (in terms of materials, shapes, size distributions, etc.), as well as their random nature, it seems appropriate to study these systems with probabilistic models. The Bayesian analysis, thorough Markov Chain Monte Carlo and Gibbs Sampling methods, allows the conversion of parametric-deterministic models into parametric-probabilistic models, which results in enrichment in engineering and science. The incorporation of steel fibers requires a new term in the model to account for their effect on the dynamic viscosity of SCSFRC, and this new term is also treated here with the Bayesian approach. The paper uses an extensive collection of experimental data to obtain the probability density functions of the parameters for assessing the dynamic viscosity in SCSFRC. The results obtained with these parameters’ distributions are much better than those calculated with the theoretical values of the parameters, which indicates that Bayesian methods are appropriated to respond to questions in complex systems with complex models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cement-Based Materials Applied in Sustainable Construction)

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