Abstract
Nano technology plays a very vital role in all the areas of research. The incorporation of nano materials in concrete offers many advantages and improves the workability, the strength and durability properties of concrete. In this study an attempt has been made to carry out an experimental investigation on concrete in which cement was replaced with nano sized cement. Ordinary Portland cement of 53 grade was ground in a ball grinding mill to produce nano cement. The characterization of nano cement was studied using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Brunauer Emmett–Teller (BET), Energy Dispersive X ray microanalysis (EDAX) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). From the characterization studies, it was confirmed that particles were converted to nano size, the specific surface area increased and the chemical composition remained almost the same. The properties of cement paste with and without nano cement were found. For the experimental study, cement was replaced with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of nano cement. Cement mortar of ratio 1:3 and concrete of grades M20, M30, M40 and M50 were used. Compressive strength of cement mortar and concrete with different percentages of nano cement was found. The cement mortar was also subjected to micro structural study. It was found that the strength increased even up to the replacement level of 50%. Further increase in the replacement is not possible since the addition of nano cement reduces the initial and final setting time of cement paste. At 50% replacement level, the initial setting time got reduced to 30 minutes which the least permitted value as per IS 12269: 2013. The increase in strength was due to the fact that nano cement acts not only as a filler material but also the reactivity increased due to the higher specific surface area. The SEM image shows the formation of additional C-S-H gel. The percentage increase in compressive strength was found to increase up to 32%. The workability of concrete with nano cement was found to be significantly more than that of the normal cement concrete.
Highlights
Nano technology is a new emerging area in field of engineering
It was found that HFAC showed a 10% less compressive strength upto 56 days compared to normal cement concrete but increased to 21% higher than that of normal cement concrete at 2 years
The micro-sized cement was converted to nano size by grinding it in a ball grinding mill for 12 hours and the particle size was found to range from 45 nm to 86 nm
Summary
Nano technology is a new emerging area in field of engineering. Development of nanotechnology in the field of material science and evolution of advanced instrumentation have paved way for application of nanotechnology in the construction field. The increase in surface area leads to changes in morphology, increase in the chemical reactivity, structural modification of cement hydrates and enhancement of the properties of concrete. The nano scale particles can result in vividly improved properties from conventional grain size materials of the same composition. According to Konstantin Sobolev [1], nano particles improve the ductility, thermal resistance and can be used in refractory concrete. Nano particles are added to concrete to improve its material properties. Research proves that there will be considerable changes in the chemical reactivity and mechanical properties, when the particles are converted to nano size. It can be seen from literature that addition of nano particles significantly improves the strength and durability of concrete. Nano particles are used to enhance mechanical and durability properties of concrete and to develop sustainable concrete materials and structures
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
