Production Of Construction Materials Research Articles

Detection of movement resistance and friction coefficient in the transport of building materials and construction materials

In the production of building materials and construction materials, continuously operating conveying equipment is commonly used, including roller conveyors. Roller conveyors are devices designed for horizontal, slightly ascending or descending transport of piece products moving on a system of rotating rollers of different shapes (cylindrical, conical, disc, pulley or according to the profile of the conveyed object). The rotating rollers are placed in the track frame (supporting structure), which can be either stable, relocatable or adjustable (height and length adjustable, so-called scissor conveyors). An analogue of the roller conveyor is the pulley conveyor, where instead of rollers, discs - pulleys are mounted on a non-rotating axis. Several discs are installed on the axis with gaps. The pulleys on adjacent axes overlap so that there is no continuous gap. The track is used for handling flat building parts and objects such as metal sheets, glass panes, furniture parts, etc. When transporting item building materials or bulk building materials placed in storage boxes which are transported on a powered roller track on pallets, a driving force is required depending on the angle of inclination of the roller track, the weight of the load, the number of rollers on which the load rests and the coefficient of shear friction during movement. The paper presents a laboratory device that has been designed to detect the adhesion force during the transport of piece loads by a roller conveyor. On the implemented device, it is possible to determine in laboratory conditions the amount of resistance to the movement of the load on the driven roller conveyor depending on the weight of the load. The paper presents measured values of the shear friction coefficient during the movement of a steel storage box on a driven roller track. In this paper, a driven roller track is used for laboratory tests, where the drive of the rollers is implemented by so-called short chains. In addition to horizontal tracks, this chain drive allows you to drive rising tracks with variable gradients or even rising curved tracks.

Research Results of Municipal Sewage Sludge Applied for Building Material Production

The study presents the experimental results on the use of ash obtained as a result of incineration of municipal sewage sludge from the water utility of Izhevsk, Udmurt Republic, for construction material production. Research methods are given and the results of strength tests of building material samples are given. The impact of the manufactured samples of construction materials on the ecology of the surrounding space and human health is assessed. To achieve the set objectives of the research laboratory experiment and determination of indicators of investigated values of sludge, ash and water extracts with the use of devices and measuring instruments are used. On the basis of the research laboratories of Kalashnikov Izhevsk State Technical University and MUE “IzhVodokanal” of the Udmurt Republic experimental studies on incineration of sewage sludge and the use of the resulting ash as a substituting or modifying component of the construction mixture in the manufacture of experimental samples of ceramics, cement-sand mortar and concrete were carried out. Methodology of manufacturing and algorithm of ceramic (fired) and cement-based (nonfired) testing specimens are presented. Measuring means for determination of gamma-radiation intensity indices of ash, cement and their influence on human health are used. The algorithm of experimental research, applied energy-efficient techniques used in the experiment and analysis of the obtained experimental results are presented. The analysis of experimental research results of ceramic and cement-based products, as well as the analysis of radiation safety, migration of heavy metals is presented. The energy-efficient methodology of sewage sludge utilization and further ways of applying ash as an environmental and resource-saving component used in manufacturing of experimental building materials are considered.

Comparative Environmental Evaluation of Sewage Sludge Treatment and Aggregate Production Process by Life Cycle Assessment

This study evaluated the environmental impact of landfill, incineration, and lightweight aggregate production for sewage sludge management techniques and compared the utilization of sewage-produced lightweight aggregates with natural aggregates in terms of building material production. Two scenarios were established for the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the sludge and associated product that was carried out after sludge generation. Sludge incineration and landfill deposition includes emissions from the drying, transportation, incineration of sludge, and landfill, and the production of lightweight aggregates and natural aggregates includes transportation to manufacturing facilities, the manufacturing processes themselves, and transportation of the produced aggregates to construction sites. We calculated the amount of pollutant emissions for each process in each scenario and analyzed the environmental impact index considering the environmental impact of each pollutant using the Open LCA program. The parameters used for the environmental impact index analysis for sludge management are potential acidification, climate change, eutrophication potential, human toxicity, photochemical oxidation, and stratospheric ozone depletion. The environmental impact values of lightweight aggregates (LWA) are GWP 100 441 kg CO2_Eq, AP 2.73 × 10−2 kg SO2_Eq, EP 4.46 × 10−3 kg PO4−_Eq, HTP 4.15 × 10−2 kg, 1,4-DCB_Eq, POCP 1.64 × 10−3 kg CH4_Eq, and ODP 3.41 × 10−7 kg CFC-11_Eq. We found that these values were low compared to landfill and incineration as a sewage sludge disposal method and compared to natural aggregate as a construction material production method. The environmental impact index analysis during LCA of lightweight aggregates produced from the sludge verified its positive environmental impact compared to the other potential methods of sludge management.

Study on reinforcing mechanism of carbon nanotubes on tensile behavior of gangue cemented rockfill

Gangue cemented rockfill (GCR) plays a key role in underground reinforcement projects and construction waste recycling. However, the tensile performance restricted by cementitious materials limits its wider application. Hence, in this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was adopted to reinforce the tensile behavior of GCR samples, since CNTs own excellent mechanical properties and promising microstructure modification in cement-based materials. The test results demonstrate that only 0.007 wt% CNTs could significantly improve tensile strength up to 47.7% and ductility failure property. Through the characterization of acoustic emission (AE), digital image correlation (DIC) and SEM techniques, we found that the microscopic improvement of CNTs could reduce the intensity of failure events, promote the distribution of strain field, and weaken the stress concentration. AE counts of single failure events dropped over 80% and cumulative energy decreased up to 76.4%. Besides, the fractal dimension of macro strain field rose by 7.45∼15.5%, which further indicates the more complex strain distribution. The established CNTs pull-out model, based on above results, further revealed that bridging CNTs provided resistance, consumed fatal work during the pull-out process and slowed down the development of microcracks. This research broadens our understanding of the improvement mechanism of CNTs on the failure mode of GCR materials, which is of great significance for CNTs application and the production of eco-friendly construction materials.

Development of a drying and grinding plant for a mixture of milling peat with water treatment sediments for the production of construction and ceramic materials

The strategy of sustainable development assumes proper management of man-made waste, capable of ensuring their reuse and reducing the associated environmental burden on the environment. A promising direction for the utilization of water treatment sediments is the possibility of their use in a mixture with peat as a potential raw material for the production of construction and ceramic materials. An installation has been developed for the selection of milling peat, its mixing with water treatment sediments, drying of the resulting mixture and grinding for subsequent use in the production of construction and ceramic materials.

Utilizing porcelain tile polishing residue in eco-efficient high-strength geopolymers with steel microfibers

Geopolymers are an alternative that produces low environmental impact binders with satisfactory mechanical properties. This research evaluated the influence of adding steel microfibers to a binary geopolymer matrix composed of metakaolin and ceramic tile polishing residue. Three mortar compositions (1:2, 1:3 and 1:4 cement:sand mass ratios) were produced with three microfiber concentrations (vf = 0.45, vf = 0.90 and vf = 1.35 % of total volume). The mechanical properties were evaluated by testing compressive strength, dynamic modulus of elasticity, flexural strength, and toughness. For 1:3 mortar, autogenous shrinkage measurements were performed for the 3 microfiber concentrations. Equivalent carbon dioxide emissions and binder intensity were also quantified. The mechanical properties classify the geopolymer concrete as high strength, achieving up to 95 MPa (composition 1:3) of compressive strength at 28 days and low binder consumption (9.82 kg.m−3. MPa−1). An improvement in flexural tensile strength was observed as the concentration of steel microfibers increased, reaching 20 MPa with vf= 1.35 %. For the concentration vf= 0.90 %, there was a reduction of ∼38 % of the autogenous shrinkage measurements about the reference (vf=0.0 %) at 28 days. In addition, regarding the CO2 intensity index, the lowest values were obtained for the 1:3 compositions, being minimum for vf= 0.90 % (9.01 [kg. ECO2-eq /m³ of mortar]/MPa), producing geopolymeric composites with low CO2 emissions, allowing the production of construction materials with low environmental impact.

Development of a Drying and Grinding Plant for a Mixture of Milled Peat and Water Treatment Sediments for the Production of Construction and Ceramic Materials

Development of a Drying and Grinding Plant for a Mixture of Milled Peat and Water Treatment Sediments for the Production of Construction and Ceramic Materials

RSM-based and environmental assessment of eco-friendly geopolymer mortars containing recycled waste tire constituents

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on incorporating recycled materials into the production of eco-friendly construction materials. Additionally, the substantial disposal of end-of-life tires poses significant environmental challenges. Using waste tire constituents in the geopolymer materials as binders a feasible and sustainable alternative to conventional concrete with Portland Cement, effectively resolving environmental problems and promoting the advancement of eco-friendly building material production. This research focuses on producing eco-friendly alternatives to Portland Cement-based products. Moreover, it is aimed to explore the utilization of all components of the end-of-life tires (crumb rubber, textile, and steel fibers) in the mixture and replace Portland Cement with a geopolymer matrix in mortar mixtures. To achieve this, recycled waste tire materials were added to the geopolymer mixtures based on the design of experiments using a central composite design approach. An RSM-based assessment was applied to determine the effect of incorporating recycled materials on the durability and mechanical properties of the geopolymer mixtures. Moreover, the environmental impacts of mixtures were evaluated based on global warming potential and gross energy requirements. The analysis of experimental results revealed that incorporating recycled materials not only substantially mitigated the environmental impact but also improved mixture properties, i.e. reduced water absorption, enhanced resistance to salt scaling, and increased impact resistance. However, there was a slight decrease in compressive strength. Considering all aspects, the final optimized mixture saved 1172.77 MJ/ton energy and reduced 52.33 kg CO2eq/ton per 1 m3 compared to the mixture without recycled materials.

Study of the incorporation of two types of wastes and their combined effects into red ceramics

As the population continues to grow, the consumption of natural resources for use as primary materials in civil construction also increases. In addressing the need to reduce the depletion of natural resources, a viable alternative for the production of civil construction materials involves substituting a portion of these raw materials with waste materials. This approach seeks to achieve two key objectives: the promotion of waste reuse and a reduction in the consumption of natural resources. Amongst these materials, red ceramics is one of the categories of civil construction materials that allow the incorporation of waste, since its raw material, ceramic clay, is intrinsically heterogeneous, which makes the final product capable of containing a certain number of foreign materials. Wastes to be added in ceramic masses are classified, among others, into fuel and flux wastes, and both affect the ceramic firing stage in a different way. Flux wastes facilitate the liquid phase formation and fuel wastes release heat for the process. Thus, this work's main purpose was to study the mechanical behavior of red ceramics incorporated with a mixture of fuel and flux wastes, as well as the incorporation of both separately. The ceramic bodies were prepared in 7 different compositions by uniaxial pressing and were fired at 850 °C and 1050 °C. Then, their technological properties were determined to study the combined effect of adding two different types of waste at the same time. Subsequently, their technological characteristics were assessed to investigate the synergistic impact of simultaneously introducing two distinct waste materials. This study unveiled that the drawbacks associated with the inclusion of fuel waste can be mitigated by incorporating flux waste. This has the potential to enhance the sustainability of the red ceramics industry by yielding a material with properties akin to commercial products while also valorizing two waste streams that would otherwise be wrongly disposed of.

High performance inorganic fullerene cage WS2 enhanced cement

An original cement based material enhanced with inorganic fullerene tungsten disulfide (IF-WS2) nanoparticles has been engineered with superb shock absorbing properties. Physical properties were attributed to the IF-WS2 nano-hollow multiple layered onion-like structure. The effect of IF-WS2 concentration at 0.1 wt%, 1 wt% and 5 wt% on the hydration kinetics of ordinary Portland cement (CEM1), electrical impedance, thermal stability, rheology and strength development was thoroughly evaluated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the formation of the new phase, calcium tungstate (CaWO4), at the nano-particle/cement matrix interface during early hydration. 1 wt% IF-WS2 additions enhanced the impact energy of CEM1 by 89% compared to the control. An IF-WS2 cementitious mixture was developed for 3D printing based on the 1% WS2-CEM composition. The mix exhibited excellent workability and buildability enabling the creation of a layer-by-layer printed component. Intimate interlayer adhesion minimized the presence of voids leading to a high flexural strength of 6.7 MPa, which equated to an over 86% improvement compared to plain CEM1 printed components. This study showcases IF-WS2 nanoparticles as a new ground-breaking additive enabling the production of high-performance cementitious construction materials, for use under extreme environments demanding high strength and impact resistance.

Development patterns, material metabolism, and greenhouse gas emissions of high-speed railway in China

China built the longest high-speed railway system by consuming massive construction materials. However, characterization material metabolism in HSR system remains less explored. Here we conducted a bottom-up material metabolism study and revealed the material stocks, flows, and greenhouse gas emissions from 2008 to 2035 in China’s high-speed railway. We show that material stocks temporally amount from 0.6 gigatons in 2010 to 3.7 gigatons in 2020, dominated by aggregate and cement. Spatially, material stock distribution gaps across Chinese provinces are becoming more narrowed. Material flows wise, growing high-speed railway speed increased resource demands, but construction technology and material production advances could offset these increases. Our results demonstrate the carbon replacement value of 1008 megatons by 2020 and the operational emissions of 31 megatons annually. Compared with road and aviation passenger transport, we highlighted the environmental benefits of high-speed railway for informing green transitions.

Carbon Emission Evaluation of Roadway Construction at Contaminated Sites Based on Life Cycle Assessment Method

Greenhouse gas emissions induced by climate change have garnered global attention. Minimizing climate change can be achieved through the reduction of carbon emissions in transportation infrastructure construction and in the production of construction materials. This study aims to calculate carbon emissions in three hypothetical construction scenarios based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) method when a roadway passes across polluted soil at contaminated sites. Three methods are employed to remediate contaminated soil: off-site cement kiln co-processing, on-site ex-situ thermal desorption, and on-site ex-situ solidification/stabilization. Carbon emissions are calculated using the LCA method for each scenario. The baseline carbon emission is estimated for the scenario in which contaminated soil is remediated using the off-site cement kiln co-processing method, and the roadway subgrade is constructed using transported clean soil. In the other two scenarios, contaminated soils are remediated using the on-site ex-situ thermal desorption and solidification/stabilization methods, respectively, and then they are reused as roadway subgrade materials. The LCA analyses demonstrate that the total carbon emission reductions range from 1168.48 to 2379.62 tons per basic unit, corresponding to decreased of 19.31% to 39.33%, respectively, compared to baseline. The reuse of solid waste to replace sand and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as raw materials in roadway construction reduces carbon emissions by 498.98 tons. Finally, a comparison of carbon emissions between the three scenarios indicates that reducing carbon emissions in the remediation of contaminated soil and reusing solid waste as construction materials are two important methods for achieving overall carbon emission reductions in roadway construction projects.

Determination of the CO2 Uptake of Construction Products Manufactured by Mineral Carbonation

Mineral carbonation is a technology for capturing and storing CO2 in solid minerals. When mineral carbonation is used to produce construction materials, the quantification of the CO2 uptake of these products is of the utmost importance, as it is used to calculate the CO2 footprint of the product and/or carbon offset. The CO2 uptake is generally determined by measuring the CO2 content of a material before and after accelerated carbonation. This approach, however, does not take hydration and dehydroxylation reactions into account that may occur during carbonation, and it can therefore under- or overestimate the CO2 uptake. Thus, a more accurate and practical method to determine CO2 uptake, which also accounts for hydration and dehydroxylation reactions, is proposed in this paper. This method is based on analytical methods to determine the dry mass and the CO2 content of the solid products before and after carbonation, and on the calculation of the CO2 uptake by the following equation: CO2 uptake (wt.%) = CO2 carbonated (wt.%) × (weight after carbonation (g)/weight before carbonation (g) − CO2 initial (wt.%), with CO2 carbonated being the CO2 content in g/100 g dried carbonated material, and CO2 initial being the CO2 content in g/100 g dried initial material, i.e., before carbonation. The “weight before carbonation” is the dry weight of the initial material, and the “weight after carbonation” is the product’s dry weight after carbonation. In this paper, we show that up to 44% under- or overestimation of CO2 uptake can occur when hydration and dehydroxylation reactions are not taken into account during mineral carbonation.

The Effect of Natural and Synthesised Zeolites on Cement-Based Materials Hydration and Hardened State Properties.

The synthesis of zeolites from difficult-to-utilise waste materials facilitates the creation of more financially attractive and efficient synthetic zeolites. These can be incorporated into construction materials, resulting in a reduction in cement usage and the production of superior, clean, and sustainable construction materials. The potential to enhance the hydration rate of fresh cement paste by substituting up to 10% of the cement with two synthetic zeolites-one commercially produced and the other synthesised from waste and natural zeolite-was explored. Due to a higher Al/Na ratio, newly sintered waste-based zeolite possesses six times higher electrical conductivity compared to industrially produced 4A zeolite and more than 20 times higher electrical conductivity compared to natural zeolite. As the sequence of this fact, substituting up to 10% of the cement with AX zeolite cement paste accelerates the maximum heat release rate time and increases the total heat by 8.5% after 48 h of hydration. The structure, compressive strength, and water absorption of the hardened cement paste depends on the Al/Na ratio, pH, and electrical conductivity values of the zeolite used. The findings revealed that AX zeolite, due to presence of mineral gibbsite, which speeds up hydration products, such as CSH development, increases the compressive strength up to 28.6% after 28 days of curing and reduces the water absorption by up to 1.5%. Newly synthesised waste-based AX zeolite is cheap because its production is based on waste materials and is mostly promising due to superior properties of created construction materials compared to the other presented zeolites.

Hydration, Microstructure, and Properties of Fly Ash–Based Geopolymer: A Review

Abstract Geopolymers have gained attention as a potential eco-friendly alternative to Portland cement, primarily due to their reduced carbon dioxide emissions and the opportunity to repurpose industrial waste materials. Fly ash (FA), a byproduct of coal combustion, has been favored as a raw material for geopolymer concrete owing to its widespread availability and high concentrations of alumina and silica. The development and application of fly ash–based geopolymer concrete can contribute significantly to production of sustainable construction materials. An in-depth analysis of fly ash–based geopolymer concrete has been conducted to explore its potential as a substitute for traditional concrete. This review encompasses the underlying reaction mechanism, strength, long-term durability, and microstructural characteristics of geopolymer concrete. The present review paper shows that adding the optimal quantity of fly ash improves the performance of fly ash–based geopolymer when exposed to extreme durability conditions, as well as improving strength properties. The microstructural analysis shows that when fly ash is added, the microstructure of the concrete matrix would be dense and packed. However, challenges remain in adopting fly ash–based geopolymer concrete for large-scale construction projects, as the existing literature presents inconsistencies in the reported strength, durability, and test results. Further research is necessary to consolidate knowledge on the behavior and mechanism of fly ash–based geopolymer concrete and to ultimately provide comprehensive data to support its widespread implementation in the construction industry.

Effect of Wood Ash on salt Crystallization and Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RPCT) in Mortar

Abstract: Ash by-products obtained from combustion of wood biomass are generally used in land filling for embankments, road/highway construction. It can be used as soil supplementing material to reduce the alkalinity of soil in agricultural lands. And it can also be used as raw material in the manufacturing of cement in cement industries. Many researches had been carried out to incorporate wood waste ash as a cement replacement material in the production of greener construction material (concrete/mortar) and also as a sustainable means of disposal for wood waste ash. Results of these researches indicated that wood waste ash can be effectively used as a cement replacement material for the production of structural concrete/mortar of acceptable strength and durability parameters. In the present study salt crystallization, rapid chloride permeability test are performed. The results shows As wood ash contains more amount of calcium oxides which are soluble in water and leached out and further react with sodium sulphate. That is why, on increasing the percentage of wood ash, loss in weight as well as loss in compressive strength and chloride ion permeability is high in all the cases but as we increase the percentage of wood ash, chloride ion permeability decreases

Evaluation of the readiness of clay bricks with partially replaced rice husk ash

Environmentally acceptable alternatives are replaced for the raw construction materials to alleviate sustainability concerns with construction materials. Rice husk ash, an agricultural byproduct, can be substituted in the production of construction materials. In this study, the effect of adding rice husk ash from organic agricultural waste on brick quality is explored. In this study, four sets of bricks are cast with various percentages of rice husk ash, ranging from 0% to 20% with a 5% increment, and then burned in a furnace for varying durations of time. This research examines the compressive strength and water absorption of bricks containing varying concentrations of rice husk ash. According to the findings, an increase in rice husk ash reduces compressive strength and increases water absorption. The present findings reveal that a brick containing 5% rice husk ash has a higher compressibility of 4.70 N/mm2 and a decreasing compressive strength as the proportion of rice husk ash increases. The results also demonstrated an 11.65 % reduction in water absorption at a rice husk ash concentration of 5 %, and the absorption rate increases consistently up to 10 % rice husk ash before decreasing with a further increase in rice husk ash. Therefore, the technology of creating bricks by casting combinations of clay, sand, and rice husk ash is not only useful for constructing walls but also for reducing environmental pressure and promoting sustainable development.

STUDY THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT REINFORCEMENT RATIOS ON THE EXPANDED LIGHTWEIGHT GEOPOLYMER MORTAR PROPERTIES

Nowadays, the demand for the production of lightweight construction materials is increasing in order to reduce the cost, which is economically beneficial, as well as reducing the weight of the building as a whole. In this work, a lightweight geopolymer based on fly ash (type F) was developed using an alkaline activator at a concentration of 12 M and the ratio of the activator to the binder was (0.6). The natural sand was partially replaced with expanded perlite (EP), at replacement rates of 10, 30, and 50% by weight. Then the lightweight geopolymer (50% by volume of perlite) was reinforced with polypropylene fiber (PPF) with an addition ratio of (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1%) of the total volume. Laboratory tests were carried out on the produced samples to determine the extent of the properties change after the addition of perlite. The density, insulating and absorbent properties of the lightweight geopolymer composite, which showed a decrease in unit weight with increased porosity and absorbency due to increased interstitial pores, were improved. A clear improvement in flexural strength was also observed when adding 1% polypropylene fibers. As for compressive strength, the improvement was slight. The lower density of the fibers also supports the weight of the unit.

Alternative material with PET: Comparison of CEB-PET, CEB and Concrete block

Climate change has generated the need to propose alternatives that reduce the impact of human activities and the real estate market is one of these, an area of opportunity is the production of construction materials that demand energy and use of non-renewable resources. , taking into account one of the indicators of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, objective 11, of the 11c that says: Provide support to the least developed countries, so that they can build sustainable and resilient buildings using local materials. The objective was to compare the CEB-PET prototype with respect to the CEB and the concrete block, as an alternative for the construction of walls in Saltillo Coahuila. The methodology was quantitative, quasi-experimental, carrying out laboratory and field work. The results indicate that the CEB-PET has a Compressive Strength of 82,194 kg/cm2 and can be used as a load-bearing wall; Regarding cost, it can compete with a concrete block and in relation to its application in the work, it is handled in the same way as a concrete block.

Flexural Performance of RC Beam with the Partial Replacement of Cement with EggshellPowder(ESP)

Abstract: It's a renowned fact that concrete used around the globe is second only to water. The cement industries have been categorized as highly polluting industries by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The production of ordinary Portland cement contributes 5-7% of total greenhouse gas emission and also consumes large amount of energy, hence it is crucial to discover substitute to cement. Eggshell is a waste material that can be obtained from restaurants, bakeries and households. Eggshell powder (ESP) has high amounts of calcium and can be combined with pozzolanic materials, such as fly ash, which have low calcium content. If effective uses for eggshell can be found, it would create an opportunity for a sustainable solution. Eggshell waste is among the most abundant agro-waste material discharged from food processing industries. Despite the exceptional properties and several applications, eggshell is castoff in huge quantity without any further use. This review paper focuses on appraising the potential uses of eggshell waste as a feedstock for production of sustainable construction materials. The emphasis is on the need to exploit extensively eggshell waste as a partial cement replacement material in cement-based construction materials. This study focuses on the viability of using calcined eggshells (CES) as a partial replacement of cement by analysing early age performance. Compressive, Flexural and Split Tensile Strength of concrete with 10%, 15%, 20% cement replacement with eggshell powder. The utilization of PES which offers a low-cost and energy-efficient resource for construction.