Total Binder Content Research Articles

Durability properties of multiple-blended binder concretes incorporating thermally activated alum sludge ash

Binary and ternary blended binder (BBB and TBB, respectively) concretes are prepared by incorporating thermally activated alum sludge ash (AASA), silica fume (SF), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and palm oil fuel ash (POFA) as partial cement replacement. Concrete mixtures were prepared with a water/binder ratio and total binder content of 0.30 and 493 kg/m3, respectively. The evaluated durability performances of the multiple blended binder concretes included water absorption, porosity, initial surface absorption, sorptivity and sulfate and chloride resistance (immersed in 5% sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), 5% sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions and water for 90 and 180 days). The results indicated that the BBB with 15% AASA cement replacement demonstrated superior durability performance compared with the control and 20% AASA concretes. A higher replacement level of 20% AASA did not improve inner core durability but improved surface durability characteristics. All TBB concretes performed better than the BBB concretes with AASA at the same replacement levels.

1-Year development trend of concrete compressive strength using Calcium Sulfoaluminate cement blended with OPC, PFA and GGBS

In recent years, Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement (CSAC) has become widely used in concrete repair works due to its outstanding properties of volume stability and rapid strength gain. Nevertheless, with the increasing concerns on cost and the embodied carbon of concrete, people start considering the possibility of blended combination of CSAC with less costly Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and more environmental friendly binder materials like Pulverized Fuel Ash (PFA) or Ground Granulated Blastfurnace Slag (GGBS). However, due to the completely different hydration process of CSAC comparing with OPC, reactions of CSAC with these binder materials have not yet been fully understood so far through systematic research, notwithstanding that numerous studies have been done on the strength development trend of concrete with OPC blended with PFA or GGBS. The objective of this research is to determine the long-term strength development trend of concrete using different combinations of CSAC with OPC, PFA & GGBS and to derive empirical equations for predicting early and later strengths of concretes with various binder combinations incorporating CSAC at different ages. A test regime consisting of totally 20 concrete mixes was conducted to examine the effect of different binder combinations on the concrete compressive strength at different ages from 2 h up to one year (365 days). The test results show that with the same total binder content, concrete mixes with increasing percentage content of CSAC exhibit increasing early strength. For concrete mixes with combination of CSAC with PFA or GGBS only, their concrete compressive strengths at later ages drop significantly when OPC is not present. This is believed to be the result of lacking of calcium hydroxide, which is the hydration product of OPC, to activate the hydraulic properties of PFA or GGBS to contribute in strength development. Nevertheless, it is found that a small quantity down to 5% of OPC is already adequate to bring the long-term strength at 365 days up to the same order as that of ordinary pure OPC concrete. Equations are derived for the prediction of strength performance of concrete with various binder combinations at different ages for the consideration of engineers at design or planning stage. Outcome of this research is able to give a picture for the strength development trends of concretes with different percentage combinations of CSAC with commonly used binder materials. The derived equations also give valuable information at the design stage for engineers to determine suitable percentage of different binder materials in concrete to be used giving a balance of benefits in the aspects of strength performance at early and long-term stages as well as economic and environmental considerations.

Production and optimization of eco-efficient self compacting concrete SCC with limestone and PET

This study aims to produce and optimize Eco-efficient self-compacting concrete (SCC) mixes using multi-waste substitutions. The main input parameters of mixes were total binder, fine aggregate and water contents whereas slump flow and compressive strength were the two main operational responses of produced concrete. Limestone powder (LP) and waste Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) were used in concrete as parts of cement and fine aggregate respectively with high range water reducing admixture (SP) as part of water. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and multi-objectives optimization using Minitab 17 statistical software were employed for this purpose.Twenty SCC mixes were designed and checked experimentally using Central Composite Design (CCD) concept in RSM. Mathematical models were established and evaluated using analysis of variance test (ANOVA) according to the experimental results. This is in order to define the effectiveness degree of design parameters on the properties required and to adjust the derived mathematical models. Multi-objectives optimization process was adopted to determine the optimum values of the input parameters. The optimization revealed that the optimum values of the input factors, LP, PET and SP were 20.1%, 2.4% and 1.16% by weight respectively. These theoretical values were checked experimentally and the achieved responses were quiet similar or higher than the best proposed mix.It was deduced that the developed models can be used to ensure a speedy mix design process by achieving maximum tested properties of eco-efficient SCC.

Mechanical, durability and microstructure properties of concrete containing natural zeolite

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world. Producing economical and durable concrete is possible by employing pozzolanic materials. The aim of this study is to underline the possibility of the utilization of natural zeolite in producing concrete and investigate its effects basically on the strength and durability of concrete. In the production of concrete mixes, Portland cement was replaced by the natural zeolite at ratios of 0%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight. Concretes were produced with total binder contents of 300 kg/m3 and 400 kg/m3, but with a constant water to cement ratio of 0.60. In addition to compressive and flexural strength measurements, freeze-thaw and high temperature resistance measurements, rapid chloride permeability, and capillary water absorption tests were performed on the concrete mixes. Compared to the rest mixes, concrete mixes containing 10% zeolite yielded in with the highest compressive and flexural strengths. The rapid chloride permeability and the capillary measurements were decreased as the natural zeolite replacement was increased. Freeze-thaw resistance also improved significantly as the replacement ratio of zeolite was increased. Under the effect of elevated temperature, natural zeolite incorporated concretes with lower binder content yielded higher compressive strength. However, the compressive strengths of concretes with higher binder content after elevated temperature effect were found to be lower than the reference concrete.

Restrained early-age shrinkage cracking properties of high-performance concrete containing fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag

The investigation was carried out to study the effects of water/binder (w/b) ratio, replacement level of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), and restrained condition on early-age shrinkage cracking of high-performance concrete (HPC). To this end, concrete slabs with threaded rods placed peripherally providing restraints were used. Four w/b ratios were considered, namely, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, and 0.40. For each w/b ratio, five replacement levels of cement with SCM (fly ash/slag = 1:1) were adopted: 0%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% by weight of total binder content. Furthermore, for each replacement level, unrestrained, two-side restrained and four-side restrained conditions were imposed to study cracking area, maximum crack width, cracking time, and shrinkage strain development for early-age HPC. The test results show that partially replacing cement by SCM led to a better crack resistance behavior of HPC. As the replacement level increased, cracking area and maximum crack width decreased, and the initial cracking time was delayed. While for a higher w/b ratio, cracking area and maximum crack width increased and it took much longer time to initiate cracking. But for very low w/b = 0.25 and two-side restrained condition, no crack was observed due to the enhanced structure of concrete. No crack appeared for unrestrained HPC slabs. More restraints, however, increased cracking area and maximum crack width and at the same time initiated cracking earlier. Statistical analysis showed that the crack width was well fitted using lognormal probabilistic model. Shrinkage strain was larger in the middle part of concrete slab edges by comparing to that at the corner. Shrinkage strain was smaller for a higher SCM volume, a higher w/b ratio and less restraints and they could be used to account for the cracking potential of concrete at early age.

Effect of binder content and water-binder ratio in mortar developed using partial replacement of cement with palm oil clinker powder

The manufacture of cement leads to almost 5 to 7% of the total production of carbon dioxide which causes greenhouse effect. So, it is vital to replace the ordinary Portland cement by the other binders which have the similar or better properties than cement. Besides, the recent interests on the palm oil industrial wastes in the development of mortar led to research works on usefulness of these wastes in construction materials. The palm oil industry produces many wastes such as oil palm shell, palm oil fuel ash (POFA) and palm oil clinker powder (POCP). In this research work, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of different binder contents, and water-binder (w/b) ratio on the development of mortars. Conventional ordinary Portland cement was replaced with 40% of POCP and the total binder contents of 450, 500 and 550 kg/m3 with w/b ratios of 0.45, 0.35 and 0.32 used. The properties of mortars were evaluated for fresh and hardened properties; XRD characteristic was also studied. Test results showed that the strength of mortar specimens improved as the binder content increased with subsequent decrease in w/b ratio. POCP mortar specimens with binder content of 550kg/m3 with cement replacement of 40% produced 28-day compressive strength of 45.3 MPa, compared to 65.12 MPa for control cement mortar (CM). The value of flow diameter of 40% replacement of POCP mortar was 108.51 mm and this was 16.6% lower compared to control mortar. Though POCP based mortar produced a strength reduction of about 36.6%, its usefulness in achieving acceptable strength and sustainable aspect of reducing 40% of conventional cement could be considered significant.

Fresh and shrinkage properties of self‐compacted concrete when using recycled glass as aggregate

In this experimental study, the shrinkage characteristics of self‐compacting concrete were investigated when using green colored recycled glass (RG) as a replacement of natural aggregates (NAs). For this purpose, fine and/or coarse grade NAs were replaced by RG at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%, by weight. Three SCCs series were designed with a constant slump flow of 700 ± 30 mm, total binder content of 570 kg/m3 and at water‐to‐binder (w/b) ratio of 0.35. Moreover, fly ash (FA) was used in concrete mixtures at 20% of total binder content.Fresh properties of mixtures were experimentally investigated in terms of slump flow diameter, T500 slump flow time, V‐funnel flow time, and L‐box height ratio.The findings indicated that the flowability is increased by increase of slump flow, but viscosity is increased as well as what decreases workability. While, the results of physical properties of self‐compacting glass concrete concluded that the RG reduces the free shrinkage, weight loss and restrained shrinkage until the age of 50 days.

Freeze-thaw resistance and sorptivity of self-compacting mortar with ternary blends

This paper investigated the influence of binary and ternary blends of mineral admixtures in self-compacted mortar (SCM) on the fresh, mechanical and durability properties. For this purpose, 25 mortar mixtures were prepared having a total binder content of 640 kg/cm3 and water/binder ratio between 0.41 and 0.50. All the mixtures consisted of Portland cement (PC), fly ash (FA) and silica fume (SF) as binary and ternary blends and air-entrained admixture wasn\'t used while control mixture contained only PC. The compressive and tensile strength tests were conducted for 28 and 91 days as well as slump-flow and Vfunnel time tests whilst freeze-thaw (F-T) resistance and capillary water absorption tests were made for 91-day. Finally, in general, the use of SF with FA as ternary blends improved the tensile strength of mortars at 28- and 91-day while the use of SF15 with FA increased the compressive strength of the mortars compared to binary blends of FA. SCM mixtures with ternary blends had lower the sorptivity values than that of the mortars with binary blends of FA and the control mixture due to the beneficial properties of SF while the use of FA with SF as ternary blends induced the F-T resistance enhancement.

The effect of different water/binder ratio and nano-silica dosage on the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting concrete

This paper aims to study the effect of increasing water/binder ratio on the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting concrete containing nano-silica with different dosages, focusing on the mixes with high w/b ratios that are produced in the field in places with hot weather. 12 mixes were designed with a total binder content of 350 kg/m3, three different water/binder (w/b) ratios of 0.41, 0.45 and 0.5 and 0%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 0.75% (by weight) replacement of cement by nano-silica. Self-compacting concrete was examined concerning fresh state properties and hardened state properties (mechanical and durability properties). Also, the densification of the microstructure of hardened concrete was verified by SEM examinations. The results showed that the effect of a certain nano-silica dosage on compressive strength of concrete with high w/b is greater than that on concrete with low w/b. While concerning durability, the results proved that the influence of a certain nano-silica dosage on low w/b mixes is greater than that on high w/b mixes. Also, the results showed that for mixes with high w/b, the nano-silica cannot compensate the significant decrease in durability caused by increasing w/b but can compensate only the strength reduction and segregation.

Comparison of Glass Powder and Fly Ash Effect on the Fresh Properties of Self-Compacting Mortars

This study is aimed to determine effects of glass powder on fresh properties of self-compacting mortars. Self-compacting mortars incorporating glass powder (SCMGPs) were designed with a water/binder ratio of 0.40 and a total binder content of 550 kg/m3. At first, the control mixture was produced with 20% fly ash and % 80 cement of the total binder content without using the glass powder. Then, glass powder was used in the proportions 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% instead of fly ash in the mortars. Mini-slump flow and mini-v funnel tests experimentally investigated on SCMGPs to compare the effect of fly ash and glass powder. With increasing the amount of glass powder used in SCMGPs increased the amount of superplasticizer used to obtain the desired mini-slump flow diameter. So, the use of glass powder reduced the flow ability of SCMGPs in comparison to fly ash. Additionally, the compressive strength and flexural strength of the mortar mixtures were determined at the 28th day. The test results indicated that the mechanical characteristics of SCMGPs improved when the fly ash was replaced with glass powder in SCMGPs.

Mechanical properties of SFRHSC with metakaolin and ground pumice: Experimental and predictive study

The mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced high strength concrete (SFRHSC) made with binary and ternary blends of metakaolin (MK) and ground pumice (GP) are investigated in this study. The investigated properties are ultrasonic pulse velocity (Upv, compressive strength (fc), flexural strength (ff) and splitting tensile strength (fst) of SFRHSC. A total of 16 steel fiber reinforced concrete mixtures were produced by a total binder content of 500 kg/m3 for determining the effects of MK and GP on the mechanical properties. The design fc was acquired from 70 to 100 MPa by using a low water-binder ratio of 0.2. The test results exhibit that high strength concrete can be obtained by replacing the cement with MK and GP. Besides, correlations between these results are executed for comprehending the relationship between mechanical properties of SFRHSC and the strong correlations are observed between these properties. Moreover, two models in the gene expression programming (GEP) for predicting the fc of SFRHSC made with binary and ternary blends of MK and GP have been developed. The results obtained from these models are compared with the experimental results. These comparisons proved that the results of equations obtained from these models seem to agree with the experimental results.

Mechanical and fracture characteristics of self-compacting concretes containing different percentage of plastic waste powder

This study addresses the mechanical and fracture properties of self-compacting concretes (SCCs) containing plastic waste (PW) powder in varying amounts used as a cement replacement material. Partial amount of cement was replaced by PW powder at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% by weight so as to design six SCC mixtures with a constant slump flow of 700±30mm, total binder content of 550kg/m3 and water-to-binder (w/b) ratio of 0.35. Mechanical characteristics of SCCs were tested for compressive and splitting tensile strengths, net flexural strength as well as modulus of elasticity at 28day. Moreover, failure characteristics of the concrete were monitored via three-point bending test on the notched beams. The findings indicated that mechanical properties of PVC powder modified SCCs decreased while the concretes became less brittle.

Strengths and Failure Characteristics of Self-Compacting Concrete Containing Recycled Waste Glass Aggregate

The effects of different proportions of green-colored waste glass (WG) cullet on the mechanical and fracture properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) were experimentally investigated. Waste bottles were collected, washed, crushed, and sieved to prepare the cullet used in this study. Cullet was incorporated at different percentages (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% by weight) instead of natural fine aggregate (NFA) and/or natural coarse aggregate (NCA). Three SCC series were designed with a constant slump flow of700±30 mm, total binder content of 570 kg/m3and at water-to-binder (w/b) ratio of 0.35. Moreover, fly ash (FA) was used in concrete mixtures at 20% of total binder content. Mechanical aspects such as compressive, splitting tensile, and net flexural strengths and modulus of elasticity of SCC were investigated and experimentally computed at 28 days of age. Moreover, failure characteristics of the concretes were also monitored via three-point bending test on the notched beams. The findings revealed that the mechanical properties as well as fracture parameters were adversely influenced by incorporating of WG cullet. However, highest reduction of compressive strength did not exceed 43% recorded at 100% WG replacement level. Concretes containing WG showed less brittle behavior than reference concrete at any content.

Evaluation of pozzolime mixtures as a sustainable binder to replace portland cement in structural concrete

This study aimed to evaluate the properties of concrete mixes produced mainly of hydrated lime and different types of Pozzolan. This mixture, which is nominated as PozzoLime , is presented as an alternative sustainable binder to replace Portland cement in concrete. The study tends to optimize the Pozzolan to lime proportions with respect to workability and strength of concrete. The investigated parameters are; water to binder ratio, aggregate to binder ratio and type of Pozzolan. The effects of these parameters on properties of the mixture in fresh and hardened states are studied. The included tests were; temperature profile, slump, fresh and oven-dry density, compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity. Silicafume, Fly ash and Metakaolin were the used Pozzolan in this study .The temperature profile through hydration (coffee cup test) shows that all PozzoLime mixtures have significantly less environmental impacts (evolved heat) than Portland cement. The results also show that structural concrete with more than 28 MPa compressive strength at 28 days age can be produced by a binder consisted of 1:1 by weight ratio of Silicafume to hydrated lime, , and with a total binder content of 333 kg/m 3 .

Variation of Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity of multiple-blended binders concretes incorporating thermally Activated Alum Sludge Ash

In this paper the variation of Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) measurements with the compressive strength of multiple blended binders concretes at the age of 3, 7, 28, 56, and 90 days are evaluated. The binders consist of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), thermally Activated Alum Sludge Ash (AASA) obtained from the thermal activation of alum sludge in an electrical furnace until 800°C for 2 h, and the pozzolanic materials, such as Silica Fume (SF), Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) and palm oil fuel ash (POFA), for binary and ternary blends of OPC. The water to binder ratio and total binder content are maintained at 0.3 and 493 kg/m3 for all mixes.The results indicate the relationship between compressive strength and UPV was an extremely positive exponential for multiple-blended binders concretes. A determination coefficient of correlation (R2) of 0.889, which that indicates the presence of good exponential correlation between UPV and compressive strength for all types of concrete mixes. However, constants were different for each pozzolanic material and each level of OPC in concrete.

Time-dependence of chloride diffusion for concrete containing metakaolin

Chloride diffusion coefficient depends on many variables including concrete quality, environmental conditions, and time. In this investigation, the concrete quality and time were studied while maintaining the environmental conditions constant. Fifty-three concrete mixtures were tested based on a refined statistical analysis. Enhanced response surface method (RSM) was used to present the most significant factors affecting the chloride diffusion at different ages. The tested mixtures contained various water-to-binder (W/B) (ratios 0.3–0.5), metakaolin (MK) replacement (0–25%), and total binder content (350–600kg/m3). Bulk diffusion test was adopted for two years to determine the time-dependent coefficient m of chloride diffusion for all mixtures based on the error function solution to Fick's law. This coefficient was calculated based on two different bulk diffusion test methods: total and average methods. Design charts were developed to facilitate the optimization of mixture proportions for designers/engineers. The investigation also included some experimental relationships between the rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT), chloride diffusion coefficient, and compressive strength results. The results showed that the values of the chloride diffusion indicated a general reduction from 28 days to 760 days of testing. As the percentage of MK or binder content increased or as the W/B ratio decrease, the chloride diffusion reduction coefficients, mtotal and mavr, were found to increase. Based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA) from the statistical model, MK was found to be the most significant factor affecting the chloride diffusion at late ages (360 and 720 days), while the W/B ratio was the most significant factor affecting early ages of chloride diffusion (28 and 90 days). The developed models and design charts in this paper can be of special interest to designers/engineers by aiding prediction of service life of concrete containing MK.

Prediction of properties of self-compacting concrete containing fly ash using artificial neural network

This paper investigates the feasibility of using artificial neural networks (ANNs) modeling to predict the properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) containing fly ash as cement replacement. For the purpose of constructing this model, a database of experimental data was gathered from the literature and used for training and testing the model. The data used in the artificial neural network model are arranged in a format of six input parameters that cover the total binder content, fly ash replacement percentage, water–binder ratio, fine aggregates, coarse aggregates and superplasticizer. Four outputs parameters are predicted based on the ANN technique as the slump flow, the L-box ratio, the V-funnel time and the compressive strength at 28 days of SCC. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed model and improve its performance, a comparison of the ANN-based prediction model with other researcher’s experimental results was carried out, and a good agreement was found. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted using the trained and tested ANN model to investigate the effect of fly ash on SCC properties. This study shows that artificial neural network has strong potential as a feasible tool for predicting accurately the properties of SCC containing fly ash.

Refined statistical modeling for chloride permeability and strength of concrete containing metakaolin

An experimental investigation was conducted to develop design tools using refined statistical analysis to optimize chloride permeability and strength of concrete containing metakaolin (MK). The study adopts the design of experiments (DOEs) to test 53 concrete mixtures based on enhanced response surface method (RSM). Three factors were considered: total binder content (binder), percentage of metakaolin (MK%), and water-to-binder ratio (W/B). The mixtures were examined based on the rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT), chloride diffusion test, compressive strength (fc), modulus of elasticity (MOE), splitting tensile strength (STS), flexural strength (FS), and cost of mixture per cubic meter. The developed statistical models and design charts are valid for concrete with W/B ratios ranging from 0.3 to 0.5, MK from 0% to 25%, and total binder content from 350kg/m3 to 600kg/m3. The results endorse that the obtained derived models and design charts are useful for understanding the influence of the key factors on concrete mechanical and durability properties. These models and design charts are beneficial for predicting and selecting the optimum mixture proportions for a given application in a simple and accurate way. This paper’s recommendations can be of special interest to designers considering the use of concrete containing MK in structural applications.

Effects of milled cut steel fibers on the properties of concrete

This study presents the mechanical and transport properties of milled cut steel fiber reinforced concretes (MCSFRC). Properties studied include unit weight, workability, compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, bond strength, water absorption, water porosity, water sorptivity, rapid chloride ion permeability and drying shrinkage of concrete. Mixtures with a waterbinder ratio of 0.40, total binder content of 500 kg/m3 and milled cut steel fiber content of 0, 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00% by concrete volume were produced and tested. The laboratory results showed a slight reduction in compressive strength with the use of milled cut steel fiber. On the other hand milled cut steel fibers significantly improved the tensile strength and decreased the drying shrinkage. Although no significant increase was observed in the absorption, porosity and sorptivity, chloride ion permeability increased drastically with the increase of milled cut steel fiber content.

Compressive Characterization of Modified Concrete by Partial Replacement of Conventional Binder with Red Mud

Recent trends focuses on the utilization of waste products as a partial replacement in concrete ingredients. Many mineral admixtures are already in practice such as fly ash, slag powder, silica fume etc. one such industrial byproduct is red mud which is available as a highly concentrated condition as a byproduct of bauxite purification processed. Red mud can be replaced with cement in the total binder condition and reasonable variation in the strength parameter can be recorded. To enhance the performance, hydrated lime is added to the mixes which increase the compressive strength better than conventional concrete. In this study, M30 grade of concrete is designed and red mud is partially replaced by 5, 10, 15 & 20% by weight of the cement in the total binder content. The compressive strength of the modified mixes and conventional mixes were evaluated systematically. Test results shows 10% & 15% replacement of red mud with cement records a on par and better value for both mixes with and without addition of hydrated lime.