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This study prepared modified alkali-activated slag repair materials by incorporating an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer emulsion (EVA). Sulfate attack tests, shrinkage tests, scanning electron microscopy, and mercury intrusion porosimetry tests were conducted to examine the durability and microstructural features of the alkali-activated slag repair materials. The experimental results demonstrated that adding EVA can enhance the shrinkage and strength of alkali-activated slag mortar, but that the materials exhibit poor resistance to sulfate attack. Optimizing the ratio design can yield alkali-activated cementitious materials with high strength, good durability, high bonding strength, and low shrinkage. This can reduce brittleness and increase the shrinkage rate of the material's defects, which has significant implications for subsequent fracture repair. The image of the microstructure showed that the section of alkali-activated slag paste is smooth and exhibits polymer emulsion filling gaps in the amorphous cementitious material. A connection between fibrous filaments on the cross section of the matrix crack enhances the strength of the material. The proportion of microcracks is increased and material strength is decreased after sulfate attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to investigate the sorptivity and capillary coefficient in unsaturated concrete using the capillary water absorption experiment. The effects of water-binder ratio, fly ash content, and aggregate content on the water absorption performance in concrete are compared. The decrease of water-binder ratio, aggregate content, and the increase of the initial degree of water saturation can lead to a decrease in the water absorption ability. With the increase of fly ash content, the water absorption ability first decreases and then increases; the 40% fly ash content had the worst water absorption ability. To forecast the water transport process, an unsaturated flow theory was used to predict the water content distribution in concrete during transport, this theory can well reveal the water distribution in concrete during water transport and the law of water content distribution is consistent with that of the water absorption experimental. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By combining the nearest surface distribution function and hydration kinetic equation, analytical equations are proposed to determine the pore phase and solid phase evolution in the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). In addition, the numerical models for concrete with a single flat aggregate are constructed based on the CEMHYD3D hydration model. The results show that the degree of hydration is the main factor affecting the ratio of the average porosity to the matrix porosity in the ITZ. With an increase in the aggregate volume fraction and interface thickness, the volume fraction of the ITZ first increases and then decreases. The degree of overlap increases linearly with the interface thickness and the aggregate volume fraction. As the distance from the aggregate surface increases, high-density C-S-H increases, while low-density C-S-H and calcium hydroxide phases decrease. Finally, the predicted results using the analytical equations and numerical simulation are verified by testing via back-scattered electron microscopy, which indicates that the experimental results are more consistent with the predicted results of the analytical model than with those of the numerical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed to study the corrosion resistance of Cr10Mo1 alloy corrosion-resistant steel (CR) in the seawater–sea sand concrete pore solution (SWSSCPS), compared with low-carbon steel (LC) and stainless steel (SS). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), SEM, atomic force microscope, and Mott–Schottky curve tests are applied to obtain information on the composition, structure, and morphology of the corrosion-resistant (CR) passive film. Finally, the difference between CR passive film and the other two kinds of steels under chloride attack is investigated, and the apparent morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition of the CR passive film during the attack are analyzed. With the exposure time increased, the passive film and interfacial integrity of CR are approximately equivalent to that of SS in terms of phase angle in the midband and low-frequency band modulus, indicating the anticorrosion performance of CR has a much better effect than that of LC and close to that of SS. The results reveal that the FeO in the passive film outer layer and a high amount of Cr2O3/Cr(OH)3 in the inner layer prevent CR from further corrosion by chloride ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]