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In this study, accelerated chloride diffusion tests are performed on ordinary Portland cement (OPC), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), and fly ash (FA) concretes aged 4–6 years. Passed charge is evaluated according to ASTM-C-1202 for 12 mixtures, considering water–binder (W/B) ratios (0.37, 0.42, and 0.47), GGBFS replacement rates (0%, 30%, 50%), and FA replacement rates (0% and 30%). The effects of aged days on passed charge reduction behavior are quantified through repetitive regression analysis. Among existing machine learning (ML) models, linear, lasso, and ridge models are used to analyze the correlation of aged days and mix properties with passed charge. Passed charge analysis considering long-term age shows a significant variability decrease of passed charge by W/B ratio with increasing age and added admixtures (GGBFS and FA). Furthermore, the higher the water–binder ratio in GGBFS and FA concretes, the greater the decrease in passed charge due to aged days. The ML model-based regression analysis shows high correlation when compressive strength and independent variables are considered together. Future work includes a correlational analysis between mixture properties and chloride ingress durability performance using deep learning models based on the time series properties of evaluation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since a concrete structure exposed to a sulfate environment is subject to surface ion ingress that yields cracking due to concrete swelling, its service life evaluation with an engineering modeling is very important. In this paper, cementitious repair materials containing bacteria, Rhodobacter capsulatus, and porous spores for immobilization were developed, and the service life of RC (Reinforced Concrete) structures with a developed bacteria-coating was evaluated through deterministic and probabilistic methods. Design parameters such protective coating thickness, diffusion coefficient, surface roughness, and exterior sulfate ion concentration were considered, and the service life was evaluated with the changing mean and coefficient of variation (COV) of each factor. From service life evaluation, more conservative results were evaluated with the probabilistic method than the deterministic method, and as a result of the analysis, coating thickness and surface roughness were derived as key design parameters for ensuring service life. In an environment exposed to an exterior sulfate concentration of 200 ppm, using the deterministic method, the service life was 17.3 years without repair, 19.7 years with normal repair mortar, and 29.6 years with the application of bacteria-coating. Additionally, when the probabilistic method is applied in the same environment, the service life was changed to 9.2–16.0 years, 10.5–18.2 years, and 15.4–27.4 years, respectively, depending on the variation of design parameters. The developed bacteria-coating technique showed a 1.47–1.50 times higher service life than the application of normal repair mortar, and the effect was much improved when it had a low COV of around 0.1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the effects of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) and belite-rich Portland cement (BPC) on the compressive strength, autogenous shrinkage (AS), and micro- and macroscopic performance of sustainable, ultra-high-performance paste (SUHPP). Several experimental studies were conducted, including compressive strength, AS, isothermal calorimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), attenuated total reflectance (ATR)–Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultra-sonic pulse velocity (UPV), and electrical resistivity. The following conclusions can be made based on the experimental results: (1) a small amount of SAP has a strength promotion effect during the first 3 days, while BPC can significantly improve the strength over the following 28 days. (2) SAP slows down the internal relative humidity reduction and effectively reduces the development of AS. BPC specimens show a lower AS than other specimens. The AS shows a linear relationship with the internal relative humidity. (3) Specimens with SAP possess higher cumulative hydration heat than control specimens. The slow hydration rate in the BPC effectively reduces the exothermic heat. (4) With the increase in SAP, the calcium hydroxide (CH) and combined water content increases, and SAP thus improves the effect on cement hydration. The contents of CH and combined water in BPC specimens are lower than those in the ordinary Portland cement (OPC) specimen. (5) All samples display rapid hydration of the cement in the first 3 days, with a high rate of UPV development. Strength is an exponential function of UPVs. (6) The electrical resistivity is reduced due to the increase in porosity caused by the release of water from SAP. From 3 to 28 days, BPC specimens show a greater increment in electrical resistivity than other specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the increase in research regarding environmental pollution reduction, the utilization of cementitious material, a commonly used construction material, in photocatalysts has become a desirable research field for the widespread application of photocatalytic degradation technology. Nano-reinforcement technology for cementitious materials has been extensively researched and developed. In this work, as a new and promising reinforcing agent for cementitious materials, the photocatalytic performance of titanium dioxide nanotube (TNT) was investigated. The degradation of methylene blue was used to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the TNT-reinforced cement paste. In addition, cement paste containing micro-TiO2 (m-TiO2) and nano-TiO2 (n-TiO2) particles were used for comparison. Moreover, the effect of these TiO2-based photocatalytic materials on the cement hydration products was monitored via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). The results indicated that all the TiO2 based materials promoted the formation of hydration products. After 28 days of curing, the TNT-reinforced cement paste contained the maximum amount of hydration products (Ca(OH)2). Furthermore, the cement paste containing TNT exhibited better photocatalytic effects than that containing n-TiO2, but worse than that containing m-TiO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The service life of concretes exposed to sulfate decreases as the concrete body expands due to the formation of gypsum and ettringite. Bacteria-based repair coating layers, which have been studied lately, are aerobic and very effective on the sulfate attack. In this study, bio-slime repair coating layers were fabricated using bacteria, and chloride diffusion experiments were performed. In addition, the service life of concrete under sulfate attack was evaluated using time-dependent diffusivity and a multi-layer technique. Chloride diffusivity was compared with sulfate diffusivity based on literature review, and the results were used to consider the reduction in the diffusion coefficient. In the analysis results, the service life of concrete was evaluated to be 38.5 years without bio-slime coating layer, but it was increased to 41.5–54.3 years using it. In addition, when the thickness of the bio-slime coating layer is 2.0 mm, the service life can be increased by 1.31–2.15 times if the sulfate diffusion coefficient of the layer is controlled at a level of 0.1 ~ 0.3 × 10−12 m2/s. Eco-friendly and aerobic bio-slime coating layers are expected to effectively resist sulfate under appropriate construction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) conventionally has been incorporated with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) owing to reduce the environmental load and enhance the engineering performance. Concrete with GGBFS shows different strength development of normal concrete, but sensitive, to exterior condition. Thus, a precise strength evaluation technique based on a quantitative model like full maturity model is required. Many studies have been performed on strength development of the concrete using equivalent age which is based on the apparent activation energy. In this process, it considers the effect of time and temperature simultaneously. However, the previous models on the apparent activation energy of concrete with mineral admixtures have limitation, and they have not considered the effect of temperature on strength development. In this paper, the apparent activation energy with GGBFS replacement ratio was calculated through several experiments and used to predict the compressive strength of GGBFS concrete. Concrete and mortar specimens with 0.6 water/binder ratio, and 0 to 60% GGBFS replacement were prepared. The apparent activation energy (Ea) was experimentally derived considering three different curing temperatures. Thermodynamic reactivity of GGBFS mixed concrete at different curing temperature was applied to evaluate the compressive strength model, and the experimental results were in good agreement with the model. The results show that when GGBFS replacement ratio was increased, there was a delay in compressive strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]