• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.207-220
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of recycled materials, namely, shredded scrap tire (SST), reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and class C fly ash (CFA) on compressive and tensile strength of concrete. Either SST or RAP was used as an aggregate replacement and class C fly ash (CFA) as Portland cement replacement for making concrete. A total of two types of SST and RAP, namely, chips and screenings were used for replacing coarse and fine aggregates, respectively. A total of 26 concrete mixes containing different replacement level of SST or RAP and CFA were designed. Using the mix designs, cylindrical specimens of concrete were prepared, cured in water tank, and tested for unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and indirect tensile strength (IDT) after 28 days. Experimental results showed aggregate substitution with SST decreased both UCS and IDT of concrete. On the contrary, replacement of aggregate with RAP improved UCS values. Specimens containing RAP chips resulted in concrete with higher IDT values as compared to corresponding specimens containing RAP screenings. Addition of 40% CFA was found to improve UCS values and degrade IDT values of SST containing specimens. Statistical analysis showed that IDT of SST and RAP can be estimated as approximately 13% and 12% of UCS, respectively.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.145-154
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• 2017

In the present day scenario, concrete construction is rapidly becoming uneconomical and non sustainable practice, due to the scarcity of raw materials and environmental pollution caused by the manufacturing of cement. In this study an attempt has been made to propose recycled aggregates from demolition wastes as coarse aggregate in geopolymer concrete (GPC). Experimental investigations have been conducted to find optimum percentage of recycled aggregates (RA) in GPC by replacing 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and 60% of coarse aggregates by RA to produce recycled aggregate geopolymer concrete (RGPC). From the study it has been found that the optimum replacement percentage of recycled aggregates was 40% based on mechanical properties and workability. In order to study and compare the flexural behaviour of RGPC and GPC four beams of size $175mm{\times}150mm{\times}1200mm$ were prepared and tested under two point loading. Test results were evaluated with respect to first crack load, ultimate load, load-deflection characteristics, ductility and energy absorption characteristics. Form the experimental study it can be concluded that the addition of recycled aggregate in GPC causes slight reduction in its strength and ductility. Since the percentage reduction in strength and behaviour of RGPC is meager compared to GPC it can be recommended as a sustainable and environment friendly construction material.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.155-171
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• 2017

The phenomenon of concrete column shortening has been widely acknowledged since it first became apparent in the 1960s. Axial column shortening is due to the combined effect of elastic and inelastic deformations, shrinkage and creep. This study aims to investigate the effects of ambient temperature, relative humidity, cement hardening speed and aggregate type on concrete column shortening. The investigation was conducted using a column shortening prediction model which is underpinned by the Eurocode 2. Critical analysis and evaluation of the results showed that the concrete aggregate types used in the concrete have significant impact on column shortening. Generally, aggregates with higher moduli of elasticity hold the best results in terms of shortening. Cement type used is another significant factor, as using slow hardening cement gives better results compared to rapid hardening cement. This study also showed that environmental factors, namely, ambient temperature and relative humidity have less impact on column shortening.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.29-45
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• 2018

This paper investigates the effect of inclusion of glass fibers on mechanical and fracture properties of binary blend geopolymer concrete produced by using fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag. To study the effect of glass fibers, the mix design parameters like binder content, alkaline solution/binder ratio, sodium hydroxide concentration and aggregate grading were kept constant. Four different volume fractions (0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3% and 0.4%) and two different lengths (6 mm, 13 mm) of glass fibers were considered in the present study. Three different notch-depth ratios (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) were considered for determining the fracture properties. The test results indicated that the addition of glass fibers improved the flexural strength, split tensile strength, fracture energy, critical stress intensity factor and critical crack mouth opening displacement of geopolymer concrete. 13 mm fibers are found to be more effective than 6 mm fibers and the optimum dosage of glass fibers was found to be 0.3% (by volume of concrete). The study shows the enormous potential of glass fiber reinforced geopolymer concrete in structural applications.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2018

An experimental investigation has been carried out on the use of an environmentally sustainable material, bamboo, in the construction of precast concrete structural wall panels. The strength and behaviour of three prototype bamboo reinforced concrete wall panel specimens under two-way in-plane action was studied. The specimens with varying aspect ratio and thinness ratio were tested to fail under a uniformly distributed in-plane load applied at an eccentricity of t/6. The aspect ratio of the specimens considered includes 1.667, 1.818 and 2 and the thinness ratio includes 12.5, 13.75 and 15. The influence of aspect ratio and thinness ratio of bamboo reinforced concrete wall panels, on its strength and behaviour was discussed. Varnished and sand blasted bamboo splints of 20 mm width and thickness varying from 8 to 15 mm were used as reinforcement in concrete. Based on the study, an empirical equation was developed considering the geometrical parameters of bamboo reinforced concrete wall panels for predicting its ultimate strength under two way in-plane action.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.87-102
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• 2018

Utilization of waste tires may be considered as one of the solution to the problems faced by the local authorities in disposing them. Reclaimed rubber (RR) is being used in concrete for replacing conventional aggregates. This research work is focused on the strength prediction of reclaimed rubber concrete using a Genetic Algorithm (GA) for M40 grade of concrete and comparing it with experimental results. 1000 sets were taken and 100 iterations were run during training of GA models. A base study has been carried out in this research work partially replacing cement with three types of fillers such as Plaster of Paris (POP), Fly Ash (FA) and Silica Fume (SF). A total of 243 cubes were cast and tested for compression using a Universal Testing Machine. It was found that SF produced maximum strength in concrete and was used in the main study with reclaimed rubber. Tests were conducted on 81 cube samples with a combination of optimum SF percent and various proportions of RR replacing coarse aggregates in concrete mix. Compressive strength tests of concrete at 7, 14 and 28 days reveal that the maximum strength is obtained at 12 percent replacement of cement and 9 percent replacement of coarse aggregates respectively. Moreover the GA results were found to be in line with the experimental results obtained.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.15-28
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• 2018

In the present investigation, influence of various material parameters on the cavitation erosion resistance of concrete was investigated on the basis of laboratory experiments. As there is no well-established laboratory test method for evaluating the cavitation resistance of concrete, a test set up called 'cavitation jet' was specially established in the present study in order to simulate the cavitation phenomenon experienced in the hydraulic structures. Various mixtures of concrete were designed by varying the grade of concrete, type and quantity of pozzolana, type of aggregates and cement type to develop good cavitation resistant concrete constructed using marginal aggregates. Three types of aggregates having three different Los Angeles abrasion values (less than 30%, between 30% and 50% and more than 50%) were employed in this study. To evaluate the cavitation resistance a total of 60 cylindrical specimens and 60 companion cubes were tested in the laboratory respectively. The results indicate that cavitation resistance of concrete degrades significantly as the L.A. abrasion value of aggregates goes beyond the 30% value. Incorporation of pozzolanic admixtures was seemed to be beneficial to enhance the cavitation resistance of concrete. Influence of other material parameters on the cavitation resistance of concrete was also noted and important observations have been made in the paper.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.47-68
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• 2018

This article reports the utilization of fly ash (FA) waste product from industry and silpozz which is an agro-waste from agriculture as an environmental friendly material in construction industry. The evaluation of strength and durability study was observed using FA and silpozz as a partial replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). The studied parameters are compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength and bond strength as well as the durability study involves the acid soluble chloride (ASC), water soluble chloride (WSC), water absorption and sorptivity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and XRD of selected samples are also done. It reveals from the test results that the deterioration factor (DF) in compressive strength is 4% at 365 days. The DF of split tensile strength and flexural strength is 0.96% and 0.6% at 90 days respectively. The minimum slip is 1mm and 1.1mm after 28 days of testing bond strength for NWC and SWC sample respectively. The percentage decrease in bond strength is 10.35% for 28 days SWC samples. The pre-cast blended concrete samples performed better to chloride diffusion. Modulus of elasticity of SWC samples are also studied.The water absorption and sorptivity tests are conducted after 28 days of curing.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.69-85
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• 2018

In order to provide sufficient stability and resistance against bleeding and segregation during transportation and placing, mineral admixtures are often used in self-compacting concrete mixes (SCC). These fine materials also contribute to reducing the construction cost and the consumption of natural resources. Many studies have confirmed the benefits of these mineral admixtures on properties of SCC in standard curing conditions. However, there are few published reports regarding their effects at elevated curing temperatures. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of three different mineral admixtures namely limestone powder (LP), granulated blast furnace slag (GS) and natural pozzolana (PZ) on mechanical properties and porosity of SCC when exposed to different curing temperatures (20, 40, 60 and $80^{\circ}C$). The level of substitution of cement by mineral admixture was fixed at 15%. The results showed that increasing curing temperature causes an improvement in performance at an early age without penalizing its long-term properties. However the temperature of $40^{\circ}C$ is considered the optimal curing temperature to make economical and high performance SCC. On the other hand, GS is the most suitable mineral admixture for SCC under elevated curing temperature.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.183-193
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• 2020

The present investigation is to identify an optimum mix combination amongst 28 different types of artificial lightweight aggregates by pelletization method with aggregate properties. Artificial aggregates with different combinations were manufactured from fly ash, cement, hydrated lime, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), silica fume, metakaolin, sodium bentonite and calcium bentonite, at a standard 17 minutes pelletization time, with 28% of water content on a weight basis. Further, the artificial aggregates were air-dried for 24 hours, followed by hardening through the cold-bonding (water curing) process for 28 days and then testing with different physical and mechanical properties. The results found the lowest impact strength value of 16.5% with a cement-hydrated lime (FCH) mix combination. Moreover, the lowest water absorption of 16.5% and highest individual pellet crushing strength of 36.7 MPa for 12 mm aggregate with a hydrated lime-GGBFS (FHG) mix combination. The results, attained from different binder materials, could be helpful for manufacturing high strength artificial aggregates.