• Computers and Concrete
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.319-332
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• 2021

The performance of gene expression programming (GEP) in predicting the compressive strength of bacteria-incorporated geopolymer concrete (GPC) was examined in this study. Ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), new bacterial strains, fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), metakaolin (MK), and manufactured sand were used as ingredients in the concrete mixture. For the geopolymer preparation, an 8 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution was used, and the ambient curing temperature (28℃) was maintained for all mixtures. The ratio of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) to NaOH was 2.33, and the ratio of alkaline liquid to binder was 0.35. Based on experimental data collected from the literature, an evolutionary-based algorithm (GEP) was proposed to develop new predictive models for estimating the compressive strength of GPC containing bacteria. Data were classified into training and testing sets to obtain a closed-form solution using GEP. Independent variables for the model were the constituent materials of GPC, such as FA, MK, SF, and Bacillus bacteria. A total of six GEP formulations were developed for predicting the compressive strength of bacteria-incorporated GPC obtained at 1, 3, 7, 28, 56, and 90 days of curing. 80% and 20% of the data were used for training and testing the models, respectively. R2 values in the range of 0.9747 and 0.9950 (including train and test dataset) were obtained for the concrete samples, which showed that GEP can be used to predict the compressive strength of GPC containing bacteria with minimal error. Moreover, the GEP models were in good agreement with the experimental datasets and were robust and reliable. The models developed could serve as a tool for concrete constructors using geopolymers within the framework of this research.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.71-81
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• 2022

Aluminosilicate materials as precursors are heterogenous in nature, consisting of inert and partially reactive portion, and have varying proportions depending upon source materials. It is essential to assess the reactivity of precursor prior to synthesize geopolymers. Moreover, reactivity may act as decisive factor for setting molar concentration of NaOH, curing temperature and setting proportion of different precursors. In this experimental work, the reactivities of two precursors, low calcium (fly ash (FA)) and high calcium (ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)), were assessed through the dissolution of aluminosilicate at (i) three molar concentrations (8, 12, and 16 M) of NaOH solution, (ii) 6 to 24 h dissolution time, and (iii) 20-100℃. Based on paratermeters influencing the reactivity, different proportions of ternary binders (two precursors and ordinary cement) were activated by the combined NaOH and Na2SiO3 solutions with two alkaline activators to precursor ratios, to synthesize the geopolymer. Reactivity results revealed that GGBS was 20-30% more reactive than FA at 20℃, at all three molar concentrations, but its reactivity decreased by 32-46% with increasing temperature due to the high calcium content. Setting time of geopolymer paste was reduced by adding GGBS due to its fast reactivity. Both GGBS and cement promoted the formation of all types of gels (i.e., C-S-H, C-A-S-H, and N-A-S-H). As a result, it was found that a specified mixing proportion could be used to improve the compressive strength over 30 MPa at both the ambient and hot curing conditions.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제12권5호
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• pp.429-437
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• 2021

In the era of building engineering the intensification of Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) is world-shattering magnetism. It has lot of rewards over ordinary concrete i.e., enrichment in production, cutback in manpower, brilliant retort to load and vibration along with improved durability. In the present study, the mechanical strength of CM-2 (SCC containing 10% of rice husk ash (RHA) as cement replacement and 600 grams of glass fibers per cubic meter) was investigated at various dosages of cement replacement by fly ash (FA) and GGBS. A total of 17 SCC mixtures including two control SCC mixtures (CM-1 and CM-2) were developed for investigating fresh and hardened properties in which, ten ternary cementitious blends of SCC by blending OPC+RHA+FA, OPC+RHA+GGBS and five quaternary cementitious blends (OPC+RHA+FA+GGBS) at different replacement dosages of FA and GGBS were developed with reference to CM-2. For constant water-cement ratio (0.42) and dosage of SP (2.5%), the addition of glass fibers (600 grams/m³) in CM-1 i.e., CM-2 shows lower workability but higher mechanical strength. While fly ash based ternary blends (OPC+RHA+FA) show better workability but lower mechanical strength as FA content increases in comparison to GGBS based ternary blends (OPC+RHA+GGBS) on increasing GGBS content. The pattern for mixtures appeared to exhibit higher workablity as that of the concentration of FA+GGBS rises in quaternary blends (OPC+RHA+FA+GGBS). A decrease in compressive strength at 7-days was noticed with an increase in the percentage of FA and GGBS as cement replacement in ternary and quaternary blended mixtures with respect to CM-2. The highest 28-days compressive strength (41.92 MPa) was observed for mix QM-3 and the lowest (33.18 MPa) for mix QM-5.

• 한국건설순환자원학회논문집
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.577-583
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• 2022

본 연구에서는 고로슬래그 미분말, 팽창재 및 무수석고로 이루어진 무기계 자기치유 소재를 사용하여 제조한 자기치유 모르타르의 특성을 조사하였다. 무기계 치유재료의 사용량이 다른 3종류의 자기치유 모르타르를 대상으로 압축강도를 측정하고 정수위 투수시험를 통하여 치유성능을 평가하였다. 치유성능 평가지표로 균열유도재령애 따른 치유율과 등가균열폭을 활용하였다. 자기치유 모르타르의 압축강도 발현, 치유재령에 따른 치유율 변화와 경제성을 고려하여 무기계 혼합재의 최적 사용량을 시멘트 질량 대비 20 %로 제안하였다.

• 대한토목학회논문집
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• 제29권4A호
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• pp.365-371
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• 2009

콘크리트 중의 염화물이온 확산특성의 평가는 농도 차에 의한 방법이 보통이지만, 이 방법은 보통 수개월에서 수년으로 많은 시간이 소요된다. 따라서 최근의 연구는 주로 전위차를 이용하여 염화물이온의 이동을 전기적으로 촉진시켜 전기화학적 이론으로 해석하는 촉진 염화물 확산계수 평가 방법들이 주로 연구되고 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 다양한 촉진시험 방법 중 하나인 Tang 등의 방법을 이용하여 구한 염화물이온 확산계수와 인공해수 침지시험을 통하여 구한 농도차 염화물이온 확산계수와의 비교 평가를 실시하였다. 포틀랜드시멘트 콘크리트 및 고로슬래그미분말을 시멘트 질량의 40 및 60% 혼합한 고로슬래그미분말 혼합 콘크리트에 대하여 각각 물-결합재비 40, 45, 50 및 60%로 하여 촉진 염화물이온 침투깊이 및 염화물이온의 확산계수를 평가하였다. 염화물이온의 확산계수 및 침투깊이는 시멘트의 수화가 진행될수록, 물-결합재비가 작을수록 크게 감소하였다. 또한 시험 방법별 염화물이온 확산계수의 회귀분석 결과에 의하면, 촉진 및 침지시험으로부터 구한 염화물이온의 확산계수 사이에는 선형함수 형태의 상관관계가 있었으며 결정계수 0.96으로 좋은 상관성을 나타내었다.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.175-193
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• 2024

Researchers have embarked on an active investigation into the feasibility of adopting alternative materials as a solution to the mounting environmental and economic challenges associated with traditional concrete-based construction materials, such as reinforced concrete. The examination of concrete's mechanical properties using laboratory methods is a complex, time-consuming, and costly endeavor. Consequently, the need for models that can overcome these drawbacks is urgent. Fortunately, the ever-increasing availability of data has paved the way for the utilization of machine learning methods, which can provide powerful, efficient, and cost-effective models. This study aims to explore the potential of twelve machine learning algorithms in predicting the tensile strength of geopolymer concrete (GPC) under various curing conditions. To fulfill this objective, 221 datasets, comprising tensile strength test results of GPC with diverse mix ratios and curing conditions, were employed. Additionally, a number of unseen datasets were used to assess the overall performance of the machine learning models. Through a comprehensive analysis of statistical indices and a comparison of the models' behavior with laboratory tests, it was determined that nearly all the models exhibited satisfactory potential in estimating the tensile strength of GPC. Nevertheless, the artificial neural networks and support vector regression models demonstrated the highest robustness. Both the laboratory tests and machine learning outcomes revealed that GPC composed of 30% fly ash and 70% ground granulated blast slag, mixed with 14 mol of NaOH, and cured in an oven at 300°F for 28 days exhibited superior tensile strength.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.155-167
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• 2023

The penetrated chloride in concrete has different behavior with mix proportions and local exposure conditions, even in the same environments, so that it is very important to quantify surface chloride contents for durability design. As well known, the surface chloride content which is a key parameter like external loading in structural safety design increases with exposure period. In this study, concrete samples containing OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement), GGBFS (Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag), and FA (Fly Ash) had been exposed to submerged, tidal, and splash area for 5 years, then the surface chloride contents changing with exposure period were evaluated. The surface chloride contents were obtained from the chloride profile based on the Fick's 2nd Law, and the regression analysis for them was performed with exponential and square root function. After exposure period of 5 years in submerged and tidal area conditions, the surface chloride content of OPC concrete increased to 6.4 kg/m³ - 7.3 kg/m³, and the surface chloride content of GGBFS concrete was evaluated as 7.3 kg/m³ - 11.5 kg/m³. In the higher replacement ratio of GGBFS, the higher surface chloride contents were evaluated. The surface chloride content in FA concrete showed a range of 6.7 kg/m³ to 9.9 kg/m³, which was the intermediate level of OPC and GGBFS concrete. In the case of splash area, the surface chloride contents in all specimens were from 0.59 kg/m³ to 0.75 kg/m³, which was the lowest of all exposure conditions. Experimental constants available for durability design of chloride ingress were derived through regression analysis over exposure period. In the concrete with GGBFS replacement ratio of 50%, the increase rate of surface chloride contents decreased rapidly as the water to binder ratio increased.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제16권6호
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• pp.303-316
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• 2023

Using industrial wastes and construction and demolition (C&D) wastes is potentially advantageous for concrete production in terms of sustainability improvement. In this paper, a sustainable Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) made with industrial wastes and C&D wastes was proposed by considerably replacing natural counterparts with recycled coarse aggregates (RCAs) and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) (i.e., Fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and silica fume (SF)). A total of 12 SCC mixes with various RCAs and different combination SCMs were prepared, which comprise binary, ternary and quaternary mixes. The mechanical properties in terms of compressive strength and static elasticity modulus of recycled aggregates (RA-SCC) mixes were determined and analyzed. Microstructural study was implemented to analyze the reason of improvement on mechanical properties. By means of life cycle assessment (LCA) method, the environmental impacts of RA-SCC with various RCAs and SCMs were quantified, analyzed and compared in the system boundary of "cradle-to-gate". In addition, the comparison of LCA results with respect to mechanical properties was conducted. The results demonstrate that the addition of proposed combination SCMs leads to significant improvement in mechanical properties of quaternary RA-SCC mixes with FA, GGBS and SF. Furthermore, quaternary RA-SCC mixes emit lowest environmental burdens without compromising mechanical properties. Thus, using the combination of FA, GGBS and SF as cement substitution to manufacture RA-SCC significantly improves the sustainability of SCC by minimizing the depletion of cement and non-renewable natural resources.

• 콘크리트학회논문집
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.405-412
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• 2008

친환경 콘크리트 개발의 의미와 한계를 파악하기 위해 알칼리 활성 경량콘크리트 6배합이 실험되었다. 무시멘트 친환경 결합재를 생산하기 위해 고로슬래그와 분말형 규산나트륨이 각각 모재와 활성화제로 이용되었다. 최대직경 13 mm의 경량골재가 굵은골재로 이용되었으며, 최대직경 5 mm의 경량골재가 천연모래의 용적비로 0, 15, 30, 50, 75 및 100% 치환되었다. 굳지 않은 콘크리트에서는 시간경과에 따른 슬럼프 변화가 측정되었으며, 굳은 콘크리트에서는 재령에 따른 압축강도 발현속도, 할렬인장강도, 파괴계수, 탄성계수, 응력-변형률 관계, 부착강도 및 건조수축 변형률이 측정되었다. 실험된 알칼리 활성 경량콘크리트의 압축강도는 경량 잔골재 치환율이 30% 이상일 때 급격히 감소하였다. 특히 사용된 경량골재의 불연속 입도분포는 콘크리트의 역학적 특성들을 나쁘게 만들었다. 알칼리 활성 경량콘크리트의 역학적 특성들은 보통포틀랜드시멘트 경량콘크리트를 위해 제시된 ACI 318-05 및 EC 2 설계기준 또는 Slate 등의 제안모델들과 비교되었다. 또한 측정된 응력-변형률 관계는 보통포틀랜드시멘트 경량콘크리트의 실험 결과에 근거하여 제시된 Tasnimi의 모델과 비교되었다. 실험 결과와 각 제안 모델들과의 비교는 잘 일치하지 않았다.

• 콘크리트학회논문집
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.415-424
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• 2017

본 연구의 목적은 플라이애시 및 고로슬래그 미분말로 제조한 알칼리 활성화 결합재 모르타르의 황산염 저항성에 미치는 마그네슘(Magnesium, $Mg^{2+}$) 및 황산(Sulfate, ${SO_4}^{2-}$) 이온의 영향을 확인하는 것이다. 이를 위하여 고로슬래그 미분말 치환율을 30%, 50% 및 100%, $SiO_2$와 $Na_2O$의 몰 비($SiO_2/Na_2O$ molar ratio, Ms)를 1.0, 1.5 및 2.0으로 조정한 시험체를 제작하였다. 그리고 $Mg^{2+}$ 및 ${SO_4}^{2-}$의 영향을 확인하기 위하여 $Mg^{2+}$ 단독(10% $Mg(NO_3)_2$), ${SO_4}^{2-}$ 단독(10% $Na_2SO_4$), $Mg^{2+}$ 및 ${SO_4}^{2-}$ 복합(10% [$MgCl_2+Na_2SO_4$], 10% [$Mg(NO_3)_2+Na_2SO_4$]) 및 $MgSO_4$ 수용액(10%, 5% 및 2.5% $MgSO_4$)의 조건에서 압축강도, 길이변화, 질량변화 및 X선 회절 분석을 실시하였다. 그 결과, $Mg^{2+}$ 및 ${SO_4}^{2-}$가 공존하는 경우에만 황산염 침식에 의한 강도저하 및 팽창 등이 발생하는 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 현상은 $Mg^{2+}$이 규산칼슘 수화물(Calcium Silicate Hydrate, C-S-H)을 분해하여 $Ca^{2+}$이 용출되고, 용출된 $Ca^{2+}$과 ${SO_4}^{2-}$가 결합하여 석고($CaSO_4{\cdot}2H_2O$, Gypsum)를 생성하고, $Mg^{2+}$과 OH가 결합하여 수산화마그네슘(Magnesium hydroxide, $Mg(OH)_2$, Brucite)을 생성하는 것에 기인하는 것을 확인하였다.