• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.241-255
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• 2017

Concrete is known to be the most used construction material worldwide. The environmental and economic aspects of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) containing concrete have led research studies to investigate the possibility of incorporating supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in concrete. Metakaolin (MK) is one SCM with high pozzolanic reactivity generated throughout the thermal activation of high purity kaolinite clay at a temperature ranging from $500^{\circ}C$ to $800^{\circ}C$. Although many studies have evaluated the effect of MK on mechanical properties of concrete and have reported positive effects, limited articles are considering the effect of MK on durability properties of concrete. Considering the lifetime assessment of concrete structures, the durability of concrete has become of particular interest recently. In the present work, the influences of MK on mechanical and durability properties of concrete mixtures are evaluated. Various experiments such as slump flow test, compressive strength, water permeability, freeze and thaw cycles, rapid chloride penetration and surface resistivity tests were carried out to determine mechanical and durability properties of concretes. Concretes made with the incorporation of MK revealed better mechanical and durability properties compared to control concretes due to combined pozzolanic reactivity and the filler effect of MK.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.317-331
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• 2015

This paper presents the effect of different micro-silica (MS) contents of 5, 10 and 15 wt.% as partial replacement of cement on mechanical and durability properties of high volume fly ash - recycled aggregate concretes (HVFA-RAC) containing 50% class F fly ash (FA) and 35% recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) as partial replacement of cement and natural coarse aggregate (NCA), respectively. The measured mechanical and durability properties are compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, elastic modulus, drying shrinkage, water sorptivity and chloride permeability. The effects of different curing ages of 7, 28, 56 and 91 days on above properties are also considered in this study. The results show that the addition of MS up to 10% improved the early age (7 days) strength properties of HVFA-RAC, however, at later ages (e.g. 28-91 days) the above mechanical properties are improved for all MS contents. The 5% MS exhibited the best performance among all MS contents for all mechanical properties of HVFA-RAC. In the case of measured durability properties, mix results are obtained, where 10% and 5% MS exhibited the lowest sorptivity and drying shrinkage, respectively at all ages. However, in the case of chloride ion permeability a decreasing trend is observed with increase in MS contents and curing ages. Strong correlations of indirect tensile strength and modulus of elasticity with square root of compressive strength are also observed in HVFA-RAC. Nevertheless, it is established in this study that MS contributes to the sustainability of HVFA-RAC significantly by improving the mechanical and durability properties of concrete containing 50%less cement and 35% less natural coarse aggregates.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.412-418
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• 2010

This paper presents the results of experimental work on both mechanical properties and durability of concrete or mortar incorporating silica fume. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of replacement of silica fume on the performance of hardened concrete or mortar. The replacement levels of silica fume that replaced cement in this work were 0%, 5%, 10% and 15%, respectively. The results of this study indicate that both mechanical properties and durability of concrete are greatly dependent on the replacement levels of silica fume. As the replacement level of silica fume increased, the mechanical properties including compressive and flexural strengths, and static modulus of elasticity were proportionally enhanced. Furthermore, it was found that silica fume had some beneficial effects on the resistances to both chloride ions penetration and sodium sulfate attack. However, it exhibited poor resistances to both freezing-thawing action and magnesium sulfate attack.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.391-396
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• 2005

Salt water spray test and salt water immersion test were experimentally conducted in order to investigate the durability of fiber reinforced composites under salt water environment. The specimens were made of glass fabric reinforcement and phenolic resin. Mechanical test was performed to obtain mechanical properties such as tensile properties, flexural properties, and shear properties by varying with exposure times. Also dynamic mechanical test and FTIR were conducted to investigate a change in chemical structure as well as thermal analysis properties such as storage shear modulus, loss shear moduls, and tan ${\delta}$. According to the results, salt water environment has effected on mechanical properties and thermal analysis properties and especially the durability of glass fabric/phenolic composites were severely affected on salt water immersion environment rather than salt water spray environment.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.649-666
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• 2023

In the current scenario, conventional concrete faces a substantial challenge in the modern era of the construction industry. Today's structures are massive, featuring innovative designs and strict time constraints. Conventional concrete does not provide the required compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, toughness, and cracking resistance. As a result, most of engineers and professionals prefer to use ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), based on its wide advantages. Several advantages like mechanical and durability properties of UHPC provides dominant properties than the traditional concrete. Mix proportions of UHPC consists of higher powder content which provides maximum hydration and pozzolanic reaction, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the UHPC properties. Apart from that the nanomaterials provides the filler behavior, which will further improve the density. Enhanced density and mechanical properties lead to improved durability properties against water absorption and other typical chemicals. Nanomaterials are the most adopted materials for various applications, ranging in size from 0.1 nanometers to 100 nanometers. This article explores the effects of nanomaterial application in UHPC as a replacement for cementitious material or as an additive in the UHPC mix. The physical and durability properties modifications and improvements of UHPC, as well as negative effects, limitations, and shortcomings, are also analyzed.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.285-291
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• 2009

In this work, durability characteristics of electrorheological (ER) fluid for damper application are experimentally investigated. ER fluid is prepared by using phosphorated starch particles and silicone oil. The field-dependent Bingham characteristics and response time for the proposed ER fluids are experimentally obtained. Experimental apparatus of durability test for ER fluid is established with cylindrical ER cylinder for mid-sized passenger vehicle. In order to evaluate the durability characteristics of ER fluid as a function of time, damping force and temperature variations are measured until one million cycles. After durability test, Bingham characteristics and response time of ER fluid are measured and compared to the initial properties. Microscopic pictures of ER fluid are taken to validate the changes of properties. The results indicate that the ER fluid can be commercially utilized in vehicle damper system with its durability performance. Moreover, the understanding of durability characteristics is essential to predict the service life of ER fluid as well as to design its applications.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2019

High performance sandcretes (HPS) are new concretes characterized by particles having a diameter less than 5 mm, as well as very high mechanical strength and durability. This work consists in finding solutions to make sandcretes with good physico-mechanical and durability properties for this new generation of micro-concrete. However, upgrading ordinary sandcrete into high performance sandcrete (HPS) requires a thorough study of formulation parameters (equivalent water/binder ratio, type of cement and its dosage, kind and amount of super plasticizer, and gravel/sand ratio). This research study concerns the formulation, characterization and durability, in a sulphate environment, of a high performance sandcrete (HPS), made from local materials. The obtained results show that the rheological properties of fresh concrete and mechanical strength differ with the mineralogy, density and grain size distribution of sands and silica fume used.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.57-61
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• 2007

This study investigated the mechanical and durability performance of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) with fly ash for dam applications. A test program studied the effects on the properties of fresh and hardened RCC with fly ash replacement ratio, as well as the long-term durability of the resulting mixture. Fly ash replaced 20, 30, 40, and 50% by mass of the cement. Laboratory tests of the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, shear strength, chloride ion permeability, abrasion, and drying shrinkage were conducted. The test results demonstrated that 30% fly ash replacement is an optimum level, and that this mixture has excellent mechanical and durability properties.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2010

The feasibility of the use of scrap tire rubber in concrete was investigated. The tests conducted in two groups: replacing of coarse aggregates with crumb rubber and cement particles with rubber powder. To distinguish the properties of new concrete, the following mechanical and durability tests were designed: compressive, tensile and flexural strength, permeability and water absorption. Rubber addition could affect the concrete properties depend on the type and percentage of the rubber added. Although the rubber addition modifies the mechanical characteristics of concrete in a way, but higher rubber content could not be useful. Concrete durability showed more dependency to the type of rubber instead of percentage of rubber. Moreover, to optimize the mechanical and durability of rubberized concrete, the useful percentage of rubber has been recommended.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 1998.04a
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• pp.293-298
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• 1998

The result of an experimental study on the mechanical properties and durability of polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete are presented in this paper. This study has been performed to obtain the properties of PFRC such as strength, toughness and durability. The test variables are fiber content, fiber types, W/C ratio. PFRC shows the highest strength when the polypropylene fiber contents were increased to 2.0 vol.%. Also, freeze-thaw resistance and carbonation were somewhat more improved than plain concrete.