Ahsanollah Beglarigale

Mitigation of Detrimental Effects of Alkali-Silica Reaction in Cement-Based Composites by Combination of Steel Microfibers and Ground-Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag

The effect of combining brass-coated steel microfiber and ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) on the mitigation of deleterious expansion due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR) was investigated in this research. A potentially reactive basaltic aggregate was chosen as a reactive material. Two series of specimens containing different amounts of microfiber were prepared. One of them was cured in 1 M NaOH solution at 80°C to obtain a similar maturity; the other series was cured in 80°C water up to 120 days. ASR expansion, strength development, and toughness properties were observed for 120 days in NaOH solution and the results were compared with specimens kept in water. Test results indicate that the combination of GGBS and steel fibers reduced ASR expansion significantly. Furthermore, the combination was very effective at preventing the mechanical property loss due to ASR, such as flexural strength, compressive strength, and toughness. Microstructural investigations revealed that the reaction products had a different morphology (e.g., fibrous, network appearance) when the specimens were kept in NaOH solution.

Transport properties and freeze-thaw resistance of mortar mixtures containing recycled concrete and glass aggregates

The effects of recycled glass (RG) and recycled concrete (RC) fine aggregates on the compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, dynamic elastic modulus, transport properties and freeze–thaw resistance of mortar mixture were investigated comparatively. Nine different mortar mixtures were prepared by partial replacement of crushed-limestone fine aggregate with recycled aggregates. Compared to that of the control mixture, the transport properties of RC aggregate-bearing mixtures inversely affected with increasing the replacement level of this aggregate. The opposite results were obtained in RG aggregate-containing mixtures. Frost resistance of mortar mixture improved by using both of the recycled aggregates. Improvement of frost resistance of RC mixtures was attributed to the presence of improved Interfacial transition zone between matrix and coarse aggregate (ITZ) in RC-bearing mixture and to the high number of pores existing in the well-distributed RC aggregates in the mixture. Perhaps, these pores provide additional sites for the water escaped from capillary pores upon ice formation.