Liping Guo

Polymer-modified concrete with improved flexural toughness and mechanism analysis

By selecting different types of polymer mixing into concrete, the toughness of concrete is investigated, and results indicate polymer has obvious effect to improve the toughness of concrete. Microstructure of polymer-modified concrete were studied through environment scanning electron microscope and digital micro-hardness tester, results show that polymer acts as a flexible filler and reinforcement in concrete, and alters the microstructure at mortar and ITZ. By crack path prediction and energy consumption analysis, the crack path of polymer-modified concrete is more tortuous and consumes more energy than that of ordinary concrete.

Effect of curing conditions on the durability of ultra-high performance concrete under flexural load

We experimentally investigated the effect of curing conditions on the durability of UHPC under flexural load. Moreover, the mechanisms of the effect of curing conditions were revealed from the microstructural point of view with environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and X-ray computerized tomography (X-ray CT). The experimental results show that the flexural load has negative influence on the durability of UHPC, but UHPC still exhibits excellent durability under flexural load. Besides, the curing conditions do show influences on the durability of UHPC. Compared with standard and steam curing, oven curing led to a lower chloride resistance and freeze-thaw performance of UHPC. The microstructure of UHPC paste was detected with ESEM. It is revealed that, compared with standard and steam cured UHPC, the lower reaction degree and internal microcracks are the causes for the lower chloride resistance of oven cured UHPC. The defects distribution in UHPC before and after freeze-thaw action was investigated with X-ray CT. The number of defects in oven cured UHPC increases the fastest during the freeze-thaw action due to its more defective microstructure

High-Temperature Performance and Multiscale Damage Mechanisms of Hollow Cellulose Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

Spalling resistance properties and their damage mechanisms under high temperatures are studied in hollow cellulose fiber-reinforced concrete (CFRC) used in tunnel structures. Measurements of mass loss, relative dynamic elastic modulus, compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength of CFRC held under high temperatures (300, 600, 800, and 1050°C) for periods of 2.5, 4, and 5.5 h were carried out. The damage mechanism was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, mercury intrusion porosimetry, thermal analysis, and X-ray diffraction phase analysis. The results demonstrate that cellulose fiber can reduce the performance loss of concrete at high temperatures; the effect of holding time on the performance is more noticeable below 600°C. After exposure to high temperatures, the performance of ordinary concrete deteriorates faster and spalls at 700–800°C; in contrast, cellulose fiber melts at a higher temperature, leaving a series of channels in the matrix that facilitate the release of the steam pressure inside the CFRC. Hollow cellulose fibers can thereby slow the damage caused by internal stress and improve the spalling resistance of concrete under high temperatures.

Fatigue Performance and Multiscale Mechanisms of Concrete Toughened by Polymers and Waste Rubber

For improving bending toughness and fatigue performance of brittle cement-based composites, two types of water-soluble polymers (such as dispersible latex powder and polyvinyl alcohol powder) and waste tire-rubber powders are added to concrete as admixtures. Multiscale toughening mechanisms of these additions in concretes were comprehensively investigated. Four-point bending fatigue performance of four series concretes is conducted under a stress level of 0.70. The results show that the effects of dispersible latex powder on bending toughness and fatigue life of concrete are better than those of polyvinyl alcohol powder. Furthermore, the bending fatigue lives of concrete simultaneously containing polymers and waste rubber powders are larger than those of concrete with only one type of admixtures. The multiscale physics-chemical mechanisms show that high bonding effect and high elastic modulus of polymer films as well as good elastic property and crack-resistance of waste tire-rubber powders are beneficial for improving bending toughness and fatigue life of cementitious composites.

Investigation of Microstructural Damage in Ultrahigh-Performance Concrete under Freezing-Thawing Action

This work aims to investigate the damage in ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) caused by freezing-thawing action. Freezing-thawing tests were carried out on UHPCs with and without steel fibers. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) were applied to detect the microstructure of the UHPC matrix before and after the freezing-thawing tests. The results showed that UHPC possessed very excellent freezing-thawing resistance due to its dense microstructure. After the freezing-thawing action, cracks occurred and were prone to initiate at the sand-paste interface in the UHPC matrix. MIP results also indicated that cracks appeared in the UHPC matrix after the freezing-thawing action. The number of defects that can be seen by X-ray CT increased in UHPC after the freezing-thawing action as well. The mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficients of the aggregate and the paste is considered to be the reason for the cracking at the sand-paste interface. The steel fibers in UHPC inhibited the propagation of cracks in the matrix and improved the freezing-thawing performance of UHPC.

Modeling Chloride Diffusion Coefficient of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete under Bending Load

The chloride diffusion coefficient is the most important parameter when predicting chloride ingress in concrete. This paper proposed a model for calculating the chloride diffusion coefficient of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC). Considering the concrete structures in service are usually subjected to external loads, the effect of bending load was discussed and expressed with a stress factor in the model. The chloride diffusion coefficient of cement paste was calculated with capillary porosity and then used to predict the chloride diffusion coefficient of SFRC. Some factors in the model were determined with experimental results. Chloride bulk diffusion tests were performed on SFRC and plain concrete (without fiber) specimens under bending load. SFRC showed slightly better chloride resistance for unstressed specimens. The compressive stress decreased the chloride diffusion coefficient of SFRC, while it caused no change in plain concrete. For the tensile zone, the chloride resistance of concrete was improved significantly by adding steel fibers. Overall, SFRC performed better chloride resistance, especially under bending load. The proposed model provides a simple approach for calculating the chloride diffusion coefficient of SFRC under bending load.

Well-Dispersed Silica Fume by Surface Modification and the Control of Cement Hydration

Silica fume (SF) is a valuable nanoscaled industrial by-product used in cementitious materials owing to its filling and pozzolanic effect. However, the heavy agglomeration of SF is a severe and common problem. In this study, surface modification with polyacrylic acid (PAA) was applied on SF to achieve a better dispersion and to optimize the hydration process of cement at early age. The particle size distribution and surface properties of SF, as well as the cement hydration with modified SF, were investigated. The results demonstrated that the agglomeration of SF particles was efficiently mitigated by the surface treatment with PAA, and the acceleration effect of SF was delayed by the resistance of the surface layer at early age. However, the grafted PAA layer eventually dropped in alkali solution after 6 hours, and the hydration rate was increased again and continued for long time. This work indicated that surface-modified SF was well dispersed and was able to regulate the hydration rate of cement.