scholarly journals Comparison of Different Approaches for Testing Sorption by a Superabsorbent Polymer to Be Used in Cement-Based Materials

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 5015
Author(s):  
Peihua Zhong ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Xiaoxian Wang ◽  
Jiaping Liu ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
...  

The absorption and desorption behavior of superabsorbent polymer (SAP) can influence various properties of cementitious materials. Therefore, it is essential to know these performances of SAP prior to implementation in cement-based materials. In this paper, two types of SAP with different chemical compositions were tested in free liquid (deionized water and cement filtrate) and cement paste. Five absorption test methods were considered, including the tea-bag method, the filtration method, the centrifuge method, the suction filtration method, and the slump flow method. The results show that the absorptivity of SAP A73 and SAP N in cement paste by the slump flow method are about 21 g/g and 7 g/g, respectively. In addition, the centrifuge method and suction filtration method give more accurate absorption values when compared to the tea-bag method and filtration method due to their effectiveness in removing inter-particle liquid. Though the absorptivity obtained by the tea-bag method is higher than the centrifuge method and suction filtration method, it is still a good pre-test method to reveal the performance of SAP used in cementitious materials due to time-saving and simple setups.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Hong-ping Zhang ◽  
Pei-kang Bai ◽  
Jian-hong Wang ◽  
Yan-li Dong ◽  
Yun-shan Han

In this work, we propose the use of steel slag instead of slag powder, in addition to fly ash and silica fume, to obtain high-performance sulphoaluminate cement-based materials. According to the closest-packing theory and on the basis of the minimum water requirement test, the influence of mineral admixtures on the minimum water requirement was evaluated for sulphoaluminate composite system paste. The optimal composition of the cementitious materials was thus determined. Orthogonal tests were used to assess the validity of this ratio. The correlation between minimum water requirement and the standard consistence was not only analyzed in the system of the minimum water requirement method decided but also in the complicate system of the orthogonal tests determined. Experimental results show that the influence of steel slag on the minimum water requirement is the largest in composite cement paste; minimum water requirement and standard consistency have a good correlation; the cement paste designed with the optimum composite had the highest strength of all the tested materials, but minimum water requirement and strength have a poor correlation in the orthogonal tests. We demonstrate that standard consistency evaluation can replace the minimum water requirement method to determine the optimum ratio of cement mineral admixtures. The proposed method not only simplifies the process but also makes the method more scientific.


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 714
Author(s):  
Lin Wang ◽  
Chao Li ◽  
Chunxue Shu ◽  
Han Yong ◽  
Jianmin Wang ◽  
...  

This study aims to study the influence of a lightly burned magnesium oxide (LBMO) expansion agent on the rheological properties (the slump flow, plastic viscosity and variation of shear stress) of cement-based materials. Four different mass contents (i.e., 0%, 3%, 6% and 9%) of LBMO were selected. The following compressive strength and expansion value of the corresponding cement concrete were tested. Cement concrete with two strength grades of 30 MPa and 50 MPa (C30 and C50) was selected. Results indicated that the addition of LBMO can effectively decrease the fluidity and increase the plastic viscosity of fresh cement paste. An optimum dosage (3%) of LBMO is the most advantageous to the compressive strength of cement concrete. The addition of LBMO can increase the expansion rate of cement concrete, thus preventing inside cracks. Moreover, the incorporation of LBMO led to a reduction in the fluidity of the cement paste and an increase in plastic viscosity. The addition of LBMO can increase the expansion rate of cement concrete, thus preventing inside cracks. It can be found that little difference exists in the compressive strength and the expansion rate of cement concrete with strength grades of 30 MPa and 50 MPa. Finally, the increased dosage of LBMO, curing age and compressive strength led to improving the carbonization resistance of cement concrete.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Amr Aboulela ◽  
Matthieu Peyre Lavigne ◽  
Amaury Buvignier ◽  
Marlène Fourré ◽  
Maud Schiettekatte ◽  
...  

The biodeterioration of cementitious materials in sewer networks has become a major economic, ecological, and public health issue. Establishing a suitable standardized test is essential if sustainable construction materials are to be developed and qualified for sewerage environments. Since purely chemical tests are proven to not be representative of the actual deterioration phenomena in real sewer conditions, a biological test–named the Biogenic Acid Concrete (BAC) test–was developed at the University of Toulouse to reproduce the biological reactions involved in the process of concrete biodeterioration in sewers. The test consists in trickling a solution containing a safe reduced sulfur source onto the surface of cementitious substrates previously covered with a high diversity microbial consortium. In these conditions, a sulfur-oxidizing metabolism naturally develops in the biofilm and leads to the production of biogenic sulfuric acid on the surface of the material. The representativeness of the test in terms of deterioration mechanisms has been validated in previous studies. A wide range of cementitious materials have been exposed to the biodeterioration test during half a decade. On the basis of this large database and the expertise gained, the purpose of this paper is (i) to propose a simple and robust performance criterion for the test (standardized leached calcium as a function of sulfate produced by the biofilm), and (ii) to demonstrate the repeatability, reproducibility, and discriminability of the test method. In only a 3-month period, the test was able to highlight the differences in the performances of common cement-based materials (CEM I, CEM III, and CEM V) and special calcium aluminate cement (CAC) binders with different nature of aggregates (natural silica and synthetic calcium aluminate). The proposed performance indicator (relative standardized leached calcium) allowed the materials to be classified according to their resistance to biogenic acid attack in sewer conditions. The repeatability of the test was confirmed using three different specimens of the same material within the same experiment and the reproducibility of the results was demonstrated by standardizing the results using a reference material from 5 different test campaigns. Furthermore, developing post-testing processing and calculation methods constituted a first step toward a standardized test protocol.


2016 ◽  
Vol 865 ◽  
pp. 6-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kateryna Pushkarova ◽  
Maryna Sukhanevych ◽  
Artur Martsikh

One of the most important problem of concrete durability is increasing of waterproofing. Researches are devoted studying of cement mortars modified by carbon nanotubes, dispersed in plasticizers solutions. Were investigated physico-mechanical properties of cement paste, cement-sand mortar into which structure entered untreated carbon nanotubes (production of plant TM "Spetsmash" Kyiv, Ukraine) in various quantity. Were used as plasticizers in cement compositions additives substances of the various chemical nature – naphtaleneformaldehyde, melamineformaldehyde and polycarboxylate. Quantity of untreated nanotubes varied from 0,5%; 1,0% and to 1,5%. Concentration of additives was accepted taking into account recommendations of producers and made about 1% from the weight of cement. Were studied some technological processes of introduction untreated carbon nanotubes in cement system and is shown that the way of introduction of nanomodifiers has essential impact on strength characteristics of cementitious materials. Optimum decision introduction of untreated carbon nanotubes is using its in dispersion plasticizer of the working concentration prepared in an ultrasonic dispergator is established. Results of physico-mechanical tests of cement paste and cement-sand mortar showed positive influence at introduction of untreated carbon nanotubes as cement modifiers on strength characteristics of samples. Resalts is shown that the nanomodifier, used quantity about 1% in solution of lignosulfonate with polycarboxylate and melamineformaldehyde plasticizer has great impact on strength characteristics.


2014 ◽  
Vol 584-586 ◽  
pp. 894-898
Author(s):  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Guan Guo Liu ◽  
Chao Ming Pang ◽  
Bing Du ◽  
Hong Gen Qin

The X ray computed tomography (X-CT) was applied to test the cracking resistance of cement paste, and the hydration process was monitored to study the effect of fly ash on the early age cracking performance. The results showed that the hydration heat reduced with the increase of fly ash under the same water-cement ratio. Within 24h, the porosity increased with time. The addition of fly ash increased the proportion of large holes and then changed the internal stress state. Using X-CT test method and by comparing the number of cracks, the sample with 20% FA was found to have the most serious cracks, whereas the sample with 30% FA had the best crack resistance.


Author(s):  
Karima Arroudj ◽  
Saida Dorbani ◽  
Mohamed Nadjib Oudjit ◽  
Arezki Tagnit-Hamou

Much of the current research on concrete engineering has been focused on including siliceous additions as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Silica reacts with Calcium hydroxide release during cement hydration, and produces more C-S-H. The latter contributes to increase compactness, mechanical strengths and sustainability of concrete. This paper explores the hydration characteristics of cement paste based on various natural mineral additions, that are very abundant in Algeria and present a high silica content (ground natural pozzolana “PZ” and ground dune sand “DS”). For this purpose, several analyses were carried out on modified cement pastes and mortars. TheseSCMswere introduced by replacement levels of 15, 20 and 25 by weight of cement. We first, studied the effect of these SCMs on the heat of hydration and mechanical strength of mortars at different ages. The evolution of hydration of modified paste was studied, by using Thermal analysis (TG/TDA) at different ages, to analyze the Calcium Hydroxide (CH) content of the modified pastes. It is shown that the CH content of the mixes including SCMs is lower than that of the plain cement paste, indicating that silica reacts with the cement paste through a pozzolanic reaction. Increased pozzolanic activity results in higher amounts of Calcium Silicate Hydrate in the paste, which in turn results in higher compressive strength for modified cement mortars. Due to its crystalline morphology, the ground DS particles present a partial pozzolanic effect, compared to PZ which is semi-crystalline. Modified mortars by 20% DS can be the optimal composition. It presents satisfactory results: good mechanical strength and low heat of hydration. It can lead to an economic and sustainable concrete. Ground DS is very abounded in Africa and free of any impurities and can be a good alternativeSCMsin cement industry.


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