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Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 17460

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Prof. Dr. Se-Jin Choi

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Guest Editor

Department of Architectural Engineering, Wonkwang University, 460 Iksan-daero, Iksan 54538, Republic of Korea
Interests: concrete; cement; aggregate; cementitious materials; fiber-reinforced concrete; high-performance concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jae-Eun Oh

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Guest Editor

School of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), UNIST-gil 50, Ulju-gun, Ulsan 44919, Korea
Interests: cementless binders; artificial aggregates; concrete microstructure; low-carbon concrete

Prof. Dr. Se-Yoon Yoon

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, Kyonggi University, 154-42, Gwanggyosan-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-Si, Gyeonggi-do 16227, Korea
Interests: low-carbon cement; tomography; micro-mechanics; concrete durability; energy-efficiency

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete is one of the most widely used materials among construction structural materials, and has a great influence on industrial development.

Recently, various efforts have been made to reduce greenhouse gases worldwide, and the concrete industry is also making efforts for sustainable development.

In particular, owing to the immense growth of the global concrete industry, the shortage of natural aggregates has emerged as a serious problem. Therefore, a considerable amount of social and research interest has been focused on finding alternative aggregate materials to replace natural aggregate.

As aggregate occupies a significant part of the concrete volume, it has an important influence on the mechanical properties and durability of concrete. Therefore, in order to use substitute aggregate material as a material to replace the existing natural aggregate, there should be no deterioration in the performance of the concrete, and it is necessary to contribute to sustainable concrete development.

From this perspective, this Special Issue deals with a variety of alternative aggregate materials for sustainable concrete development.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Se-Jin Choi
Prof. Dr. Jae-Eun Oh
Prof. Dr. Se-Yoon Yoon
Guest Editors

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Keywords

substitute aggregate materials
artificial aggregate
recycle aggregate from concrete
energy-efficient substitute
low-carbon substitute aggregate
fiber reinforcement
sustainable concrete

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 162 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete

by Se-Jin Choi, Jae-Eun Oh and Se-Yoon Yoon

Materials 2022, 15(23), 8658; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15238658 - 5 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1113

Abstract

Concrete is one of the most widely used structural construction materials and has significantly influenced industrial development [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

18 pages, 6408 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Lightweight Functional Aggregates on the Mitigation of Anode Degradation of Impressed Current Cathodic Protection for Reinforced Concrete

by Wenhao Guo, Jie Hu and Qijun Yu

Materials 2022, 15(5), 1977; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15051977 - 7 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2152

Abstract

The local acidification of secondary anode mortar was regarded as the primary reason for the degradation of the anode system, leading to a decreased service life and uneven distribution of the protection current within the impressed current cathodic protection system for reinforced concrete structures. In related previous studies, a novel type of lightweight functional aggregate was designed and prepared for the secondary anode mortar system, aiming to improve anode performance via acidification mitigation. However, the relationship between optimization effects and this functional component has not been fully clarified. In this study, two sets of experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of lightweight functional aggregates on acidification mitigation and the protection of current distribution. Research results proved that the presence of this functional aggregate was beneficial for mitigated acidification propagation and a more uniform distributed protection current, which demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of acidification inhibition on the optimization of anode performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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22 pages, 9076 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

The Properties of Lightweight Aggregates Pre-Coated with Cement Pastes and Their Suitability for Concrete

by Lucyna Domagała and Ewa Bryła

Materials 2021, 14(21), 6417; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14216417 - 26 Oct 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2676

Abstract

One of the biggest technological problems connected with the production of lightweight concretes made of porous aggregates is their much higher water absorption, which may cause on the one hand workability loss, and on the other hand excess water content in concrete. The aim of this research was to assess the effect of impregnation of lightweight aggregates (LWAs) with cement paste on their properties and to verify its effectiveness in concretes. Three types of lightweight aggregates differing in porosity and pore structure (sintered fly ash Lytag, expanded clay: Leca and Liapor) were selected for the tests. The following parameters were taken into consideration in the research program: LWA type and size, LWA initial moisture content, strength, and rheology of cement pastes. The tests of 22 different aggregates, plain and coated with cement paste, included density, crushing strength, and development of water absorption in time. The research program proved that porous aggregates, due to their impregnation with cement pastes, may be effectively sealed and strengthened. All tested LWAs showed a considerable decrease in water absorption by up to 71%. However, only Lytag aggregate showed a visibly enhanced crushing strength. Verification of effectiveness of aggregate sealing on the enhancement of concrete properties showed both a considerable reduction in water absorption of composites (by up to 52%) and a very high increase in their strength (by up to 107%). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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12 pages, 5712 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strength, Carbonation Resistance, and Chloride-Ion Penetrability of Cement Mortars Containing Catechol-Functionalized Chitosan Polymer

by Se-Jin Choi, Sung-Ho Bae, Jae-In Lee, Eun-Ji Bang and Haye-Min Ko

Materials 2021, 14(21), 6395; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14216395 - 25 Oct 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2209

Abstract

There have been numerous recent studies on improving the mechanical properties and durability of cement composites by mixing them with functional polymers. However, research into applying modified biopolymer such as catechol-functionalized chitosan to cement mortar or concrete is rare to the best of our knowledge. In this study, catechol-functionalized chitosan (Cat-Chit), a well-known bioinspired polymer that imitates the basic structures and functions of living organisms and biological materials in nature, was synthesized and combined with cement mortar in various proportions. The compressive strength, tensile strength, drying shrinkage, accelerated carbonation depth, and chloride-ion penetrability of these mixes were then evaluated. In the ultraviolet–visible spectra, a maximum absorption peak appeared at 280 nm, corresponding to catechol conjugation. The sample containing 7.5% Cat-Chit polymer in water (CPW) exhibited the highest compressive strength, and its 28-day compressive strength was ~20.2% higher than that of a control sample with no added polymer. The tensile strength of the samples containing 5% or more CPW was ~2.3–11.5% higher than that of the control sample. Additionally, all the Cat-Chit polymer mixtures exhibited lower carbonation depths than compared to the control sample. The total charge passing through the samples decreased as the amount of CPW increased. Thus, incorporating this polymer effectively improved the mechanical properties, carbonation resistance, and chloride-ion penetration resistance of cement mortar. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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10 pages, 2267 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics of Mortars with Blast Furnace Slag Powder and Mixed Fine Aggregates Containing Ferronickel-Slag Aggregate

by Sung-Ho Bae, Jae-In Lee and Se-Jin Choi

Materials 2021, 14(19), 5879; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14195879 - 8 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2104

Abstract

Recently, interest in environmentally friendly development has increased worldwide, especially in the construction industry. In this study, blast furnace slag powder (BFSP) and mixed steel fine aggregates were applied to cement mortars to reduce the environmental damage caused by the extraction of natural aggregate and to increase the recycling rate of steel by-products in the construction industry. We investigated the fluidity, compressive strength, tensile strength, accelerated carbonation depth, and chloride ion penetration resistance of mortars with steel slag aggregate and their dependence on the presence or absence of BFSP. Because the recycling rate of ferronickel slag is low and causes environmental problems, we considered mortar samples with mixed fine aggregates containing blast furnace slag fine aggregate (BSA) and ferronickel slag fine aggregate (FSA). The results showed that the 7-day compressive strength of a sample containing both 25% BSA and 25% FSA was nearly 14.8% higher than that of the control sample. This trend is likely due to the high density and angular shape of steel slag particles. The 56-day compressive strength of the sample with BFSP and 50% FSA was approximately 64.9 MPa, which was higher than that of other samples with BFSP. In addition, the chloride ion penetrability test result indicates that the use of BFSP has a greater effect than the use of steel slag aggregate on the chloride ion penetration resistance of mortar. Thus, the substitute rate of steel slag as aggregate can be substantially enhanced if BFSP and steel slag aggregate are used in an appropriate combination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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21 pages, 39742 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physical and Chemical Properties of Waste Foundry Exhaust Sand for Use in Self-Compacting Concrete

by Maria Auxiliadora de Barros Martins, Lucas Ramon Roque da Silva, Maria Gabriela A. Ranieri, Regina Mambeli Barros, Valquíria Claret dos Santos, Paulo César Gonçalves, Márcia Regina Baldissera Rodrigues, Rosa Cristina Cecche Lintz, Luísa Andréa Gachet, Carlos Barreira Martinez and Mirian de Lourdes Noronha Motta Melo

Materials 2021, 14(19), 5629; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14195629 - 28 Sep 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3363

Abstract

The reuse of waste in civil construction brings environmental and economic benefits. However, for these to be used in concrete, it is necessary a previous evaluation of their physical and chemical characteristics. Thus, this study aimed to characterize and analyze the waste foundry exhaust sand (WFES) for use in self-compacting concrete (SCC). Foundry exhaust sand originates from the manufacturing process of sand molds and during demolding of metal parts. It is a fine sand rich in silica in the form of quartz collected by baghouse filter. Characterization of WFES was conducted through laser granulometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in the energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mode, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) techniques. The waste was classified as non-hazardous and non-inert, with physical and chemical properties suitable for use in SCC composition, as fine aggregate or mineral addition. Five mixtures of SCC were developed, in order to determine the waste influence in both fresh and hardened concrete. The properties in the fresh state were reached. There was an increase in compressive strength and sulfate resistance, a decrease in water absorption of self-compacting concrete by incorporating WFES as 30% replacement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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10 pages, 3824 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Amorphous Metallic Fibers on Strength and Drying Shrinkage of Mortars with Steel Slag Aggregate

by Ji-Hwan Kim, Sung-Ho Bae and Se-Jin Choi

Materials 2021, 14(18), 5403; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14185403 - 18 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1809

Abstract

Recently, with increasingly stringent environmental regulations and the depletion of natural aggregate resources, high-quality aggregates have become scarce. Therefore, significant efforts have been devoted by the construction industry to improve the quality of concrete and achieve sustainable development by utilizing industrial by-products and developing alternative aggregates. In this study, we use amorphous metallic fibers (AMFs) to enhance the performance of mortar with steel slag aggregate. Testing revealed that the 28-day compressive strength of the sample with steel slag aggregate and AMFs was in the range of 48.7–50.8 MPa, which was equivalent to or higher than that of the control sample (48.7 MPa). The AMFs had a remarkable effect on improving the tensile strength of the mortar regardless of the use of natural aggregates. With AMFs, the drying shrinkage reduction rate of the sample with 100% steel slag aggregate was relatively higher than that of the sample with 50% natural fine aggregate. Furthermore, the difference in the drying shrinkage with respect to the amount of AMFs was insignificant. The findings can contribute to sustainable development in the construction industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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15 pages, 7240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simulated and Experimental Investigation of Mechanical Properties for Improving Isotropic Fracture Strength of 3D-Printed Capsules

by Taeuk Lim, Hao Cheng, Wonil Song, Jasung Lee, Sunghoon Kim and Wonsuk Jung

Materials 2021, 14(16), 4677; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14164677 - 19 Aug 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3051

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printer-based self-healing capsules, embedded in cement composites, were proposed to heal cracks, as they allow for various structural designs of capsules, repeatable fabrication, and strength analysis. Out of many 3D printing methods, such as fusion deposition modeling (FDM), powder layer fusion, and PolyJet printing, FDM was used to design, analyze, and produce new self-healing capsules, which are widely used due to their high-speed, low-cost, and precise manufacturing. However, the PLA extruded in the FDM had low adhesion energy between stacked layers, which caused a degradation of the performance of the self-healing capsule, because it had different strengths depending on the angle between the stacked layers and the applied load within the concrete structure. Therefore, in this paper, specimens were produced, in accordance with ASTM specifications, using the FDM PLA method, and mechanical properties were obtained through tensile, shear, and compression tests. Additionally, the isotropic fracture characteristics of the four types of capsules were analyzed through finite element method analysis. Subsequently, the 3D-printed capsules were produced, and the fracture strength was analyzed in the x, y and z directions of the applied load through a compression test. As a result, the newly proposed capsule design was verified to have an isotropic fracture strength value of 1400% in all directions compared to conventional spherical thin film capsules Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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14 pages, 2572 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simulated and Experimental Investigation of the Mechanical Properties and Solubility of 3D-Printed Capsules for Self-Healing Cement Composites

by Se-Jin Choi, Ji-Hwan Kim, Hyojin Jeong, Ja-Sung Lee, Tae-Uk Lim, Haye Min Ko, Sung Hoon Kim and Wonsuk Jung

Materials 2021, 14(16), 4578; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14164578 - 15 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2642

Abstract

In the concrete industry, various R&D efforts have been devoted to self-healing technology, which can maintain the long-term performance of concrete structures, which is important in terms of sustainable development. Cracks in cement composites occur and propagate because of various internal and external factors, reducing the composite’s stability. Interest in “self-healing” materials that can repair cracks has led researchers to embed self-healing capsules in cement composites. Overcoming the limitations of polymer capsules produced by chemical manufacturing methods, three-dimensional (3D) printing can produce capsules quickly and accurately and offers advantages such as high material strength, low cost, and the ability to fabricate capsules with complex geometries. We performed structural analysis simulations, experimentally evaluated the mechanical properties and solubility of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) capsules, and examined the effect of the capsule wall thickness and printing direction on cement composites embedded with these capsules. Thicker capsules withstood larger bursting loads, and the capsule rupture characteristics varied with the printing angle. Thus, the capsule design parameters must be optimized for different environments. Although the embedded capsules slightly reduced the compressive strength of the cement composites, the benefit of the encapsulated self-healing agent is expected to overcome this disadvantage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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12 pages, 7459 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Durability Study on High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Mortar under Simulated Wastewater Pipeline Environment

by Tianyu Wang, Yahong Zhao, Baosong Ma and Cong Zeng

Materials 2021, 14(14), 3781; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14143781 - 6 Jul 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2247

Abstract

The acid–alkaline-inducd corrosive environments inside wastewater concrete pipelines cause concrete structural deterioration and substantial economic losses all over the world. High-performance concrete/mortar (HPC) was designed to have better resistance to corrosive environments, with enhanced service life. However, the durability of HPC in wastewater pipeline environments has rarely been studied. A high-performance mortar mixture (M) reinforced by supplemental materials (including fly ash and silica fume) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers, together with a mortar mixture (P) consisting of cement, sand and water with similar mechanical performance, were both designed and exposed to simulated wastewater pipeline environments. The visual appearance, dimensional variation, mass loss, mechanical properties, permeable pore volume, and microstructure of the specimens were measured during the corrosion cycles. More severe deterioration was observed when the alkaline environment was introduced into the corrosion cycles. Test results showed that the M specimens had less permeable pore volume, better dimensional stability, and denser microstructure than the P specimens under acid–alkaline-induced corrosive environments. The mass-loss rates of the M specimens were 66.1–77.2% of the P specimens after 12 corrosion cycles. The compressive strength of the M specimens was 25.5–37.3% higher than the P specimens after 12 cycles under corrosive environments. Hence, the high-performance mortar examined in this study was considered superior to traditional cementitious materials for wastewater pipeline construction and rehabilitation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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10 pages, 2990 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strength and Durability Characteristics of Cement Composites with Recycled Water and Blast Furnace Slag Aggregate

by Se-Jin Choi, Sung-Ho Bae, Jae-In Lee and Ji-Hwan Kim

Materials 2021, 14(9), 2156; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14092156 - 23 Apr 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1995

Abstract

Recently, interest in sustainable development has been increased. In this regard, efforts have been made to prevent environmental pollution, and research on the recycling of construction industry byproducts has been actively conducted in the construction industry. In South Korea, about 20 million tons of waste wash water from the ready-mixed concrete production process are generated, and some of them are recycled using recycling facilities in a ready-mixed concrete plant, but a significant portion of them is discharged or landfilled without permission, causing environmental problems. To increase the recycling rate of steel slag and reduce environmental pollution in the construction industry, we simultaneously applied blast furnace slag fine aggregate (BSFA) and recycled water (RW) to cement mortar. In this study, to examine the feasibility of RW and BSFA, we evaluated the fluidity, compressive strength, tensile strength, drying shrinkage, carbonation depth, and chloride penetration resistance of cement mortar using RW and BSFA. From the test results, the 28-day compressive strengths of all samples using RW and BSFA were higher than that of the control sample. In the case of samples using RW, as the BSFA replacement ratio was increased, the carbonation depth of the samples decreased. Therefore, when RW and BSFA are used properly, the mechanical properties of cement mortar, carbonation resistance, and chloride ion penetration resistance are expected to be effectively improved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Various Substitute Aggregate Materials for Sustainable Concrete)

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