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Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications (2nd Edition)

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 12546

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Dr. José Manuel Moreno-Maroto

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Department of Geology and Geochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: construction materials; civil engineering materials; sustainable materials; geomaterials; aggregates; lightweight aggregates; concrete; cement; alkali-activated materials; ceramic materials; materials engineering; clay science; special clays; Atterberg limits; bentonite barriers; zeolites; soil engineering; geotechnics; circular economy; waste recycling; environmental technologies; life cycle assessment
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Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting submissions to this Special Issue on “Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications”.

The materials used both in the construction of buildings and in the execution of civil, geotechnical, and environmental engineering projects account for the majority of all goods consumed by mankind. It is worth noting that most of these materials are fundamentally mineral in nature, so they are defined as geomaterials. They may retain their primary characteristics (ornamental rocks, stone aggregates, clay barriers, compacted soils, etc.) or have been artificially manufactured, either from natural raw materials or from wastes (cement, concrete, ceramics, expanded lightweight aggregates, geopolymers, mineral wool, etc.).

The growing increase in population and demand for natural resources means that these geomaterials, so widely used, need to be studied in depth in order to adapt to current needs while contributing certain technological, environmental and economic benefits. In this sense, this Special Issue intends to include novel articles focused on the investigation of those materials used in large volumes both in construction and in other engineering areas, such as public works, environmental and geotechnical engineering, and waste sealing, among others.

All types of papers within this field are welcome, including studies related to the laboratory synthesis of new construction materials, fundamental research on certain physicochemical, mineralogical, and mechanical properties, the use of alternative manufacturing methods and raw materials (e.g., wastes), testing on a larger scale or even on site, analysis of the environmental impact/benefit of these materials (life cycle assessment), mathematical modeling, or any other subject related to the geomaterials used in construction and engineering applications. Although the main focus of this Special Issue is geomaterials, articles on other types of structural and engineering materials, such as metals, wood, geosynthetics, and others, will also be welcome.

Dr. José Manuel Moreno-Maroto
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

geomaterial
aggregate and lightweight aggregate
concrete, cement and mortar
ceramics and glass
alkali-activated material
gypsum
mineral wool
natural stone
metallic materials
insulating materials
wood
zeolite
asphalt binders and mixtures
road and geotechnical materials
clay and soil
geosynthetics
bentonite barrier
fiber reinforcement
waste recycling
life cycle assessment

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Related Special Issue

Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications in Applied Sciences (13 articles)

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4032 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrothermal Manufacture of Zeolitic Lightweight Aggregates from Clay and Marine Plastic Litter

by José Manuel Moreno-Maroto, Julia M. Govea, Pablo Poza, Mercedes Regadío, Jaime Cuevas, Ana Isabel Ruiz, Raúl Fernández and Jacinto Alonso-Azcárate

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(17), 7674; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177674 - 30 Aug 2024

Viewed by 630

Abstract

Mixed plastic fraction (MPF) from marine litter was investigated as a pore-forming agent in formulations with kaolin and a rejected Mg-clay (rich in smectite and sepiolite) to obtain innovative zeolitic lightweight aggregates. Round granules of ~10 mm in diameter were shaped and fired at 600 °C (mixtures of kaolin with 0, 5, 10, and 20 wt.% MPF) and 900 °C (mixtures of rejected Mg-clay:kaolin (1:0, 2:1, 1:2; 0:1) with 10 wt.% MPF). The fired specimens were hydrothermally treated in a 3M NaOH solution at 150 °C for 24 h. Mixtures containing 20 wt.% MPF led to specimen crumbling, while those with 5 and, especially, 10 wt.% MPF favored a significant crystallization of zeolites and feldspathoids (50–80%), highlighting cancrinite, nepheline, zeolite A, and analcime. The resulting materials were lightweight (1.5–1.8 g/cm³) and their crushing strength increased substantially with the hydrothermal treatment, from 0.04–0.5 MPa to 2.3–5.5 MPa after zeolitization. High content of rejected Mg-clay in the mixture (>67%) negatively affected the zeolitization and the properties of the final aggregate, while 33 wt.% was adequate, increasing slightly the crushing strength (3.4 vs. 3.1 MPa). These findings contribute to plastic waste circularity and sustainability/technological progress in materials production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications (2nd Edition))

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24 pages, 4639 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimizing Masonry Mortar: Experimental Insights into Physico-Mechanical Properties Using Recycled Aggregates and Natural Fibers

by Daniel Ferrández, Alicia Zaragoza-Benzal, Rocío Pastor Lamberto, Paulo Santos and Jacek Michalak

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(14), 6226; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14146226 - 17 Jul 2024

Viewed by 1473

Abstract

The European Green Deal establishes the efficient management of construction resources as one of its main lines of action. In this sense, the recovery of construction and demolition waste for its reincorporation into the manufacturing process of new sustainable materials has become necessary for the industry. This work deals with the physical and mechanical characterization of cement mortars made with recycled concrete aggregates and reinforced with natural fibers. The reinforcement fibers used (abaca, coconut, and toquilla) are more environmentally friendly compared to traditional synthetic reinforcements. The aim of this research is to analyze the main physico-mechanical properties of these sustainable cement mortars. The results show that mortars made with recycled sand have a lower density and better thermal performance than traditional mortars. In addition, with the incorporation of these natural fibers, the flexural strength of the mortars with recycled aggregate increased by up to 37.6%. Another advantage obtained from the incorporation of these natural fibers is the reduction in shrinkage in the masonry mortars during the drying process, giving them greater dimensional stability and making their behavior similar to that of traditional mortars. Thus, this work shows the potential application of masonry mortars produced under circular economy criteria and their application in the building sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications (2nd Edition))

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15 pages, 8713 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Early Age Assessment of a New Course of Irish Fly Ash as a Cement Replacement

by Nikki Shaji, Niall Holmes and Mark Tyrer

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(10), 4128; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14104128 - 13 May 2024

Viewed by 1009

Abstract

This paper explores the potential of a new source of fly ash, deposited on the site of a coal-fired power plant in Ireland dating from 1985 to 1995, as a cement replacement material. A series of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses on binder samples with cement replacement levels of 0, 10, 25 and 35% was undertaken to determine the fly ash’s mineralogical composition and to determine its suitability as a supplemental cementitious material (SCM). The XRD results reveal a unique mineral composition with promising characteristics for enhancing the strength and durability of concrete. The experimental results were used to calibrate a thermodynamic model to predict changing phase assemblage and hydration behaviour over time and per replacement level. Thermodynamic models have been shown to give credible predictions of the long-term performance of cements, including SCMs. The initial experimental results’ thermodynamic modelling demonstrates the feasibility of this fly ash source as a sustainable alternative to traditional cement, paving the way for more eco-friendly construction. Ash deposits dating from 1995 to 2005 and from 2005 to the present will be presented in subsequent publications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications (2nd Edition))

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12 pages, 3376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Performance Analysis of Small Concrete Beams Reinforced with Steel Bars and Non-Metallic Reinforcements

by Abel A. Belay, Julita Krassowska and Marta Kosior-Kazberuk

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(10), 3957; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14103957 - 7 May 2024

Viewed by 1829

Abstract

This research investigates the performance of small concrete beams that are reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars, basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars, and traditional steel bars. It addresses the limitations of traditional steel reinforcement, emphasizing the need for alternative strategies. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials, including GFRP and BFRP, are examined for their mechanical characteristics compared to steel. The experimental program focuses on ultimate load-bearing capacity, deflection, deformation at different load levels, and failure modes. The concrete specimens, prepared according to Eurocode, consist of six small concrete beams measuring 80 × 120 × 1100 mm with varied reinforcements. The study reveals that GFRP-reinforced beams outperform BFRP and steel reinforcements in ultimate load-bearing capacity, showcasing enhanced structural performance. The GFRP-reinforced beams exhibit capacity and resilience characteristics surpassing those of both BFRP and steel, whereas the deflection observed was higher on both fiber-reinforced beams than on the steel-reinforced beams. The examination of failure modes reveals that the concrete beams that were reinforced with FRP bars showed a bending property before failure, while those reinforced with steel broke easily without bending much. This comprehensive research contributes to advancing our understanding of FRP materials’ application in concrete structures, paving the way for further optimization and overcoming limitations in reinforcement materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications (2nd Edition))

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21 pages, 1834 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Data Augmentation Using Deep Learning on Predictive Models for Geopolymer Compressive Strength

by Ho Anh Thu Nguyen, Duy Hoang Pham and Yonghan Ahn

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 3601; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14093601 - 24 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1291

Abstract

In recent years, machine learning models have become a potential approach in accurately predicting the concrete compressive strength, which is essential for the real-world application of geopolymer concrete. However, the precursor system of geopolymer concrete is known to be more heterogeneous compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete, adversely affecting the data generated and the performance of the models. To its advantage, data enrichment through deep learning can effectively enhance the performance of prediction models. Therefore, this study investigates the capability of tabular generative adversarial networks (TGANs) to generate data on mixtures and compressive strength of geopolymer concrete. It assesses the impact of using synthetic data with various models, including tree-based, support vector machines, and neural networks. For this purpose, 930 instances with 11 variables were collected from the open literature. In particular, 10 variables including content of fly ash, slag, sodium silicate, sodium hydroxide, superplasticizer, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, added water, curing temperature, and specimen age are considered as inputs, while compressive strength is the output of the models. A TGAN was employed to generate an additional 1000 data points based on the original dataset for training new predictive models. These models were evaluated on real data test sets and compared with models trained on the original data. The results indicate that the developed models significantly improve performance, particularly neural networks, followed by tree-based models and support vector machines. Moreover, data characteristics greatly influence model performance, both before and after data augmentation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications (2nd Edition))

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21 pages, 5963 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geochemical Evolution of Mg-Bentonite Affected by the Contact of Carbon Steel and a Hydrothermal Gradient

by Carlos Mota-Heredia, Jaime Cuevas and Raúl Fernández

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 1259; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14031259 - 2 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1899

Abstract

Carbon steel and bentonite are materials selected as engineered barriers for high-level radioactive waste confinement. Their long-term interaction must be evaluated to confirm the barrier’s stability. Three laboratory experiments of the carbon steel—Mg-bentonite interaction were conducted for 1, 6, and 22 months under a hydrothermal gradient. Changes in bentonite’s water content, specific surface area, and cation exchange capacity were measured. Mineralogy was studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The redistribution of aqueous species and the redox state of iron were determined across the bentonite columns. Results indicated water saturation after 22 months. The specific surface area of bentonite was reduced near contact with the steel, while the cation exchange capacity mostly decreased at 3–6 mm from the steel interface. The corrosion rate decreased with time and bentonite enriched in Fe in the first 1.5 mm from the steel contact. The formation of new Fe-bearing minerals, such as di-tri ferri-sudoite, magnetite, hematite, maghemite, lepidocrocite, siderite and ankerite was observed. Aqueous species redistributed in the porewater of bentonite with decreasing concentrations of Fe and Cl as a function of time and increasing concentrations of Na, Ca and SO₄ after 22 months. This occurs under conditions where the bentonite is saturated with Mg, which conditioned the formation and nature of iron clay minerals with time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications (2nd Edition))

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15 pages, 4363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Warm Mix Asphalt Additives on the Physical Characteristics of Crumb Rubber Asphalt Binders

by Munder Bilema, Choon Wah Yuen, Mohammad Alharthai, Zaid Hazim Al-Saffar, Salam Ridha Oleiwi Aletba and Nur Izzi Md Yusoff

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(18), 10337; https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810337 - 15 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1611

Abstract

This investigation is centered around the application of warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies to address workability concerns linked to rubberized asphalt binders. The primary aim of incorporating crumb rubber (CR) and WMA additives is to establish a robust paving method that fosters energy conservation, efficient waste management, noise reduction, and improved overall performance. The current study aims to comprehensively characterize and differentiate the physical attributes of rubberized asphalt binders by employing three distinct WMA additives: Sasobit, Cecabase RT and Rediset WMX. These additives are introduced into eight unique asphalt binders. Laboratory assessments are carried out to evaluate the workability and physical properties of these binders. The evaluation encompasses penetration, softening point, penetration index, penetration viscosity number, storage stability, ductility, viscosity, and stiffness modulus analyses. The findings indicate that the rubberized asphalt binder enhanced with Sasobit demonstrates the highest levels of both hardness and softening point in comparison to asphalt binders supplemented with alternative WMA additives. The evaluation of storage stability underscores the satisfactory stability across all modified asphalt binders. Both the unmodified and modified binders meet the requirements stipulated by the ductility test; the rubberized asphalt binder modified with Rediset falls short. The rubberized asphalt binder improved with Sasobit displays the most notable enhancement in workability. Furthermore, the blend of crumb rubber and Sasobit binder reveals the highest stiffness modulus values under conditions of intermediate and high temperatures with 1.88 and 0.46 MPa, respectively. In summation, the rubberized asphalt binder incorporating crumb rubber with Sasobit showcases superior improvements in both stiffness and workability compared to counterparts modified with Cecabase RT and Rediset WMX. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications (2nd Edition))

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Review

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22 pages, 755 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Comprehensive Review on Mine Tailings as a Raw Material in the Alkali Activation Process

by Hamid Reza Manaviparast, Tiago Miranda, Eduardo Pereira and Nuno Cristelo

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(12), 5127; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14125127 - 12 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1755

Abstract

The mining industry generates vast quantities of mine tailings on an annual basis. However, due to their limited economic value, a significant portion of these tailings are deposited close to mining sites, often underwater. The principal environmental apprehensions associated with mine tailings revolve around their elevated levels of heavy metals and sulfidic minerals. The oxidation of these sulfidic minerals can lead to the formation of acid mine drainage, which in turn releases heavy metals into nearby water systems. The effective management of tailing dams requires substantial financial investments for their construction and meticulous control. Consequently, a pressing need exists for stable, sustainable, and economically viable management approaches. One promising method for addressing mine tailings is through alkali activation, a technique that serves as a stabilization process. This approach yields robust, concrete-like structures by utilizing raw materials abundant in aluminum and silicon, which conveniently constitute the primary components of mining residues. This comprehensive review outlines the research on utilizing alkali activation for mine tailings. It delves into the reactivity and chemical attributes of diverse minerals. Numerous mine tailings exhibit an inadequate level of reactivity under alkaline conditions, so various pre-treatment methodologies and their impacts on mineralogy are meticulously explored. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomaterials: Latest Advances in Materials for Construction and Engineering Applications (2nd Edition))

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