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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 (10 February 2024) | Viewed by 21727

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Dr. Záleská Martina

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Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Materials Engineering and Chemistry, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Interests: application of secondary raw materials in building industry; characterization of building materials; durability of building composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete and other cement-based composites are the most often used materials in the construction sector worldwide. On the construction market, several advanced cement-based products are available whose benefits have been widely demonstrated and are unquestionable. Recently, lime-based products have become popular, especially in repair and restoration of culture heritage buildings. However, despite the high level of knowledge achieved in the design, development, and manufacturing of advanced and multifunctional materials, there must be an invested effort in finding high-performance, sustainable, end eco-efficient construction materials that can compete or even surpass traditional concrete and lime- and cement-based composites applied today in construction practice. To achieve this, research on them and dissemination of their results is essential. This Special Issue is therefore dedicated to “Advances in Cement, Lime, and Concrete”, and it intends to welcome contributions on, but not limited to, the following subjects: eco-efficiency of the concrete and cement industry; advanced lime-, cement-, and blended binder-based composites; durability issues; waste to materials; alternative pozzolanic admixtures; fiber-reinforced composites; life cycle analysis; hygrothermal performance of building materials with respect to environmental exposure; and application of nano-additives in traditional building materials, repair mortars, and rendering and plastering materials.

Dr. Záleská Martina
Guest Editor

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Keywords

eco-efficiency of concrete and cement industry
advanced lime-, cement- and blended binder-based composites
durability issues
salt induced damage
green concrete
waste to materials
alternative pozzolanic admixtures
fiber-reinforced composites
application of nano-additives in traditional building materials, repair mortars, rendering and plastering materials.

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4427 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Durability of Concrete with Superabsorbent Polymer (SAP) Assessed Using Depth of Carbonation and NDT Ultrasonic Methods

by Joanna Julia Sokołowska

Materials 2024, 17(4), 906; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17040906 - 15 Feb 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1370

Abstract

The paper concerns destructive and non-destructive (NDT) evaluation of the effect of the addition of superabsorbent polymer (SAP) used as a carrier of mixing water and a means of internal curing on the durability of concrete. The research concerns testing of five concretes—an ordinary reference concrete and four concretes differing in the content of mixing water introduced into the concrete mix in the form of pre-saturated SAP particles (25%, two variants of 50% and 75% of the total mixing water in the form of SAP hydrogel). The research consisted of 4 stages of tests. The subsequent stages involved the analysis of the effect of using SAP as a carrier of mixing water on the particular characteristics of concrete mix and hardened concrete, i.e., consistency and density of concrete mix (1st stage), carbonation tested using two indicators—phenolphthalein and thymol phenolphthalein (2nd stage), and finally: the homogeneity of the concretes’ structure by means of ultrasonic method (determination of ultrasonic pulse velocity) 28 days after production (3rd stage) and 3 years after production (4th stage). The ultrasonic pulse (or wave) velocity was then correlated with the content of water applied in the form of SAP hydrogel. The statistical analysis of results showed that the method of introducing the mixing water into the concrete mix in the form of pre-absorbed superabsorbent polymer, although it changed the concrete mix consistency, did not significantly affect the concrete ability to resist carbonation. Meanwhile, after 3 years, the densification of the microstructure of concrete with SAP has been observed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cement, Lime and Concrete)

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20 pages, 5322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physico-Mechanical Properties and Hydration Processes of Cement Pastes Modified with Pumice, Trass and Waste Chalcedonite Powder

by Edyta Spychał and Martin Vyšvařil

Materials 2024, 17(1), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17010236 - 31 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1036

Abstract

In this article, the physico-mechanical properties and hydration processes of cement pastes containing three additives are introduced. Cement was replaced with pumice, trass, waste chalcedonite powder at 30% by mass and a combination of pumice or trass and waste chalcedonite powder in the amounts of 15% each. The main aim of this research was to assess the properties of two- or three-component binders to save cement in these binders. Rheological properties such as consistency, yield stress, viscosity and thixotropy were determined, in addition to porosity, 7-day and 28-day flexural and compressive strength and bulk density. Additionally, the heat evolution and degree of hydration of the tested pastes were compared. The use of all additives resulted in a reduction in the consistency of the tested pastes. The highest compressive strength measured after 28 days was observed for the cement paste with a 30% content of waste chalcedonite powder, which is related to it having the best pozzolanic activity of the materials used. The results of this research have confirmed that pumice, trass and waste chalcedonite powder can be used as components of blended Portland cements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cement, Lime and Concrete)

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21 pages, 8449 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of the ANN Hyperparameters on the Forecast Accuracy of RAC’s Compressive Strength

by Talita Andrade da Costa Almeida, Emerson Felipe Felix, Carlos Manuel Andrade de Sousa, Gabriel Orquizas Mattielo Pedroso, Mariana Ferreira Benessiuti Motta and Lisiane Pereira Prado

Materials 2023, 16(24), 7683; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16247683 - 17 Dec 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1405

Abstract

The artificial neural networks (ANNs)-based model has been used to predict the compressive strength of concrete, assisting in creating recycled aggregate concrete mixtures and reducing the environmental impact of the construction industry. Thus, the present study examines the effects of the training algorithm, topology, and activation function on the predictive accuracy of ANN when determining the compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete. An experimental database of compressive strength with 721 samples was defined considering the literature. The database was used to train, validate, and test the ANN-based models. Altogether, 240 ANNs were trained, defined by combining three training algorithms, two activation functions, and topologies with a hidden layer containing 1–40 neurons. The ANN with a single hidden layer including 28 neurons, trained with the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm and the hyperbolic tangent function, achieved the best level of accuracy, with a coefficient of determination equal to 0.909 and a mean absolute percentage error equal to 6.81%. Furthermore, the results show that it is crucial to avoid the use of overly complex models. Excessive neurons can lead to exceptional performance during training but poor predictive ability during testing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cement, Lime and Concrete)

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18 pages, 4672 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compartmentalized Quantitative Analysis of Concrete Sulfate-Damaged Area Based on Ultrasonic Velocity

by Yinghua Jian, Dunwen Liu, Kunpeng Cao and Yu Tang

Materials 2023, 16(7), 2658; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16072658 - 27 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1208

Abstract

The corrosion of concrete in sulfate environments is a difficult problem in the durability of civil engineering structures. To investigate the variability of deterioration damage to concrete structures by sulfate erosion under non-destructive testing and quantify the protective effect of silane coatings on concrete under the action of sulfate erosion, an accelerated erosion experiment was carried out using field sampling in a tunnel project under a sulfate erosion environment. By means of ultrasonic velocity measurement and CT scanning, the samples protected by a silane coating under the sulfate attack environment were compared with those not protected. The deterioration characteristics of concrete under the sulfate attack environment and the protective effect of silane coating on the concrete structure were analyzed. In addition, a method for evaluating the sulfate damage to concrete based on CT images and ultrasonic velocity analysis was proposed. The results show that the samples prepared in the field show a significant difference in ultrasonic velocity in the process of erosion and deterioration according to the material difference at the measuring point interface. Through the overall damage evaluation analysis of the sample, it is concluded that the damage degree of the protected group sample is light and the heterogeneity is weak, whereas the local damage to the exposed group is serious. Combined with the CT image analysis of concrete before and after loading, the distribution characteristics of the damaged area divided by the concrete sulfate damage evaluation method proposed in this paper are highly similar to the real situation. The results of the study can provide a reference for similar projects for the detection, analysis, protection and evaluation of sulfate-attacked concrete. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cement, Lime and Concrete)

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15 pages, 4953 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Self-Healing Mortars with and without Bagasse Ash at Pre- and Post-Crack Times

by Belay Brehane Tesfamariam, Redeat Seyoum, Dinsefa Mensur Andoshe, Tatek Temesgen Terfasa, Gulam Mohammed Sayeed Ahmed, Irfan Anjum Badruddin and H.M.T. Khaleed

Materials 2022, 15(5), 1650; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15051650 - 23 Feb 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2035

Abstract

Cracks in typical mortar constructions enhance water permeability and degrade ions into the structure, resulting in decreased mortar durability and strength. In this study, mortar samples are created that self-healed their cracks by precipitating calcium carbonate into them. Bacillus subtilus bacterium (10⁻⁷, 10⁻⁹ cells/mL), calcium lactate, fine aggregate, OPC-cement, water, and bagasse ash were used to make self-healing mortar samples. Calcium lactates were prepared from discarded eggshells and lactic acid to reduce the cost of self-healing mortars, and 5% control burnt bagasse ash was also employed as an OPC-cement alternative. In the presence of moisture, the bacterial spores in mortars become active and begin to feed the nutrient (calcium lactate). The calcium carbonate precipitates and plugs the fracture. Our experimental results demonstrated that cracks in self-healing mortars containing bagasse ash were largely healed after 3 days of curing, but this did not occur in conventional mortar samples. Cracks up to 0.6 mm in self-healing mortars were filled with calcite using 10⁻⁷ and 10⁻⁹ cell/mL bacteria concentrations. Images from an optical microscope, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to confirm the production of calcite in fractures. Furthermore, throughout the pre- and post-crack-development stages, self-healing mortars have higher compressive strength than conventional mortars. The precipitated calcium carbonates were primed to compact the samples by filling the void spaces in hardened mortar samples. When fissures developed in hardened mortars, bacteria became active in the presence of moisture, causing calcite to precipitate and fill the cracks. The compressive strength and flexural strength of self-healing mortar samples are higher than conventional mortars before cracks develop in the samples. After the healing process of the broken mortar parts (due to cracking), self-healing mortars containing 5% bagasse ash withstand a certain load and have greater flexural strength (100 kPa) than conventional mortars (zero kPa) at 28 days of cure. Self-healing mortars absorb less water than typical mortar samples. Mortar samples containing 10⁻⁷ bacteria cells/mL exhibit greater compressive strength, flexural strength, and self-healing ability. XRD and SEM were used to analyze mortar samples with healed fractures. XRD, FTIR, and SEM images were also used to validate the produced calcium lactate. Furthermore, the durability of mortars was evaluated using DTA-TGA analysis and water absorption tests. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cement, Lime and Concrete)

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19 pages, 5446 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analyzing the Compressive Strength of Ceramic Waste-Based Concrete Using Experiment and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Approach

by Hongwei Song, Ayaz Ahmad, Krzysztof Adam Ostrowski and Marta Dudek

Materials 2021, 14(16), 4518; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14164518 - 11 Aug 2021

Cited by 62 | Viewed by 3477

Abstract

In a fast-growing population of the world and regarding meeting consumer’s requirements, solid waste landfills will continue receiving a substantial amount of waste. The utilization of solid waste materials in concrete has gained the attention of the researchers. Ceramic waste powder (CWP) is considered to be one of the most harmful wastes for the environment, which may cause water, soil, and air pollution. The aim of this study was comprised of two phases. Phase one was based on the characterization of CWP with respect to its composition, material testing (coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, cement,) and evaluation of concrete properties both in fresh and hardened states (slump, 28 days compressive strength, and dry density). Concrete mixes were prepared in order to evaluate the compressive strength (CS) of the control mix, with partial replacement of the cement with CWP of 10 and 20% by mass of cement and 60 prepared mixes. However, phase two was based on the application of the artificial neural network (ANN) and decision tree (DT) approaches, which were used to predict the CS of concrete. The linear coefficient correlation (R²) value from the ANN model indicates better performance of the model. Moreover, the statistical check and k-fold cross validation methods were also applied for the performance confirmation of the model. The mean absolute error (MAE), mean square error (MSE), and root mean square error (RMSE) were evaluated to confirm the model’s precision. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cement, Lime and Concrete)

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19 pages, 9401 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Zeolite Lightweight Repair Renders: Effect of Binder Type on Properties and Salt Crystallization Resistance

by Milena Pavlíková, Adéla Kapicová, Adam Pivák, Martina Záleská, Michal Lojka, Ondřej Jankovský and Zbyšek Pavlík

Materials 2021, 14(13), 3760; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14133760 - 5 Jul 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2314

Abstract

Rendering mortars with lightweight zeolite aggregates were designed and tested. The effect of the type of binder used was also researched. For the hardened mortars, macrostructural parameters, mechanical characteristics, hygric and thermal properties were assessed. Specific attention was paid to the analysis of the salt crystallization resistance of the developed rendering mortars. Quartz sand was fully replaced in the composition of mortars with zeolite gave materials with low density, high porosity, sufficient mechanical strength, high water vapor permeability and high water absorption coefficient, which are technical parameters required for repair rendering mortars as prescribed in the WTA directive 2-9-04/D and EN 998-1. Moreover, the zeolite enhanced mortars exhibit good thermal insulation performance and high sorption capacity. The examined rendering mortars were found to be well durable against salt crystallization, which supports their applicability in salt-laden masonry. Based on the compatibility of the repair materials with those originally used, the lime and natural hydraulic lime zeolite mortars can be used as rendering mortars for the repair of historical and heritage buildings. The cement-lime zeolite render is applicable for repair purposes only in the case of the renewal of masonry in which Portland cement-based materials were originally used. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cement, Lime and Concrete)

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15 pages, 3438 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Magnesium Oxychloride Cement Composites Lightened with Granulated Scrap Tires and Expanded Glass

by Milena Pavlíková, Adam Pivák, Martina Záleská, Ondřej Jankovský, Pavel Reiterman and Zbyšek Pavlík

Materials 2020, 13(21), 4828; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13214828 - 28 Oct 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2793

Abstract

In this paper, light burned magnesia dispersed in the magnesium chloride solution was used for the manufacturing of magnesium oxychloride cement-based composites which were lightened by granulated scrap tires and expanded glass. In a reference composite, silica sand was used only as filler. In the lightened materials, granulated shredded tires were used as 100%, 90%, 80%, and 70% silica sand volumetric replacement. The rest was compensated by the addition of expanded glass granules. The filling materials were characterized by particle size distribution, specific density, dry powder density, and thermal properties that were analyzed for both loose and compacted aggregates. For the hardened air-cured samples, macrostructural parameters, mechanical properties, and hygric and thermal parameters were investigated. Specific attention was paid to the penetration of water and water-damage, which were considered as crucial durability parameters. Therefore, the compressive strength of samples retained after immersion for 24 h in water was tested and the water resistance coefficient was assessed. The use of processed waste rubber and expanded glass granulate enabled the development of lightweight materials with sufficient mechanical strength and stiffness, low permeability for water, enhanced thermal insulation properties, and durability in contact with water. These properties make the produced composites an interesting alternative to Portland cement-based materials. Moreover, the use of low-carbon binder and waste tires can be considered as an eco-efficient added value of these products which could improve the environmental impact of the construction industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cement, Lime and Concrete)

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Review

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28 pages, 3280 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Comprehensive Review on the Utilization of Recycled Waste Fibers in Cement-Based Composites

by Yang Ming, Ping Chen, Ling Li, Guoxing Gan and Gelin Pan

Materials 2021, 14(13), 3643; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14133643 - 29 Jun 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4091

Abstract

Ecological problems such as natural resource depletion and massive quantities of waste for disposal are now guiding progressive civilization towards sustainable construction. The reduction of natural resources and the discarding of debris into open landfills are the two main environmental concerns. As a result, managing these solid wastes is a major challenge worldwide. In comparison to disposal, insufficient landfills, ecological degradation and the economic load on the relevant agencies, recycling and reusing waste materials have a considerable influence. Waste fiber has been studied for use as a cement-based composite (CBC) ingredient. Recycling waste fibers not only makes the cement composite more cost-effective and long-lasting but also helps to reduce pollution. Plastics, carpets and steels are among the various types of waste fibers reviewed in this study for their applications in cement-based materials. The mechanical properties of CBCs with different kinds of recycled-waste fibers were explored, including their compressive, flexural and splitting tensile strength and durability properties. The use of recycled fibers in the construction industry can help to ensure sustainability from environmental, economic and social standpoints. As a result, additional scientific research is needed, as well as guidance for more researchers and experts in the construction sector to examine the unknown sustainability paths. The barriers to the effective implementation of waste fiber recycling techniques in the construction sector were reviewed, and various solutions were proposed to stimulate and ensure their use in CBCs. It was concluded that CBCs containing recycled fibers provide a long-term and cost-effective alternative for dealing with waste materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cement, Lime and Concrete)

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