SHORT-TERM CORROSION RESPONSE OF METALS IN LIME MORTAR

Even though the corrosion of steel in concrete is very well described, the corrosion processes in lime environment studied very rarely. This environment is obviously also basic and its pH decreases in time, but the obtained results indicate important differences in behaviour of these two systems. Corrosion response of carbon steel, zinc platted steel, copper, brass and lead placed in lime mortar was studied by help of SEM microscopy

FRESH STATE PROPERTIES OF LIME MORTARS WITH FLAX OIL ADMIXTURE

Flax oil has been used as mortar improving, hydrophobic, admixture already in ancient times. The paper describes the identification of flax oil in mosaic mortar from ca. 1900 by help of FTIR spectroscopy. This historic mortar was reproduced by nowadays raw materials and the influence of flax oil on consistency and air entraining of fresh mortar was tested. It was found that already small amount of oil caused significant air entrainment, which, simultaneously with water repellency action, may contribute to higher durability of mortar with oil admixture. The flux oil influenced also consistency of mortar; its presence caused higher flow value of mortar. Moreover, the introduction of the paper summarizes principal knowledge about action of natural admixtures in lime mortars and plasters on basis of current literature

Effect of electric current on porosity of concrete

The paper describes the influence of electric current on the porosity of concrete samples after electrically accelerated tests and other electrokinetic treatments. Three different concrete mixtures consisting of CEM I 42.5R, CEM II / A-M(S-LL) 42.5R, and CEM I 42.5R with 10 % replacement of cement by microsilica were examined. Direct current (DC) test was performed on fully saturated samples. The samples were loaded with a constant voltage of 20 V for 24 hours in chambers filled with NaOH solution. The changes in porosity were examined using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and open porosity (OP). The results of open porosity indicate an increase in porosity for all mixtures measurements of ∼0.6 %–2 % for treated samples. The MIP showed increase of volume of pores with radius smaller than 0.01 μm after DC test. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) there was ∼2 % less calcite after DC test

Application of Ceramic Powder as Supplementary Cementitious Material in Lime Plasters

In this paper, the properties of plasters based on lime – brick powder binder of varying composition (ceramics content from 0 to 80 %) are studied. The plasters are prepared with a constant water amount. The pore size distribution is thus influenced in a positive way; the total porosity increases with the ceramics content but the volume of capillary pores is reduced. It results in lower water vapor diffusion resistance factor while the apparent moisture diffusivity coefficient increases just moderately. The influence of ceramic on strength of plasters is not found very important. The thermal conductivity of plasters containing ceramics is lower than those with the pure lime what is again in agreement with the pore size distribution. It can be concluded that fine brick powder can be used as pozzolanic admixture in lime based plasters with a positive influence on its functional parameters

Wet-Treated MSWI Fly Ash Used as Supplementary Cementitious Material

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is a common technique in treatment of domestic waste. This technique annually produces approximately 25 Mt solid residues (i.e., bottom and fly ash) worldwide which is also a major issue in current research. In this research we are concerned with reusing the fly ash (FA) as supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in concrete. Such application solves the problem with heavy metal immobilization as well. To remove the high content of undesired soluble salts, number of washing treatments has been applied. Chemical composition of FA has been examined before and after treatments. The impact of cement substitution by FA in concrete was evaluated by measurement of its compressive strength and durability

Estimation of Hydration Degree of Blended Cements with the Help of k-Values

The growing utilization of various mineral additives in the building industry has caused concern worldwide to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide from Portland cement (OPC) production. The present paper is focused on the determination of the degree of hydration of blended binding systems based on Portland cement. Blast furnace slag, fly ash, and ceramic powder are used in the study; they are applied by 12.5 wt.% up to 50% of OPC replacement. The evolution of the hydration process is monitored using thermogravimetry in selected time intervals to determine the degree of hydration; its ultimate value is obtained from numerical estimation using the Michaelis-Menten equation. However, due to the application of active mineral additives, the correction in terms of equivalent binder is conducted. Corrected values of the degree of hydration exhibit good fit with compressive strength

Influence of Untreated Metal Waste from 3D Printing on Electrical Properties of Alkali-Activated Slag Mortars

The negative environmental impact of cement production emphasizes the need to use alternative binders for construction materials. Alkali-activated slag is a more environmentally friendly candidate which can be utilized in the design of mortars with favorable material properties. However, the electrical properties of such materials are generally poor and need to be optimized by various metallic or carbon-based admixtures to gain new sophisticated material functions, such as self-sensing, self-heating, or energy harvesting. This paper investigates the influence of waste metal powder originating from the 3D printing process on the material properties of alkali-activated slag mortars. The untreated metal powder was characterized by means of XRD and SEM/EDS analyses revealing high nickel content, which was promising in terms of gaining self-heating function due to the high electrical conductivity and stability of nickel in a highly alkaline environment. The designed mortars with the waste metal admixture in the amount up to 250 wt.% to the slag and aggregates were then characterized in terms of basic physical, thermal, and electrical properties. Compared to the reference mortar, the designed mortars were of increased porosity of 17–32%. The thermal conductivity of ~1–1.1 W/m·K was at a favorable level for self-heating. However, the electrical conductivity of ~10−6 S/m was insufficient to allow the generation of the Joule heat. Even though a high amount of 3D printing waste could be used due to the good workability of mixtures, its additional treatment will be necessary to achieve reasonable, effective electrical conductivity of mortars resulting in self-heating function

Assessment of Rational Design of Self-Compacting Concrete Incorporating Fly Ash and Limestone Powder in Terms of Long-Term Durability

Self-compaction concrete (SCC) is ranked among the main technological innovations of the last decades. Hence, it introduces a suitable possibility for further utilization of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) in terms of sustainable development. The aim of the work is the assessment of a new approach to binder design, which takes into consideration the activity of the used mineral additive. The proposed approach, which allows a systematic design of a binding system with varied properties of the used mineral additive, was studied on ternary blends consisting of Portland cement (PC), limestone powder and fly ash (FA). The verification was conducted on SCC mixtures in terms of their workability, mechanical properties and the most attention was paid to long-term durability. The long-term durability was assessed on the basis of shrinkage measurement, freeze-thaw resistance and permeability tests including initial surface absorption, chloride migration, water penetration and an accelerated carbonation test, which was compared with the evolution of carbonation front in normal conditions. The durability of studied mixtures was evaluated by using durability loss index, which allow general assessment on the basis of multiple parameters. The carbonation resistance had a dominant importance on the final durability performance of studied mixtures. The experimental program revealed that the proposed design method is reliable only in terms of properties in fresh state and mechanical performance, which were similar with control mixture. Despite suitable results of freeze-thaw resistance and shrinkage, an increasing amount of fly ash in terms of the new design concept led to a fundamental increase of permeability and thus to decay of long-term durability. Acceptable properties were achieved for the lowest dosage of fly ash