Non-destructive inspection technologies for repair assessment in materials and structures

Aging infrastructure globally faces degradation, posing risks and requiring substantial repair investment. Strategic maintenance practices are crucial for evaluating structural conditions and ensuring sustainability. The growing demands on modern materials and structures necessitate enhanced health monitoring approaches. Shifting from...

Non-destructive screening methodology based on handheld XRF for the classification of concrete: cement type-driven separation

The utilization of locally available concrete waste for producing recycled concrete aggregates is recognized as one of the most sustainable ways of satisfying the growing demand for concrete production. However, the quality of concrete waste depends on its origin and it may significantly differ from one concrete structure to another. Knowing the...

Finite Element Modeling for Thermal Conductivity of Cement-based Encapsulation Materials

With the trend of miniaturization and the increasing power density, the operating temperature of electronic devices keeps climbing, especially for wide band-gap semiconductors such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride. The high operating temperature up to 250℃ brings challenges to encapsulation materials since traditional encapsulation...

Report of RILEM TC 281-CCC: outcomes of a round robin on the resistance to accelerated carbonation of Portland, Portland-fly ash and blast-furnace blended cements

Many (inter)national standards exist to evaluate the resistance of mortar and concrete to carbonation. When a carbonation coefficient is used for performance comparison of mixtures or service life prediction, the applied boundary conditions during curing, preconditioning and carbonation play a crucial role, specifically when using latent...

Enhancing the damping properties of cement mortar by pretreating coconut fibers for weakened interfaces

Pretreated coconut fibers can be applied as renewable damping components in fiber-reinforced cement mortars to reduce the adverse effects of vibration and promote the recycling of waste fibers. In this study, FT-IR, TG, XRD, and SEM measurements were performed to analyze the morphologies and physicochemical properties of the coconut fibers...

Decarbonising Industry via BECCS: Promising Sectors, Challenges, and Techno-economic Limits of Negative Emissions

Purpose of Review: This paper reviews recent literature on the combined use of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) in the industries of steel, cement, paper, ethanol, and chemicals, focusing on estimates of potential costs and the possibility of achieving “negative emissions”. Recent Findings: Bioethanol is seen as a potential near...

Modern approach to surface layer modifications of hydrated cement paste for improving permeability estimates of virtual concrete

Permeability estimates obtained by physical experiments and by simulations differ quite significantly. When biases at the experimental side would be eliminated, the expected modest gap could be bridged by surface layer modifications of the hardened cement paste, discussed herein. This involves the formation of a fractal-like nano-particle...

Modelling of autogenous shrinkage of hardening cement paste

In recent decades, several simulation models have been proposed to predict autogenous shrinkage of cementitious systems. In most of these models, however, only the elastic deformation caused by self-desiccation of the hydrating cement paste is considered. In fact, cement paste is not an ideal elastic material. Also the time-dependent...

Determination of chloride content in cement-based materials: Comparison of results derived by conventional methods and chloride sensor readings

In this paper the potentiometric response of a Ag/AgCl electrode as a chloride sensor in cementitious materials of different mix design was studied. The chloride sensor’s response was discussed with respect to the presence of hydration products around the sensor. The free chloride content inferred from the sensor’s response was compared to the...