Review of Cementless Materials for 3D Printing of On- and Off-Earth Habitats

This chapter presents a review of cementless materials for 3D printing, with a specific emphasis on the utilization of volcanic ash in the context of a case study for off-Earth construction. As a highly promising alternative to traditional concrete, selected binders are investigated in relation to volcanic ash for the creation of an alternative...

Effect of Activator Solutions on the Thixotropic Behavior of Alkali-Activated Slag Concrete

Alkali-activated material (AAM) is developed as a green alternative binder to replace Portland cement (PC) in the construction field. However, the large-scale application with AAM concrete is limited so far, with the insufficient knowledge of rheological behavior being a major obstruct. Thixotropy of concrete is of great interest, which can...

Long-Term Mechanical and Durability Behaviour of Two Alkali-Activated Types of Concrete

A promising solution for reducing the carbon footprint of concrete is the use of alkali-activated concretes (AAC). Before this material can be widely applied, its long-term behaviour needs to be understood, especially since some studies reported a decrease of mechanical properties over time. Similarly, Prinsse et al. reported decreasing...

Bayesian Inverse Modelling of Early-Age Stress Evolution in GGBFS Concrete Due to Autogenous Deformation and Aging Creep

Stress evolution of restrained concrete is directly related to early-age cracking (EAC) potential of concrete, which is a tricky problem that often happens in engineering practice. Due to the global objective of carbon reduction, Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) concrete has become a more promising binder comparing with Ordinary...

The Influence of Autogenous Shrinkage and Creep on the Risk of Early Age Cracking

The study aims to investigate the mechanism of early-age cracks in different massive concrete structures (i.e. tunnels, bridge foundations and underground parking garages), with the objective of answering the following three specific questions: <br/><br/>1) How does the parameters of concrete proportion mix (e.g. w/c ratio, cementitious...

Cracking Potential of Alkali-Activated Concrete Induced by Autogenous Shrinkage

Alkali activated concrete (AAC) has not received broader industry acceptance, one reason of which lies in the uncertainties in the durability against shrinkage and potential cracking. Many studies reported that AAC exhibit larger autogenous shrinkage than OPC concrete. However, it is unable to deduce that AAC should show higher cracking...

X-Ray Micro Tomography of Water Absorption by Superabsorbent Polymers in Mortar

Superabsorbent Polymers (SAP) have been recently subject of investigation as smart admixtures for cement-based materials. The properties of these polymers enable their use for internal curing, increasing freeze/thaw resistance, boosting autogenous self-healing and providing a crack self-sealing effect in cementitious composites. Except for...