Rotational rheometers are used to measure paste properties, but the test would take too long to be useful for quality control (QC) on the job site. In this paper, a new type of rheometer is proposed based on a one degree of freedom (DOF) micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based motion stage. Preliminary data will be presented to show the capability of the system to measure the viscoelastic...

Most transportation infrastructures are exposed to a combination of mechanical and environmental loads. Normal concrete is brittle and tends to crack, resulting in a lack of durability and frequent repair needs. This paper describes an ultra ductile cementitious composite which is highly crack resistant, with a tensile strain capacity over three hundred times that of normal concrete. Apart from...

Purpose – A large amount of post-consumer carpet waste is discarded into landfills. The need to recycle this waste is increasing due to the lack of available landfill spaces in many parts of the world, environmental concerns, and resource conservation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of this waste for a low-cost, high-volume application. Design/methodology/approach – Fibers from...

The influence of different cooling regimes (quenching in water and cooling in air) on the residual mechanical properties of engineered cementitious composite (ECC) subjected to high temperature up to 800°C was discussed in this paper. The ECC specimens are exposed to 100, 200, 400, 600, and 800°C with the unheated specimens for reference. Different cooling regimens had a significant influence o...

The new Concrete Society Publication, Cementitious Materials, CSTR74, covers the effects of cementitious materials blast furnace slag (GGBS), fly ash (FA), limestone fines and silica fume (microsilica) on the properties of concrete. This paper focuses on the effects of silica fume on all the main properties of concrete in the fresh and hardened state as defined in the publication.

This letter describes a newly discovered phenomenon: ductile fracture in cementitious materials. The brittle nature of materials such as concrete and ceramics has prompted the development of various approaches to enhance their fracture toughness. Fibre reinforcement has been the common focus in the toughening of the brittle materials. Two types of fracture have been observed to date in cementit...

The cost associated with the application of large volume of cement and synthetic admixtures was one of the major drawbacks of Self Compacting Concrete (SCC), which can be reduced by the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM). When the demand of cement reduces, the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) from cement industries will come down, which has a positive impact on global w...