Interest in performance specifications has been growing in the civil and construction industry in the past decade. One major focus area has been on understanding how to prolong the service life of concrete structures, since repair and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure have cost many trillions of dollars. Deterioration mechanisms such...
The constituent materials of concrete often contain chlorides. The presence of chlorides in sufficient amounts can disrupt the passive layer, also known as the passive film, that protects the reinforcing steel in concrete. This disruption can lead to premature corrosion of the reinforcing steel in concrete. To minimize the risk...
Measuring resistivity as a method to calculate formation factor is becoming a popular way to evaluate transport properties of concrete. Resistivity measurements are dependent on multiple factors including the resistivity of the pore solution, leaching effects, the degree of saturation of the specimen, the age of the specimen (degree of...
Internal curing is a term used to describe a process in which curing water is provided to a concrete mixture from inside the mixture. Internal curing water has typically been provided in North America mixtures by using prewetted porous materials, like fine lightweight aggregate (FLWA). Alternative materials, such as superabsorbent...
Sustainable wastewater infrastructure systems are vital for civilizations to protect public health. Most of the structural elements of wastewater infrastructure are constructed using concrete owing to its versatility, low cost, and durability. Concrete structures that are exposed to wastewater can experience Microbially Induced Corrosion of Concrete (MICC), which is a...
Previous research has shown that using fine lightweight aggregate (FLWA) can be a promising strategy to mitigate alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in mortar and concrete. While several possible theories were proposed by researchers, discrepancies in testing methods, materials, and supporting evidence still exist. Therefore, this study was initiated. There are two...
Cementitious materials are often characterized through the use of advanced analytical techniques to understand the macro-, micro-, and nano-scale properties, including phase formation during hydration, and subsequent potential deterioration mechanisms which can affect service life. A major limitation with using such analytical techniques to quantify solid phases in cementitious systems...