International Concrete Abstracts Portal

Sponsors: American Concrete Institute, RILEM, Université de Sherbrooke, CRIB, Université Toulouse III, Lmdc Toulouse, Kruger Biomaterials, Euclid Chemical, Prodexim International inc., BASF Master Builders, ACAA Editor: Arezki Tagnit-Hamou In July 1983, the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET) of Natural Resources Canada, in association with the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, sponsored a five-day international conference at Montebello, Quebec, Canada, on the use of fly ash, silica fume, slag and other mineral by-products in concrete. The conference brought together representatives from industry, academia, and government agencies to present the latest information on these materials and to explore new areas of needed research. Since then, eight other such conferences have taken place around the world (Madrid, Trondheim, Istanbul, Milwaukee, Bangkok, Madras, Las Vegas, and Warsaw). The 2007 Warsaw conference was the last in this series. In 2017, due to renewed interest in alternative and sustainable binders and supplementary cementitious materials, a new series was launched by Sherbrooke University (UdeS); ACI; and the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction materials, Systems, and Structures (RILEM). They, in association with a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean, sponsored the 10th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2017). The conference was held in Montréal, QB, Canada, from October 2 to 4, 2017. The conference proceedings, containing 50 refereed papers from more than 33 countries, were published as ACI SP-320. In 2021, UdeS, ACI, and RILEM, in association with Université de Toulouse and a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and Europe, sponsored the 11th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2021). The conference was held online from June 7 to 10, 2021. The conference proceedings, containing 53 peer reviewed papers from more than 14 countries, were published as ACI SP-349. The purpose of this international conference was to present the latest scientific and technical information in the field of supplementary cementitious materials and novel binders for use in concrete. The new aspect of this conference was to highlight advances in the field of alternative and sustainable binders and supplementary cementitious materials, which are receiving increasing attention from the research community. To all those whose submissions could not be included in the conference proceedings, the Institute and the Conference Organizing Committee extend their appreciation for their interest and hard work. Thanks are extended to the members of the international scientific committee to review the papers. Without their dedicated effort, the proceedings could not have been published for distribution at the conference. The cooperation of the authors in accepting reviewers’ suggestions and revising their manuscripts accordingly is greatly appreciated. The assistance of Chantal Brien at the Université de Sherbrooke is gratefully acknowledged for the administrative work associated with the conference and for processing the manuscripts, both for the ACI proceedings and the supplementary volume. Arezki Tagnit Hamou, Editor Chairman, eleventh ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2021). Sherbrooke, Canada 2021

This paper presents data on the durability of concrete produced using ground glass as a pozzolan. Various sources of glass were used including soda glass, E-glass and Pyrex glass. All the materials showed excellent pozzolanic activity when ground to pass 75-microns. The use of ground glass resulted in substantial reductions in permeability and chloride penetrability, and improved resistance to sulfate attack. Air-entrained concrete containing glass showed good freeze-thaw resistance. Low alkali E-glass and borosilicate glass were effective in preventing deleterious expansion due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR). Bottle glass, which contains substantial amounts of alkali, was not efficacious with regards to ASR. The inclusion of bottle glass results in very substantial increases to the pore solution alkalinity and this can result in substantial increases in expansion in concrete containing reactive aggregate and low-alkali cement. It is shown that the accelerated mortar bar test is not suitable for evaluating the impact of high-alkali materials on ASR as the alkalis contributed by the cementing materials are released when the mortar bars are masked by the conditions of the test (first immersed in hot water and then in hot NaOH solution).

The production of cement by calcination of limestone releases large amounts of carbon dioxide. Development of concrete quality lead to optimize the sustainability and maintenance phases of concrete structures, so, using supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) is one of the methods adapted to reduce the environmental impact of cement production. In addition, self-healing of concrete appears as a process to considerably improve the durability of a damaged structure [1]. As revealed by most analyses, mineral additions can be used to improve the autogenous healing ability of cementitious materials [2].

In this study, the influence of using a combination of SCMs, such as ground granulated blast furnace slag and metakaolin, on the mechanism of autogenous crack healing was assessed in ternary formula. Self-healing evolution was characterised by means of mechanical tests carried out on notched mortar samples with different substitution ratios. The mechanical recovery was investigated after the healing period. Moreover, the micro-chemical structure of the healing products was determined using various techniques (TGA, SEM/EDS and XRD). The primary results showed that using metakaolin and ground granulated blast furnace slag together greatly improve the healing efficiency.

MgO/hydromagnesite (Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O, abbreviated as HY) blends are cementitious materials, which set and harden when mixed with water. These blends reach acceptable strengths and therefore can potentially be used as binders in mortars and concrete. In case MgO is derived from carbonation of magnesium silicates and subsequent calcination, MgO/HY blends offer the possibility to be used as alternative binders with reduced carbon footprint compared to normal portland cement-based products.

This study focuses on the characterization of hydration products and mechanical properties of MgO/HY blends. Hydration of solely MgO leads to formation of brucite (Mg(OH)2) without any strength-building properties. In contrast, by blending MgO with hydromagnesite, it is possible to produce mortar samples with a strength of up to 11.0 ± 0.4 MPa (1595 ± 58 psi) after 28 d. Moreover, blending with hydromagnesite accelerates early hydration of MgO. XRD and TGA studies of hydrated blends revealed the presence of brucite and of a poorly crystalline, unidentified hydrate phase. The latter might play an important role in strength development.

Dredged river sediments can be considered as a promising alternative for conventional aggregates in concrete. However, the effect of sediments’ properties and particularly their organic matter (OM) content on those of the concrete have to be assessed. Indeed, the organic weight fraction of organic matter in sandy sediments dredged in the Seine watershed is highly variable as it varies from 0 wt% to 10 wt% of the dry matter. This research aims at assessing the effects of humic substances (HS) on the early age behavior of a cement paste. HS are organic compounds resulting from the chemical, physical and microbiological transformation of animals and plants residues and which are also the most representative component of sediments organic matter. A soluble HS, potassium humate, is added as partial substitution of cement; 0.2 wt%, 0.5 wt% and 1 wt%. The results indicate that HS causes a delay of both chemical and autogenous shrinkages by retarding the hydration process. In addition, the chemical shrinkage amplitude is not significantly affected by the presence of HS in the mixture, while the autogenous shrinkage is decreased especially for the high w/b (water/binder; binder=cement+HS) ratios, due to bleeding. Furthermore, for high rates (2% and 3%), this bleeding could generate a delay of setting between the top and the bottom of the sample causing cracks due to a restrained shrinkage in the upper part of the sample.