Towards sustainable construction: experimental approach and multi-scale simulation in high-strength self-compacting concrete design

Alshahrani, Abdullah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2454-3427 2024. Towards sustainable construction: experimental approach and multi-scale simulation in high-strength self-compacting concrete design. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Concrete production constitutes approximately 10% of the yearly global carbon dioxide emissions while consuming substantial non-renewable resource quantities. The urgent need to mitigate the significant negative economic and environmental impacts necessitates sustainable design approaches for concrete production. This thesis explores the development of sustainable High-Strength Self-Compacting Concrete (HSSCC), investigates sustainable mix designs, evaluates elastic properties through multi-scale simulation, and assesses the effects of steel fibre properties on fresh and mechanical characteristics of such concrete. The research reported in this thesis is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on the development of an effective and robust mix-proportioning procedure for designing sustainable HSSCC based on targeted compressive strength and plastic viscosity, utilising 40% Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) as cement replacement and supported by design charts. Sixteen divergent HSSCC mixes were designed and produced using the proposed design method. The experimental test results for these mixes demonstrated that the proposed mix design method could produce HSSCC with excellent fresh and mechanical characteristics while being eco-efficient in terms of CO2 emissions and cement consumption. The second part of the thesis studies the elastic properties of HSSCC reinforced with steel fibre and varying proportions of coarse aggregate (CA). A two-step homogenisation method was developed to evaluate the elastic properties of HSSCC through mean-field homogenisation (MFH) and finite element modelling of the homogenised concrete. This method was used to determine the elastic modulus of HSSCC, considering variations in CA and steel fibre content, thereby facilitating mix design optimisation and constituent selection. Additionally, the effect of fibre content and orientation, CA content and particle shape, and porosity of the mix on the homogenised elastic modulus of HSSCC was evaluated. The last section reviews the effect of steel fibre properties on the rheological and mechanical properties of eco-friendly HSSCC, together with the combined effect of CA content and steel fibre. The results demonstrated that using steel fibres with higher tensile strength and smaller diameter significantly enhanced the splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and fracture energy, compared to steel fibres with larger diameters and lower tensile strengths. It was thus concluded that CA content and fibre properties are two critical factors that impact the performance of HSSCC and should, therefore, be carefully considered in the mix design process.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Engineering
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1) Sustainable Construction 2) High-Strength Self-Compacting Concrete 3) Mix Design 4) Multi-Scale Simulation 5) Steel Fibre Reinforcement 6) Homogenisation
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	18 July 2024
Last Modified:	18 Jul 2024 13:24
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170652

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