Water is often added to concrete placing for easy workability and finishability in construction site. The additional mixing water can help easy mixing and workability but causes increased porosity, which yields degradation of durability and structural performances. In this paper, cement mortar samples with 0.45 of W/C (water to cement) ratio are prepared for control case and durability performances are evaluated with additional water from 0.45 to 0.60 of W/C. Several durability tests including strength, chloride diffusion, air permeability, saturation, and moisture diffusion are performed, and they are analyzed with changed porosity. The changing ratios and patterns of durability performance are evaluated considering pore size distribution, total porosity, and additional water content.

This paper describes the experimental investigation carried out to develop the geopolymer concrete based on alkali-activated rice husk ash (RHA) by sodium hydroxide with sodium silicate. Effect on method of curing and concentration of NaOH on compressive strength as well as the optimum mix proportion of geopolymer mortar was investigated. It is possible to achieve compressive strengths of 31 N/mm²and 45 N/mm², respectively for the 10 M alkali-activated geopolymer mortar after 7 and 28 days of casting when cured for 24 hours at 60°C. Results indicated that the increase in curing period and concentration of alkali activator increased the compressive strength. Durability studies were carried out in acid and sulfate media such as H₂SO₄, HCl, Na₂SO₄, and MgSO₄environments and found that geopolymer concrete showed very less weight loss when compared to steam-cured mortar specimens. In addition, fluorescent optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies have shown the formation of new peaks and enhanced the polymerization reaction which is responsible for strength development and hence RHA has great potential as a substitute for ordinary Portland cement concrete.

Industrial wastes and recycled materials are being utilized in the construction industry for preserving the environment, saving of materials, and enhancing durability of the construction material....

The present study focuses the development and the evaluation of humidity sensors based on reduced graphene oxide—tin oxide (rGO-SnO₂) nanocomposites, synthesized by a simple redox reaction between GO and SnCl₂. The physico-chemical characteristics of the nanocomposites were analyzed by XRD, TEM, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. The formation of SnO₂ crystal phase was observed through XRD. The SnO₂ crystal phase anchoring to the graphene sheet was confirmed through TEM images. For the preparation of the sensors, tantalum substrates were coated with the sensing material. The sensitivity of the fabricated sensor was studied by varying the relative humidity (RH) from 11% to 95% over a period of 30 days. The dependence of the impedance and of the capacitance with RH of the sensor was measured with varying frequency ranging from 1 kHz to 100 Hz. The long-term stability of the sensor was measured at 95% RH over a period of 30 days. The results proved that rGO-SnO₂ nanocomposites are an ideal conducting material for humidity sensors due to their high sensitivity, rapid response and recovery times, as well as their good long-term stability.

Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) conventionally has been incorporated with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) owing to reduce the environmental load and enhance the engineering performance. Concrete with GGBFS shows different strength development of normal concrete, but sensitive, to exterior condition. Thus, a precise strength evaluation technique based on a quantitative model like full maturity model is required. Many studies have been performed on strength development of the concrete using equivalent age which is based on the apparent activation energy. In this process, it considers the effect of time and temperature simultaneously. However, the previous models on the apparent activation energy of concrete with mineral admixtures have limitation, and they have not considered the effect of temperature on strength development. In this paper, the apparent activation energy with GGBFS replacement ratio was calculated through several experiments and used to predict the compressive strength of GGBFS concrete. Concrete and mortar specimens with 0.6 water/binder ratio, and 0 to 60% GGBFS replacement were prepared. The apparent activation energy (E_a) was experimentally derived considering three different curing temperatures. Thermodynamic reactivity of GGBFS mixed concrete at different curing temperature was applied to evaluate the compressive strength model, and the experimental results were in good agreement with the model. The results show that when GGBFS replacement ratio was increased, there was a delay in compressive strength.

The relative performances of mechanical, permeability, and corrosion resistance properties of different concrete types were compared. Concrete types were made from ordinary Portland cement (OPC), Portland pozzolana cement (PPC), and Portland slag cement (PSC). Compressive strength test, effective porosity test, coefficient of water absorption, short-term accelerated impressed voltage test, and rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT) were conducted on M30 and M40 grades of concrete designed with OPC, PPC, and PSC cements for 28- and 90-day cured concrete types. Long-term studies such as microcell and electrochemical evaluation were carried out to understand the corrosion behaviour of rebar embedded in different concrete types. Better corrosion resistant properties were observed for PSC concrete by showing a minimum current flow, lowest free chloride contents, and lesser porosity. Besides, PSC concrete has shown less coefficient of water absorption, chloride diffusion coefficient (CDC), and lower corrosion rate and thereby the time taken for initiation of crack extended.