In this study, an analysis of the influence of polymer modification on the mechanical behavior, porosity, and microstructure of mortar is carried out. Epoxy latexes contents of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of cement were employed in the preparation of cement mortars based on the same workability. The specimens were subjected to dry, wet, and wet–dry curing regimes. Compressive strength, flexural strength, Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and scanning electronic microscope (SEM) tests were conducted to analyze the effect of epoxy latexes on the mechanical property and porosity of modified mortars. Based on the compressive strength test results, a quantitative method was established to calculated the degree of hydration and polymerization. The results show that the mechanical behavior and porosity property of epoxy latexes modified mortar are influenced by the degree of hydration, the degree of polymerization, and the volume changing effect of mortar. The polymerization of epoxy latexes could improve the flexural strength of the mortar. The macropores of specimens tended to decrease with the increase of the degree of epoxy latexes polymerization and cement hydration. In practical engineering, it is necessary to ensure the degree of hydration and increase the polymerization rate. Thus, the wet–dry curing regime is recommended.
1 January 2018 in Advances in Materials Science and Engineering
The behavior of concrete‐filled steel tube (CFST) columns subjected to axial compression was experimentally investigated in this paper. Two kinds of columns, including CFST columns with foundation and columns without foundation, were tested. Columns of pure concrete and concrete with reinforcing bars as well as two steel tube thicknesses were considered. The experimental results showed that the CFST column with reinforcing bars has a higher bearing capacity, more effective plastic behavior, and greater toughness, and the elastoplastic boundary point occurs when the load is approximately 0.4–0.5 times of the ultimate bearing capacity. The change of rock‐socketed depth and the presence of steel tube will affect the ultimate bearing capacity of rock‐socketed pile. The bearing capacities of the rock‐socketed CFST columns are lower than those of rock‐socketed columns without a steel tube under a vertical load; besides, the greater the rock‐socketed depth, the greater the bearing capacity of the rock‐socketed piles. In addition, a numerical comparison between the ultimate load and the theoretical value calculated from the relevant specifications shows that the ultimate load is generally considerably greater than the theoretical calculation results.
Digital twin technology significantly enhances construction site management efficiency; however, dynamically reconstructing site activities presents a considerable challenge. This study introduces a methodology that leverages camera data for the 3D reconstruction of construction site activities. The methodology was initiated using 3D scanning to meticulously reconstruct the construction scene and dynamic elements, forming a model base. It further integrates deep learning algorithms to precisely identify static and dynamic elements in obstructed environments. An enhanced semi-global block-matching algorithm was then applied to derive depth information from the imagery, facilitating accurate element localization. Finally, a near-real-time projection method was introduced that utilizes the spatial relationships among elements to dynamically incorporate models into a 3D base, enabling a multi-perspective view of site activities. Validated by simulated construction site experiments, this methodology showcased an impressive reconstruction accuracy reaching up to 95%, this underscores its significant potential in enhancing the efficiency of creating a dynamic digital twin model.
In order to understand the effect of sand type on the rheological properties of self-compacting mortar, four varieties of sand, namely, quartz sand (QS), river sand (RS), and two kinds of manufactured sand, marked as MS-A and MS-B, were studied. As part of this study, the sands’ particle shape parameters, such as their length:width ratio and roundness, were determined. Mortars containing the four varieties of sand were tested using the slump flow test and the V-funnel test in oven-dried (OD) and saturated surface-dried (SSD) conditions in order to identify the water absorption, shape-related differences, and specific gravity in their rheological performance. The changing trends of the slump flows and the V-funnel times of the different mortars in OD and SSD were similar. By eliminating the influence of water absorption on mortar rheology, shape–weight parameters, such as the ratio between the length:width ratio and specific gravity (LWS) and the product of roundness and specific gravity (ROS), were defined in order to quantify the compound effects of sand type on mortar rheology. The regression analysis showed an excellent linear correlation between slump flow and both LWS and ROS, and a very good linear correlation was also demonstrated between the V-funnel time and both LWS and ROS. Based on the particle shape–weight parameters, the rheological properties of mortars can be predicted. Based on the mortar rheological threshold theory, the self-compacting mortar (SCM) zone can be drawn. The predicted SCM zone overlaps considerably with the experimental SCM zone for MS-A.
The mix design of UHPC has always been based on a large number of experiments; in order to reduce the number of repeated experiments, in this study, silica fume (SF), fly ash (FA), and limestone powder (LP) were used as the raw materials to conduct 15 groups of experiments to determine the particle size distribution (PSD) properties of UHPC. A model of multi-component hydration based on the SF, FA, and LP pozzolanic reactions was devised to quantify the rate and total heat release during the hydration process. Additionally, a microscopic pore development model, which was based on the accumulation of hydration products, was established to measure the effect of these products on the particle-packing properties. Utilizing this model, a UHPC strength prediction technique was formulated to precisely forecast the compressive strength based on a restricted experimental data set. The applicability of this prediction method was verified using 15 sets of existing experimental data along with the data collected from 4 research articles. The results show that the prediction method can predict the strength values of different mix proportions with an accuracy rate of over 80%.
The influences of variable humidity on the creep behaviors of concrete and the long‐term deflections of RC beams are analyzed in this paper. A total of 6 prismatic specimens and 5 RC beams were subjected to sustained loads and 3 types of variable humidity conditions for 331 days. The creep strains of the prismatic specimens and the deflections of the RC beams were recorded to investigate the long‐term deformation characteristics. The test results reveal that both the creep strain and the deflection of specimens under cyclic humidity conditions exhibit approximately linear tendencies that are obviously less than those of specimens exposed only to natural air. During certain wetting cycles, the deformation rate became slower and the creep strain even recovered with an increase in the humidity, especially for shorter wetting‐drying cycles. Long‐term deflections predicted using the CEB‐FIP 90 and ACI 209R models were compared with the test results to evaluate the versatility of these current specifications. The findings included rather large errors between the predicted results and experimental data when the average relative humidity was adopted in the analytical models.