This study investigated the potential utilization of the TBM muck obtained from the Gold Line of the Doha Metro Project as a partial replacement of coarse aggregates in concrete mixes. First, the TBM muck particles were screened to coarse aggregate standard sizes. Then, concrete mixes were prepared using 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% TBM muck replacement of coarse aggregates. The compressive and flexural strengths were determined for all mixes at 28 and 56 days. Moreover, the results obtained were validated using EDX analysis and SEM images. A t-statistical analysis did not show a significant impact of TBM muck usage on the compressive strength results of the concrete mixes. However, another t-statistical analysis showed that TBM muck replacement of coarse aggregates had adversely affected the flexural strength results. The EDX analysis indicated the presence of Na⁺ ions, which can replace the Ca²⁺ ions in the C-S-H gel, cause discontinuities of it, and hence reduce the strength at later ages. Finally, the SEM images showed that the ettringite and carbon hydroxide (C-H) contents in the mixes with TBM muck were higher than that of the control mix, while the C-S-H gel was less in such mixes.

This study investigates the compressive and flexural strengths, flexural modulus and air permeability of concrete samples containing 0·75% by cement weight of modified calcium nitrate self-healing microcapsules. The compressive and flexural strengths of concrete mixes with microcapsules were determined before healing and compared with those of the control mix. Moreover, another set of samples were loaded up to 60% of their ultimate load and placed in a water bath to accelerate their healing. The samples' air permeability was measured before loading, after applying 60% of the ultimate load, and after 3 and 7 d of healing. The stress–strain curves were plotted to determine the flexural modulus. The results show that there is a significant statistical difference in the compressive strengths of mixes with and without microcapsules. However, the mix flexural strength did not show a significant statistical effect. Scanning electron micrograph images of the fracture surfaces of samples with microcapsules showed a good healing efficiency of calcium nitrate microcapsules. It was also found that the addition of microcapsules considerably decreased the samples' air permeability. Although the flexural moduli of samples containing microcapsules were found to be less than those of samples without microcapsules before healing, modulus recovery was reported after 7 d of self-healing.

This paper investigates the potential utilization of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) muck generated from Doha’s Metro Gold Line in different construction applications. The properties of the raw TBM muck were studied, and the results were compared to the specifications of Qatari Construction Standards (QCS 2014) of concrete aggregates, fill material under buildings and road subgrades. Compared to the requirements of concrete aggregates, the results indicated that the gradation of the raw TBM muck does not comply with the QCS 2014 requirements, and hence, sieving and screening may be essential. Moreover, the tests’ results showed that the properties of the muck meet the requirements of the concrete coarse aggregates, except for the water absorption, loss by magnesium sulphate soundness, loss by Los Angeles abrasion and the acid-soluble sulphate. As fill material under buildings or road subgrades, the gradation of the TBM muck complies with the QCS 2014 requirements, while the liquid limit and plasticity index are higher than the QCS 2014 permissible limits. Additionally, the morphological structure and the elemental composition of the raw TBM muck were determined by employing Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), respectively. Digital images were also taken at larger scale to draw a full picture of the TBM muck morphology. A mixture of rough-rounded to angular-elongated shaped particles with relatively large voids could be observed. The EDX analysis demonstrated the presence of silicon (Si) as the predominant component of the muck, which may alter the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) values for mixtures prepared using TBM muck. Hence, further investigations should be performed on the mechanical and thermal properties of mixtures containing TBM muck as aggregates’ replacement, and further work should be directed toward this end.

The paper studied the behavior of reinforced concrete triangular and T-beams. Three reinforced concrete beams were tested experimentally and analyzed analytically using the finite element method. Their reliability was also assessed using the reliability index approach. The results showed that the finite element vertical displacements compared well with those obtained experimentally. They also showed that the vertical displacements obtained using the finite element method were larger than those obtained experimentally. This is a strong indication that the finite element results were conservative and reliable. The results showed that the triangular beams exhibited higher ductility at failure than did the T-beam. The plastic deformations at failure of the triangular beams were higher than that of the T-beam. This is a strong indication of the higher ductility of the triangular beams compared to the T-beam. Triangular beams exhibited smaller cracks than did T-beams for equal areas of steel and concrete. The design moment strengths M_c computed using the American Concrete Institute (ACI) design formulation were safe and close to those computed using experimental results. The experimental results validated the reliability analysis results, which stated that the triangular beams are more reliable than T-beams for equal areas of steel and concrete.