An Experimental Study on Non-Destructive Evaluation of the Mechanical Characteristics of a Sustainable Concrete Incorporating Industrial Waste

Abstract

Structural materials sustainability is gaining popularity across the globe at present. Reusing natural resources, building, demolition debris, and solid waste are the most apparent tools to make construction more environmentally friendly. Traditional concrete is believed to be less durable, stronger, environmentally friendly, and socially and commercially feasible than industrial waste concrete. The evolution of non-destructive testing (NDT) across time has not been investigated in depth by researchers. An experimental study was carried out to propose the use of non-destructive mechanisms that would enable us to assess concrete’s compressive strength without causing destruction. Varying quantities of industrial waste (coal bottom ash (CBA) and waste glass sludge (WGS)) were incorporated to cast concrete prisms (150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm). The results obtained helped us to establish relationships between the compressive strength of concrete and the Schmidt hammer rebound value, as well as the ultrasonic pulse velocities. Microstructural analysis showed that incorporating 10% of CBA and WGS improved the porosity of concrete specimens, which shows the applicability of these industrial wastes as partial cement replacements. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed traces of calcium alumino-silicate hydrate (C-A-S-H), portlandite and C-S-H, which indicates the binder characteristics of CBA and WGS. The concept of the response surface approach (RSM) for optimizing cement and industrial waste substitution was validated by the polynomial work expectation. The model was statistically significant when the fluctuation of ANOVA was analyzed using a p value with a significance level of 0.05. The study results show that the usage of 15% CBA and 10% WGS as a cementitious additive and cement replacement has the potential to increase the strength of concrete significantly.

Modification of Concrete Composition Doped by Sewage Sludge Fly Ash and Its Effect on Compressive Strength

“…There is a particular minimum strength value that each kind of concrete should meet. It is important that the concrete achieves the guaranteed strength without significantly exceeding it, as this could indicate an inadequate composition of the concrete mix [1,60]. According to the results in Table 7, variable proportions of concrete ingredients, including sand, gravel, cement, water, SSFA, and chemical admixtures, have a considerable impact on the strength of concrete mixes.…”

“…Sand, gravel, and cement are just a few of the ingredients used to make concrete. In order to impart particular performance attributes, extra chemical admixtures are also used in the concrete mix [1]. The United States (72 million metric tons (MMT)), the Netherlands (54 MMT), Turkey (12 MMT), India (12 MMT), France (11 MMT), Italy (10 MMT), Bulgaria (8.4 MMT), Spain (5.7 MMT), and Poland (5.5 MMT) were the world's top producers of sand and gravel in 2021 [2].…”

“…Landfilling the waste causes significant environmental issues, such as the tainting of ground or surface waters, an increase in soil alkalinity, and detrimental impacts on vegetation and other living organisms. Thus, using waste materials has environmental benefits by reducing landfilling and lowering CO 2 emissions into the atmosphere [1,11,12]. Furthermore, waste materials are added to increase mechanical qualities such as compressive and tensile strength [13].…”

Protective Performance of Coated Reinforcement in Coral Concrete under Dry/Wet Cycling

“…However, the use of mixed seawater and the hostile maritime environment make steel corrosion a severe issue, reducing the service life of coral concrete structures significantly [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Methods for protecting marine concrete reinforcement from corrosion, such as choosing corrosion-resistant materials, adding rust inhibitors for reinforcement, applying surface coatings, cathodic protection, and electrochemical dechlorination, are equally beneficial for coral concrete [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. The protection of reinforcement in coral aggregate concrete (CAC) is currently being studied by researchers.…”

Assessment of the Efficiency of Eco-Friendly Lightweight Concrete as Simulated Repair Material in Concrete Joints

“…They concluded that the maximum compressive strength could be achieved when using 10% rubber, 15% fly ash, and 15% silica fume. Umar et al [26] assessed the compressive strength of sustainable concrete containing coal bottom ash (CBA) and waste glass sludge (WGS). They reported that incorporating 10% CBA and WGS improved the porosity of concrete.…”