• Computers and Concrete
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.125-142
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• 2011

In the present paper, a numerical simulation method based on mesoscopic composite structure of concrete, the truss network model, is developed to evaluate the diffusivity of concrete in order to account for the microstructure of concrete, the binding effect of chloride ions and the chloride concentration dependence. In the model, concrete is described as a three-phase composite, consisting of mortar, coarse aggregates and the interfacial transition zones (ITZs) between them. The advantage of the current model is that it can easily represent the movement of mass (e.g. water or chloride ions) through ITZs or the potential cracks within concrete. An analytical method to estimate the chloride diffusivity of mortar and ITZ, which are both treated as homogenious materials in the model, is introduced in terms of water-to-cement ratio (w/c) and sand volume fraction. Using the newly developed approaches, the effect of cracking of concrete on chloride diffusion is reflected by means of the similar process as that in the test. The results of calculation give close match with experimental observations. Furthermore, with consideration of the binding capacity of chloride ions to cement paste and the concentration dependence for diffusivity, the one-dimensional nonlinear diffusion equation is established, as well as its finite difference form in terms of the truss network model. A series of numerical analysises performed on the model find that the chloride diffusion is substantially influenced by the binding capacity and concentration dependence, which is same as that revealed in some experimental investigations. This indicates the necessity to take into account the binding capacity and chloride concentration dependence in the durability analysis and service life prediction of concrete structures.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.12
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• pp.843-850
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• 2014

This study investigated to recycle ash produced in the sewage sludge incinerator using reduction/stabilization. Nonsintering process was performed by binding cement, geobond and sand mixed with sewage sludge ash (SSA). Results showed that unconfined compressive strength could be obtained components of sewage sludge ash. it exceeded more than double score of the 22.54 Mpa ($229.7kg/cm^2$) Korean standard. chemical ingradients of the sewage sludge ash was mainly composed of $SiO_2$, $Al_2O_3$, $Fe_2O_3$, CaO and others, which were similar to those of the each binders consisting cement and geobond. microstructure of solidified speceimen for the different admixture was related to the compressive strength according to SEM analysis. optimum mixing range of the sewage sludge ash to inorganic binder was found to be 10~40% which can widly safely regulate the confined compressive strength. This study revealed the sewage sludge ash can be partial replacement of the inorganic binder for recycling.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.95-110
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• 2013

We report various synchrotron radiation laboratory based techniques used to characterize cement based materials in nanometer scale. High resolution X-ray transmission imaging combined with a rotational axis allows for rendering of samples in three dimensions revealing volumetric details. Scanning transmission X-ray microscope combines high spatial resolution imaging with high spectral resolution of the incident beam to reveal X-ray absorption near edge structure variations in the material nanostructure. Microdiffraction scans the surface of a sample to map its high order reflection or crystallographic variations with a micron-sized incident beam. High pressure X-ray diffraction measures compressibility of pure phase materials. Unique results of studies using the above tools are discussed-a study of pores, connectivity, and morphology of a 2,000 year old concrete using nanotomography; detection of localized and varying silicate chain depolymerization in Al-substituted tobermorite, and quantification of monosulfate distribution in tricalcium aluminate hydration using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy; detection and mapping of hydration products in high volume fly ash paste using microdiffraction; and determination of mechanical properties of various AFm phases using high pressure X-ray diffraction.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.381-391
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• 2020

This study aimed to develop reference materials (RMs) for mortar that can simulate the initial flow characteristics with constant quality over a long period. Through the previous research on the development of RMs for cement paste, the combination of limestone, glycerol, and water was used as the basic matrix for developing RMs for mortar in this study. In addition, glass beads of three particle sizes (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mm) and ISO standard sand were selected as tentative candidates to derive fine aggregate substitutes. The mixture of glass beads could simulate the initial flow characteristics of mortar, but under the same mixing ratio, replicates showed an unstable tendency to indicate inconsistent values due to the generation of electrostatic properties between materials and equipment. On the other hand, the mixture using ISO standard Sand not only simulates the constant flow characteristics for a long period of time, but also shows stable results with little error in replicates. Therefore, limestone, glycerol, ISO standard sand, and water were finally determined as components that met the required properties of RMs for mortar. The effect of each component on the flow characteristics of RMs was analyzed. It was found that glycerol increased the cohesion between the particles of standard sand, resulting in a constant increase both in the plastic viscosity and yield stress. Both limestone and standard sand had a dominant effect on the yield stress. The relationships between various mortar mixing ratios and the corresponding mixing ratios of RMs were established. In addition, the results of the verification experiment showed that the rheological properties of the RMs obtained through the relationships correlated with various water/cement ratios and the fine aggregate volume fractions of mortar obtained with same manner. In other words, the RMs for mortar developed in this study can be used as standard samples because they can simulate the initial flow characteristics of mortar of various mixing ratios for a long period without any chemical changes.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.1053-1056
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• 2008

Permeability coefficient of concrete is a substantial key parameter for understanding the durability performance of concrete and its micro-structural densification. Many researches to deal with the issue have been accomplished, however, it is very rare to deal with the theoretical study on permeability coefficient in connection with carbonation of concrete and the effect of volumetric fraction of cement paste or aggregate on the permeability coefficient. The majority of these researches have not dealt with this issue combined with carbonation of concrete, although carbonation can significantly impact on the permeability coefficient of concrete. The purpose of this study is to establish a fundamental approach to compute the permeability coefficient of (non)carbonated concrete. When simulating micro-structural characteristics as a starting point for deriving a model for the permeability coefficient by the numerical simulation program for cementitious materials, HYMOSTRUC, a more realistic formulation can be achieved. For several compositions of cement pastes, the permeability coefficient is calculated with the analytical formulation, followed by a microstructure-based model. Emphasis is on the micro-structural changes and its effective change of the permeability coefficient of carbonated concrete. The results of micro-structural water permeability coefficient model will be compared with results achieved from permeability experiments.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.09a
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• pp.815-826
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• 2009

The paper presents a case study addressing the design and construction aspects for DCM(Deep Cement Mixing) method employed as the foundation of a caisson type breakwater with heavy weight(10,700 ton/EA) and a high design wave height($H_{1/3}$=8.7m). The DCM was designed for the project(Ulsan New Port North Breakwater Phase 1) by optimizing the pattern of DCM columns with a combination of short and long columns (i.e., block type(upper 3m)+wall type(lower)) and considering overlapped section between columns as a critical section against shear force where the coefficient of effective width of treated column($\alpha$) was estimated with caution. It was shown that the value can be 0.9 under the condition with the overlapped width of 30cm. In addition to that, a field trial test was performed after improving conventional DCM equipment (e.g., mixing blades, cement paste supplying pipes, multi auger motor, etc.) to establish a standardized DCM construction cycle (withdrawal rate of mixing blades) which can provide the prescribed strength. The result of the field strength test for cored DCM specimens shows that the averaged strength is larger than the target strength and the distribution of the strength(with a defect rate of 7%) also satisfies with the quality control normal distribution curve which allows defect rate of 15.9%.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.115-121
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• 2010

Lime was the solidifier mostly used at the fields of construction and civil works in the past. however, the development of Portland cement remarkably reduced the use of it. Recently as the concernment on circumstances gets higher, lime wined attention again as an eco-friendly material and was used at earth-using construction. This study examined the physical and chemical capacity of lime complexes with lime capacity improved, and performed fundamental study on the way to concretize by mixing it with earth. As a result, lime complex pressure strength was lower than cement pressure strength but it showed the possibility that its strength was improved by W/B control. The measurement of XRD after paste formation confirmed a compound generated by the reaction of Ca2+ion and Si, Al, and Fe from pozzolan reaction. A earth wall experiment by using lime complexes and earth showed that the higher, WB or the lower the quantity of unit combined materials, the lower the pressure strength was. The maximum pressure strength was maximum 11MPa when the quantity of unit combined materials was 450. It is because the composed earth particles had a high content of micro powder less than silt, so a lot of combination are demanded to secure fluidity. As a result of peptization experiment, after hardening, the material was not dissolved, which informed of the possibility of use as an outer subsidiary material. If the material is hardened by mold formation method, natural hardening crack appears. Cast expresses smart surface quality and enables to design for multiple purpose. The result shows the possibility of construction of low-story structures by using earth wall made of lime complexes and earth.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.123-129
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• 2018

Recently, there has been a growing interest in the study of treatment of $CO_2$ generated by industrial activities and resource recycling of industrial byproducts. The aim of this study is to investigate the applicability of industrial byproducts that can be used as concrete mixed materials by carbonation curing. For this purpose, the physical and chemical changes of the pastes with research cement(RC), blast furnace slag powder (GGBFS) and circulating fluidized bed combustion ashes (CFBC) were evaluated by carbonation curing. XRD and SEM analyzes were performed to investigate micro-structural changes. As a result, it was confirmed that calcium carbonate, which is a reaction product produced by carbonation curing, filled the space inside the paste and formed a dense micro-structure. Also, as the $CO_2$ curing time increased, it was confirmed that calcium carbonate crystals were grown together to form a dense micro-structure.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.561-583
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• 2018

A variety of polycarboxylate ether (PCE)-based superplasticizers are commercially available. Their influence on the rheological retention and slump loss in respect of concrete differ considerably. Fluidity and slump loss are the cardinal features responsible for the quality of concrete. These are related to the dispersion of cement particles and the hydration process which are greatly influenced by type of polycarboxylate ether (PCE)-based superplasticizers. On the backdrop of relatively less studies in the context of rheological retention of high strength self-consolidating concrete (HS-SCC), the experimental investigations were carried out aiming at quantifying the effect of the six different PCE polymers (PCE 1-6) on the rheological retention of HS-SCC mixes containing two types of Ordinary Portland Cements (OPC) and unwashed crushed sand as the fine aggregate. The tests that were carried out included $T_{500}$, V-Funnel, yield stress and viscosity retention tests. The supplementary cementitious materials such as fly ash (FA) and micro-silica (MS) were also used in ternary blend keeping the mix paste volume and flow of concrete constant. Low water to binder ratio was used. The results reveal that not only the PCEs of different polymer groups behave differently, but even the PCEs of same polymer groups also behave differently. The study also indicates that the HS-SCC mixes containing PCE 6 and PCE 5 performed better as compared to the mixes containing PCE 1, PCE 2, PCE 3 and PCE 4 in respect of all the rheological tests. The PCE 6 is a new class of chemical admixtures known as Polyaryl Ether (PAE) developed by BASF to provide better rheological properties in even in HS-SCC mixes at low water to binder mix. In the present study, the PCE 6, is found to help not only in reduction in the plastic viscosity and yield stress, but also provide good rheological retention over the period of 180 minutes. Further, the early compressive strength properties (one day compressive strength) highly depend on the type of PCE polymer. The side chain length of PCE polymer and the fineness of the cement considerably affect the early strength gain.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.92-99
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• 2021

CaO-based by-products composed of CaO, SO3, Al2O3, etc. are generally used as raw materials for CaO compounds. When applied to the recovered water of ready-mixed concrete, the hydration reaction of the powder material is accelerated and concrete performance can be improved. In this study, activated sludge was prepared to apply to the recovered water of ready-mixed concrete by mixing CaO-based hot-rolled slag(C12A7) in the recycling water of ready-m ixed concrete. Cem ent paste setting time and mortar compressive strength performance tests confirmed the effect on the hydration reaction. Therefore, the possibility of concrete application using activated sludge was confirmed.