Energy Efficient and Environmental Friendly Cement Free Concrete (CFC) for Pavement and Bridge Deck Application

Cement manufacturing process accounts for approximately 5-7% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and has significant adverse impact on a wide range of sustainability issues including climate change, pollution and resources depletion. Increased awareness in this decade on the significance of developing sustainable and environmentally efficient infrastructure materials renewed the interest in exploring Cement Free Concrete (CFC) (also known as Alkali Activated Concrete or Geopolymer Concrete). This low energy, sustainable concretes are developed by activating fly ash or ground granulated blast furnace slag using commercially available alkali such as sodium hydroxide or sodium silicate hydrate (waterglass). However, the lack of studies and experimental data on optimum mixture proportioning of alkali activated concretes, especially for pavement application, is a serious limitation in designing and developing concretes of appropriate specifications in the field. In the proposed study, an experimental characterization to evaluate the viability of alkali activated CFC for pavement and bridge deck applications, by activating Class C fly ash or slag is recommended. The major focus of the proposed study is to identify the optimal proportion of an activator or a combination of activators that can provide adequate strength without requiring any thermal curing, making the CFCs even more energy efficient and user friendly. In addition to the optimum mixture proportion, the fresh properties (workability, setting time and heat of hydration), hardened properties (compressive, tensile, flexural strengths, modulus of elasticity and stress strain behavior), and durability performance (resistance to drying shrinkage, chloride ion penetration, alkali silica reaction) will be evaluated in comparison to the performance of a typical concrete mixture proportion that New York/New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) use for the pavement and bridge deck construction. Intellectual Merits of the proposed study is that it will provide deeper insight into the behavior and performance of alkali activated concrete, especially for pavement and bridge deck construction applications. The experimental data obtained through this research may contribute to develop standards and guidelines that may promote the usage of this greener concrete by the DOTs, especially in Region 2.

• Record URL:
  http://www.utrc2.org/research/projects/energy-efficient-and-environmental-friendly-cement-free-concrete

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $103940.00
• Contract Numbers:

  49997-31-34

• Sponsor Organizations:

  University Transportation Research Center

  City College of New York
  Marshak Hall, Suite 910, 160 Convent Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10031

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  University Transportation Centers Program
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Eickemeyer, Penny

  Mooney, Deborah

• Performing Organizations:

  Clarkson University

  ,    
• Principal Investigators:

  Peethamparan, Sulapha

• Start Date: 20120915
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20131231
• Source Data: RiP Project 33074

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alkali; Bridge decks; Cement; Fly ash; Geopolymer concrete; Pollutants; Slag; Sustainable development
• Uncontrolled Terms: Activators; Energy efficiency
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Pavements; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01492241
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University Transportation Research Center
• Contract Numbers: 49997-31-34
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 4 2013 1:01AM