Mechanical Properties of Nano SiO2 and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete after Exposure to High Temperatures

Concrete Performance Attenuation of Mix Nano-SiO2 and Nano-CaCO3 under High Temperature: A Comprehensive Review

Fire and extreme heat environmental changes can have an impact on concrete performance, and as climate change increases, new concrete structures are being developed. Nano-silica and nano-calcium carbonate have shown excellent performances in modifying concrete due to their large specific surface areas. This review describes the changes in concrete modified with nano-silica (NS) and nano-calcium carbonate (NC), which accelerate the hydration reaction with the cementitious materials to produce more C-S-H, resulting in a denser microstructure and improved mechanical properties and durability of the concrete. The mechanical property decay and visualization of deformation of mixed NS and NC concrete were tested by exposure to high temperatures to investigate the practical application of mixed composite nanomaterials (NC+NS) to concrete. The nano-modified concrete had better overall properties and was heated at 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C to relatively improve the mechanical properties of the nano concrete structures. The review concluded that high temperatures of 800 °C to 1000 °C severely damaged the structure of the concrete, reducing the mechanical properties by around 60%, and the dense nano concrete structures were more susceptible to cracking and damage. The high temperature resistance of NS and NC-modified nano concrete was relatively higher than that of normal concrete, with NC concrete being more resistant to damage at high temperatures than the NS samples.

Nano-Silica-Modified Concrete: A Bibliographic Analysis and Comprehensive Review of Material Properties

Several review studies have been performed on nano-silica-modified concrete, but this study adopted a new method based on scientometric analysis for the keywords’ assessment in the current research area. A scientometric analysis can deal with vast bibliometric data using a software tool to evaluate the diverse features of the literature. Typical review studies are limited in their ability to comprehensively and accurately link divergent areas of the literature. Based on the analysis of keywords, this study highlighted and described the most significant segments in the research of nano-silica-modified concrete. The challenges associated with using nano-silica were identified, and future research is directed. Moreover, prediction models were developed using data from the literature for the strength estimation of nano-silica-modified concrete. It was noted that the application of nano-silica in cement-based composites is beneficial when used up to an optimal dosage of 2–3% due to high pozzolanic reactivity and a filler effect, whereas a higher dosage of nano-silica has a detrimental influence due to the increased porosity and microcracking caused by the agglomeration of nano-silica particles. The mechanical strength might enhance by 20–25% when NS is incorporated in the optimal amount. The prediction models developed for predicting the strength of nano-silica-modified concrete exhibited good agreement with experimental data due to lower error values. This type of analysis may be used to estimate the essential properties of a material, therefore saving time and money on experimental tests. It is recommended to investigate cost-effective methods for the dispersion of nano-silica in higher concentrations in cement mixes; further in-depth studies are required to develop more accurate prediction models to predict nano-silica-modified concrete properties.

Frost Resistance Investigation of Fiber-Doped Cementitious Composites

Fibers used as reinforcement can increase the mechanical characteristics of engineering cementitious composites (ECC), but their frost resistance has received less attention. The mechanical properties of various fiber cementitious materials under the dual factors of freeze-thaw action and fiber dose are yet to be determined. This study examines the performance change patterns of cementitious composites, which contain carbon fiber, glass fiber, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber at 0%, 0.5%, and 1% volume admixture in freeze-thaw tests. Three fiber cement-based materials are selected to do the compression and bending testing, and ABAQUS finite element modeling is used to assess the performance of fiber cement-based composite materials. The microscopic observation results show that the dispersion of glass and PVA fibers is higher than that of carbon fibers. As a result, the mechanical characteristics of the fiber-doped cementitious composites increase dramatically after freeze-thaw with increasing dosage. The compression test results show the frost resistance of carbon fiber > PVA fiber > glass fiber. In addition, the bending test results show the frost resistance of carbon fiber > glass fiber > PVA fiber. The 3D surface plots of the strength changes are established to observe the mechanical property changes under the coupling effect of admixture and freeze-thaw times. ABAQUS modeling is used to predict the strength of the cementitious composites under various admixtures and freeze-thaw cycles. The bending strength numerical equation is presented, and the bending and compressive strengths of three different fiber-cement matrix materials are accurately predicted.

The effect of nanosilica incorporation on the mechanical properties of concrete exposed to elevated temperature: a review

Exposing concrete to high temperatures leads to harmful effects in its mechanical and microstructural properties, and ultimately to total failure. In this sense, various types of waste materials are exploited not only to tackle serious environmental issues but also to enhance the thermal stability of concrete exposed to elevated temperatures. Furthermore, nanomaterials have been incorporated in concrete as admixtures to reduce the thermal degradation of concrete due to exposure to high temperatures. In the present study, the effects of nanosilica (NS) incorporation on the properties of concrete subjected to elevated temperature are discussed in several sequential sections. The process mechanism of concrete deterioration due to fire exposure and the important factors that could affect the performance of concrete under fire were evaluated. Moreover, brief highlights on the effect of elevated temperature on concrete containing waste materials are included in this review paper. Reviews and summaries of the available and updated literature regarding concrete containing NS are considered. According to the findings of the studies under review, the addition of nanosilica to concrete contributed in reduced strength loss, minimized internal porosity, and enhanced matrix compactness in concrete.

Synergistic effects of CNTs/SiO2 composite fillers on mechanical properties of cement composites

This paper investigated the hybridization use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with nano-SiO₂ in cement composites. The (CNTs)/SiO₂ composite fillers were designed and prepared by electrostatic self-assembly technology to reinforce cement composites. The mechanical properties, microstructure and hydration characteristics of cement composites incorporating CNTs/SiO₂ fillers were systematically researched. The morphology and optical microscopy results show that the CNTs inside CNTs/SiO₂ fillers tended to unwind due to the mechanical separation and steric hindrance of nano-SiO₂ particles with certain size, and its agglomeration degree in the suspension greatly alleviated over time. With the appropriate incorporation of CNTs/SiO₂ fillers (containing 0.10 wt% CNTs and 0.50 wt% nano-SiO₂), the flexural strength, compressive strength and flexural toughness of the cement mortar matrix were sharply increased by 33.5%, 36.5% and 56.0% after curing for 28 days compared to the plain sample, respectively. Microscopic observations show that appropriate nano-additives can densify and refine the hydrated microstructure, and the crack-bridging, debonding and pull-out behaviors of CNTs were all observed. Hydration analysis quantitatively reveals that CNTs/SiO₂ fillers significantly accelerated the cement hydration process by virtue of the nano-nucleating action. The reinforcing mechanisms of CNTs/SiO₂ fillers can be attributed to the proposed synergistic effects of CNTs/SiO₂ fillers, which mainly include the better dispersion stability of CNTs, the nucleating effect of nano-additives and the pozzolanic reaction by nano-SiO₂, thus positively leading to increased mechanical properties.

CNTs/SiO₂ composite fillers are prepared by assembling CNTs with nano-SiO₂ paticles. The synergistic reinforcing effects of the prepared CNTs/SiO₂ fillers on cement composites were researched.

Mechanical Properties of High Strength Concrete Containing Nano SiO2 Made from Rice Husk Ash in Southern Vietnam

This paper presents the experimental results of the production of Nano-SiO2 (NS) from rice husk ash (RHA) and the engineering properties of High Strength Concrete (HSC) containing various NS contents. Firstly, the mesoporous silica nanoparticles were effectively modulated from RHA using NaOH solution, and subsequently precipitated with HCl solution until the pH value reached 3. The optimum synthesis for the manufacture of SiO2 nanoparticles in the weight ratio of RHA/NaOH was 1:2.4, and the product was calcined at 550 °C for 2 h. The EDX, XRD, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, and BET techniques were used to characterize the NS products. Results revealed that the characteristics of the obtained NS were satisfactory for civil engineering materials. Secondly, the HSC was manufactured with the aforementioned NS contents. NS particles were added to HSC at various replacements of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5% by the mass of the binder. The water-to-binder ratio was remained at 0.3 for all mixes. The specimens were cured for 3, 7, 28, 25 days under 25 ± 2 °C and a relative humidity of 95% before testing compressive and flexural strengths. Chloride ion permeability was investigated at 28 and 56 days. Results indicated that the addition of NS dramatically enhanced compressive strength, flexural strength, chloride ion resistance, and reduced chloride ion permeability compared to control concrete. The optimal NS content was found at 1.5%, which yielded the highest strength and lowest chloride ion permeability. Next, the development of flexural and compressive strengths with an age curing of 3–28 days can be analytically described by a logarithmic equation with R2 ≥ 0.74. The ACI code was used, and the compressive strength at t-day was determined based on 28 days with R2 ≥ 0.95. The study is expected to solve the redundancy of waste RHA in southern Vietnam by making RHA a helpful additive when producing high-strength concrete and contributing meaningfully to a sustainable environment.

Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete before and after Exposure to High Temperatures

Compared with ordinary concrete, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has excellent toughness and better impact resistance. Under high temperatures, the microstructure and mechanical properties of UHPC may seriously deteriorate. As such, we first explored the properties of UHPC with a designed 28-day compressive strength of 120 MPa or higher in the fresh mix phase, and measured its hardened mechanical properties at seven days. The test variables included: the type of cementing material and the mixing ratio (silica ash, ultra-fine silicon powder), the type of fiber (steel fiber, polypropylene fiber), and the fiber content (volume percentage). In addition to the UHPC of the experimental group, pure concrete was used as the control group in the experiment; no fiber or supplementary cementitious materials (silica ash, ultra-fine silicon powder) were added to enable comparison and discussion and analysis. Then, the UHPC-1 specimens of the experimental group were selected for further compressive, flexural, and splitting strength tests and SEM observations after exposure to different target temperatures in an electric furnace. The test results show that at room temperature, the 56-day compressive strength of the UHPC-1 mix was 155.8 MPa, which is higher than the >150 MPa general compressive strength requirement for ultra-high-performance concrete. The residual compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting strength of the UHPC-1 specimen after exposure to 300, 400, and 500 °C did not decrease significantly, and even increased due to the drying effect of heating. However, when the temperature was 600 °C, spalling occurred, so the residual mechanical strength rapidly declined. SEM observations confirmed that polypropylene fibers melted at high temperatures, thereby forming other channels that helped to reduce the internal vapor pressure of the UHPC and maintain a certain residual strength.