Developing a Sustainable Ultrahigh-Performance Concrete Using Seawater and Sea Sand in Combination with Superfine Stainless Wires
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 10
Abstract
Utilizing seawater and sea-sand for producing ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) can substantially reduce raw materials costs and alleviate the current freshwater and river sand resources shortage in coastal and marine areas. However, the corrosion risk to reinforcing fibers inside UHPC caused by chlorides in seawater and sea-sand cannot be ignored. In this study, a new type of sustainable UHPC composed of seawater and desalinated sea-sand (UHPSSC) reinforced with stainless profile, super-fine stainless wire (SSW) was developed. Its mechanical properties and chloride content were studied. The research results show that SSWs do not rust after immersion in seawater. The flexural and compressive strengths of UHPSSC incorporating 1.5% SSWs are 13.8 MPa and 138.6 MPa, respectively, and the flexural toughness of UHPSSC is increased by 428.9%, reaching the basic mechanical requirements of UHPC. The high specific surface area of SSW and enrichment of silica fume on its surface enhance the interfacial bond between fiber and matrix, further promoting the full play of the SSWs’ reinforcing mechanisms as proved by the decrease of the ratio at the SSW surface. The C-S-H gels with a high ratio within the ITZ as well as Friedel’s salt are conducive to immobilize chlorides, blocking the migration of chlorides through the matrix and further mitigating the risk of long-term chloride corrosion of SSWs. Overall, utilizing seawater and desalinated sea-sand in combination with SSWs can produce UHPC with improved strength and toughness, making it a suitable choice for applications where high durability and long-term mechanical performance is required.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the funding supported from the National Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51908103, 51978127, and 52178188), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2022M710973) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. DUT21RC(3)039).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35 • Issue 10 • October 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 29, 2022
Accepted: Mar 20, 2023
Published online: Jul 28, 2023
Published in print: Oct 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Dec 28, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Business management
- Chemical compounds
- Chemicals
- Chemistry
- Chloride
- Concrete
- Corrosion
- Deterioration
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Environmental engineering
- Flexural strength
- High-performance concrete
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials characterization
- Materials engineering
- Practice and Profession
- Salts
- Sand (material)
- Sea water
- Strength of materials
- Sustainable development
- Water (by type)
- Water and water resources
- Water management
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