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Selected peer-reviewed extended articles based on abstracts presented at the 7th International Conference on Materials Engineering and Applications (ICMEA 2024) & 9th International Conference on Building Materials and Construction (ICBMC 2024)Aggregated Book

Special topic volume with invited peer-reviewed papers only

This book gathers peer-reviewed contributions presented at the 3rd RILEM Spring Convention and Conference, held at Guimarães and hosted by the University of Minho, Portugal, on March 9-14, 2020. The theme of the Conference was “Ambitioning a Sustainable Future for Built Environment: comprehensive strategies for unprecedented challenges”, which was aimed at discussing current challenges and impacts of the built environment on sustainability. The present volume is dedicated to the topic “Service life extension of existing structures”, which covers the most recent scientific and technological developments in the understanding of the evolution and degradation of construction materials and structural systems. Analytical and numerical, as well as experimental approaches, aimed at characterizing, modelling and predicting the evolution of the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of construction materials and structural systems are regarded. Multiphysics models are also considered, as well as other strategies that contribute for an accurate characterization and prediction the service life and the evolution of existing and novel construction materials under normal or extreme environmental exposure or loading conditions. New strategies to promote the smart repairing or the recovery of material properties, as well as the service life extension, are also considered. The following subtopics are included: service life models and multiphysics approaches; smart structures, innovative monitoring and intervention strategies; management and optimized maintenance strategies; integrated rehabilitation and strengthening approaches.

This book presents original results on the use of cassava wastewater as a substitute for potable water in ceramic formulations. It evaluates the physical and mechanical properties as well as the microstructure of the materials produced, comparing the products obtained from the incorporating effluent with the conventional materials used in the construction industry.

Awareness of the importance of ensuring durability of concrete has been a growing concern of engineers, and there is now considerable understanding of the mechanisms, which cause its deterioration, and means of limiting such damage through the use of appropriate materials and approaches to design.Many of the deterioration mechanisms, which affect concrete, are the result of interaction with the non-living environment – chlorides in seawater, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, cyclic freezing and thawing. However, living organisms can also cause damage – through both chemical and physical processes - which under the right conditions, can be severe.This book looks at all forms of concrete biodeterioration together for the first time. It examines, from a fundamental starting point, biodeterioration mechanisms, as well as the conditions which allow living organisms (bacteria, fungi, plants and a range of marine organisms) to colonise concrete. A detailed evaluation of chemical compounds produced by living organisms with respect to their interaction with the mineral constituents of concrete, and the implications it has for the integrity of structures, is also included. Approaches to avoiding biodeterioration of concrete are also covered, including selection of materials, mix proportioning, design, and use of protective systems.

Selected, peer reviewed papers from the 12th International Conference Special Concrete and Composites 2015, October 15-16, 2015, Skalský Dvůr, Czech Republic

Concrete and cement-based materials must operate in increasingly aggressive aqueous environments, which may be either natural or industrial. These materials may suffer degradation in which ion addition and/or ion exchange reactions occur, leading to a breakdown of the matrix microstructure and consequent weakening. Sometimes this degradation can be extremely rapid and serious such as in acidic environments, while in other cases degradation occurs over long periods. Consequences of material failure are usually severe – adversely affecting the health and well-being of human communities and disturbing ecological balances. There are also large direct costs of maintaining and replacing deteriorated infrastructure and indirect costs from loss of production during maintenance work, which place a great burden on society. The focus of this book is on addressing issues concerning performance of cement-based materials in aggressive aqueous environments, by way of this State-of-the-Art Report. The book represents the work of many well-known and respected authors who contributed chapters or parts of chapters. Four main themes were addressed: I. Nature and kinetics of degradation and deterioration mechanisms of cement-based materials in aggressive aqueous environments, II. Modelling of deterioration in such environments, III. Test methods to assess performance of cement-based materials in such environments, and which can be used to characterise and rate relative performance and inform long term predictions, IV. Engineering implications and consequences of deterioration in aggressive aqueous environments, and engineering approaches to the problem.