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In this study, the durability of concrete made with natural granular granite, silica sand and powders of waste marble and basalt as fine aggregate, was taken into consideration. Limestone was used as coarse aggregate in the production of samples. The properties considered were the compressive strength, resistance to abrasion, freeze-thaw property, capillary water permeability and sulfate resistance. It was observed that the durability property of the concrete made with natural granular granite, silica sand and powders of waste marble and basalt as fine aggregate, was superior to the conventional control concrete. The effect of fine aggregate on the durability of concrete was evaluated. It is understood that the proposed mix provides a better condensed matrix. Moreover, it was observed that the fine aggregate type and its incorporation ratio, also, have great effect on the level of durability. Finally, the results show that addition of natural granular granite, silica sand and powders of waste marble and basalt yields a perfect less permeable concrete.

In this study, engineering features of insulation materials produced from egg white, perlite, gypsum and fly ash were investigated. Densities, water absorption ratios, ultrasonic velocities and thermal conductivity coefficients of samples were determined. Furthermore, linear absorption coefficient were measured by gamma ray saturation levels at 17.7, 26 and 60 keV energies. Thermal conductivity coefficients of the produced composites were found to be in the range 0.0882- 0.0995 Kcal/mh?C. Egg white decreased the linear absorption coefficients. Unit weights of samples were found to be dependent on their contents. As gypsum rate increased, unit weight also increased. As perlite rate increased thermal conductivity coefficient decreased. As egg white decreased the linear absorption coefficient decreased, also. The most important benefits of these types of materials are their being impermeable and perfectly compatible with the environment. These lighter type materials were/are compatible with Turkey and the Middle East environment. Egg white has been resistant to radiation. Hence, it is highly compatible with the environment. The compressive and flexural strengths of mortars decreased with the use of egg whites in mortar. So, egg white enhances the binding property of samples. In most cases, some organic and/or inorganic additives are used as well, to improve the physical and mechanical properties of mortar, such as egg whites and others. Finally, this study shows that it is possible to produce an insulation material resistant to sound and radiation by using egg white, perlite and fly ash. It is seen that the samples incorporating egg white could be used at hospitals, military and industrial facilities and shelters which are under radiation hazard. Furthermore, this insulation materials will be put to use in industry in Turkey after many experiments have been done on laboratory.

Insulation is vital to most building design and aims to decrease the need for heating and cooling. This paper presents a procedure to obtain an alternative insulation material made with waste newsprint papers, cane stalks, vermiculite, perlite, zinc borax and plaster. Towards this end, waste newsprint papers were kept in water for one day until they formed dough. Then, different rates of vermiculite, perlite, and zinc borax were added to the dough. This mortar was placed in moulds of 4 × 16 × 16 cm dimensions with its own weight. In the production of the samples plaster was used as the binder. For increasing the fire resistance vermiculite and zinc borax were added to the mix. In the production of some samples 5 mm cane stalks were placed in grid forms of single and double rows and pressure was applied. After the production of the samples their unit weights, water absorption ratios, thermal and ultra sound transmission coefficients , and flexural and compressive strengths were determined. The samples produced with an additional double row of canes had the lowest thermal conductivity and ultra-sound permeability coefficients . The requirements of the standards were satisfied by the flexural and compressive strengths of all samples. Samples with both types of grids had rather low thermal conductivity coefficients . The flexural strengths of these samples were found to be higher than those of the others. These results indicate that the investigated materials can be used for thermal and ultrasonic sound insulation purposes. Furthermore, ASTM Standards’ fire resistance requirements are also satisfied. Hence, the proposed product has potential as a candidate to be commercialized with further improvements in the future.

This study examines the suitability of fly ash, pumice, perlite, barite, cement and gypsum along with onion skin and peanut shell fibers as an insulating material. Apparent specific gravities, water absorption rates, flexure and compressive strengths of the prepared samples were determined. Moreover, thermal conductivity, ultrasonic sound penetration coefficient and radioactive relative permeability values were, also, investigated. The latter three properties of the samples produced with barite, pumice, perlite, onion skins and peanut shells were observed to be low. Consequently, this composite can be used in various situations because of its improved thermal conductivity feature, especially, as coating material in offices which are exposed to radiation a lot. Moreover, it can, also, be used for the radiation insulation of the walls of the radiation units of hospitals.

In this study, the fire resistance of composites made by waste cardboard, gypsum, pumice, perlite, vermiculite and zeolite is investigated. The bulk density, water absorption rate, thermal conductivity and ultrasound transmission velocities of the samples were determined. The results showed that these composites had very low thermal conductivity and ultrasound transmission velocity. Furthermore, the longest burning time was obtained from triple mixtures. On the other hand, the shortest burning time happened to be for dual mixtures, particularly those with gypsum and perlite. Finally, it was concluded that composites obtained by dual, triple mixtures of waste cardboard, gypsum, pumice, perlite, vermiculite and zeolite provided enough resistance to fire and retarded burning.

Bu çalışmada, atık mukavva, alçı, pomza, perlit, vermikülit ve zeolit ile yapılan kompozitlerin yangın direnci ASTM E 160-50’ye göre belirlenmiştir. Numunelerin birim hacim ağırlıkları, su emme oranları ile ısı iletim katsayısı ve ultra ses geçirgenlik katsayısı bulunmuştur. Atık mukavva, alçı, pomza, perlit, vermikülit ve zeolit ile yapılan kompozitlerin ısı iletim ve ultra ses geçirgenlik katsayısı oldukça düşük bulunmuştur. Test sonuçlarına göre en uzun yanma süresi üçlü karışımlardan elde edilmiştir. En kısa sürede yanan örnekler ise ikili karışımlardan özellikle alçı ve perlit katkılı olan örneklerdir. Sonuç olarak, atık mukavvanın alçı, pomza, perlit, vermikülit ve zeolitin ikili ve üçlü karışımlarıyla elde edilen kompozitlerin yangına yeterli direnç gösterdiği ve yanmayı geciktirdiği anlaşılmıştır., In this paper, fire resistance of the composite made with waste cardboard, gypsum, pumice, perlite, vermiculite and zeolite was determined according to ASTM E 160-50. Unit weight, water absorption rate, ultra sonic penetration, heat conductivity and permeability coefficient of the samples was found. Thermal conductivity, ultra-sound transmission coefficient of composites made with zeolite, waste cardboard, plaster, pumice, perlite and vermiculite is very low. According to the test results the longest burn time were obtained from the triple mixes. Fire resistance of gypsum and perlite binary mixtures was lowest. As a result, it was found that the ternary and binary mixture made with waste cardboard, gypsum, pumice, perlite, vermiculite and the zeolite showed enough resistance to fire and by delaying burning.

In this study, technical, economic and environmental feasibility study of applying an integrated system including grid-connected photovoltaic panels and a forced circulation solar water heater for supplying the required electricity and hot water for a school has been carried out considering international prices of electricity and natural gas by using software. This study explored the potential waste heat recuperation of PV systems for application in green school during heating seasons. In order to make the hybrid system applicable in both heating and cooling seasons, the design details to avoid the overheating need to be scrutinized and the economic impact during the cooling seasons should be examined further. The present study have shown that a school׳s entire energy needs with renewable energy sources in Kahramanmaras climatic conditions can be solved by being able to meet the optimal planning. There is a need to support energy resources, especially when there is no sun in green house application. Green school practice does not only care about the environment but also the economic. Solar energy levels in countries such as Turkey, with good green structures can be improved. Finally, the present study showed that the full energy requirements of green school were supplied.

The waste of the olive oil production process has been a notably important pollution source in Mediterranean countries, such as Italy, Spain, Greece, and Turkey. In recent years, the environmental impact of this type of waste created a rich source, and researchers have been focusing on the treatment of olive oil mill waste. Furthermore, olive seed, waste PVC and wood chips are wastes that cause significant detrimental effects on the environment, following the production stage. In this study, insulation materials containing waste olive seeds, ground PVC, wood chips, plaster and epoxy were produced, and their properties were investigated. The unit weight, water absorption rate, ultrasonic penetration velocity, thermal conductivity coefficient, compressive and flexure strengths properties of the samples were determined. It can be seen from the results that most properties have improved with the addition of the additives, The unit weights of the samples and their thermal conductivity coefficients decreased, thanks to olive seeds, PVC and wood chips. However, the decrease in the unit weight was accompanied by an increase in the water absorption and a decrease in the flexural and compressive strengths of the samples, luckily remaining at acceptable levels for the additive rates in the samples.

In this study, the durability properties of concretes involving corn stalk, wheat straw and sunflower stalk ash along with barite and colemanite are investigated. Corn stalk, wheat straw and sunflower stalk ash are substituted in place of cement, while barite and colemanite are substituted in place of fine aggregate with different percentages. Concrete specimens were tested for compressive strength at 7, 28 and 180 days. Furthermore, abrasion and freeze–thaw tests were performed to investigate the physical and mechanical properties. 180 day sulfate resistance tests were applied in 5% sodium sulfate solution (Na2SO4) for investigating the chemical effect on concrete. Moreover, 12 × 12 × 2 cm mortar samples were produced to apply radiation shielding test. Am-241 gamma ray source was used for the radiation shielding test. The present study showed that the use of the abovementioned ashes improves many engineering properties of concrete. By filling the voids, the ashes produce a stronger concrete, which is further enhanced by colemanite and barite. Additionally, the described additives improve the radiation shielding property of concrete.

Heating costs in winter and cooling costs in summer, nowadays, are very high and these costs a can be reduced by the insulation of buildings. This study is related to the development of bio-based composites and the determination of their thermal, mechanical and acoustical insulation properties. The composites were prepared using corn stalk particles as the reinforcement components. An experimental design was established to study the effect of the stalk particle size and the epoxy/corn stalk particle ratio on the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites prepared. Their mechanical properties and thermal performance characteristics are compared with the commercially available bio-based insulation materials. This study shows that waste corn-on-the-cob can be used for the reinforcement of epoxy resin to prepare insulation materials that can be used commercially. Natural products of high insulating value can be obtained that can provide alternative insulation materials and reduce the import of insulation materials and satisfy the criteria of the Turkish Standard TS 805 EN 601. The results of this study can solve two industrial problems. One of them is providing a new useful construction material and the other is utilizing agricultural wastes to reduce their harm to the environment.

In order to reduce heating costs in winter and cooling costs in summer, buildings are thermally insulated. In Turkey, large amounts of sunflower and wheat are produced every year. After production, sunflower and wheat stalks , create a serious storage problem. When these waste materials are used in houses for heating purposes, they cause environmental pollution. On the other hand, a large amount of vermiculite mineral is obtained during the natural wear of mica in Malatya and Sivas mines in Turkey. This mineral is capable to expand at high temperatures. A new insulation material produced by using vermiculite, sunflower stalk, wheat stalk and gypsum was investigated in this study as an alternative to non-renewable plastic-based synthetic insulation materials. The physical, mechanical and engineering properties of the samples were determined and the values were compared with the products on the market. The proposed compressed insulation material including vermiculite, sunflower stalk, wheat stalk and gypsum has a great potential as an insulating construction material with a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.063–0.334 W/mK, a compressive strength of about 0.363 MPa and a density of 0.166–0.302 g/cm3.

This study characterizes the durability and mechanical performance of the concrete produced with basalt in different sizes. The innovation of this research lies in the fact that cement is replaced by basalt powder. Different percentages of basalt in powder and sand form were added as a partial replacement of cement and fine aggregate, respectively. The replacement percentages range from 5% to 40% by mass of cement and sand. The influence of basalt replacement on the behavior of concrete was evaluated through strength and durability tests on samples at different ages. The experiments were carried out to determine the effect of the basalt replacement on the different age concrete samples' compressive strengths, abrasion resistances, water absorptions, and freezing-thawing strengths, as well as sulfate resistances. The study showed that partial replacement of different forms of basalt with cement and sand leads to a significant improvement in the concrete aspects mentioned above. The compressive strengths of samples at 28 and 60 days were found to be 15% higher, while the abrasion and the capillary water absorption rates at these ages were found to be 32% and 23% lower than those of the reference sample, respectively. In addition, the compressive strength after freeze-thaw and 180 days sulphate resistance values were found to be 45% and 47% higher than those of the reference sample, respectively.

All living things and inanimate objects, i.e., humans, animals, plants, air, water and soil, both emit and are exposed to natural and artificial radiation. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the use of industrial egg shell waste for the protection of buildings against external radiation effects. Towards this end, the radiation absorbing property of mortars made of cement, Rilem sand and egg shells was extensively studied. During this investigation, the possible decrease in the quality of mortars like 90-day sulfate resistance and the 7, 28 and 90 day compressive and flexural strengths were also investigated. The results showed that egg shells as an additive decreased the compressive and flexural strengths of the mortars for all the samples with different additive percentages of egg shells for all ages. However, the mix proposed satisfies the minimum compressive strength requirements of the Turkish standards. The linear absorption coefficient increased in the samples with increasing egg shell ratio, i.e., mortars with egg shells had low radioactive permeability. Hence, egg shells may be used in regions where radiation is effective. Such concrete can easily be used in walls for radiation shielding.

Türkiye‟de kışın ısınma maliyetleri, yazın ise soğutma masrafları çok fazla olduğundan bu maliyetleri azaltmak için binalara yalıtım yapılmaktadır. Yalıtım malzemelerin ham maddelerinin çok büyük bir kısmı yurt dışından ithal edilmektedir. Türkiye‟de önemli miktarda mısır üretimi gerçekleştiriliyor. Türkiye‟de harcanan enerjinin yaklaşık %40‟ı konutlarda tüketilmektedir. Bu enerjinin %80‟i de ısınma amaçlıdır. Binalar ve yerleşimler küresel ısınmaya sebep olan başlıca sera gazı olan CO2 salınımının %40‟ından sorumludur. Bu nedenle, binaların ısıtılmasında gerekli olan enerjiyi en aza indirmek için çeşitli yalıtım sistemleri ve yalıtım malzemeleri kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, bütün durumlar göz önüne alınarak standartlara uygun öğütülmüş mısır koçanları ve bağlayıcı olarak epoksi ile ısı yalıtım malzemesi üretilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Üretilen yalıtım malzemesinin birim hacim ağırlığı, su emme, ses geçirimliliği ve ısı iletim katsayısı bulunmuştur. Mısır koçanı esaslı yalıtım malzemesi ısı iletim katsayısı 0,075‟e kadar inmiştir. Ayrıca bağlayıcı olarak değişik oranlarda alçı ve çimento kullanılarak yalıtım malzemesi üretilmiştir. Bu örneklerde yalıtım değerleri kabul edilebilir sınırlardadır, Winter heating costs in Turkey, type the cooling costs of the building insulation is to reduce these costs is too much. A very large part of the raw material of insulation material is imported from abroad. A significant amount of corn production is carried out in Turkey. Around 40% of the energy consumed in Turkey is consumed in it. 80% of this energy is for heating. And residential buildings are responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions, the main geenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Therefore, the energy required for heating premises various insulation systems and heat insulation materials are used to minimize. This study aims, considering all circumstances according to standard epoxy gound corn cobs, and the binder is made of heat insulation material. Unit weight of the produced insulating materials, water absorption, the sound permeability and the heat transfer coefficient was found. Corncob-based insulation material heat transmission coefficient was down to 0,075. Further the binder is made of insulating material using as gypsum and cement at different rates. These examples are in acceptable limits insulation values

Huge amounts of cotton and fly ash wastes are disposed in countries all over the world. The majority of cotton wastes and fly ash are abandoned. It is a big problem to propose utilization of these by-products from the aspects of disposal, environmental pollution, and health hazards. This paper presents a parametric experimental study which investigates the potential use of cotton waste and fly ash in combination for producing a new low-cost and lightweight composite as a building material. The physical and mechanical properties of concrete mixes containing cotton waste and fly ash are investigated. The compressive strength, flexural strength, unit weight, and water absorption properties of this proposed material conform to relevant standards. The thermal insulation test of the proposed material was also carried out. The cotton waste and fly ash block house has been found to be superior to the concrete block house for sustained comfortable indoor temperatures. The process undertaken can be easily applied in classic brick plants. It yields a lighter weight composite having potential to be used for walls as an economical alternative to concrete blocks, ceiling panels, sound barrier panels, etc.

All building materials contain more or less natural radioactivity. The present paper reports the results of an experimental study on the mechanical and radiological aspect of the use of colemanite, barite, ground basaltic pumice and ground blast furnace slag as additives in the production of special mortars. The results show that the compressive and flexural strengths of the mortars at later ages has increased significantly by using blast furnace slag as an additive. However, the compressive strength was lower than those of the reference samples for all the samples with different additive percentages of pumice and barite for all ages. Linear absorption coefficient decreased in samples with colemanite additive with increasing colemanite ratio. From the linear absorption experiments, increases in the coefficient were observed in the samples with blast furnace slag at the beginning, but opposite effect starts for values higher than 2.5%. Mortars with colemanite and blast furnace slag had low radioactive permeability. These samples should be preferred for places which are exposed to radioactive effect. The linear absorption coefficients of samples with 5% pumice additive were very near to those of the samples with barite additive. Hence pumice may be used in regions where radiation is effective. It can easily be used in walls and coverings of medical buildings and nuclear reactors.

Heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer are very high. Building insulation reduces heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer. Although sunflower production in Turkey is significant, after the production the sunflower stem is a serious problem for farmers. Sunflower stems are cleaned, burned or used for temporary heating purposes. This type of use is causing serious problems to the environment. Sunflower stalks and cotton textile waste, such as stubble, cause serious environmental problems. To circumvent this problem, the present study puts forth an advantageous use of those waste materials for insulation of buildings. In Turkey there are a lot of both of the aforementioned materials. As the binder for those two materials epoxy was used. As samples, 30 × 40 × 2.5 cm rectangular blocks were prepared under different pressures. The samples were tested for their mechanical properties and the coefficients of thermal conductivity, as well. The results obtained satisfied the Turkish Standard TS 805 EN 601. Thus, the method proposed in this study solves two industrial problems at the same time. A useful construction material is produced while some waste materials causing environmental problems are warded off.

Bu çalışmada; demir tozu içeren harçların ve betonların dayanım ve dayanıklılığı araştırılmıştır. Harç ve betonda kum yerine değişik yüzdelerde demir tozu kullanılmıştır. Harç numunelerin basınç ve eğilme dayanımı ile bazı mekanik özellikleri araştırılmıştır. Harç numunelerin sülfat ve tuza karşı dayanımları belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca ultrasonik ses geçirimi, aşınma dayanımı, kılcal su emme değerleri araştırılmıştır. Demir tozu katkılı harç ve betonların basınç, eğilme, aşınma ve sülfat etkisine karşı dayanımları kontrol örneğine göre daha yüksek bulunmuştur. Özellikle %20 demir tozu katkılı beton numunesinin basınç dayanımı %50 oranında daha fazla bulunmuştur, In this study, the strength and durability of mortar and concrete containing an iron powder was investigated. In different percentages of iron powder instead of sand mortar and concrete were used. Compressive and flexural strength of samples of and such mechanical properties were investigated. Sulfate resistance of mortars were determined. Also the ultrasonic sound penetration, wear resistance, capillary absorption values were investigated. Compressive, bending, abrasion and sulphate resistance of mortar and concrete made with iron powder were higher than the control sample. Especially compressive strength of samples made with 20% waste powder iron was higher by 50% than those of control samples

Bu çalışmada, öğütülmüş yüksek fırın cürufu ve bazaltik pomza ayrı ayrı veya birlikte kullanılarak üretilen betonların hidrolik aşınmaya dayanıklılığı araştırılmıştır. İnce agreganın yerine değişik oranlarda yüksek fırın cürufu veya bazaltik pomza kullanılarak numuneler üretilmiştir. Üç yıl deniz suyu etkisine maruz kalan örneklerin aşınmaları kütle kayıplarına göre belirlenmiştir. Yüksek fırın cürufu ve bazaltik pomza katkılı numunelerin aşınmaya karşı olumlu etkiler yaptığı görülmüştür. Beton dayanıklılığının, katkı tipi ve miktarına bağlı olduğu ortaya konmuştur. Ayrıca yüzde 80 yüksek fırın cürufu içeren betonların deniz suyuna karşı dayanıklılığı kontrol numunesinden daha yüksek bulunmuştur, In this study, ground granulated blast furnace slag and basalt together or separately using pumice abrasion resistance power of the concrete produced was investigated. In different proportions of fine aggregate instead of blast furnace slag or basalt samples were produced using pumice. Three years are exposed to sea water corrosion mass loss of the samples was determined according to. Blast furnace slag and basalt pumice for specimens which had a positive effect against abrasion were found. Concrete durability, depend on the type and amount of additives has been shown. In addition, 80 percent of concrete containing blast furnace slag resistances to seawater were higher than the control sample

In this study, the effects of using blast furnace slag, ground basaltic pumice and blast furnace slag + ground basaltic pumice as fine aggregates, on the durability of concrete pipes, were investigated. Blast furnace slag, ground basaltic pumice, and equal amounts of blast furnace slag and ground basaltic pumice were used at 5%, 10% and 15%, by weight, in place of fine aggregate, in mixes. The durability of concrete pipes has been tested, according to standard procedures. The sulfate resistance and permeability of the reference specimen and the specimen with admixtures were investigated. It was observed that the ultimate load of specimens depends on the type and percentage of admixtures. The maximum ultimate load was obtained in concrete specimens containing 5% blast furnace slag and 5% ground basaltic pumice, which was 20% larger than that of the reference concrete specimens. Furthermore, concrete specimens with 10% ground basaltic pumice were found to have the highest sulfate resistance.

Due to the rapid energy consumption, many studies have been done on alternative energy generation methods. In this sense, insulation has an important place from the point of energy saving. Energy loss can be minimized by insulation technologies. Insulation materials produced by favorable methods can be healthier, more durable and economic. It is expected a huge increase on demands of insulation products because thermal and sound insulations are considered during construction. In this study, it is examined the usage of cotton waste, fly ash and epoxy resin on production of chipboards. Thermal conductivities, sound insulations and bending strengths of chipboards with different thickness were tested. Radioactive properties of samples containing barite were also investigated. All tests were performed by according to Turkish Standards. It was resulted that usage of cotton waste and fly ash had a positive effect on the engineering properties of chipboards. It was proved that light-weight construction materials produced with cotton waste, fly ash and epoxy resin could be used for getting better thermal and sound insulation results. Besides, radioactive permeability was measured lower on samples containing barite.

In this study, production of mortars with disposable polyethylene bottles, but without cement, was investigated. The disposable polyethylene bottles were crushed and converted into fiber formation. Then fibers were molten with different types of sands at the temperature range of 180–200 °C. Some physical (e.g. water absorption and abrasion resistance) and some mechanical (e.g. bending strength, compressive strength, toughness) properties of mortars were tested. The results indicated that bending strength and toughness of mortars were improved. Besides, water absorption of mortar was negligible and abrasion was nearly equal to zero.

This paper presents a laboratory study on the deterioration of blended cement combinations of plain Portland cement (PPC) with red brick dust (RBD) and ground basaltic pumice (GBP). One type of clinker, same Blaine values and two different proportions of additive by mass of clinker, were employed. In addition to these blends, Portland cements without additives were prepared as control specimens. The compressive strength and the sulphate resistance of cements have been experimentally studied in this paper. A series of laboratory tests were undertaken on all specimens. A large quantity of sheet-like C-S-H was found in the mortars incorporating RBD and GBP. The results indicated that the increase in the additive content caused a significant increase in the sulphate resistance of the mortars. Hence, the studied RBD and GBP can be recommended for use as admixtures in cement production. The development of the particular microstructure including the secondary minerals in the plain and blended cements were studied via SEM analysis. SEM images revealed the presence of ettringite and Portlandite minerals, where the former was most probably responsible for the increase (together with the gypsum roses) as well as a decrease of strength based on its formation at different sites and crystal form. Portlandite was responsible for an increase in the specimen strength. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The aim of this study was to use ground silica sand, ground granulated blast furnace slag and ground basaltic pumice in the production of adhesives for tiles. The main purpose was to improve the durability of adhesives. Furthermore, an investigation was carried out to determine adhesive resistance to aggressive conditions. The study examines the effects of acids, shrinkage and freezing thawing cycles. The results showed that the adhesives were prepared and applied easily due to improved initial adhesion. The durability improvement can be explained by the low water absorption and high permeability. All specimens were observed to fulfill the shear and tensile adhesion strength requirements of both European and Turkish Standards.

The main objective of this study is to investigate the suitability of fly ash and basaltic pumice as additives in the production of high quality clay fired bricks. Clay bricks with/without additives were produced adding equal amounts of fly ash and basaltic pumice, separately and together, with the rates of 5, 10 and 20 wt.%. Each sample was fired at 700, 900 and 1 050°C for 8 h. Bulk density, harmful magnesia and lime, shrinkage, water absorption, compressive and flexural strength, freezing and thawing tests were carried out. The test results were compared with the standard values and they were found to be satisfactory. Finally, it was concluded that both fly ash and basaltic pumice were suitable admixtures and could be used efficiently in fired brick production.

In this study, a new approach based on an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was presented for the prediction of early heat of hydration of plain and blended cements. Two different type of model is trained and tested using these data. The data used in these models are arranged in a format of five input parameters that cover the additives percentage (AP), grinding type (GT) and finesses of cements (FC) and an output parameter which is heat of hydration of cements (HHC). The results showed that neuro-fuzzy models have strong potential as a feasible tool for evaluation of the effect of additives percentage, grinding type (GT) and finesses of cements on the early heat of hydration of cements. Some conclusions concerning the impacts of features on the prediction of early heat of hydration of plain and blended cements were obtained through analysis of the ANFIS. The results are highly promising, and a comparative analysis suggests that the proposed modelling approach outperforms ANN model in terms of training performances and prediction accuracies. The results show that the proposed ANFIS model can be used in the prediction of early heat of hydration of plain and blended cements.

This study presents the results of corrosion resistance for pumice collected from pyroclastic exposure in the Van, Kayseri, Nevsehir and Osmaniye regions of Turkey. The corrosion resistance of reinforced steel (RS) and mass losses of concrete specimens were investigated. The specimens were exposed to 5 and 10% sodium sulphate solutions. Reinforced steel mass losses and compressive strengths of concrete were measured. Improvements of the compressive strength and corrosion resistance were observed for specimens with the increasing layers of coating. The corrosion rates of pumice coated specimens were lower than the control specimens. There was a close relationship between type of pumice coating and reinforcement corrosion. Corrosion ratio decreased with increasing amounts of reactive SiO2. The alkalinity of the concrete, permeability of the concrete cover, the quality of the concrete and the corrosion environment were crucial factors in influencing the effectiveness of the concrete cover for corrosion protection of reinforced steel. All pumice concretes offered excellent resistance to corrosion, where Osmaniye pumice (OP) best increased corrosion resistance of reinforced steel.

In this study, the effects of the use of corncob, wheat straw, and plane leaf ashes (CA, WSA, and PLA) as mineral admixtures on concrete durability were investigated. Ten concrete mixtures were produced in three series with control mixes having 400kg cement content. The control mixes were modified with 2, 4, and 6% of CA, WSA, and PLA in place of fine aggregate. To establish the durability of concrete, the compressive strengths were measured after 7, 28, 90, 180 days, and 18 months under sodium sulfate solution. In the meantime, abrasion resistance and water penetration were investigated. Test results indicate that CA, WSA, and PLA addition provides good workability and abrasion resistance compared to conventional concrete. Test results also showed that minimum abrasion resistance is obtained from the control specimen, while maximum abrasion resistance is obtained from CA3 (6%) specimens. Abrasion resistance is increased as the rate of fine CA, WSA, and PLA is increased. The results indicate that the increase in ash content caused a significant increase in the sodium sulfate resistance of the concretes. Hence, concrete with CA, WSA, and PLA addition can be recommended for the production of durable concrete. © 2008 ASCE.

The compressive strength and microstructure of blended cement was investigated in this study. The hydration products of cements were identified by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and polarising microscopy (thin section). Results indicated that the blended cement required pozzolanic activity in addition to its cementing property with the addition of 30% material. Aggregations of belite grains were observed which were surrounded by alite. Blended cement exhibited high early-term strength. However, its 3d-age strength is lower than ordinary Portland cement. On the other hand, all blended cement mortars fulfil the compressive strength requirements of TS 24. Hence, it can be said that blended cement can achieve adequate early compressive strength. A reduction in the amount of CSH gel and the porosity of the matrix in mortars were found to be responsible for the poor compressive strength of the cement paste in early the age. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This paper investigates the effect of particle size distribution on the properties of blended cements incorporating ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) and natural pozzolan (NP). Pure Portland cement (PPC), NP and GGBFS were used to obtain blended cements that contain 10, 20, 30% additives. The cements were produced by intergrinding and separate grinding and then blending. Each group had two different Blaine fineness of 280 m2/g and 480 m2/g. According to the particle size distribution (PSD) curves, 46% of the coarser specimens and 69% of the finer specimens passed through the 20 µm sieve. It was observed that the separately ground specimens were relatively finer than the interground ones and had higher compressive strength and sulfate resistance. The separately ground coarser specimens had the lowest heat of hydration. The separately ground finer specimens, which had the highest compressive strength and sulfate resistance, had the highest percent passing for each sieve size. For these specimens 34, 69, 81 and 99% passed through 5, 20, 30 and 55 µm sieves, respectively. For the interground specimens, which had the same fineness, the respective values for the same sieves were 32, 68, 75 and 94%. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This study examines the suitability of ceramic industrial wastes and huge amounts of basaltic pumice as a possible substitute for conventional crushed fine aggregates. Experiments were carried out to determine abrasion resistance, chloride penetration depths and the compressive strengths of concrete with crushed ceramic waste and basaltic pumice fine aggregates and to compare them with those of conventional concretes. Test results indicated that ceramic wastes and basaltic pumice concretes had good workability. Furthermore, it was found that abrasion resistance of crushed ceramic (CC) and crushed basaltic pumice (CBP) concretes was lower than that of conventional concretes. Test results also showed that maximum abrasion rate was obtained from specimen control (Mo), while minimum abrasion rate is obtained from M3 (60% crushed ceramic concrete) specimens. Abrasion resistance was increased as the rate of fine CC was decreased. Abrasion resistance of concrete was strongly influenced by its compressive strengths and CC and crushed CBP content. The crushed ceramic addition percentage decreased as the chloride penetration depth increased. Results of this investigation showed that CC and CBP could be conveniently used for low abrasion and higher compressive strength concretes.

In this study, the effect of the fineness on the compressive strength, sodium sulfate resistance and the heat of hydration of the both blended and plain Portland cement (PPC) were investigated. The grinding time of both clinker and additives were also studied. The result indicated that ground basaltic pumice (GBP) and clinker had lower grindability compared to ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Blended cement had higher strength values, particularly at later ages, compared to PPC for the same Blaine values. It was observed that the finer ground blended cement specimens had higher compressive strength, sodium sulfate resistance compared to the coarser blended cement and PPC. The heat of the hydration of blended cement was lower than the heat of hydration of PPC when the fineness was held constant.