Evaluating the thermal cracking risk of early-age Low Carbon Concrete (LCC) requires accurate prediction of its early-age basic creep behaviour. Modern LCC incorporates novel supplementary cementitious materials, which modify hydration kinetics and consequently alters its viscoelastic response compared with Portland Cement Concrete (PCC). Therefore, engineering-oriented compliance models originally developed for PCC may not fully capture the early-age creep behaviour of LCC. In response, this study experimentally investigated and modelled the early-age basic compliance of modern LCC containing Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS), Volcanic Pozzolan (VP), Limestone Filler, Super-Plasticizer and Air-Entraining Admixture. The basic creep of six concretes was evaluated at three loading ages, while companion specimens were used to measure autogenous deformation. The performance of six compliance models, including the fib Model Code 2010 and B4 model, was comparatively assessed. Additionally, a novel early-age-focused basic compliance model, based on solidification theory, was proposed. The results showed that LCC containing GGBFS exhibits higher creep at very early ages, whereas lower creep was observed at later ages compared with PCC. The VP exhibited a different influence on the total mechanical strain by increasing the instantaneous compliance while reducing the creep rate. Regarding the models, the current code-recommended parameters provided very inaccurate predictions of the early creep. Moreover, the proposed formulation outstandingly performed (R2>0.995), especially for LCC, while maintaining clear contributions of the parameters related to the instantaneous, viscoelastic and viscous flow compliance components.

Mitigating structural failure and improving the fire safety of concrete infrastructure during severe thermal events depends critically on the high-temperature resilience of Portland cement paste. Given the increasing production of Portland blended cements, understanding their high-temperature behavior is crucial for ensuring the safety of building structures. This study investigates the effects of exposure to high temperatures (up to 1200 °C) on Portland cement pastes containing ground granulated blast furnace slag and quartz powder, focusing on their thermal stability and the chemical reactions occurring under these conditions. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) with a heating module was employed to observe real-time phase transformations as the temperature increased, supported by ex situ scanning electron microscopic analysis. The results showed changes in the mineralogical composition, with particular attention to the decomposition of calcium hydroxide and the formation of melilite above 900 °C. These transformations suggest thermal reactions between cement hydrate products (calcium silicates and aluminates) in the presence of slag and quartz powder. Mixtures containing quartz powder exhibited increased porosity and phase transformation shifts at lower temperatures, reflecting the combined effects of quartz addition, reduced reactive binder content, and an increased effective water-to-binder ratio. Notably, lower strength-grade cements containing fly ash (additional alumina source) show higher degrees of formation of calcium–aluminate silicate phases such as melilite upon heating. Compared to conventional studies, the novelty of this study lies in the use of an in situ experimental setup, which uniquely identifies the temperature thresholds of chemical changes and the formation of new phases such as melilite in cement–selected slag mixes, while also capturing their recrystallization upon cooling.

This study investigates the physical transformations and assesses the performance of blended-cement concretes exposed to temperatures ranging from ambient to 800°C. Three different grades of cement: 32.5, 42.5, and 52.5, with various contents of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), were employed in this research. The primary focus is on understanding how variations in cement-slag ratios impact the structural characteristics of concretes exposed to elevated temperatures. Through a series of mechanical tests and matrix analysis, we examined the response of concretes incorporating supplementary cementitious materials to high temperatures. The study demonstrated that slag-cement blends exhibit superior mechanical performance compared to the conventional concrete reference sample. Notably, after exposure to 400°C, the compressive strength of the blends showed significant improvement. The results contribute to enhancing the understanding of the thermal behavior and overall performance of environmentally conscious concrete mixes in challenging conditions.

Concrete's ability to auto-repair the cracks reduces the need for maintenance and repair. Autogenous self-healing is an intrinsic property of concrete highly dependent on the binder composition. The urgent necessity to decrease CO2 emissions of concrete by replacing cement with “greener” materials provides challenges and opportunities for self-healing cementitious materials. This research aims to verify the self-healing behavior of environmentally friendly multi-component binders. An experimental study is conducted to test the effect of binder composition-related parameters (e.g., phase composition, porosity) and crack geometry on the self-healing efficiency of the “green” mortars. Cementitious materials with 50 wt.%cement replacement with limestone powder blended with fly ash, blast furnace slag, and silica fume are investigated. Sorptivity change, compressive strength regains, and crack closure after self-healing are used to quantify the self-healing efficiency. Quantitative analysis and correlations between chemical composition/microstructural features, geometrical crack characteristics, and self-healing measures are investigated. The results indicate that “green” binder composition affects the self-healing mechanism leading to different levels of performance recovery. Some SCMs-limestone binder formulations enable a better self-healing efficiency than pure OPC or OPC/limestone cementitious materials, presumably due to a synergistic effect between the limestone and the mineral additions. Correlation analysis indicated that geometrical complexity characterized by fractal dimension and tortuosity of the crack does not affect the external crack closure, whereas the fractal dimension and maximum crack width are correlated with the internal crack healing.

Autogenous self-healing of post-fire damaged concrete enables structure performance auto-recovery leading to reduced repair costs, less generated waste, and lower CO2 emissions. In this paper, to improve the efficiency of this process and understand the underlying mechanism, the self-healing of 0.1 wt% MWCNT-modified and pure cement paste subjected to novel environmental stimulators was tested. High-temperature damage was induced at 200 °C and 400 °C, followed by a self-healing cyclic treatment with water, a mixture of water with phosphate-based retarding admixture, and limewater. The self-healing efficiency of the proposed solutions were compared based on crack closure, strength regains, porosity, and chemical composition changes. The surface crack closure after 200 °C varied between 33% and 60%, whereas for 400 °C, only retarding admixture exposure obtained over 50% crack closure and the most considerable decrease in average crack width of 33% for MWCNT-modified paste. The highest values of compressive strength recovery, equal to 18% and 14%, exceeding the intact specimen's compressive strength, were observed for the MWCNT-modified paste healed in water and limewater. Water exposure with an extended wetting phase enhanced the compressive strength recovery of the MWCNT-modified materials. Strong (r = 0.87) and moderate (r = 0.52) positive correlations were observed between temperature loading and compressive and flexural strength recovery parameters, respectively. Higher porosity and interconnected crack network, caused by high temperature, facilitated the self-healing process. Porosity changes before and after healing were pronounced in contrast to the amount of unhydrated cement, which did not exhibit noticeable changes. The healing mechanism included three processes: calcite formation, further hydration inside the cracks, and rehydration of the bulk cement paste.Previous article in issue

Concrete technology is becoming more and more sustainable and ecological following more extensive and focused research. The usage of industrial waste and by-products, such as steel ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS), mine tailing, fly ash, and recycled fibers, is a very important step toward a good transition of concrete into a “green” future and significant improvement in waste management in the world. However, there are also several known durability-related problems with some types of eco-concretes, including exposure to fire. The general mechanism occurring in fire and high-temperature scenarios is broadly known. There are many variables that weightily influence the performance of this material. This literature review has gathered information and results regarding more sustainable and fire-resistant binders, fire-resistant aggregates, and testing methods. Mixes that utilize industrial waste as a total or partial cement replacement have been consistently achieving favorable and frequently superior outcomes when compared to conventional ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based mixes, especially at a temperature exposure up to 400 °C. However, the primary emphasis is placed on examining the impact of the matrix components, with less attention given to other factors such as sample treatment during and following exposure to high temperatures. Furthermore, there is a shortage of established standards that could be utilized in small-scale testing.

Developing accurate and interpretable models to forecast concrete’s self-healing behavior is of interest to material engineers, scientists, and civil engineering contractors. Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence are powerful tools that allow constructing high-precision predictions, yet often considered “black box” methods due to their complexity. Those approaches are commonly used for the modeling of mechanical properties of concrete with exceptional accuracy; however, there are few studies dealing with the application of ML for the self-healing of cementitious materials. This paper proposes a pioneering study on the utilization of ML for predicting post-fire self-healing of concrete. A large database is constructed based on the literature studies. Twelve input variables are analyzed: w/c, age of concrete, amount of cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, peak loading temperature, duration of peak loading temperature, cooling regime, duration of cooling, curing regime, duration of curing, and specimen volume. The output of the model is the compressive strength recovery, being one of the self-healing efficiency indicators. Four ML methods are optimized and compared based on their performance error: Support Vector Machines (SVM), Regression Trees (RT), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and Ensemble of Regression Trees (ET). Monte Carlo analysis is conducted to verify the stability of the selected model. All ML approaches demonstrate satisfying precision, twice as good as linear regression. The ET model is found to be the most optimal with the highest prediction accuracy and sufficient robustness. Model interpretation is performed using Partial Dependence Plots and Individual Conditional Expectation Plots. Temperature, curing regime, and amounts of aggregates are identified as the most significant predictors.

The effects of a partial replacement of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with three types of calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cements (40 wt% and 20 wt%) were investigated. The obtained results were generally in agreement with previously published data but with few interesting exceptions. Setting times were shortened due to the formation of ettringite. The maximum hydration temperature increased for concretes containing 40 wt% of CSA but decreased when 20 wt% replacement was used. The decrease was related to the deficiency of the available sulfates, which limited the formation of ettringite. The presence of extra anhydrite and calcium oxide was associated to the delayed establishment of the second temperature peak in contrast to OPC-based concretes. Their surplus delayed calcium aluminate and belite reactions, and triggered renewed formation of ettringite, C-S-H and portlandite. Effects of aluminum hydroxide were also indicated as possibly important, although not proved experimentally in this research. The slightly lower compressive strength measured for mixes containing 40 wt% of CSA were linked with more formed ettringite. The same factor was indicated as the key to the reduction of the total shrinkage in mixes containing 40 wt% of CSA and increased for the lower CSA replacement level. In that case, the insufficient amount of formed ettringite caused too small expansion, which could not efficiently mitigate or compensate the developed shrinkage.