Collaborative Research: Measuring, Monitoring, and Modeling the Setting Properties of Concrete

该项目是路易斯维尔大学和西北大学研究小组之间的合作努力。为了确保高质量，并避免材料的终身性能出现问题，该研究旨在调查和了解先进水泥基材料在凝固期间不断变化的纳米/微米结构与力学性能之间的基本关系。首先，研究将集中在表征不断发展的纳米/微米结构与各种新开发的测量技术在不同尺度上。其次，将开发在此期间能够连续监测相应材料特性的原位技术。第三，将建立基于测量和监测的多尺度模型，以预测材料行为，如初凝时间、粘度和化学收缩，这些都是混凝土结构施工的重要质量控制参数。这些宏观结构参数和微观结构参数之间的相关性，如颗粒堆积，固体浓度，固体絮凝，固体渗滤，和化学水合作用，将被调查。因此，固有的材料特性的表征可以是explicit.This研究提出了一种创新的方法，从主要的物理角度来看，材料特性的识别。测量，监测和建模的混凝土的纳米/微米结构的技术将被检查，以扩大和改善目前的知识状态的混凝土的材料性能在设置。这项研究的结果将促进可靠的质量控制方法的发展，用于监测混凝土结构在非常早期的年龄，这应该有利于预拌厂，承包商，水泥厂，化学外加剂公司，以及地方和联邦政府机构。

This project is a collaborative effort between research groups from University of Louisville and Northwestern University. In order to assure high quality, and to avoid problems in the lifetime performance of the material, the study aims at investigating and understanding the fundamental relationships among evolving nano/micro-structures and mechanical properties during the setting period of advanced cement-based materials. First, the research will focus on characterizing evolving nano/micro-structures with various newly-developed measuring technologies on different scales. Second, in-situ techniques that can continuously monitor the corresponding material properties during this period will be developed. Third, a multi-scale model based on measuring and monitoring will be established to predict material behaviors such as initial setting time, viscosity, and chemical shrinkage, which are important quality control parameters for the construction of a concrete structure. The correlations between these macro-structural parameters and micro-structural parameters, such as particle packing, solid concentration, solid flocculation, solid percolation, and chemical hydration, will be investigated. Thus, the characterization of intrinsic material properties can be explicit.This research presents an innovative approach to the identification of material properties from a primarily physical point of view. Techniques for measuring, monitoring, and modeling the nano/micro-structure of concrete will be examined to expand and improve the current state of knowledge of concrete's material properties during setting. The results of this research will facilitate the development of reliable quality control methods for monitoring concrete structures at very early ages, which should benefit ready-mix plants, contractors, cement plants, chemical admixture companies, and local and federal government agencies.