Advanced Techniques to Design, Assess and Manage Sustainable Concrete Infrastructure

混凝土行业采用生态高效方法减少二氧化碳排放的压力越来越大。波特兰水泥（PC）是一种重要的混凝土成分，占混凝土内含能量的三分之二以上，产生约8%的全球温室气体排放。构成混凝土混合物的骨料和原材料的提取和运输也与其隐含能量直接相关;因此，已提出回收材料作为替代品，以提高新建筑的可持续性。另一方面，加拿大和世界各地的重要混凝土基础设施中有很大一部分目前正在恶化或恶化。这可能是由损坏机制引起的，如碱-骨料反应（AAR）、延迟钙矾石形成（DEF）、硫酸盐侵蚀、钢筋腐蚀、冻融（FT）循环。为了确保性能，工程师需要有效和可靠的技术来评估受影响材料的原因（相关机制）和程度（机械性能，物理完整性和耐久性的降低）（即，诊断）并将该信息与结构后果相关联。后者对于确定进一步恶化的可能性至关重要（即，预测）和选择有效的管理措施。在过去的5年中，申请人开发了新的混合设计技术，以生产具有低水泥含量的混凝土混合物，并掺入副产品，如惰性填料（IF）和再生混凝土骨料（RCA），在新鲜和硬化状态下具有合适的性能。申请人的研究小组还开发了新的综合协议，以评估老化混凝土基础设施的状况，并调查了结构影响和恶化结构的建模。该研究计划的短期目标是开发先进的技术，以：1）设计具有合适的短期和长期性能的可持续基础设施的可持续混凝土混合物（流A）; 2）可靠地评估受损坏机制影响的关键混凝土结构的当前和未来状况（流B）和; 3）为老化的混凝土基础设施开发新的管理和修复策略（流C）。我的长期愿景是为新的可持续基础设施建立原创，创新和可靠的行为法律，模型，建议，协议，指导方针和实践，同时提高性能，安全性并延长老化结构的使用寿命。

Pressure is mounting in the concrete industry to adopt eco-efficient methods to reduce CO2 emissions. Portland cement (PC), an essential concrete ingredient, is responsible for over two-thirds of the embodied energy of the concrete, generating about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Extraction and transportation of aggregates and raw materials that comprise concrete mixes are also directly linked to its embodied energy; thus, recycled materials have been proposed as alternatives to increase sustainability in new construction. On the other hand, a large proportion of the critical concrete infrastructure in Canada and worldwide is currently deteriorated or deteriorating. This can be caused by distress mechanisms such as alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR), delayed ettringite formation (DEF), sulfate attack, steel corrosion, freeze-thaw (FT) cycles. To ensure performance, engineers need efficient and reliable techniques to appraise the causes (associated mechanisms) and extent (reductions in mechanical properties, physical integrity and durability) of affected materials (i.e., diagnosis) and correlate this information with structural consequences. The latter is critical in determining the potential for further deterioration (i.e., prognosis) and for selecting efficient management actions. Over the past 5 years, the applicant has developed novel mix-design techniques to produce concrete mixtures with low cement content, incorporating by-products, such as inert fillers (IF) and recycled concrete aggregates (RCA), with suitable performance in the fresh and hardened states. The applicant's research group also developed novel comprehensive protocols to assess condition in aging concrete infrastructure and investigated structural implications and modelling of deteriorated structures. The short-term objective of the proposed research program is to develop advanced techniques to: 1) design sustainable concrete mixtures with suitable short and long-term performance for sustainable infrastructure (Stream A); 2) reliably assess the current and future condition of critical concrete structures affected by distress mechanisms (Stream B) and; 3) develop novel management and rehabilitation strategies for aging concrete infrastructure (Stream C). My long-term vision is to establish original, innovative and reliable behaviour laws, models, recommendations, protocols, guidelines and practices for new sustainable infrastructure while increasing performance, safety and extending the service life of aging structures.