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From Materials to Structures: Advancement Through Innovation - Proceedings of the 22nd Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, ACMSM 2012
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Borehole stability analysis is an important challenge for researchers in the field of geotechnical, mining and petroleum engineering. Several borehole instability problems during or after the completion of drilling, have been reported by a number of exploration companies in Australia. Many of these problems are reported in drilling projects in poorly cemented sand formations at depths of up to 200 m beneath the ground. The sand production problem, as it is known, has also been observed in weakly bonded sandstones where the debonding of sand grains can be triggered by fluid pressure and induced stresses leading to the failure of the sandstone at the borehole wall. The strength of a granular material formation is generated mainly by a natural cementing agent that bonds sand grains together.
Description:
Borehole stability analysis is an important challenge for researchers in the field of geotechnical, mining and petroleum engineering. Several borehole instability problems during or after the completion of drilling, have been reported by a number of exploration companies in Australia. Many of these problems are reported in drilling projects in poorly cemented sand formations at depths of up to 200 m beneath the ground. The sand production problem, as it is known, has also been observed in weakly bonded sandstones where the debonding of sand grains can be triggered by fluid pressure and induced stresses leading to the failure of the sandstone at the borehole wall [1], [2]. The strength of a granular material formation is generated mainly by a natural cementing agent that bonds sand grains together [3].
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Concrete is the most commonly used construction material because of its various advantages, such as versatility, familiarity, strength, and durability, and it will continue to be in demand far into the future. However, with today’s sensitivity to environmental protection, this material faces unprecedented challenges because of its high greenhouse gas emissions, mainly during cement production. This paper investigates one of the promising cement replacement materials, alkali-activated cement (AAC) concrete. Being produced mainly from byproduct materials and having a comparable structural performance to conventional concrete, AAC concrete can transform the construction industry. Mechanical properties such as compressive and flexural strength and the relationship between them are studied. Different source materials such as fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), silica fume (SF), and Metakaolin (MK) are used. The effect of the source materials and the activator solutions on the concrete performance is studied. Furthermore, the freeze-thaw resistance of the concrete is studied. The study results showed that the behavior of AAC depends highly on the source material combinations and type used. The effect of the alkaline solution is also dependent on the source material used. Mixes with higher GGBS content showed the highest strength, while mixes with MK showed the highest flexural strength. The freeze-thaw test results showed that proper design of AAC concrete with lower water content is critical to achieving a good resistance.
Description:
Alkali-activated cement (AAC) is an alternative cement that has been increasingly studied over the past decades mainly because of its environmental benefits. However, most studies are on heat-cured AACs and are focused on mechanical properties. There is a lack of research on the fresh properties of ambient-cured AAC systems. This study investigates the rheological properties of ambient-temperature-cured alkali-activated blended binder mixtures activated with sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide solutions. The influence of binder amount, alkaline solid to binder ratio (AS/B), sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide solids ratio (SS/SH), and total water content to total solid (from the binding materials) ratio (TW/TS) on the rheological properties are investigated. The effect of borax as an admixture and silica fume as a replacement for fly ash is also investigated. The results showed that both the yield stress and plastic viscosity are mainly affected by the binder content and TW/TS ratio decreasing with the increase of each parameter. The yield stress increased with the increase of the SS/SH ratio. Borax significantly reduced the yield stress, while silica fume’s effect was dependent on its dosage.