Advances in aggregates characterization to improve concrete ecoefficiency

• Grant number: 16/19974-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: February 01, 2017
• End date: May 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Construction Industry
• Principal Investigator: Sérgio Cirelli Angulo
• Grantee: Sérgio Cirelli Angulo
• Host Investigator: David A. Lange
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States

Abstract

Aggregates are the most representative material (in mass or volume) of the concrete and its characteristics affects mechanical performance of concrete, especially structural and high strength concretes. When concrete performance fails, the tendency is to increase the consumption of cement, resulting in higher CO2 footprint of concrete. In the last decades, a reduction of the quality aggregate is observed near metropolitan area of large cities related to regional scarcity of raw materials. The optimization of aggregates use by a strict and new quality control procedure can improve concrete ecoefficiency. So, a direct method to assess compressive strength and elastic modulus of aggregates is necessary and it is the objective of this research. The research will be divided in two steps: a) validation of a method to measure aggregate strength by single point load test; and b) characterization of strength/porosity distributions of natural aggregates, focus on the quality aggregates differences and regional aggregate scarcity problem found in the Metropolitan Regions. Steps are planned to be developed in collaboration with University of Illinois, by means of 4-month visiting period of the proponent at this university as visiting researcher detailed at the schedule. One-two publications at indexed journals are considered as outputs of this research proposal.With this method, the control the relative amount of weaken and porous particles inside aggregates will be possible as well as the establishment of the critical content of weaken aggregates particles that influences on concrete mechanical performance. This aspect will be investigated further. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ANGULO, SERGIO C.; SILVA, NATALIA V.; LANGE, DAVID A.; TAVARES, LUIS MARCELO. Probability distributions of mechanical properties of natural aggregates using a simple method. CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS, v. 233, FEB 10 2020. (16/19974-3, 16/02902-0, 14/50948-3, 16/20420-2)