Sustainable Concretes for Structural
Applications
Luigi Biolzi, Sara Cattaneo, Gianluca Guerrini and Vahid Afroughsabet
Abstract For the production of a high-performance concrete (HPC) matrix, a large
amount of binder is normally used. The production of ordinary Portland cement
(OPC) as the binder of concrete accounts for 7% of CO 2 emission, which has notable
environmental impacts, and subsequently results in unsustainable concrete. The aim
of the present study was to investigate the effect of replacing OPC with calcium
sulfoaluminate cement (CSA) or ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) as
sustainable binders on the engineering properties of HPC. Additionally, the effect
of introducing double hooked-end (DHE) steel fibers at a fiber volume fraction of
1% on the properties of HPC was assessed. The compressive strength, splitting
tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity of HPC were evaluated.
Moreover, a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) method was used to study the
microstructure of the concretes. The results indicate that the replacement of OPC
with CSA cement results in an improvement in the mechanical properties of HPC
particularly at later ages of curing, while combination CSA cement with OPC and
GGBS in the binary and ternary systems degrades the concrete’s strengths. The
addition of 1% DHE steel fibers significantly increased the engineering properties of
concrete. The results show that the bond between a cement matrix and steel fibers has
been enhanced due to the expansive behavior of CSA cement. The SEM observation
also shows the significant influence of CSA cement on the microstructure of concrete
by forming a rich amount of ettringite which subsequently results in an improvement
in the properties of concrete.
L. Biolzi · S. Cattaneo (B)
Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering—ABC Department, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy
e-mail: sara.cattaneo@polimi.it
G. Guerrini
Milan, Italy
V. Afroughsabet
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
© The Author(s) 2020
S. Della Torre et al. (eds.), Regeneration of the Built Environment
from a Circular Economy Perspective, Research for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33256-3_24
249
Applications
Luigi Biolzi, Sara Cattaneo, Gianluca Guerrini and Vahid Afroughsabet
Abstract For the production of a high-performance concrete (HPC) matrix, a large
amount of binder is normally used. The production of ordinary Portland cement
(OPC) as the binder of concrete accounts for 7% of CO 2 emission, which has notable
environmental impacts, and subsequently results in unsustainable concrete. The aim
of the present study was to investigate the effect of replacing OPC with calcium
sulfoaluminate cement (CSA) or ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) as
sustainable binders on the engineering properties of HPC. Additionally, the effect
of introducing double hooked-end (DHE) steel fibers at a fiber volume fraction of
1% on the properties of HPC was assessed. The compressive strength, splitting
tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity of HPC were evaluated.
Moreover, a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) method was used to study the
microstructure of the concretes. The results indicate that the replacement of OPC
with CSA cement results in an improvement in the mechanical properties of HPC
particularly at later ages of curing, while combination CSA cement with OPC and
GGBS in the binary and ternary systems degrades the concrete’s strengths. The
addition of 1% DHE steel fibers significantly increased the engineering properties of
concrete. The results show that the bond between a cement matrix and steel fibers has
been enhanced due to the expansive behavior of CSA cement. The SEM observation
also shows the significant influence of CSA cement on the microstructure of concrete
by forming a rich amount of ettringite which subsequently results in an improvement
in the properties of concrete.
L. Biolzi · S. Cattaneo (B)
Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering—ABC Department, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy
e-mail: sara.cattaneo@polimi.it
G. Guerrini
Milan, Italy
V. Afroughsabet
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
© The Author(s) 2020
S. Della Torre et al. (eds.), Regeneration of the Built Environment
from a Circular Economy Perspective, Research for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33256-3_24
249