CE 530 Properties of Concrete and Advanced Cement-Based Composites
3 Credit Hours
This course consists of three parts. In the first part, basic properties of hydraulic cements, aggregates, mixture proportioning, mineral and chemical admixtures, and placement and curing are discussed. The second part of this course deals with mechanical properties of concrete and covers subjects such as compressive and tensile strength, multi-axial loading, composite models, fracture mechanics of concrete materials, and shrinkage cracking. In the second part of the course, porosity and micro-structural models are also discussed. The third part of this course deals with durability and deterioration mechanisms of concrete materials. This part of the course cover subjects such as corrosion of steel in concrete, mass transport in cementitious materials, and service life prediction. Advanced laboratory techniques are also discussed. This course also covers emerging topics in concrete materials such as internal curing, self-consolidating concrete, fiber reinforced concrete materials, and low carbon footprint materials.
Prerequisite
Undergraduate course in mechanics of solids and an undergraduate course in construction materials.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, the students will be able to:
- Design concrete materials for different exposures according to ACI 318 and Portland Cement Association (PCA) guidelines
- Design concrete materials for specific applications that are not covered by codes
- Design internally cured concrete for structural and pavement applications
- Explain the microstructure development in portland cement systems
- Explain the deterioration mechanisms and factor affecting durability of concrete
- Explain the fundamental difference between portland cement and non-portland cement binders
- Use service life prediction models for concrete structures as design tools while understanding their limitation
Course Topics
| Lecture Title* | No. of Lectures | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Concrete and Cement Reduction | 1 | ||
| Cement Hydration | 1 | ||
| Water/Aggregates/Admixtures | 1 | ||
| Mixture Proportioning, Batching, Mixing, Transport, Placement, and finishing | 1 | ||
| Fresh Properties, Curing Concrete, Maturity, and Quality Control | 1 | ||
| Water/Aggregates/Admixtures, Supplementary Cementitious Materials | 1 | ||
| Porosity and Powers Model | 3 | ||
| Mechanical Properties and Loading | 3 | ||
| Fracture Mechanics of Concrete | 3 | ||
| Volume Stability: Shrinkage and Creep, measurement | 3 | ||
| Mid-term Exam | 1 | ||
| Transport Phenomena: Saturated flow, unsaturated flow, and diffusion | 2 | ||
| Durability I: Corrosion, ASR, Freeze-thaw | 3 | ||
| Durability IV: Other Degradations | 3 | ||
| Internal Curing | 1 | ||
| Low clinker binders and limestone replacement | 2 | ||
| Total | 30 | ||
| *Topics and number of class sessions may vary depending on the progress in class | |||
Course Requirements
This course is delivered as lectures. Lecture notes will be posted on the course website one week ahead of time. Students are required to print the lecture notes and bring them to class or alternatively students may use their tablet or laptop in class to follow the notes or take notes.
- Reading materials will be assigned each lecture, mainly consisting of the lecture notes.
- Homework assignments will be assigned approximately every two to three lectures. Depending on the level of difficulty, the homework will be due 7 to 14 days after the assignment date.
- Test 1 will be cover the materials up to the end of Porosity and Powers Model.
- Final Test will be comprehensive covering all the materials in the course.
- One or two articles for presentation in class will be assigned.
| Homework | 20% |
| Test 1 | 30% |
| Final Exam | 45% |
| Article Presentations | |
Textbook
Textbook(s) – optional:
- Concrete, 2nd Edition, Mindess, Young, and Darwin, Prentice-Hall © 2003
- Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, 15th Edition, PCA © 2011
Other references:
- Concrete – Microstructure, Properties, and Materials, 3rd Edition, Mehta and Monteiro, McGraw- Hill © 2006
- Properties of Concrete, Neville, 4th Edition © 1999
- Concrete Science – Treatise on Current Research, Ramachandran, Feldman, and Beaudoin, Heyden and Son Inc © 1981
Updated 11/15/2022