Abstract:
A recent research was conducted at AUB to evaluate the structural properties of a sustainable concrete material produced by replacing a suitable percentage of Portland cement with a hybrid ceramic/slag binder. The research was triggered by different objectives including the need to mitigate the negative environmental impact of cement production and the need to recycle the waste of the ceramic industry. Research reported in the literature indicated that the replacement of different percentages of cement with ground ceramic powder decreased the compressive strength of concrete. A recent research was conducted at the American University of Beirut to test the hypothesis whether the negative impact of ceramic powder on concrete properties would be reduced when supplementary pozzolanic materials such as slag were also incorporated in the concrete mix. Different combinations of cement, ceramic, and slag were tested in the different phases. The results validated that the inclusion of the ceramic/slag binder in the concrete mix with an optimum percentage replacement of cement overcame the negative impact of ceramic powder on the mechanical properties of concrete. It is important to evaluate the effect of the new sustainable material on the structural behavior of high strength concrete beams designed to fail in flexure or shear or bond-splitting modes. Evaluation will be based on crack patterns, ultimate load capacity, and Load-deflection history.
