TY - JOUR A1 - Bernal, S. A. A1 - Angst, U. M. A1 - Provis, J. L. A1 - Thiel, C. A1 - Gluth, Gregor A1 - Villagran-Zaccardi, Y. A1 - De Belie, N. T1 - Recommendation of RILEM TC 281-CCC: RILEM CPC-18R1—guideline for measuring the carbonation depth of hardened concrete using a pH indicator solution N2 - This recommendation provides a procedure for determining the carbonation depth on the surface of concrete by applying a pH indicator. This includes definitions of carbonation, carbonation depth and carbonation front, as well as descriptions of the different pH indicator solutions that can be used. Recommendations for testing laboratory-prepared specimens and those obtained from concrete structures are also given. This involves guidelines for sample preparation and/or extraction, CO2 exposure duration, carbonation depth determination and reporting of results. A section on data interpretation is also provided, as carbonation results are used for determining durability of concrete, as well as a criterion for materials selection or for carbon uptake calculations. The new Recommendation CPC-18R1 is intended to supersede the former RILEM recommendation CPC-18, particularly when prescribed as the preferred method for evaluating and reporting carbonation depths. KW - Carbonation KW - Concrete KW - pH indicator KW - Phenolphthalein KW - Testing PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-656191 DO - https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-026-02966-0 SN - 1359-5997 SN - 1871-6873 VL - 59 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-65619 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jägle, Eva A1 - Tuladhar, Rujika A1 - Niederleithinger, Ernst A1 - Epple, Niklas A1 - Sanchez Trujillo, Camila Andrea A1 - Gehlen, Christoph A1 - Timothy, Jithender J. T1 - Evaluation of ultrasonic signals collected from laboratory concrete specimens: Preprocessing and analysis with coda wave interferometry N2 - Efficient maintenance of infrastructure relies on monitoring and assessment of its condition. New technologies and methods thereby enable a deeper understanding of the materials used and of the structures built. Coda Wave Interferometry (CWI) is currently explored for continuous monitoring of reinforced concrete structures as well as material testing. This ultrasound-based method is sensitive to even small material alterations and therefore suitable for the detection of initial damage stages. Herein, a step-by-step procedure for the evaluation of ultrasonic signals with CWI methods is presented. The described procedure is proposed for ultrasonic signals collected with embedded ultrasonic transducers with a center frequency of 50 kHz to 70 kHz from prism-shaped concrete specimen with dimensions of 400 mm x 100 mm x 100 mm. The raw ultrasonic signal, preprocessing and CWI analysis are described and influences of parameters within the analysis are discussed. The presented procedure allows systematic and comparable analysis of ultrasonic signals generated with similar conditions and therefore contributes to the application of CWI methods for structural health monitoring and material testing. KW - Ultrasound KW - Concrete KW - Coda wave interferometry KW - Structural health monitoring PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-656027 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2026.103811 SN - 2215-0161 VL - 16 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-65602 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kocherla, Amarteja A1 - Duddi, Murali A1 - Kolluru, Subramaniam T1 - Embedded PZT sensors for combined viboacoustic sensing of concrete structures N2 - Accurate assessment of damage in concrete structures requires monitoring techniques that can capture both global stiffness degradation and local cracking processes. Existing structural health monitoring approaches typically rely on separate sensors for vibration measurements and acoustic emission (AE) monitoring, while conventional surface-mounted devices often suffer from poor and variable coupling. This study presents an embedded piezoelectric (PZT) sensor developed for dual mode vibroacoustic monitoring in concrete structures. The sensor is cast within the concrete matrix to improve mechanical coupling and enable robust measurement of structural response during damage evolution. Dual-mode monitoring is achieved through sequential operation of the same embedded sensor in two distinct modes passive acoustic emission (AE) monitoring during fracture loading and impulse-excited vibration testing conducted before and after fracture test. Benchmarking experiments include comparison with commercial accelerometers and AE sensors, confirming that the embedded configuration enhances high-frequency sensitivity and coupling performance. The fracture process is interpreted by correlating AE activity with Digital Image Correlation (DIC)-based crack kinematics, enabling zone-wise understanding of crack development. The vibration response is interpreted using a stiffness-reduction framework consistent with hinge-type crack formation, explaining the observed modal-frequency reduction and in crease in damping. Electromechanical impedance measurements quantify sensor–matrix interaction, highlighting the role of epoxy-mediated impedance matching. Overall, the results demonstrate that the proposed embedded sensor provides a unified platform for validated AE-vibration sensing, offering a promising approach for integrated structural health monitoring of concrete infrastructure KW - Vibroacoustic sensor KW - Embedded PZT sensor KW - Crack dynamics KW - DIC KW - Concrete PY - 2026 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2026.120690 VL - 268 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Amsterdam, Netherlands AN - OPUS4-65560 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stohl, Leonie A1 - Tonon, Chiara A1 - Cook, Jake A1 - Gorbushina, Anna A1 - Dehn, Frank A1 - von Werder, Julia T1 - Understanding bioreceptivity of concrete: realistic and accelerated weathering experiments with model subaerial biofilms N2 - Vertical greening systems are a promising solution to the increasing demand for urban green spaces, improving environmental quality and addressing biodiversity loss. This study facilitates the development microbially greened algal biofilm facades, which offer a low maintenance vertical green space. The study focuses on concrete as a widely used building material and explores how physical surface characteristics impact its bioreceptive properties. Concrete samples, produced from the same mix but differing in surface structure, were subjected to a laboratory weathering experiment to assess their bioreceptivity. A novel inoculation method was employed, involving a single initial inoculation with either alga ( Jaagichlorella sp.) alone, or a model biofilm consisting of a combination of the alga ( Jaagichlorella sp.) with a fungus ( Knufia petricola). The samples underwent four months of weathering in a dynamic laboratory setup irrigated with deionized water to observe subaerial biofilm attachment and growth. The formation of subaerial biofilms was monitored with high resolution surface imaging, colorimetric measurements and Imaging Pulse Amplitude Modulated Fluorometry (Imaging PAM-F), with Imaging PAM-F proving the most effective. Statistical analysis revealed that by impacting surface pH value and water retention capability, surface structures significantly influence microbial growth and that the concrete’s bioreceptivity can be influenced through thoughtful design of the materials surface. The inoculation of algae combined with a fungus facilitated the formation of a stable subaerial biofilm, enabling algae to colonize a surface structure that it could not colonize alone. This finding highlights the importance of modelling synergistic interactions present in natural biofilms. KW - Bioreceptivity KW - Concrete KW - Biofilm PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653105 DO - https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-025-02864-x SN - 1359-5997 VL - 59 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-65310 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stohl, Leonie A1 - Manninger, Tanja A1 - Dehn, Frank A1 - von Werder, Julia T1 - Understanding bioreceptivity of concrete: material design and characterization N2 - The climate crisis is driving an increasing demand for ecologically oriented concepts. In the building sector, this demand includes not only the use of environmentally friendly materials but also the greening of urban areas. One promising approach is the development of bioreceptive concrete façades, which support the growth of green biofilms directly on their surfaces. These innovative façades are anticipated to deliver benefits comparable to those of macroscopically greened façades, such as enhanced biodiversity and improved air quality, while offering the advantages of being more self-sustaining and stable systems once fully established. However, the development of bioreceptive concrete presents substantial challenges. Due to the interdisciplinarity and novelty of this field, standardized methods for material characterization and bioreceptivity assessment are currently lacking. This study proposes an approach for evaluating surface properties crucial for bioreceptivity, developed on differently structured samples of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). Existing methods and standards from concrete technology are critically reviewed and, where necessary, modified to meet the unique requirements of measuring bioreceptive material properties. Special attention is given to the surface pH value and water retention characteristics, as these are essential for promoting microbial growth and ensuring the long-term stability of green biofilms. The observed surface characteristics vary according to the imprinted surface structures, offering a spectrum of material properties and enabling the evaluation of their impact on bioreceptivity. The findings presented form the foundation for subsequent laboratory weathering experiments, which will be discussed in a complementary publication. KW - Bioreceptivity KW - Concrete KW - Biofilm PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-648180 DO - https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-025-02863-y SN - 1359-5997 VL - 58 IS - 10 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-64818 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dominguez-Bureos, Marco A1 - Sens-Schönfelder, Christoph A1 - Niederleithinger, Ernst A1 - Hadziioannou, Céline T1 - Stress- and Time-dependent Variations of Elastic Properties for Integrity Assessment in a Reinforced Concrete Test Bridge N2 - In lab experiments, it has been observed that the stress–and time-dependent elastic properties of a complex material at a structural scale perform accordingly to its composition at a microstructural level. We seek complementary practices to the current wavefield-based non-destructive testing techniques to assess not only the integrity level of civil structures but also the microstructural elements that contribute to it. In this paper, we study the systematic evolution of elastic properties of concrete as an alternative to investigate the density of micro imperfections in an outdoor-conditioned concrete structure. We estimate 5-second relative velocity changes in four locations on a Test bridge subjected to the action of vertical impulsive sources, at different prestressing levels (dynamic effects at different static conditions). We describe the structure’s stress- and time-dependent elastic response by means of acoustoelastic effect and Slow-dynamic processes, respectively. We also estimate the conventional ultrasound pulse velocity and perform a cooperative integrity analysis of the structure using the three elastic phenomena. Our findings reveal: 1) The presence of soft microstructures and their orientation’s influence on the acoustoelastic effect and Slow-dynamics in field-conditioned concrete structures. 2) The relation of low ultrasound pulse velocities with high acoustoelastic effect and high magnitudes and variability of Slow-dynamics. 3) Different elastic behaviours on the north and south spans of the bridge, suggesting different heterogeneity levels on the analysed locations of the concrete beam. KW - Concrete KW - Ultrasound KW - Nonlinear KW - Elastic properties KW - Damage PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-640064 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-025-01257-y SN - 0195-9298 VL - 44 IS - 4 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-64006 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pittrich, Tim A1 - Weise, Frank A1 - Stelzner, Ludwig T1 - The impact of blended cements on the spalling behavior of concrete at elevated temperatures: a review N2 - The cement and concrete industries are striving to reduce the CO2 emissions caused by the production of Portland cement. An effective way to achieve this is to replace Portland cement clinker with more environmentally friendly supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) to produce blended cements. A variety of different SCMs are used today, from fly ash to more exotic options such as rice husk ash or waste glass powder. Depending on its material properties, concrete exposed to fire may experience spalling caused by thermomechanical and thermohydraulic mechanisms. Severe spalling leads to a reduction in the cross-section and exposure of the reinforcement, jeopardizing the load-bearing capacity of the concrete element. The use of blended cements changes the concrete properties which can affect spalling behavior at high temperatures. The link between high temperature and spalling behavior of concrete with blended cements has been investigated in several studies. A review of the existing literature led to the conclusion that the cement type influences the spalling behavior of concrete. However, the relationship does not appear to be clear, as there are contradictions and inconsistencies between the evaluated results. Therefore, further in-depth studies will help to gain a more precise understanding of the effects of blended cements on the spalling behavior of concrete at elevated temperatures. KW - Fire-induced concrete spalling KW - Concrete KW - Blended cements KW - SCM KW - Filler PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-635182 DO - https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-025-02713-x SN - 1359-5997 VL - 58 IS - 5 SP - 1 EP - 21 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-63518 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bertola, Numa A1 - Schumacher, Thomas A1 - Niederleithinger, Ernst A1 - Brühwiler, Eugen T1 - Combining passive and active ultrasonic stress wave monitoring for the characterization of the early-age properties of a UHPFRC beam N2 - This article focuses on the characterization of the early-age properties of Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite (UHPFRC), which is becoming popular for designing lightweight and durable structures. Due to the large proportion of cement in the mix, the hardening of UHPFRC is significantly faster than conventional concrete. Therefore, the development of UHPFRC properties, such as the elastic modulus, is difficult to monitor as it happens while elements are within the formwork. For this reason, the hydration process of UHPFRC elements is not fully understood yet. A combined passive (or acoustic emission) and active ultrasonic stress wave monitoring approach has the potential to characterize structures made of cementitious materials over their entire service duration. Using a network of embedded ultrasonic transducers, monitoring can start only a few instants after casting. A UHPFRC beam with a T-shaped cross-section and a length of 4.2 m was constructed and instrumented with 24 transducers as well as 15 thermocouples. Monitoring results lead to the characterization of the development of the early-age UHPFRC properties on the structural-element scale while the specimen is within the formwork. The continuous monitoring approach enabled accurate estimations of the spatial and temporal evolution of the modulus of elasticity. Thanks to this novel combination of monitoring techniques, the early age properties of UHPFRC, which were measured at the material scale, are confirmed at the structural scale for the first time. KW - Concrete KW - UHPFRC KW - Acoustic emission KW - Ultrasonic monitoring KW - Coda wave interferometry PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2025.140319 SN - 0950-0618 VL - 466 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-63448 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schultz, C. A1 - Cunningham, Patrick A1 - Fan, J. A1 - Miller, S.A. T1 - Balancing the Mechanical Performance and Environmental Sustainability of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete N2 - Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) can have improved durability and tensile properties, potentially enabling the more efficient use of concrete and lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet, systematic quantifications of the environmental impacts of FRC, particularly when paired with changes to mechanical properties and the implications for material longevity, are limited. Herein, an assessment following the life-cycle assessment methodology for four common FRCs was performed, namely, those reinforced with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), steel (ST), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The analysis was bound to a cradle-to-gate scope, and solely virgin fiber material production was considered for the environmental impacts. Coupled changes in compressive and tensile strength, environmental impacts, and the role of material longevity and cost relative to unreinforced concrete were examined. Findings from this work show that, similar to unreinforced concrete, cement remains a key source of GHG emissions in FRC production. However, in FRCs fibers can drive additional emissions by up to 55%. Notably, PVA and ST led to the highest impacts and costs, which were minimal for inclusions of PP and PET. Yet ST contributed to the greatest benefits in flexural and compressive strengths. When the effects of longevity were integrated, FRC with PP reinforcement could offer desired emissions reductions with minimal increase in use period and cost, but the other fiber reinforcements considered may need to offer longer service life extension to reduce emissions compared with conventional concrete. These results indicate that FRC can enhance mechanical performance, but fiber type selections should be informed by the design life to achieve actual GHG emissions reductions. KW - Fiber-reinforced concrete KW - Greenhouse gas emissions KW - Concrete KW - Cement KW - Durability PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1061/JMCEE7.MTENG-19454 SN - 0899-1561 VL - 37 IS - 7 SP - 04025178-1 EP - 04025178-11 PB - American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) CY - Reston, VA AN - OPUS4-62987 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cunningham, Patrick A1 - Wang, L. A1 - Kane, S. A1 - Kim, A. A1 - Jenkins, B. M. A1 - Miller, S. A. T1 - Lifecycle implications and mechanical properties of carbonated biomass ashes as carbon-storing supplementary cementitious materials N2 - Methods to sequester and store atmospheric CO2 are critical to combat climate change. Alkaline-rich bioashes are potential carbon fixing materials. This work investigates potential co-benefits from mineralizing carbon in biomass ashes and partially replacing high embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) Portland cement (PC) in cement-based materials with these ashes. Specifically, rice hull ash (RHA), wheat straw ash (WSA), and sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) were treated to mineralize carbon, and their experimental carbon content was compared to modeled potential carbonation. To understand changes in the cement-based storage materials, mortars made with CO2-treated WSA and RHA were experimentally compared to PC-only mortars and mortars made with ashes without prior CO2 treatment. Life cycle assessment methodology was applied to understand potential reductions in GHG emissions. The modeled carbonation was ∼18 g-CO2/kg-RHA and ∼180 g-CO2/kg-WSA. Ashes oxidized at 500 °C had the largest measured carbon content (5.4 g-carbon/kg-RHA and 35.3 g-carbon/kg-WSA). This carbon appeared to be predominantly residual from the biomass. Isothermal calorimetry showed RHA-PC pastes had similar heat of hydration to PC-pastes, while WSA-PC pastes exhibited an early (at ∼1.5 min) endothermic dip. Mortars with 5 % and 15 % RHA replacement had 1–12 % higher compressive strength at 28 days than PC-only mortars, and milled WSA mortars with 5 % replacement had 3 % higher strength. A loss in strength was noted for the milled 15 % WSA, the CO2-treated 5 %, and the 15 % WSA mortars. Modeled reductions in GHG emissions from CO2-treated ashes were, however, marginal (<1 %) relative to the untreated ashes. KW - CO2 sequestration KW - CO2 storage KW - Biomass ash KW - Supplementary cementitious materials KW - Concrete PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-626959 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107772 SN - 1873-2909 VL - 197 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-62695 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krüger, Miriam E. A1 - Hilbig, Harald A1 - Stelzner, Ludwig A1 - Machner, Alisa T1 - Effect of the chemical composition of synthetic alkali-silica gels on their structure, swelling behavior and water uptake N2 - For alkali-silica reaction (ASR) gels, the relationship between swelling expansion, structure and chemical composition, particularly the effect of aluminum, remains unknown. This study investigates the structure, swelling expansion and associated water uptake of synthetic ASR gels with various Al/Si (0–0.1) and Ca/Si (0.1–0.4) ratios. The results show that aluminum incorporated into the gel structure reduces the overall swelling expansion and the leaching of silicate species during the swelling test. Moreover, they revealed that water in the Al-ASR gels is more tightly bound, reducing the overall water uptake compared to the Al-free ASR gels. Additionally, there is a linear correlation between the maximal swelling results and the ASR gel composition. However, no direct correlation emerged between the amount of water uptake and the free swelling of the ASR gels, which indicates that other factors, like the type of water bonding and pore size of the gels, are decisive for the swelling mechanism. KW - Concrete KW - Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) KW - Durability KW - 1H NMR relaxometry KW - 29Si NMR KW - 27Al NMR KW - FTIR KW - Al-ASR gel KW - Swelling test PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-624268 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2024.107596 VL - 184 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-62426 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -