TY - JOUR A1 - Wiehle, Philipp A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Baier, J. A1 - Dennin, L. ED - Forde, M. T1 - Influence of relative humidity on the strength and stiffness of unstabilised earth blocks and earth masonry mortar N2 - Aim of this study is to provide information about moisture dependent material behaviour of unstabilised loadbearing earth blocks and mortars. Compressive strength and Young’s modulus were investigated after conditioning in varying relative humidity reaching from 40 % up to 95 %. The material composition and physical properties were investigated to understand the influence of relative humidity onto the mechanical properties. A normalisation of strength and stiffness by the values obtained at 23 ◦C and 50 % relative humidity reveals a linear dependence of compressive strength and Young’s modulus that is regardless of the material composition. Thus, it is possible to describe the influence of relative humidity onto the load-bearing behaviour of unstabilised earth masonry materials in a generally valid formulation. KW - Earth block masonry KW - Load-bearing behaviour KW - Compressive strength KW - Moisture content KW - Sorption isotherm PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.128026 SN - 0950-0618 VL - 342 IS - Part A SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-54949 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - von Werder, Julia A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Gardei, André A1 - Fontana, P. A1 - Meng, Birgit T1 - Thermal and hydrothermal treatment of UHPC: influence of the process parameters on the phase composition of ultra-high performance concrete N2 - Several studies show that thermal and hydrothermal treatment can further improve the excellent properties of UHPC in terms of mechanical strength and durability. While for the thermal treatment the increase in strength is attributed to an intensified pozzolanic and hydraulic reaction, for the hydrothermal treatment previous studies accredited it mostly to the formation of tobermorite. In the presented study thermal and hydrothermal treatment of UHPC samples was systematically varied and the phase formation analysed related to the strength development of a reference sample cured for 28 days in water. For the thermal treatment the results show that the strength increase depends on the protection against desiccation and can be ascribed to an improved pozzolanic reaction of the siliceous fillers. To achieve a significant enhancement of strength, a pre-storage time of few days and a long dwell time at elevated temperature/pressure are required. For the hydrothermal treatment already heating the specimens up to 185 °C in saturated steam followed by an immediate cooling leads to a substantial increase in compressive strength. Pre-storage time did not affect the result as far as a minimum of several hours is guaranteed. The improved performance is due to an increase in the pozzolanic and hydraulic reaction. Surprisingly, tobermorite was only found within a very thin layer at the surface of the sample, but not in the bulk. Sulphate and aluminium stemming from the decomposition of the ettringite are bound in the newly formed phases hydroxylellestadite and hydrogarnet. KW - UHPC KW - Thermal treatment KW - Hydrothermal treatment KW - Compressive strength KW - Phase development KW - Durability KW - Tobermorite KW - Hydroxylellestadite KW - Hydrogarnet PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-523402 DO - https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-021-01633-w SN - 1871-6873 SN - 1359-5997 VL - 54 IS - 1 SP - Article 44 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-52340 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weise, Frank A1 - von Werder, Julia A1 - Manninger, Tanja A1 - Maier, Bärbel A1 - Fladt, Matthias A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Gardei, Andre A1 - Höhnel, Desirée A1 - Pirskawetz, Stephan A1 - Meng, Birgit T1 - A multiscale and multimethod approach to assess and mitigate concrete damage due to alkali-silica reaction N2 - Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) is a chemical reaction within concrete which can lead over time to cracking and spalling. Due to the complexity of the problem, it still causes damage to concrete constructions worldwide. The publication aims to illustrate the interdisciplinary research of the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) within the last 20 years, considering all aspects of ASR topics from the macro to the micro level. First, methods for characterization and assessment of ASR risks and reaction products used at BAM are explained and classified in the international context. Subsequently the added value of the research approach by combining different, preferably nondestructive, methods across all scales is explained using specific examples from a variety of research projects. Aspects covered range from the development of new test-setups to assess aggregate reactivity, to analysis of microstructure and reaction products using microscopical, spectroscopical and X-ray methods, to the development of a testing methodology for existing concrete pavements including in-depth analysis of the visual damage indicator and the de-icing salt input using innovative testing techniques. Finally, research regarding a novel avoidance strategy that makes use of internal hydrophobization of the concrete mix is presented. KW - Mitigation strategies KW - Concrete KW - Damage analysis KW - Alkali silica reaction KW - Road pavement KW - Accelerated testing KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Microstructure PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022052515100075090235 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202101346 SN - 1527-2648 VL - 24 IS - 6 SP - 1 EP - 36 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-54951 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - von Werder, Julia A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Meng, Birgit T1 - Internal sulfate resistance of concrete N2 - If the amount of sulfate within the mix design for concrete is not balanced, ettringite formation which first controls solidification continues while the concrete is hardening. Ettringite forms by reaction of sulfate contained in the cement or in some admixture with calcium aluminate (C3A) as cement component. The “late primary ettringite formation” promotes an increase in volume within the hardened concrete leading to cracks. To analyze the effect of substituting part of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) by a treated brown coal fly ash mortar bars were tested according to ASTM C452. This test method was originally developed to extrapolate from the internal to external sulfate attack and is based on the idea that by testing a concrete mixture containing sulfate the process of deterioration is accelerated because it does not have to diffuse into the concrete before reaction first. In addition to the samples prescribed in ASTM C452 further samples in the size of the German SVA procedure were tested also designed for accessing the external sulfate resistance. The results show that while the replacement of 25 % of cement by brown coal fly ash leads to length changes around the limit defined by ASTM, the substitution of 50 % cement exceeded the limit by a multiple. The progress of expansion is the very similar for the two geometries tested. In-situ XRD measurements confirmed that while for pastes made of OPC the formation of ettringite is completed after 20 hours, this is not true for the mixtures containing the brown coal fly ash. In a different study the effect of hydrothermal treatment on the phase composition of ultra-high-performance concrete was analyzed. The results show that the sulfate and aluminate resulting from the decomposition of ettringite are bound into new phases. If this binding is permanent this might allow the larger use of sulfate bearing raw materials. T2 - EuroCoalAsh 2021 Conference CY - Online meeting DA - 02.11.2021 KW - Brown coal fly ash KW - Ettringite KW - Internal sulfate resistance KW - Test methods KW - In-situ XRD KW - Hydrothermal treatment PY - 2021 SP - 131 EP - 137 CY - Thessaloniki AN - OPUS4-54133 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schraut, Katharina A1 - Adamczyk, Burkart A1 - Adam, Christian A1 - Stephan, Dietmar A1 - Meng, Birgit A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - von Werder, Julia A1 - Hirsch, Tamino A1 - Manninger, Tanja T1 - Effect of gypsum on the hydration of fused cement clinker from basic oxygen furnace slag N2 - Fused cement clinker can be produced from molten basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS) by way of a reductive thermochemical treatment. During the thermochemical treatment, oxidic iron is reduced to metallic iron and separated. The resulting low-iron slag has a chemical and mineralogical composition similar to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) clinker. In this study, the hydraulic reactivity of the fused clinker from BOFS with and without gypsum was investigated using isothermal calorimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, in situ X-ray diffraction and powder X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, a synthetic fused clinker without foreign ions and fused clinker produced by a mixture of both materials was studied. The hydraulic reaction of the fused clinker from BOFS was considerably slower than that of OPC. However, the reaction can be accelerated by adding gypsum as a sulfate carrier. Furthermore, the results showed an increased reaction rate with decreasing content of foreign ions such as Fe, P or Mn. KW - General Materials Science KW - Building and Construction PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1680/jadcr.23.00070 SN - 0951-7197 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Telford AN - OPUS4-59391 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ramirez Caro, Alejandra A1 - Pauli, Jutta A1 - Mota, Berta A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - C⁠3A passivation with gypsum and hemihydrate monitored by optical spectroscopy N2 - Tricalcium aluminate (C⁠3A) is found with less than 10% wt. of the total composition; however, during hydration, C⁠3A plays an important role in the early hydration of cement in the presence of gypsum as a set retarder. The aim of this investigation is to assess the suitability of optical spectroscopy and a dye-based optical probe to monitor early hydration of C⁠3A in the presence of gypsum and hemihydrate. Optical evaluation was performed using steady-state fluorescence and diffuses reflectance spectroscopy (UV-VisDR). Phase characterization during hydration was done with in-situ X-ray diffraction. UV-VisDR with a cyanine dye probe was used to monitor the formation of metastable phases and was employed together with fluorescence spectroscopy, to follow the Aggregation and disaggregation of the dye during hydration. In conclusion, for the first time, a cyanine dye was identified as a feasible and stable probe to monitor C⁠3A hydration changes in the presence of calcium sulfate. KW - Dye KW - Photoluminescence KW - Fluorescence KW - Reflection spectroscopy KW - Cement KW - Hydration KW - Method development PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2020.106082 VL - 133 SP - 106082 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-50952 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schraut, Katharina A1 - Adamczyk, Burkart A1 - Adam, Christian A1 - Stephan, D. A1 - Meng, Birgit A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - von Werder, Julia T1 - Synthesis and characterisation of alites from reduced basic oxygen furnace slags N2 - Basic oxygen furnace slags (BOFS) are by-products of the steelmaking process. Several researchers have studied the production of Portland cement clinker and metallic iron from BOFS via a reductive treatment. In this study, we applied a carbothermal reduction of BOFS in a technical-scale electric arc furnace and characterised the clinker-like products. Those clinker-like non-metallic products (NMPs) had a chemical and mineralogical composition comparable to clinker for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and contained large elongated alite crystals as major component. The pure NMPs reacted more slowly and achieved a lower degree of hydration compared with commercial OPC. If the reactivity of the products can be further increased by employing specific adaptations, it can be used as a full clinker substitute for OPC. Nevertheless, it is also an option to use the material without further modifications as a cement component or concrete addition, which contributes to the strength development in both cases. KW - BOFS KW - Hydration products KW - Thermal analysis KW - X-ray diffraction PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2021.106518 SN - 0008-8846 VL - 147 SP - 6518 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-52939 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Herzel, Hannes A1 - Stemann, J. A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Adam, Christian T1 - Comparison of thermochemical treatment of sewage sludge ash with sodium sulphate in laboratory-scale and pilot-scale experiments N2 - There is an ongoing debate on European scale concerning the criticality of phosphorus. In Switzerland and Germany, phosphorus recovery from phosphorus-rich waste streams will become obligatory. Sewage sludge ash is rich in phosphorus and may become an important secondary feedstock. Thermochemical treatment of sewage sludge ash with sodium sulphate under reducing conditions was shown to remove heavy metals from the solid product and produce the fully plant available crystalline phase CaNaPO4. Pilot-scale experiments in a rotary kiln were carried out at temperatures between 750 and 1000 °C and were compared to laboratory-scale experiments with crucibles. Process upscaling was successfully demonstrated but a series of differences were noticed: In comparison to laboratory-scale, solubility of phosphorus in samples from pilot-scale experiments was lower at all chosen treatment temperatures because of shorter retention time and incomplete decomposition of sodium sulphate. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed remaining phase fractions of whitlockite (Ca3-x(Mg,Fe)x(PO4)2) and sodium sulphate from the starting materials in products and thus indicated incomplete reaction. In contrast to the results of laboratory-scale experiments, the crystalline phase CaNaPO4 was clearly absent in the products from the rotary kiln but instead a Mg-bearing phase (Ca,Mg)NaPO4 was formed. Laboratory-scale experiments confirmed (Ca,Mg)NaPO4 is an intermediate phase between whitlockite and CaNaPO4. However, both crystalline phases are characterized by high plant availability. It was shown that heavy metal removal increased at higher temperatures whereas solubility and thus plant availability of phosphorus already reached its maxima at temperatures of 950 °C in pilot-scale and 875 °C in laboratory-scale experiments. KW - Crystalline phase identification KW - Heavy metal removal KW - Phosphorus availability KW - Process upscaling KW - Recovery KW - Rhenanite PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-524084 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03252-y VL - 19 IS - 3 SP - 1997 EP - 2006 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-52408 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ginés-Palomares, J.-C. A1 - Fateri, M. A1 - Schubert, T. A1 - de Peindray d’Ambelle, L. A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Gluth, Gregor A1 - Günster, Jens A1 - Zocca, Andrea T1 - Material aspects of sintering of EAC-1A lunar regolith simulant N2 - Future lunar exploration will be based on in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) techniques. The most abundant raw material on the Moon is lunar regolith, which, however, is very scarce on Earth, making the study of simulants a necessity. The objective of this study is to characterize and investigate the sintering behavior of EAC-1A lunar regolith simulant. The characterization of the simulant included the determination of the phase assemblage, characteristic temperatures determination and water content analysis. The results are discussed in the context of sintering experiments of EAC-1A simulant, which showed that the material can be sintered to a relative density close to 90%, but only within a very narrow range of temperatures (20–30 °C). Sintering experiments were performed for sieved and unsieved, as well as for dried and non-dried specimens of EAC-1A. In addition, an analysis of the densification and mechanical properties of the sintered specimens was done. The sintering experiments at different temperatures showed that the finest fraction of sieved simulant can reach a higher maximum sintering temperature, and consequently a higher densification and biaxial strength. The non-dried powder exhibited higher densification and biaxial strength after sintering compared to the dried specimen. This difference was explained with a higher green density of the non-dried powder during pressing, rather than due to an actual influence on the sintering mechanism. Nevertheless, drying the powder prior to sintering is important to avoid the overestimation of the strength of specimens to be fabricated on the Moon. KW - Lunar regolith KW - Ceramics KW - Microstructure KW - Sintering KW - Softening temperature PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-592668 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50391-y SN - 2045-2322 VL - 13 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-59266 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Mundra, S. A1 - Furcas, F. E. A1 - Huthwelker, T. A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Borca, C. N. A1 - Provis, J. L. A1 - Gluth, Gregor T1 - Kinetics of Sulfide Oxidation in alkaline solutions studied by X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy N2 - The oxidation of sulfur in aqueous solutions is an important process in several geochemical and industrial contexts. In concrete technology, it is particularly relevant for the protection of steel reinforcement in slag cement-based concretes, as the presence of sulfides affects the passivation of the steel and corrosion initiation in the presence of chlorides. However, the knowledge about the kinetics of sulfide oxidation in alkaline solutions, such as concrete pore solutions, is incomplete. To address this issue, we prepared solutions with 0.80 M NaOH, and nominally 10, 100 and 350 mM HS−, respectively, and followed the evolution of the sulfur species during bubbling with oxygen-containing gas (concentration 100% or 22%) using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy at the sulfur K-edge. Polysulfide, thiosulfate, sulfite and sulfate were identified and quantified via linear combination fitting of the spectra, using previously measured standards. A preliminary analysis of the results shows that the initial rate constant of sulfide oxidation depends strongly on the HS− concentration, while it less strongly depending on the oxygen concentration, in line with previous results for lower pH values. Approaches to fit the data to obtain the rate constants of all relevant reactions will be discussed. T2 - 41st Cement & Concrete Science Conference CY - Leeds, Great Britain DA - 12.09.2022 KW - XANES KW - Sulfide oxidation KW - Kinetics PY - 2022 SP - 1 EP - 3 PB - Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3) AN - OPUS4-55650 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Bertmer, M. A1 - Gluth, Gregor T1 - Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of lithium aluminate (L–A–H) and lithium aluminosilicate (L–A–S–H) gels N2 - Hydrous lithium aluminosilicate (L–A–S–H) and lithium aluminate (L–A–H) gels are candidate precursors for glass-ceramics and ceramics with potential advantages over conventional processing routes. However, their structure before calcination remained largely unknown, despite the importance of precursor structure on the properties of the resulting materials. In the present study, it is demonstrated that L–A–S–H and L–A–H gels with Li/Al ≤ 1 can be produced via an organic steric entrapment route, while higher Li/Al ratios lead to crystallization of gibbsite or nordstrandite. The composition and the structure of the gels was studied by thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, 27Al and 29Si magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, and Raman spectroscopy. Aluminium was found to be almost exclusively in six-fold coordination in both the L–A–H and the L–A–S–H gels. Silicon in the L–A–S–H gels was mainly in Q4 sites and to a lesser extent in Q3 sites (four-fold coordination with no Si–O–Al bonds). The results thus indicate that silica-rich and aluminium-rich domains formed in these gels. KW - Lithium aluminosilicates KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Sol-gel PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-558756 DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/ijac.14187 SN - 1546-542X VL - 19 IS - 6 SP - 3179 EP - 3190 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-55875 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Gluth, Gregor ED - Rossignol, S. ED - Gluth, Gregor T1 - Unraveling the hardening mechanism during laser-induced slip casting of lithium aluminate-microsilica slurry N2 - Additive manufacturing (AM) of alkali-activated materials is a promising method for producing ceramic precursors, construction elements and other parts. A recently introduced AM process is laser-induced slip casting of lithium aluminate/microsilica slurries, which yields parts with excellent mechanical strengths. To clarify the underlying mechanisms, μ-Raman spectroscopy was applied to parts produced by the process, and the dissolution and hydration of lithium aluminate was studied inter alia using conventional and in-situ X-ray diffraction. The results show that significant dissolution of lithium aluminate occurs, particularly at increased temperatures during laser interaction, which leads to an increase of pH and precipitation of an akopovaite-like Li-Al-CO3 layered double hydroxide. The increase of the pH is likely to induce dissolution of the microsilica and possibly formation of a hydrous lithium aluminosilicate gel. These observations explain the strength evolution of the studied parts and can also aid the development and improvement of related AM methods. KW - Alkali-activated materials KW - Additive manufacturing KW - Laser-induced slip casting KW - Lithium KW - Layered double hydroxide PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520557 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceram.2021.100060 SN - 2666-5395 VL - 5 IS - Special issue: Alkali-activated materials and geopolymers in ceramics and beyond SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-52055 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rudić, O. A1 - Mittermayr, F. A1 - Gluth, Gregor A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Ukrainczyk, N. A1 - Seyrek, Y. A1 - Freytag, B. A1 - Juhart, J. A1 - Grengg, C. T1 - On the benefits of vegetable oil addition for the pore structure and acid resistance of alkali-activated systems N2 - The impact of high additions of vegetable oil (12 vol%) on the mechanical and microstructural properties of metakaolin-slag-based alkali-activated materials (AAMs) was studied. The addition of oil resulted in a slight decrease in initial polymerization kinetics but did not affect the final degree of reaction. AAM-oil-composite-mortars exhibited approximately ∼30% lower compressive strength primarily due to the entrainment of air voids. Newly formed soap phases significantly reduced the volume of small capillary and gel pores (pore radii <15 nm), leading to a decrease in specific inner surface area by a factor of up to 15. The porosity modification induced by the oil addition greatly enhanced the resistance of AAMs against sulfuric acid attack, shifting the dominant processes from diffusion and cracks to framework-dissolution controlled by the inherent phase stabilities. Following the immersion in sulfuric acid (pHstat = 2) for 8 weeks, the depth of corroded layer decreased by 70% and no cracks due to expansive phases were observed. These promising findings suggest that the incorporation of vegetable oil in AAMs has the potential to address durability concerns associated with diffusion-based corrosion processes, thereby expanding the range of future applications. KW - Alkali-activated materials KW - Acid resistance KW - Pore structure PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-581719 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2023.08.036 VL - 49 IS - 20 SP - 33275 EP - 33290 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-58171 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -