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 JF - Construction and Building Materials 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 - 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 JF - Advanced engineering materials 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 - 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 JF - Cement and Concrete Research 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 - 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 JF - International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology 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 - Selleng, C. A1 - Meng, Birgit T1 - Prompt phase analyses of ultrahigh-performance concrete JF - Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering N2 - Powder X-ray diffraction is a time-consuming and challenging task, especially for preparation of sensitive phases like ettringite and calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) phases. Fine-grained ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) with an average grain size <100 μm could be investigated directly without time-consuming milling. As a proof of concept, small UHPC cylinders with plain surfaces were investigated with a newly designed sample holder. The comparison with conventionally prepared powder shows the feasibility of fast qualitative phase analysis using this approach. As a great benefit, a depth-dependent analysis, as well as a comparison of surface layers and core material, was carried out. KW - Ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) KW - X-ray diffraction (XRD) KW - Sample holder KW - Fast measurement KW - Spatial analyses PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002163 SN - 1943-5533 SN - 0899-1561 VL - 30 IS - 3 SP - 06018001, 1 EP - 06018001, 5 PB - American Society of Civil Engineers CY - Reston, VA, USA AN - OPUS4-43879 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Simon, Sebastian A1 - Gluth, Gregor A1 - Peys, A. A1 - Onisei, S. A1 - Banerjee, D. A1 - Pontikes, Y. T1 - The fate of iron during the alkali-activation of synthetic (CaO-)FeOx-SiO2 slags: An Fe K-edge XANES study JF - Journal of the American Ceramic Society N2 - Slags from the nonferrous metals industry have great potential to be used as feedstocks for the production of alkali-activated materials. Until now, however, only very limited information has been available about the structural characteristics of these materials. In the work presented herein, synthetic slags in the CaO–FeOx–SiO2 system, representing typical compositions of Fe-rich slags, and inorganic polymers (IPs) produced from the synthetic slags by activation with alkali Silicate solutions have been studied by means of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy at the Fe K-edge. The iron in the slags was largely Fe2+, with an average coordination number of approximately 5 for the iron in the amorphous fraction. The increase in average oxidation number after alkali-activation was conceptualized as the consequence of slag dissolution and IP precipitation, and employed to calculate the degrees of reaction of the slags. The degree of reaction of the slags increased with increasing amorphous fraction. The iron in the IPs had an average coordination number of approximately 5; thus, IPs produced from the Fe-rich slags studied here are not Fe-analogs of aluminosilicate geopolymers, but differ significantly in terms of structure from the latter. KW - Alkali-activated slag KW - Inorganic polymers KW - Iron speciation KW - Nonferrous slag KW - X-ray absorption near-edge structure KW - X-ray absorption spectroscopy PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.15354 SN - 1551-2916 SN - 0002-7820 VL - 101 IS - 5 SP - 2107 EP - 2118 PB - John Wiley & Sons, Inc. AN - OPUS4-43880 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 JF - Cement and Concrete Research 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 - 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 JF - Materials and Structures 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 - 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 JF - Scientific Reports 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 -