Utilization and mechanism of water treatment sludge in mitigating alkali-silica reaction (ASR)
Introduction
The two cases selected for examination depend on experiments in order to obtain results that would complement the research paper. The researcher in both cases require high technical knowledge in order to decide what experiments should be considered so that the desired results can be obtained and tested for their feasibility. The first case title is “the effect of limestone mineral addition and cement kiln dust on the chloride ingress into mortar specimens made with cement, fly ash and slag” which researches on the ingress of chloride ions through concrete which ultimately effects the corrosion of the steel in reinforced concrete, this is done through experiment. The second case title is “Experimental and Finite Element Investigation of Rubberized Concrete Confined by FRP” which focuses on the fact that there is a lot of rubber wasted every year and for it to be utilized it can be converted into rubberized concrete, this study carries out experiments by changing the amount of rubber used in creating the rubberized concrete hence determining the best ratio. Both the cases require comparison of controlled experiments and given the topic of my study “Utilization and mechanism of water treatment sludge in mitigating alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in cement compost” the research methodology in these case studies would aid in finding the best scenario for mitigating alkali-silica reaction in cement compost. All three topics present a certain amount of legal bindings which would have to specifically studied in order to get the most usable results. Both the cases require the study of primary data which means that the collection of data to be analyzed has to primary for such cases. All three studies are linked to concrete which would provide me with a lot of material that can be related to my research.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Reflection on the effect of limestone mineral addition and cement kiln dust on the chloride ingress into mortar specimens made with cement, fly ash and slag
As Tomm Benn, the author of the study, states the study was chosen due to an opportunity to increase the amount of chloride ions migrating into concrete using additional limestone material presented itself. There were two hypothesis of the study:
- The increase of limestone mineral in concrete will allow chloride ions to migrate rapidly through the concrete
- If cement was to be replaced by fly ash or ground granulated blast furnace slag then the chloride ions migration would revert back to the initial level and there will be no problem with the increased addition of mineral in cement
The research was quantitative in nature and required numerous concrete mixture to be made which spanned out for a year and then tested for compressive strength of the different mixtures, the second test was conducted to study the diffusion or ingress of chloride ions which was based on two different methods, after the chloride was diffused then the concrete was tested with and without the limestone mineral addition. After all the experiments the analysis is based on statistical and mathematical regression analysis which provides a through comparison between the different settings that were tested. Both the hypothesis were tested positive in the findings of the research. The data collected is primary as the experiments require testing and adding ingredients which are to be analyzed.
My research topic relates to this case directly as both are experiments on concrete. To understand the mechanism water treatment slug in order to mitigate ASR (alkali-silica reaction) in cement compost there will have to be a quantitative study in order to test the effects of different conditions and ratios of ingredients applied to test how the ASR can be reduced in cement compost. The above mentioned case required researchers to be able to comprehend the technical side and in order to understand what experiments should be tested my research would require through knowledge about the matter. These experiments would last at least 6 months under controlled environment to start the analysis which would be based on the comparison of the results of the effects on the ASR under different conditions. The findings would be recorded using statistical analysis that would best fit the study. The method of collecting data to analyze the research question would be the same as this case study as the data is dependent on the results of the findings of the experiments.
The findings and analysis of the case study is thoroughly discussed explaining each major change that took place due to the change in the ingredients and conditions. Using fly ash or slag instead of cement was also separately tested and their effect of reverting the migration of chloride ions was found to be true and the analysis explains the details of the experiments conducted and provides proof through statistical analysis which makes it easier to understand. Using fly ash or ground granulated blastfurnace might also be required to test the effect of drinking water treatment sludge. The effects on ASR in cement compost can be mitigated by using different techniques could be only tested through such experiments and the findings would be analyzed through statistical tools in order to provide the proof for the results.
Reflection on Experimental and Finite Element Investigation of Rubberized Concrete Confined by FRP
The motivation behind this case is quite clear as the author, Osama Youssf, explains that there is an increasing number (1 billion a year around the world) of tires laid to waste each year while they can be recycled to create rubberized concrete which is in fact has relatively higher ductility, toughness and damping ratio although it has lower compressive strength. The compressive strength can be increased in this rubberized concrete by confining the concrete by FRP (fiber reinforced polymer) and by pre-treating the rubber in a solution of sodium hydroxide. The study was again a quantitative study which was based on two different experiments one of which was using small scale concrete columns and the other was done using large scale concrete columns. The first small scale concrete columns experiment was conducted by replacing 20% of the concrete sand with rubber crumbs obtained from tires. The compressive strength of the concrete significantly decreased but the method of confining concrete by fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) and pre-treating the rubber crumbs in a solution of sodium hydroxide reverted the compressive strength of the concrete. The second experiment in the large scale concrete columns used the same cement replacement percentage of 20 and the FPR thickness was 2 and 4 layers and were tested under Axial and cyclic load to test the strength of the rubberized concrete in a situation like an earth quake. The analysis for both the experiments was done using a finite element program which is known as LS-DYNA. The findings show that using the FBR and sodium hydroxide solution to pre-treat the rubber significantly increase the compressive strength of the concrete columns in both the experiments. The finite program analysis was conducted to understand that the thickness of the concrete confinement or the fiber reinforced polymer significantly affected the columns plastic hinge length, this is the first study that found this fact.
This is also a quantitative research which is in line with the research methodology required for my research title. Conducting relevant experiments to test the hypothesis of a study is the best research methodology for such researches as it is based on facts and primary data the analysis and findings provide proof of whether the hypothesis was correct or not. The nature of motivation is same for this case and my research that is recycling waste. This case uses worn out tires to create concrete and my research is based on the utilization of the drinking water treatment sludge, which is wasted in non-ecofriendly ways. This similarity suggests that both these topics have the potential to positively affect the society hence the importance can be rated high for these researches. Using DWTS to mitigate ASR might cause some weakness in the concrete column, like in this case the rubber reduced the compressive strength of the concrete, which would require experiments to revert those weaknesses which this case successfully did by confining the concrete in FRP and pre-treating rubber in a solution of sodium hydroxide (El-Enein, 2017). The similarities suggest that the model of this case would aid in developing the overall model of my research.
Research Methodology
Previous studies suggest that the introduction of fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag and silica fume into the concrete creation process is an effective in mitigating alkali-silica reaction (ASR) (Li, 2005). ASR is considered to be cancer for concrete and testing the mechanism of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) to mitigate ASR in cement composite would only be found through experiments done under controlled environment which would last more 6 months. Tests would be conducted to test the research hypothesis of mitigating ASR under different conditions and different raw material to make the concrete column. The data collection is primary and will require that firstly the experiments are conducted before the study could move forward. Once the concrete is made then its ductility, compressive strength, toughness and damping ratio would be compared to original concrete columns which would be done in order to find out any adverse effects of using DWTS to mitigate ASR. If there is an adverse effect of DWTS then that would have to be addressed using new experiments that could possibly reduce the problems caused so that the end product could be legally and safely usable. All the experiments would be conducted keeping the regulations set by the Australian government in mind to make this research more applicable.
The analysis would be conducted using statistical analysis and mathematical regression which would be used to analyze the findings by comparing different scenarios with a standard scenario. Each scenario would be analyzed individually to gain perspective of how the little changes in ratios affect the whole process, this might lead to a new finding as well.
