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Influence of water to binder ratio on mechanical properties of blended cements

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Influence of water to binder ratio on
mechanical properties of blended cements
with brick powder waste
Cite as: AIP Conference Proceedings 2129, 020091 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5118099
Published Online: 30 July 2019

Deák György, Ana Maria Panait, Andreea Mihaela Moncea, Diana Florina Dumitru, Madalina Boboc,
Monica Matei, and Marius Viorel Olteanu

ARTICLES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

The thermal properties of metakaolin geopolymer coated with MgO particles

AIP Conference Proceedings 2129, 020092 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5118100

AIP Conference Proceedings 2129, 020091 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5118099 2129, 020091

© 2019 Author(s).
 Influence of Water To Binder Ratio on Mechanical
Properties of Blended Cements with Brick Powder Waste
Deák György, 1,a, Ana Maria Panait1 , Andreea Mihaela Moncea1, Diana Florina
Dumitru1, Madalina Boboc1, 2, Monica Matei1, and Marius Viorel Olteanu1
1
National Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection, no. 294 Splaiul Independentei,
6th District, 060031, Bucharest, Romania
2
Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, Romania, Domnească Street, 47, RO-800008, Galati, Romania
a)
Corresponding author: anamaryapanayt@yahoo.com

Abstract. Currently, the construction and demolition wastes are recovered and recycled in a reduced proportion. An
efficient and easy approach to recover this waste is to embed it in inorganics binders. Considering that bricks
represent porous ceramic bodies, the incorporation of the powders resulted from brick milling into cements could
influence the water / binder ratio, which ensures the hardening process of binders. Therefore, the influence of the
water / binder (w/b) ratio on mechanical strengths of the ordinary Portland cement with an addition of 20% brick
powder waste was studied up to 360 days. The investigations showed that a w/b ratio of 0.45 determines
compression strengths values which could be compared with those of references samples. After one year of
hardening the mortar specimens were subjected to freeze-thaw cycles in order to determine their durability. The
mortars specimens with w/b ratio of 0.45 recorded the best mechanical strengths values after 40 freeze-thaw cycles.

INTRODUCTION
The sustainable waste management represent major concern as the waste disposal in landfill does not
represent an effectiveness approach for the environment protection. The establishing of an effective waste
reduction / recovery / reuse methods will reduce the environmental pollution, the landfill areas as well as the
consumption of the natural resources. Construction and demolition wastes (C&D) represent the most
voluminous waste streams. At the European level the C&D wastes represent 25% - 30% from all generated
wastes [1] and consists of different materials such as: broken bricks, concrete, glass, waste, wood, plastic etc. [2,
3]. Brick waste was founded suitable to be successfully embedded, as supplementary cementitious material, in
binders and concrete [4,5,6]. According to Navrátilová and Rovnaníková [7], bricks powder wastes possess
puzzolanic properties, do to their aluminous-siliceous component. Contrariwise, Lin el all. [8] reported that the
cement substitution with 10 – 50% of brick waste leads to both decreasing of mechanical resistance and
increasing of initial and final setting times.
Thus, the main objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of different water / binder ratios on
mechanical strengths of composite binder which contains 20% of brick powder waste. The durability was also
investigated by subjecting the binder specimens to 40 freeze-thaw cycles, after one year of hardening.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The materials used in experiments were ordinary Portland cement type CEM I 42.5 and a bricks powder
wastes (BPW). The BPW, resulted from demolition, was grinded in a ball mill, to a Blaine specific surface area
of 3476 cm2/g. The chemical composition and fineness properties of the used materials are presented in Table 1.
In order to obtain a homogenous binder composite, the materials were mixed in dry conditions. The obtained
mixture and its particularities is presented Table 2. From the composite binder mixture cubic specimens
(25x25mm) with three different water / binder ratio (w/b) were prepared. The binder to sand ratio (b/s) was kept
constant to 0.5. After casting, the specimens were cured in covered moulds for the first 24 hours (to prevent
water evaporation), and after demoulding were cured up to the 359 days, in humid air (R.H. = 95%), at room
temperature. After 1, 2, 7, 28 and 360 days the cubic specimens were tested at compression stress. After 1 year

5th International Conference on Green Design and Manufacture (IConGDM 2019)

AIP Conf. Proc. 2129, 020091-1–020091-4; https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5118099
Published by AIP Publishing. 978-0-7354-1871-4/$30.00

020091-1
of hardening, the specimens were exposed to 40 freeze-thaw cycles, in order to assess their durability. The
freeze-thaw cycles were carried out in the following conditions: 4 hours at T = 20°C / R.H. =95% followed by 4
hours at T = -20°C / R.H. = 0%. Simultaneously, references binders (without BPW addition) were prepared and
tested in similar conditions.

TABLE 1. Chemical composition and fineness of the used materials

Ordinary Portland Bricks powder waste
Oxide composition (%)
Cement (%) (%)
SiO2 16.94 64.46
Al2O3 4.75 16.94
Fe2O3 2.46 6,13
CaO 60.75 3.23
MgO 2.23 2.59
SO3 2.93 0.13
Na2O 0.3 2.16
K2 O 0.72 1.89
P2O5 - 0.18
TiO2 - 1,47
Minor components - 0,73
Rez. Ins. HCl – Na2CO3 1.22 -
P.C. 8.58 -
Ssp (cm2/g) 3793 3476

TABLE 2. Binder’s compositions

Specimen OPC (%) BPW (%) w/b ratio b/s ratio

R0.4 100 - 0.40 0.5

CC0.4 80 20 0.40 0.5

R0.45 100 - 0.45 0.5
CC0.45 80 20 0.45 0.5
R0.5 100 - 0.50 0.5
CC0.5 80 20 0.50 0.5

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The compression strength determined on cubic mortar specimens with w/b ratio 0.4, (both the etalon and
with 20% BPW addition), are presented in the Figure 1. As can be seen the strengths values of both mortar
specimens increase after 2 days of hardening. After 7 days of hardening a decreasing of mechanical resistance,
followed by a slightly increasing up to 28 days was registered. The decreasing of compressive strength from the
interval 2 - 7 days could be the effect of the autogenous shrinkage, more pronounced when PBW was used.
Autogenous shrinkage affect the concrete microstructure by early age cracking and is caused by a low water-to-
binder ratio and incorporation of supplementary cementitious materials [9]. During time, the mechanical
resistance continue to increase and after 1 year of hydration the corresponding value of CC-0.4 reach 50 MPa
while the reference mortar develops 69 MPa.

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 Compression strength (MPa)
70 R0.4
CC0.4
60

50

40
30
20

10
0
1 day 2 days 7 days 28 days 360 days
Curing time

FIGURE 1. Compression strengths of R0.4 and CC-0.4, with w/b ratio 0.4

When w/b 0.45 was used, the mechanical resistance increase during all test periods. The registered values
are higher than those of the composite specimens prepared with w/b ratio of 0.4 (Fig. 2). After 1 year, the
compression strength of CC-0.45 reach 58 MPa. However, the addition of 20% BPW determine a slightly
decrease of the compression strengths compared to those of reference specimen, for all curing time.

R0.45
Compression strength (MPa)

70
CC0.45
60
50
40
30
20

10
0
1 day 2 days 7 days 28 days 360 days
Curing time
FIGURE 2. Compression strengths of specimens with w/b ratio 0.45

The composites binder prepared with a w/b ratio of 0.5 develops during time, lowered mechanical
resistances compared to those of the specimens presented above (Fig. 3). This ratio affects mainly the early-age
mechanical resistance; the excess of water evaporates and influence the capillary porosity of the microstructure
[10].
60
Compression strength (MPa)

R0.5
CC0.5
50

40

30

20

10

0
1 day 2 days 7 days 28 days 360 days
Curing time
FIGURE 3. Compression strengths of specimens with w/b ratio 0.5

After one year of hardening, the composites binders were exposed to freeze-thaw cycles and the compression
strengths were determined (Fig. 4 a). The binders with BPW addition, CC0.45 (prepared with w/b ratio 0.45)
recorded the highest values (54 MPa) while CC0.5 the lowest. Considering the initial mechanical strengths

020091-3
 (determined after 1 year of hardening) the lost resistance after 40 freeze-thaw cycles is relatively reduced (less
than 6%), for all the investigated specimens (Fig. 4 b). CC0.5 has the smallest lost mechanical resistance (4.5
%). That means the negative influence of the additional capillary voids, induced in the microstructure by a
higher w/b ratio, has been definitely reduced and the composites binder resistance, to the freeze-thaw cycles, is
not affected.

Lost mechanical resistance (%)

70 10
Compression strength (MPa)

60
8
50

40 6

30
4
20
2
10

0 0
R0.4 CC0.4 R0.45 CC0.45 R0.5 CC0.5 R0.4 CC0.4 R0.45 CC0.45 R0.5 CC0.5
Specimens Specimens
a b
FIGURE 4. Compression strengths of references and composites binders after their subjecting to freeze-thaw cycles (a) and
lost mechanical resistance (b)

CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, researches regarding the influence of w/b ratio on the mechanical properties of binders with
20% brick power waste addition were reported. The composite binder prepared with w/b ratio of 0.45 has
determined the best resistance. A w/b ratio of 0.4 induces in the microstructure early age shrinkage while a w/b
of 0.5 could probably influence the capillary porosity leading to lower mechanical resistances. The BPW
addition has also influenced the compression strengths, developing smaller compression strengths compared to
the reference binders. After 360 days of hardening, the durability of composites specimens was assessed by
subjecting them to 40 freeze-thaw cycles. The lost resistance did not exceed 6% of compression strengths
recorded after 360 days of hardening.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This research was supported by Core Program of the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation,
project number PN 16 04 01 07, “The influence of technological factors on binding materials properties, with or
without content of hazardous substances”.

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