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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Fast, automated, affordable test for cement durability    
      
     Date:   
         July 5, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau   
     Summary:   
         Engineers have developed a new test that can predict the durability   
         of cement in seconds to minutes -- rather than the hours it takes   
         using current methods. The test measures the behavior of water   
         droplets on cement surfaces using computer vision on a device that   
         costs less than $200. The researchers said the new study could   
         help the cement industry move toward rapid and automated quality   
         control of their materials.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Engineers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed   
   a new test that can predict the durability of cement in seconds to   
   minutes -- rather than the hours it takes using current methods. The   
   test measures the behavior of water droplets on cement surfaces using   
   computer vision on a device that costs less than $200. The researchers   
   said the new study could help the cement industry move toward rapid and   
   automated quality control of their materials.   
      
   The results of the study, led by Illinois civil and environmental   
   engineering professor Nishant Garg, are reported in the journal npj   
   Materials Degradation.   
      
   "Concrete is one of the most consumed materials on our planet,   
   second only to water," Garg said. "Over time, the concrete used to   
   build our infrastructure degrades over time via exposure to deicing   
   salts; freeze and thaw cycles; and ingress of water -- all of which   
   can lead to corrosion of the rebar that is used to strengthen the   
   structures. Ultimately, this leads to failure, sometimes catastrophically,   
   as seen in the 2021 condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, where 98   
   lives were lost."  One of the key tests used to predict the durability of   
   cementitious systems is based on the ability of cement paste -- a mixture   
   of cement-based binder and water -- to absorb water, Garg said. Water   
   absorption is linked to cement's durability; the more porous the cement   
   paste is, the more water it will absorb, ultimately leading to corrosion   
   of the embedded rebar in reinforced concrete.   
      
   A standard test, known as ASTM C1585, is performed in a lab by exposing   
   a concrete sample that contains cement paste to water while a technician   
   continuously measures the "sorptivity" -- or how much water the sample   
   absorbs and transmits -- by observing its weight change for several hours,   
   if not days.   
      
   In the study, the new device predicts initial sorptivity using computer   
   vision to see how quickly a single water droplet is absorbed into the   
   surface within the first few seconds or minutes. Garg said the test is   
   far less tedious than the current ASTM method and can be performed on   
   the fly in the field or in the lab.   
      
   "We performed the new test on more than 60 unique samples, and there's   
   a fairly good correlation between our results and the results from the   
   conventional ASTM test method," Garg said. "So we are now proposing   
   our new testing method as an alternative to test the durability of   
   cementitious systems in a few seconds."  In addition to the importance   
   of droplet absorption, the research team also learned that the initial   
   angle at which water droplets come into contact with the cement surface   
   matters, too.   
      
   "The dynamics of absorption change quickly while the water droplets   
   change shape on the surface," Garg said. "Intricacies like these are all   
   factored into our new test."  The team is currently working on ways to   
   scale up the test for mortars and more varieties of concrete, which are   
   texturally and chemically more complex.   
      
   "The key takeaway from the study is that testing the durability of   
   building materials is very slow, tedious and labor-intensive," Garg   
   said. "With the availability of technologies like computer vision and   
   analysis, we can develop tests that are faster, automated and convenient."   
   The department of civil and environmental engineering at Illinois   
   supported this research.   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_of_Illinois_at_Urbana-Champaign,_News_Bureau.   
      
   Original written by Lois Yoksoulian. Note: Content may be edited for   
   style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Hossein Kabir, Nishant Garg. Rapid prediction of cementitious   
      initial   
         sorptivity via surface wettability. npj Materials Degradation,   
         2023; 7 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41529-023-00371-4   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230705105835.htm   
      
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