Materials and Construction Research Division

Inorganic Building Materials Group

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NIST researchers, with the cooperation of industry, are performing research to develop a fundamental understanding of the relationship between chemistry, microstructure, performance, and service life of conventional and high-performance concrete and other inorganic building materials. This work involves the synergetic combination of both experimental and computational materials science research. The goal of the research is to develop tools for better characterizing these materials, and for predicting material behavior and service life. These tools can be used to help revolutionize the cement and concrete industry by enabling quantitative prediction of concrete properties, including service life (when linked to economic models), from the starting materials. This idea has become embodied in such tools as the  Virtual Cement and Concrete Testing Laboratory (VCCTL) and BridgeLCC. Further joint research with industrial partners is being carried out to improve the VCCTL software for industrial use. Research projects include experimental and computational work on: (1) computational models of microstructure development in cement pastes, (2) the effects of concrete microstructure on diffusivity, permeability, and elastic properties of concrete, (3) better physical and chemical characterization of cement and aggregates, (4) the rheology of cement paste and concrete and the effects of mineral and chemical admixtures, and (5) the mechanisms of degradation of concrete as needed to create performance-based standards. The research is performed using many different techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray microprobe, computerized image analysis, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, X-ray absorption, X-ray computed tomography, ion chromatography, rheometry, and a variety of computer workstations and massively parallel computers. This work will help the U.S. construction industry be competitive in advanced concrete materials and construction. The research is being coordinated with industry, voluntary standards organizations, trade associations, and federal and state government agencies.   Edward Garboczi, Leader Inorganic Building Materials Group (301) 975-6708 edward.garboczi@nist.gov   Inorganic Building Materials Research Staff Dale P. Bentz Jeffrey W. Bullard Chiara F. "Clarissa" Ferraris  Edward J. Garboczi  Nicos S. Martys  Kenneth A. Snyder  Paul E. Stutzman  Consortia and Other Links Virtual Cement and Concrete Testing Laboratory Electronic Monograph for Modeling and Measuring the Structure and Properties of Cement-Based Materials Computer Models for cement-based materials Building Stone Test Wall Partnership for High Performance Concrete Technology Computer-Integrated Knowledge System (CIKS) for High Performance Concrete Concrete Optimization Software Tool (COST)	Tomography image of concrete sample.
	Image of microstucture predicted from a NIST-developed model of cement hydration.
	Snapshot from a model that illustrates the motion of a suspension of real rocks under an applied shear.

 

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