Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemPerformance of lightweight hemp concrete with alkali-activated cenosphere binders exposed to elevated temperature(Elsevier BV, 2019-11-10)This study investigates the performance of three different types of cenosphere as a lightweight supplementary cementitious material for alkali-activated binder for lightweight carbon-negative hemp-concrete for non-load bearing applications. Mechanical performance of hemp concrete exposed to three temperatures, room temperature (RT), 300 °C and 600 °C are studied using mechanical testing, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Hemp concrete with cenosphere binder remained its integrity and showed a lower load carrying capacity even after exposure to elevated temperatures. Compressive strength capacity and elastic modulus of the samples reduced with the increase of temperature and shows the composite material is more suitable for non-load bearing application considering its mechanical behavior and fire requirements. The density, age, and type of cenosphere showed effects on mechanical properties at room temperature and elevated temperatures. The study shows that alkali activated cenosphere binders can potentially be a sustainable alternative to the lime binder.
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ItemFire resistance of a prefabricated bushfire bunker using aerated concrete panels(Elsevier, 2018-06-20)Prefabricated lightweight aerated concrete (PLAC) panels provide low thermal conductivity, potentially high stiffness-to-weight ratios, cost-effective material and structural systems and rapid modular construction. These panels can be utilised as floor slabs or external walls for various applications in building construction. The fire performance of the PLAC panel is examined in this work for a particular case, namely a prefabricated emergency bushfire shelter, which is one of the key applications of PLAC panels. Since, bushfires have unique heating curves, standardised tests are not useful and the system needs to be tested in a manner such that the heat flux of an actual bush fire can be reproduced. In this study, the fire performance enhancement of dual-skin bushfire bunkers, which are comprised of lightweight concrete and base metal thickness (BMT) steel, are examined experimentally and validated numerically. The Speedpanel PLAC modular panel explored in this work is a lightweight wall system primarily used for acoustic and thermal insulation purposes. Burning experimental studies of a single panel and dual-skin bunkers are carried out on a full scale. The experimental results are compared with fire safety codes for building materials to identify the key areas for improvements. A fire dynamic numerical model has been developed in this work using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) to simulate the burning process of PLAC structures. Numerical results of heat production are presented in comparison with experimental observations for validating the computational model. The proposed numerical model is used to predict the fire performance of a dual-skin bushfire bunker, demonstrating the need to have at least two PLAC layers to ensure fire safety compliance.