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GO1 - Draw together the very best academic research teams from the EU and Asian countries with diverse multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary skills and expertise in the fields of chemistry, materials science, structures, civil engineering, and the built environment.
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GO2 - Build joint collaborative projects for developing durable, sustainable and cost-effective geopolymer concrete materials and structures by using novel geopolymers and innovative manufacture processing systems.
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GO3 - Create a platform for research training and the transfer of knowledge activities, both within the network domain and towards the public domain, crossing inter-sector boundaries to ensure that there are a sufficient number of people trained in this essential field to meet the challenges ahead, and to ensure the EU’s leading position in the world.
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GO4 - Disseminate knowledge to the larger international community to maximize the impact of this network and ensure the academic and industrial relevance of its research activities.
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GO5 - Provide researchers, young researchers in particular, intensive training-through-research programmes as well as the training in complementary skills in order to become trainers of the future in a multi-disciplinary field of academic, industrial and societal importance; and as such improving the young researcher’s career perspectives.
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GO6 - Establish collaborative mechanisms for long-term partnerships between EU and Asian researchers and institutes, on the research into construction materials to address the issues of climate change and other challenges of the 21st century.
General Objectives (GOs)
PROJECT SUMMARY
Scientific Objectives (SOs)
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SO1 – To identify suitable geopolymer binders from source materials and/or industrial by-products, which can be used to mix with the recycled concrete as part of aggregates to produce “green concrete” for various specific applications in buildings, roadworks, tunnelling, sea flood defences, and bridges.
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SO2 – To investigate the binding mechanisms of geopolymer concretes by examining the alkaline solution-driven chemical interactions occurring in the geopolymer concrete and corresponding pore microstructure evolution during the curing stage to develop accurate manufacturing processes for different types of geopolymer concretes.
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SO3 – To investigate the long-term durability of geopolymer concretes using recycled concrete as part of aggregates by using laboratory and site testing methods, and to develop theoretical predictive models which can be used to examine the material damage caused by the attack of chlorides and sulphates.
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SO4 – To investigate the fire behaviour of geopolymer concretes with recycled concrete as part of aggregates using both experimental tests and numerical simulations to examine the mechanical properties of geopolymer concretes at elevated temperatures and to develop predictive models for fire resistance calculations.
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SO5 – To investigate the dynamic behaviour of geopolymer concretes with recycled concrete as part of aggregates, by using both laboratory and site testing methods and developing damage models to predict the structural damage caused by dynamic loads such as earthquakes and wave loadings/impacts.
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SO6 – To investigate the recyclability and the life-cycle sustainability impact of geopolymer concretes on the environment.
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SO7 – To provide performance-based design guidelines, recommendations and specifications for the mix processes of geopolymer concretes with various specific applications.
Concrete, owing to its availability, easy preparation and fabrication, is the most popular construction material. However, the cement industry is facing unprecedented challenges caused by energy resources and CO2 emissions. Despite the incremental improvements in process efficiency adopted by the cement industry in recent years, OPC production is still responsible for around 6% of all man-made global carbon emissions. The proposed project aims to develop green concretes by using novel geopolymer materials as new binder and recycled concrete as part of the aggregates. The geopolymer is a type of amorphous alumina-silicate products. It can be synthesized by poly-condensation reaction of geopolymetric precursor and alkali polysilicates, which are available in natural materials or from industrial by-products. Geopolymer materials represent an innovative technology that is generating considerable interest in the construction industry, particularly in light of the ongoing emphasis on sustainability. However, although numerous geopolymer systems have been proposed, most are difficult to work with and require great care in their mixing process. Furthermore, the lack of long-term performance and durability data is also a barrier to the acceptance and widespread commercial use of geopolymer concretes in the construction industry.
The proposed research will cover not only the finding of novel geopolymers but also provide long-term performance and durability data for geopolymer concretes used in different environments. The research outcome will have a great impact on our understanding of how geopolymer concretes perform in different environments and how their mechanical properties and performance can be improved by using correct mixing processes. The research will also provide vital information on how to revolutionise the production of concrete materials and how to engineer concrete binders using different geopolymers to tailor the properties of the resulting concrete. The project involves 3 MS/AC and 4 TC partners with complementary expertise and experience in chemistry, materials science, fire safety engineering, structural durability, structural dynamics, risk and hazard analysis of materials/structures in extreme environments, which collectively makes a perfect combination to undertake the proposed research.