Integrated computational assessment of concrete properties, durability, and environmental impacts
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Gao, Meng
Heeren, Niko
Wong, Hong S
Myers, Rupert J
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Due to the vast landscape of low carbon concretes that have been or can be developed, traditional empirical methods are impractical for comprehensive assessment of concrete performance. Here, we describe Panoramix 1.0, a Python-based tool that can predict physical and chemical properties of hydrated cements, and durability and environmental impacts of concretes. Applying it to CEM I concrete as a case study, we investigate the cement composition effects on the freeze–thaw resistance indicator (time to critical saturation degree, tCR). Results indicate that chemical composition of raw materials including Fe2O3 may influence freeze–thaw resistance, which is usually not considered in the current scheme of durability assessment. The results also show how the design space (i.e., feasible cement compositions) could be found for different types of concrete at specified minimum freeze–thaw resistance. We validate Panoramix by comparing its ranking of 28 concrete samples in terms of freeze–thaw performance (tCR) with experimental data for relative dynamic modulus of elasticity (RDME) reported in ten publications and measured using procedures from four different standards. By combining the composition-freeze–thaw resistance modelling with a life cycle assessment model, we show that the climate change impact (100-year global warming potential) per m3 CEM I concrete can be reduced from 313 to 286 kg CO2-eq. by decreasing the clinker-to-cement ratio while reducing tCR from 7 to 5.5 years.
Date Issued
2025-01-15
Date Acceptance
2024-12-26
Citation
Materials and Structures, 2025, 58
ISSN
1359-5997
Publisher
Springer
Journal / Book Title
Materials and Structures
Volume
58
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1617/s11527-024-02562-0
Subjects
Thermodynamic calculations
Durability
Modelling
Freezing and thawing
Life cycle assessment
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
37
Date Publish Online
2025-01-15