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A study of the mechanical behavior of self-compacting concrete mixtures under sand replacement (as fine aggregate) by iron slag (residue from industrial machining) from 0.0% to 50.0% of mass, variations of water/cementitious material ratio between 0.3 and 0.5 and nano SiO2 incorporation between 0.0% and 2.0% by mass of cementitious materials is presented. Fresh state tests of slump flow were performed, and the main rheological parameters: static yield stress and plastic viscosity were determined from a rheometer. For the hardened state, compressive strength tests were performed. The study of iron slag incorporation and water/cementitious materials ratio variation was developed based on a statistical methodology of central composite design from axial points based on a 2k factorial with central points, besides a posterior analysis of variance and Tukey’s multiple comparison tests. The optimization of these variables was developed using response surface methodology on 7 days compressive strength results, from the statistical design, besides the posterior determination of nano SiO2 effects on the optimized proportions. Among the most relevant results regarding the presence of iron slag, an increase in the early age compressive strength was found, with the optimized mixture strength being more than 100% higher than mixtures without iron slag at 7 days of curing. Regarding the effect of nano SiO2 addition to the optimized mixture, a detriment of the rheological parameters and a consequent reduction of the workability were the most remarkable findings. With the obtained results, iron slag proves to be a feasible sand replacement in self-compacting concrete mixtures.

Experimental investigations were carried out for assessing the influence of thermal loadings on the physical and mechanical properties of plain concrete after fire exposure. Cylindrical specimens were subjected to thermal loading at different temperatures inside a muffle furnace; while cubic specimens were exposed to direct flame following the ISO 834 standard curve. For both specimens' geometries the thermal loading was applied until it reached the selected temperature which was held for an hour. The specimens were tested for weight loss, optical microscopy, ultrasonic pulse velocity, residual compressive strength, X-ray diffraction and porosity. It has been observed that with the increase in the thermal loading, the physical and mechanical properties experienced significant detriment. The results suggested that the ultrasonic pulse velocity method is appropriate as an indicator of concrete compressive strength and microstructural properties after fire exposure. ---------- 119Physical and mechanical characterization of concrete exposed to elevated temperatures... ResumenEn el presente trabajo se reportan los resultados de experimentos llevados a cabo bajo cargas de fuego para evaluar las propiedades físicas y mecánicas en concreto sin reforzar. Especímenes cilíndricos fueron expuestos a diferentes temperaturas dentro de una mufla; mientras que especímenes cúbicos fueron expuestos a llama directa usando la curva estándar ISO 834. Las cargas térmicas se aplicaron hasta alcanzar una determinada temperatura la cual fue mantenida durante una hora. Los ensayos consistieron en pérdida de masa, microscopia óptica, velocidad de pulso ultrasónico, resistencia de compresión residual, difracción de rayos X y porosidad. Se observó que con el incremento de la temperatura las propiedades físicas y mecánicas experimentaron grandes daños. Los resultados mostraron que el método de la velocidad de pulso ultrasónico es apropiado para la evaluación de la resistencia a la compresión y las propiedades micro-estructurales del concreto después de ser expuesto a fuego.----------Palabras clave: temperatura elevada, concreto, resistencia, velocidad de pulso ultrasónico

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