Characteristics and Preliminary Study of Ceramic Concretes

Abstract

One of the most adaptable and frequently used building materials in the world is concrete. It is flexible in terms of size and shape, sturdy, long-lasting, low-maintenance, fireproof, and easy to use. However, further research is needed to increase the durability and sustainability of this material since concrete technology is still indeveloping industry. Therefore, it's crucial to comprehend how microstructure and characteristics interact in terms of how they affect concrete's strength, dimensional stability, and durability.The findings of this research arecrucial in identifying the properties and characteristics of the ceramic concrete used for bridge construction or others. Advanced research to ascertain the hardness and physical qualities and features of ceramic concrete material is required. Thus, it will help to produce a reliable data for engineer to refer for their future works or project. To ascertain its hardness and physical characteristics, research has been conducted on ceramic concrete for several types of grades. In the current study, the ceramic concrete was tested through the physical and Vickers-hardness tests. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) on samples were performed to observe the phases and morphology of the ceramic concrete, respectively. For results of physical testing, the density and water absorption correlate to each other by the denser of the sample, the lower of water absorption and the porosity level of the ceramic concrete. Based on the Vickers micro hardness test, it can be seen that longer curing days affected the hardness, where the concretes of grade 30 and 40 at 28 curing days had better hardness value. Next, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) on samples shown almost same microstructure, whilethe dominant phase of all ceramic concrete grades was SiO2 by the XRD analysis. In summary, better properties of ceramic concretes were indicated at 28 curing days for both grades of ceramic concretes.