Construction Management Cement and Concrete Research Laboratory

Dr. Mahmoud Shakouri, assistant professor and director of the Cement and Concrete Research Laboratory sits down with College of Health and Human Sciences Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Matt Hickey, and Assistant Director of Communications, Avery Martin, to discuss his research seeking sustainable materials and methods within the construction industry, specifically eco-friendly concrete and cement solutions.

Colorado State University and North Dakota State University have received funds from the Center for Transformative Infrastructure Preservation and Sustainability (CTIPS), Region 8 University Transportation Center for a project aimed at creating a new type of geopolymer concrete that melts snow while minimizing environmental harm. This project is led by Dr. Shakouri from CSU and Dr. Mijia Yang from NDSU. Their focus is on making winter roads safer and more sustainable in the Midwest’s severe cold weather regions by avoiding traditional salt-based deicing methods, which harm concrete pavements.

This one-year project addresses the need for better snow and ice management techniques in the harsh winter climates of the Midwest’s northern and mountainous regions, avoiding the drawbacks of traditional chloride-based salts that degrade concrete pavements. By incorporating innovative materials like graphene nanoplatelets and recycled landfilled fly ash, the research aims to create a conductive concrete capable of generating heat to melt snow without the environmental downsides of salt-based deicers.

In a collaborative effort between the Departments of Construction Management and Civil and Environmental Engineering at CSU, the CCR-Lab has received funding from the Data Science Research Institute (DSRI) to develop sensors for the durability assessment and real-time monitoring of concrete infrastructure. This project, led by Dr. Shakouri (PI), Dr. Ziyu Jin (Co-PI), and Dr. Yanlin Guo (Co-PI), aims to leverage sensor technology and artificial intelligence to assess the formation factor of concrete. The formation factor is an important parameter that determines how well concrete infrastructure systems, such as roads and bridges, can resist the ingress of harmful agents like chlorides that cause corrosion in concrete. The current practice of measuring the formation factor is laborious, costly, and requires equipment not readily available to many contractors and testing laboratories. The proposed research seeks to address these challenges by prototyping a novel, wireless sensor that can automatically collect critical data from concrete structures to predict the formation factor and structural health in real time.

We are thrilled to announce a significant milestone in our commitment to advancing research in cement and concrete durability analysis at CCR-Lab. Our laboratory has recently acquired the cutting-edge TA 55 TGA (Thermogravimetric Analyzer), enabling us to conduct precise thermal analysis of cement and concrete samples. The TA 55 TGA provides us with quantitative data on material composition and degradation. As we integrate the TA 55 TGA into our research protocols, we anticipate groundbreaking discoveries that will contribute to the evolution of cement and concrete technologies. Our team is excited about the potential this instrument holds for advancing our understanding of material science and driving innovation in the construction industry.