Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
  • Publication
    Image analysis of surface porosity mortar containing processed spent bleaching earth
    ( 2021)
    Beng Wei Chong
    ;
    Rokiah Othman
    ;
    Ramadhansyah Putra Jaya
    ;
    Doh Shu Ing
    ;
    Xiaofeng Li
    ;
    Mohd Haziman Wan Ibrahim
    ;
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Bartosz Płoszaj
    ;
    Janusz Szmidla
    ;
    Tomasz Stachowiak
    Image analysis techniques are gaining popularity in the studies of civil engineering materials. However, the current established image analysis methods often require advanced machinery and strict image acquisition procedures which may be challenging in actual construction practices. In this study, we develop a simplified image analysis technique that uses images with only a digital camera and does not have a strict image acquisition regime. Mortar with 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% pozzolanic material as cement replacement are prepared for the study. The properties of mortar are evaluated with flow table test, compressive strength test, water absorption test, and surface porosity based on the proposed image analysis technique. The experimental results show that mortar specimens with 20% processed spent bleaching earth (PSBE) achieve the highest 28-day compressive strength and lowest water absorption. The quantified image analysis results show accurate representation of mortar quality with 20% PSBE mortar having the lowest porosity. The regression analysis found strong correlations between all experimental data and the compressive strength. Hence, the developed technique is verified to be feasible as supplementary mortar properties for the study of mortar with pozzolanic material.
  • Publication
    Design of experiment on concrete mechanical properties prediction: A critical review
    ( 2021)
    Beng Wei Chong
    ;
    Rokiah Othman
    ;
    Ramadhansyah Putra Jaya
    ;
    Mohd Rosli Mohd Hasan
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Marcin Nabiałek
    ;
    Bartłomiej Jeż
    ;
    Paweł Pietrusiewicz
    ;
    Dariusz Kwiatkowski
    ;
    Przemysław Postawa
    ;
    Concrete mix design and the determination of concrete performance are not merely engineering studies, but also mathematical and statistical endeavors. The study of concrete mechanical properties involves a myriad of factors, including, but not limited to, the amount of each constituent material and its proportion, the type and dosage of chemical additives, and the inclusion of different waste materials. The number of factors and combinations make it difficult, or outright impossible, to formulate an expression of concrete performance through sheer experimentation. Hence, design of experiment has become a part of studies, involving concrete with material addition or replacement. This paper reviewed common design of experimental methods, implemented by past studies, which looked into the analysis of concrete performance. Several analysis methods were employed to optimize data collection and data analysis, such as analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression, Taguchi method, Response Surface Methodology, and Artificial Neural Network. It can be concluded that the use of statistical analysis is helpful for concrete material research, and all the reviewed designs of experimental methods are helpful in simplifying the work and saving time, while providing accurate prediction of concrete mechanical performance.
  • Publication
    Assessment of the suitability of ceramic waste in geopolymer composites: an appraisal
    ( 2021)
    Ismail Luhar
    ;
    Salmabanu Luhar
    ;
    ;
    Marcin Nabiałek
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Janusz Szmidla
    ;
    Anna Jurczyńska
    ;
    Rafiza Abdul Razak
    ;
    Ikmal Hakem A Aziz
    ;
    ;
    Laila Mardiah Deraman
    Currently, novel inorganic alumino-silicate materials, known as geopolymer composites, have emerged swiftly as an ecobenevolent alternative to contemporary ordinary Portland cement (OPC) building materials since they display superior physical and chemical attributes with a diverse range of possible potential applications. The said innovative geopolymer technology necessitates less energy and low carbon footprints as compared to OPC-based materials because of the incorporation of wastes and/or industrial byproducts as binders replacing OPC. The key constituents of ceramic are silica and alumina and, hence, have the potential to be employed as an aggregate to manufacture ceramic geopolymer concrete. The present manuscript presents a review of the performance of geopolymer composites incorporated with ceramic waste, concerning workability, strength, durability, and elevated resistance evaluation.
  • Publication
    The influence of MMA esterification on interfacial adhesion and mechanical properties of hybrid kenaf bast/glass fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester composites
    ( 2021) ;
    Syed Zhafer Firdaus Syed Putra
    ;
    ;
    Irwana Nainggolan
    ;
    Bartłomiej Jeż
    ;
    Marcin Nabiałek
    ;
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Petrica Vizureanu
    ;
    ;
    Dariusz Kwiatkowski
    ;
    Izabela Wnuk
    The demand for natural fiber hybrid composites for various applications has increased, which is leading to more research being conducted on natural fiber hybrid composites due to their promising mechanical properties. However, the incompatibility of natural fiber with polymer matrix limits the performance of the natural fiber hybrid composite. In this research work, the mechanical properties and fiber-to-matrix interfacial adhesion were investigated. The efficiency of methyl methacrylate (MMA)-esterification treatments on composites’ final product performance was determined. The composite was prepared using the hand lay-up method with varying kenaf bast fiber (KBF) contents of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 (weight%) and hybridized with glass fiber (GF) at 5 and 10 (weight%). Unsaturated polyester (UPE) resin and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) were used as binders and catalysts, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to examine the effects of MMA-esterification treatment on tensile strength and morphology (tensile fracture and characterization of MMA-esterification treatment) of the composite fabricated. The tensile strength of MMA-treated reinforced UPE and hybrid composites are higher than that of untreated composites. As for MMA treatment, 90 min of treatment showed the highest weight percent gain (WPG) and tensile strength of KBF-reinforced UPE composites. It can be concluded that the esterification of MMA on the KBF can lead to better mechanical properties and adhesion between the KFB and the UPE matrix. This research provides a clear reference for developing hybrid natural fibers, thus contributing to the current field of knowledge related to GF composites, specifically in transportation diligences due to their properties of being lightweight, superior, and involving low production cost.
      11  15
  • Publication
    Contribution of interfacial bonding towards geopolymers properties in geopolymers reinforced fibers: a review
    ( 2022)
    Muhd Hafizuddin Yazid
    ;
    ; ;
    Marcin Nabiałek
    ;
    ; ;
    Marwan Kheimi
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Adam Rylski
    ;
    Bartłomiej Jeż
    There is a burgeoning interest in the development of geopolymers as sustainable construction materials and incombustible inorganic polymers. However, geopolymers show quasi-brittle behavior. To overcome this weakness, hundreds of researchers have focused on the development, characterization, and implementation of geopolymer-reinforced fibers for a wide range of applications for light geopolymers concrete. This paper discusses the rapidly developing geopolymer-reinforced fibers, focusing on material and geometrical properties, numerical simulation, and the effect of fibers on the geopolymers. In the section on the effect of fibers on the geopolymers, a comparison between single and hybrid fibers will show the compressive strength and toughness of each type of fiber. It is proposed that interfacial bonding between matrix and fibers is important to obtain better results, and interfacial bonding between matrix and fiber depends on the type of material surface contact area, such as being hydrophobic or hydrophilic, as well as the softness or roughness of the surface.
      22  2
  • Publication
    Contribution of interfacial bonding towards geopolymers properties in geopolymers reinforced fibers: A review
    ( 2022)
    Muhd Hafizuddin Yazid
    ;
    ; ;
    Marcin Nabiałek
    ;
    ; ;
    Marwan Kheimi
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Adam Rylski
    ;
    Bartłomiej Jeż
    There is a burgeoning interest in the development of geopolymers as sustainable construction materials and incombustible inorganic polymers. However, geopolymers show quasi-brittle behavior. To overcome this weakness, hundreds of researchers have focused on the development, characterization, and implementation of geopolymer-reinforced fibers for a wide range of applications for light geopolymers concrete. This paper discusses the rapidly developing geopolymer-reinforced fibers, focusing on material and geometrical properties, numerical simulation, and the effect of fibers on the geopolymers. In the section on the effect of fibers on the geopolymers, a comparison between single and hybrid fibers will show the compressive strength and toughness of each type of fiber. It is proposed that interfacial bonding between matrix and fibers is important to obtain better results, and interfacial bonding between matrix and fiber depends on the type of material surface contact area, such as being hydrophobic or hydrophilic, as well as the softness or roughness of the surface.
      6  18
  • Publication
    Near-Infrared (NIR) Silver Sulfide (Ag2S) semiconductor photocatalyst film for degradation of methylene blue solution
    ( 2023)
    Zahrah Ramadlan Mubarokah
    ;
    ; ; ; ;
    Katarzyna Błoch
    ;
    Marcin Nabiałek
    ;
    Madalina Simona Baltatu
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Petrica Vizureanu
    A silver sulfide (Ag2S) semiconductor photocatalyst film has been successfully synthesized using a solution casting method. To produce the photocatalyst films, two types of Ag2S powder were used: a commercialized and synthesized powder. For the commercialized powder (CF/comAg2S), the Ag2S underwent a rarefaction process to reduce its crystallite size from 52 nm to 10 nm, followed by incorporation into microcrystalline cellulose using a solution casting method under the presence of an alkaline/urea solution. A similar process was applied to the synthesized Ag2S powder (CF/syntAg2S), resulting from the co-precipitation process of silver nitrate (AgNO3) and thiourea. The prepared photocatalyst films and their photocatalytic efficiency were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The results showed that the incorporation of the Ag2S powder into the cellulose films could reduce the peak intensity of the oxygen-containing functional group, which indicated the formation of a composite film. The study of the crystal structure confirmed that all of the as-prepared samples featured a monoclinic acanthite Ag2S structure with space group P21/C. It was found that the degradation rate of the methylene blue dye reached 100% within 2 h under sunlight exposure when using CF/comAg2S and 98.6% for the CF/syntAg2S photocatalyst film, and only 48.1% for the bare Ag2S powder. For the non-exposure sunlight samples, the degradation rate of only 33–35% indicated the importance of the semiconductor near-infrared (NIR) Ag2S photocatalyst used.
      18  1
  • Publication
    The effect of polyethylene glycol addition on wettability and optical properties of GO/TiO2 thin film
    Modification has been made to TiO2 thin film to improve the wettability and the absorption of light. The sol-gel spin coating method was successfully used to synthesize GO/TiO2 thin films using a titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) as a precursor. Different amounts of polyethylene glycol (PEG) (20 to 100 mg) were added into the parent sol solution to improve the optical properties and wettability of the GO/TiO2 thin film. The effect of different amounts of PEG was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) for the phase composition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for microstructure observation, atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the surface topography, ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry (UV-VIS) for the optical properties and wettability of the thin films by measuring the water contact angle. The XRD analysis showed the amorphous phase. The SEM and AFM images revealed that the particles were less agglomerated and surface roughness increases from 1.21 × 102 to 2.63 × 102 nm when the amount of PEG increased. The wettability analysis results show that the water contact angle of the thin film decreased to 27.52° with the increase of PEG to 80 mg which indicated that the thin film has hydrophilic properties. The optical properties also improved significantly, where the light absorbance wavelength became wider and the band gap was reduced from 3.31 to 2.82 eV with the presence of PEG.
      4  23
  • Publication
    Tool wear and surface evaluation in drilling fly ash geopolymer using HSS, HSS-Co, and HSS-TiN cutting tools
    ( 2021) ; ; ;
    Joanna Gondro
    ;
    Paweł Pietrusiewicz
    ;
    Sebastian Garus
    ;
    Tomasz Stachowiak
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    ;
    Mehmet Erdi Korkmaz
    ;
    Mohamed Syazwan Osman
    This paper reports on the potential use of geopolymer in the drilling process, with respect to tool wear and surface roughness. The objectives of this research are to analyze the tool life of three different economy-grade drill bit uncoated; high-speed steel (HSS), HSS coated with TiN (HSS-TiN), and HSS-cobalt (HSS-Co) in the drilling of geopolymer and to investigate the effect of spindle speed towards the tool life and surface roughness. It was found that, based on the range of parameters set in this experiment, the spindle speed is directly proportional to the tool wear and inversely proportional to surface roughness. It was also observed that HSS-Co produced the lowest value of surface roughness compared to HSS-TiN and uncoated HSS and therefore is the most favorable tool to be used for drilling the material. For HSS, HSS coated with TiN, and HSS-Co, only the drilling with the spindle speed of 100 rpm was able to drill 15 holes without surpassing the maximum tool wear of 0.10 mm. HSS-Co exhibits the greatest tool life by showing the lowest value of flank wear and produce a better surface finish to the sample by a low value of surface roughness value (Ra). This finding explains that geopolymer is possible to be drilled, and therefore, ranges of cutting tools and parameters suggested can be a guideline for researchers and manufacturers to drill geopolymer for further applications.
      19  9
  • Publication
    Effect of Rice Straw Ash (RSA) as partially replacement of cement toward fire resistance of self-compacting concrete
    ( 2022)
    Yi Qin Chin
    ;
    ; ; ; ;
    Sebastian Garus
    ;
    Marcin Nabiałek
    ;
    Warid Wazien Ahmad Zailani
    ;
    Khairil Azman Masri
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Agata Śliwa
    Malaysia’s construction industry is experiencing rapid growth, translating into increased demand for cement. However, cement production pollutes the air to the detriment of the climate via CO2 emission, making research into a cementitious replacement in concrete a necessity. This paper details an experimental study of self-compacting concrete (SCC) with partial replacement of cement by rice straw ash (RSA), which is expected to result in environmental preservation due to the green materials being used in cement production. The physicomechanical properties of the SCC with RSA replacement were determined via its compressive strength, water absorption, self-workability, and fire resistance (residual strength after exposure to high temperatures). The proportion of RSA replacement used were 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%, and all passed the slump flow test, except the 20% and 25% samples. The SCC samples with 15% of RSA replacement reported the highest compressive strength at 7 and 28 curing days and the highest residual strength post-exposure to high temperatures. The lowest percentage of water absorption was reported by the 15% of RSA replacement, with a density of 2370 kg/m3
      27  4