SLUDGE BRICK

ABSTRACT

Bricks manufactured from dried sludge collected from an industrial wastewater

treatment plant were investigated. Results of tests indicated that the sludge
proportion and the firing temperature were the two key factors determining the
brick quality. Increasing the sludge content results in a decrease of brick shrinkage,
water absorption, and compressive strength. Results also showed that the brick
weight loss on ignition was mainly attributed to the organic matter content in the
sludge being burnt off during the firing process. With up to 20% sludge added to
the bricks, the strength measured at temperatures 960 and 1000 C met the
requirements of the Chinese National Standards. Toxic characteristic leaching
procedure (TCLP) tests of brick also showed that the metal leaching level is low.
The conditions for manufacturing good quality bricks is 10% sludge with 24% of
moisture content prepared in the molded mixtures and fired at 880960 C.

CFST COLUMNS
ABSTRACT
Concrete filled steel tubular (CFST) members utilize the advantages of both steel and
concrete. They comprise of a steel hollow section of circular or rectangular shape filled with
plain or reinforced concrete. They are widely used in high-rise and multistory buildings as
columns and beam-columns, and as beams in low-rise industrial buildings where a robust and
efficient structural system is required.
There are a number of distinct advantages related to such structural systems in both
terms of structural performance and construction sequence. The inherent buckling problem
related to thin-walled steel tubes is either prevented or delayed due to the presence of the
concrete core. Furthermore, the performance of the concrete in-fill is improved due to
confinement effect exerted by the steel shell. The distribution of materials in the cross
section also makes the system very efficient in term of its structural performance. The steel
lies at the outer perimeter where it performs most effectively in tension and bending. It
also provides the greatest stiffness as the material lies furthest from the centroid. This,
combined with the steel's much greater modulus of elasticity, provides the greatest
contribution to the moment of inertia. The concrete core gives the greater contribution to
resisting axial compression.

The use of concrete filled steel tubes in building construction has seen resurgence in
recent years due mainly to its simple construction sequence, apart from its superior structural
performance. Typically, it was used in composite frame structures. The hollow steel tubes that
are either fabricated or rolled were erected first to support the construction load of the upper
floors. The floor structures consist of steel beams supporting steel sheeting decks on which a
reinforced concrete slab is poured.

SELF CONSOLIDATING CONCRETE

ABSTRACT
Self-consolidating concrete(SCC) have gained a world-wide attention and been
used widely in all the application of concrete structures, such as buildings, tunnels,
piers,girders, etc. However, the engineering properties for both fresh and hardened
concrete have to be understood before it can be applied extensively.The selfcompacting ability, form pressure, moisture and temperature change within
concrete, bond strength, SCC column and beam behavior, shrinkage and creep,
were examined both in lab and in real structures. It was found that the superiorselfconsolidating property gives the concrete a denser structure, which in turn yields a
better ductility. This property is especially important for structures in seismic
sensitive regions such as Taiwan. The values of creep of SCC are higher than those
of ordinary concrete (OC) but vice versa for RC structures made of SCC and
OC.The bond stress distribution of SCC is more uniform than the distribution of
OC.The form pressure of SCC is less than that of OC. The member stiffness
andductility of SCC beams is higher than the corresponding OC beams.