Author ORCID Identifier:
Date of Graduation
8-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Civil Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Murray, Cameron
Committee Member
Gary Prinz
Second Committee Member
Robert Thomas
Third Committee Member
Stacy Williams
Keywords
Alternative cement; BCSA; Stress-Strain
Abstract
Belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement concrete has gained popularity due to advantages over portland cement (PC), including, its fast-setting, high early strength gain, high durability, and reduced global warming potential. Though primarily used for pavement repair, it has good potential for structural applications. Building codes like ACI 318:19 permit alternative cement materials like BCSA cement if they can be shown to have adequate and predictable structural, durability, and fire performance comparable to PC concrete. This study evaluates the structural and mechanical behavior of BCSA cement concrete, measuring standard engineering properties and comparing results to PC concrete and code prediction equations. To assess its performance in reinforced concrete beams, flexural compression specimens were tested using a method replicating the compression stress and strain distribution in a reinforced concrete beam member. Results showed BCSA cement concrete met or exceeded PC performance, and existing code equations for flexural design parameters were adequate or conservative. Engineering properties and stress-strain constitutive behavior were measured across a range of mixtures with varied water cement ratios, and aggregate types, from 4 hours to 6 months of age. Most code equations adequately estimated properties like elastic modulus, modulus of rupture, and tensile splitting strength with acceptable accuracy. New, more accurate equations are proposed for estimating BCSA cement concrete elastic modulus from non-destructive testing. Digital image correlation (DIC) was used throughout this study to evaluate the stress-strain behavior of BCSA cement concrete and PC concrete. A comparative investigation of strain measurement techniques found DIC to be an effective tool for characterizing the full stress-strain behavior and the strain data collected was used for suggesting historical stress-strain constitutive model improvements.
Citation
Johnson, G. R. (2025). Engineering Properties and Stress-Strain Behavior of BCSA Concrete: Flexural Design Parameters, Strain Measurement Methods, and Models. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/5877
