You are on page 1of 8

Assessment of physical and mechanical properties of sawdust concrete using

ultrasonic pulse velocity


Mônica R. GARCEZ 1, Thiara SANTOS 2, Estela O. GARCEZ 3, Abrahão B. ROHDEN 4
1
Interdisciplinary Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Km 92 – RS 30, 11.700, Tramandaí –
More info about this article: http://www.ndt.net/?id=19162

RS, Brazil, 95590-000, monica.garcez@ufrgs.br


2
Engineering Center, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil, thiarasantos@gmail.com
3
Engineering Center, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil, estelagarcez@gmail.com
4
Department of Civil Engineering, Regional University of Blumenau, Blumenau, Brazil, abrcivil@gmail.com

Abstract
This research aims to investigate the correlations between ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and physical (water
absorption, void ratio and density) and mechanical (tensile and compressive strength, static and dynamic modulus
of elasticity) properties of sawdust concrete in which sand was replaced by 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of Pinus
elliottii Engelm sawdust, in volume. Results show that mechanical properties of sawdust concretes decreased, the
higher the percentage of wood. Higher values of density and mechanical properties of sawdust concretes are
related to lower void ratio and water absorption. The use of UPV showed to be trustworthy to estimate
quantitatively physical and mechanical properties of sawdust concretes.
Keywords: ultrasonic pulse velocity, concrete, sawdust, Pinus elliottii

1. Introduction
The assessment of cementitious materials by using Non-destructive Testing (NDT), especially
ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), is one of the successful techniques for detection of changes in
chemical, physical and mechanical properties of cementitious materials [1], since provides
reliable results based on rapid measurements with relatively inexpensive equipment [2]. The
UPV method offers a unique opportunity for direct, reliable, quick, safe, inexpensive and non-
invasive measurement and has been used for different purposes over the years: setting and
hydration of cement, detection of defects in structures, assessment of damage after high-
temperature exposure, incorporation of different aggregates in concrete, among others [2].
Brazil, one of the five largest producers of industrial round wood, together with USA, Russian
Federation, China and Canada, produced, in 2013, 54% of total global production [3]. As
consequence, huge quantities of wood waste are produced annually by sawmills, whose
improper disposal can lead to environmental damage and economic concerns for wood
companies [4]. The use of wood wastes in form of fibers, particles or strands has demonstrated
that such material has potential to be applied as reinforcing agent or filler in cement-wood
composites [5-11]. Sawdust, in particular, may be used in concrete artefacts for low cost housing
construction, replacing usual fine aggregate in concrete[11,12], leading to a lightweight material
with satisfactory heat insulation and fire resistance, besides costs reduction[13].
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations between UPV and physical
(water absorption, void ratio and density) and mechanical (flexural and compressive strength,
static and dynamic modulus of elasticity) properties of sawdust concretes in which sand was
replaced by 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of Pinus elliottii Engelm sawdust, in volume.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1 Materials
Pinus elliottii sawdust (un = 0,16g/cm3, maximum size of 2,36mm after sieving), was obtained
from a wood processing industry, located in Southern Brazil. Brazilian cement CPIV-32 [13]
similar to blended hydraulic cement type IP – Portland-Pozzolan Cement [14] was used as
binder. Figure 1 shows particle size distribution of sand, sawdust and coarse aggregate.
100

80

60

40

sand
20 sawdust
coarse aggregate
0
0 0.15 0.3 0.6 1.18 2.36 4.75 9.52 12.7 19.1

Figure 1. Particle size distribution of sand, sawdust and coarse aggregate.

2.2 Experimental Program


Based on a standard mix proportion of 1:2:1.2 (cement:sand:coarse aggregate), different mix
proportions, in which sand volume was replaced by 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of Pinus elliottii
Engelm sawdust were defined (Table 1). Manufacture process consisted in mixing cement,

composite in cylindrical 50mmx100mm or 100mmx200mm metallic molds. After seven


aggregates, water and sawdust contents in a planetary mixer, placing samples of each

curing days, samples were demolded and conditioned in a laboratory room, protected from air
currents and direct insulation for 21 days.

Table 1. Mix Proportions.


Percentage of Mix Proportion, in volume
Concrete sand replaced Coarse
Cement Sand Sawdust
by sawdust Aggregate
T1 0 1 2 0 1.2
T2 25 1 1.5 0.5 1.2
T3 50 1 1 1 1.2
T4 75 1 0.5 1.5 1.2
T5 100 1 0 2 1.2

2.3 Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) Measurements


A TICO Proceq testing device with transducers of 54 Hz was used in the UPV measurements.
Values of UPV were then correlated to the physical (water absorption, void ratio and density)
and mechanical (tensile and compressive strength, static and dynamic modulus of elasticity)
properties of the sawdust concrete.

2.4 Physical and Mechanical Properties

2.3.1 Density, Water Absorption and Void Ratio.


Density was determined by measuring mass and volume of each sample, at 12% of relative
humidity. Void ratio and water absorption were determined according to Brazilian Technical
Standard NBR 9778[15]. Tests were performed in cylindrical samples (50mmx100mm), at 28
days. Results are reported as the average of five measurements.

2.3.2 Tensile and Compressive Strength, Static and Dynamic Modulus of Elasticity.
Tensile and compressive strength tests were carried in a universal testing machine, following
procedures recommended by Brazilian Technical Standards NBR 7222[16] and NBR 5739[17].
Dynamic modulus of elasticity, that corresponds to the tangent modulus [18,19], was determined
through the measurement of ultrasonic pulse velocity[20], based on Equation 1[21], where V is
the ultrasonic pulse velocity (mm/µs), ρ is the density (kg/m³) and  is the concrete Poisson
ratio. Static modulus of elasticity (tangent modulus) of concrete T1 was estimated according to
Brazilian Technical Standards NBR 6118[22] and 12655[23], based on Equations 2 and 3, where

strength at 28 days (MPa),  is the standard deviation (=4, according to NBR 12655[23]) and
fck is the characteristic compressive strength of concrete (MPa), fcj is the concrete compressive

E is a coefficient that varies from 0,7 and 1,2, depending on the coarse aggregate. Static

Equation 4, proposed by ACI 318 [24] for lightweight concretes, where  is the concrete density
modulus of elasticity (tangent modulus) of concretes T2 to T5 were estimated based on

(kg/m³) and fcj is the concrete compressive strength at 28 days (MPa). Results are reported as

V 2  1   1  2 
the average of five samples.
Ed 
(1   )
(1)

Eci   E 5600 x fck (2)


fck  fcj  1.645 (3)
Eci  0.0435 1,5 f cj (4)

2.3.3 Statistical Analysis


Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using the Statgraphics commercial software.
Turkey test was used to compare the difference among the mean values for the properties at the
level of 0.05.

3. Results and Discussion

Figures 2 to 4 show results of UPV measurements made in sawdust concrete specimens


correlated to experimental results of physical and mechanical properties (Table 2) and static
and dynamic modulus of elasticity (estimated by Equations 1 to 4).

Table 2. Experimental results of physical and mechanical properties.


Tensile strength Compressive Density Water Void ratio
(MPa) strength (MPa) (g/cm3) absorption (%) (%)
CV CV CV CV CV
Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean
(%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
I 2.28a 10.00 17.84a 14.29 2.10a 1.76 7.48a 6.36 16.02a 5.81
b b b b
II 1.74 9.83 14.00 5.33 1.96 1.13 10.59 1.89 21.04b 0.99
III 1.25c 16.97 9.16c 10.85 1.74c 0.55 16.71c 1.69 29.51c 1.46
I c c d d
1.22 10.69 7.52 8.46 1.58 1.71 23.15 2.36 36.47d 1.26
V
V 0.79d 13.72 4.11d 4.31 1.32e 3.53 32.54e 4.48 44.11e 2.85
Means with the same letters in the same column are not significantly different.
CV = coefficient of variation.

Table 2 shows that mix proportions proposed in this experimental program resulted in a data set
that allowed an examination of apparent trends in the average physical and mechanical
properties of sawdust concretes. Considering that wood fibers are a biological material and
have inherent variability in fiber length and properties, trends in the average properties of
cement-wood composites are difficult to ascertain [6]. On the other hand, ultrasonic
measurements may be affected by several factors such as path length, moisture content,
temperature, shape and size of specimen. However, as a general trend, UPV measurements
showed a good agreement with mechanical and physical properties of the sawdust concretes.
There is an inverse correlation between cement:wood ratio and mechanical properties of
sawdust concretes. Results of Table 2 show that concretes with higher percentages of sawdust
(II to V) showed lower tensile and compressive strength when compared to the one without
sawdust (I), which also occurred with density. On the other hand, the higher the percentage of
sawdust the higher the water absorption and the void ratio of the sawdust concretes.

25 3.00 25,000 40,000


fcj fct

Static Modulus of Elasticity (MPa)


Eci Ed

Dynamic modulus of elasticity (MPa)


35,000
20 2.50
Compressive Strength (MPa)

Tensile Strength (MPa)


20,000
30,000
fcj = 0.0074UPV - 12.176
15 R² = 0.9355 2.00 15,000 25,000

20,000
Eci = 7.8089x - 13251
10 1.50 10,000 R² = 0.9561 15,000
fct = 0.0008UPV - 0.9524
5 R² = 0.8517 1.00 Ed = 14.058UPV - 26334 10,000
5,000
R² = 0.9785
5,000
0 0.50 0 0
1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 5,000 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 5,000
UPV (m/s) (a) UPV (m/s) (b)
Figure 2. UPV measurements versus mechanical properties of sawdust concrete.

One can see in Figure 2(a) that there is a very good agreement between UPV and tensile
(85.17%) and compressive (93.55%) strength of sawdust concretes. Table 2 shows that
relations fct/fcj increased, the higher the percentage of sawdust: 0.13 (I), 0.12 (II), 0.14 (III),
0.16 (IV) and 0.19 (V). It happens due to the tough material behavior of the cement-wood
composites that shows the efficiency of load transfer between matrix and wood fiber [4]. On the
other hand, relations between fct of concretes II to V and I (0.76, 0.55, 0.54 and 0.35,
respectively) decreased, the higher the percentage of sawdust.
Modulus of elasticity is related to stiffness, deformability and cracking control of cement-wood
composites [25]. Results of static and dynamic modulus of elasticity (Figure 2 (b)) agree with
others reported by literature [4,7-10]. Figure 2 (b) shows that there is an excellent agreement
between UPV and static modulus of elasticity (95.61%). The modulus of elasticity of a cement
paste depends basically on its porosity and water:cement ratio. However, in a cement-wood
composite, the proportion between paste and aggregate, the wood specie and wood particle
treatments may also be relevant [4].


25 3.00
fcj
20 2.50
Compressive Strength (MPa)

 = 0.0004UPV + 0.3586
15 2.00
R² = 0.9692
Density (g/cm3)

10 fcj = 0.0074UPV - 12.176 1.50


R² = 0.9355
5 1.00

0 0.50
1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 5,000
UPV (m/s)

Figure 3. UPV measurements versus compressive strength and density of sawdust concrete.

The wood incorporation leads to concretes with lower density and, consequently, lower
compressive strength [12,26]. Cement-wood composites with higher densities also present higher
values of modulus of elasticity [27]. Results of density and compressive strength presented in
Table 2 and Figure 3 agree with others reported by literature [4,6,9,10,26,27]. There is a very good
agreement between UPV versus compressive strength (93.55%) and UPV versus density
(96.92%) data (Figure 3).

35 water absorption 50
void ratio
30
40
25

Absorption (%)
Vr = -0.0168UPV + 80.674

Void Ratio (%)


R² = 0.9756
20 30

15
Wa = -0.0148UPV + 63.284 20
10 R² = 0.9684

5 10
2000 2500 3000 3500 4000
UPV (m/s)

Figure 4. UPV measurements versus physical properties of sawdust concrete.

Water absorption increased the higher the percentage of wood (Table 2). Figure 4 shows that
there is an excellent agreement between UPV, absorption (96.84%) and void ratio (97.56%).
The increase in porosity/permeability can be represented by UPV results since any material
imperfections, cracks or voids will cause an increase in the time of wave propagation through
the length of the cylinder, resulting in lower ultrasonic pulse velocities [1]. The increase in the
water absorption, when the percentage of sawdust is high, happens due to the hygroscopic
behavior of wood and due to the high porosity that allows voids filling by water [11].
Additionally, high values of density are related to low void ratios and water absorption, as well
as low tensile and compressive strength [2], which can be confirmed by the results of Table 2.
Figure 5 shows results of dynamic modulus of elasticity of sawdust concretes correlated to
compressive strength and static modulus of elasticity. Interfacial bond strength between fiber
and cement matrix is greatly influenced by the moisture content. Wet fibers present a lower
bending strength, which makes it more flexible and less likely to inhibit cracking in the cement
matrix [28]. Then, it is expected that the modulus of elasticity of a cement-wood composite
decreases, the higher the percentage of wood (Figure 5). The excellent agreement between
dynamic and static modulus of elasticity (96.99%) indicates that the dynamic modulus of
elasticity may be used as an indicator of stiffness in sawdust concretes.

25 30,000
fcj Eci
Static modulus of elasticity (MPa)
Compressive Strength (MPa)

25,000
20

20,000
15
fcj = 0.0005Ed + 1.7438
R² = 0.9403 15,000
10
10,000
Eci = 0.5534Ed + 1411
5 R² = 0.9699
5,000

0 0
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000
Dynamic Modulus of Elasticity (MPa)

Figure 5. Dynamic modulus of elasticity versus compressive strength and static modulus of elasticity of
sawdust concrete.

Modulus of elasticity of normal strength concrete are higher than the ones of lightweight
concretes [29]. Relations between modulus of sawdust concretes (II to V) and the reference
concrete (I), showed in Figure 5, are 0.75 (I), 0.5(II), 0.4(III) and 0.23(V) for static modulus of
elasticity and 0.71 (I), 0.48(II), 0.32(III) and 0.18(V) for dynamic modulus of elasticity.
In general the relation between Ed and Eci appears to be linear or nearly linear. Ed is known to
be higher than Eci for concrete, due to the composite nature of concrete and the non-linear
behavior of concrete exposed by varying strain levels [30]. The dynamic modulus of elasticity
may be 20, 30 and 40% higher than the static modulus of elasticity for high, medium and small
strength concretes, respectively [31]. However, it may be different in the case of lightweight
concretes, since the influence of the aggregate in the modulus of elasticity sometimes may be
more relevant than strength or even age and it is still more complex in composites with
different types of aggregate [4]. Relations Ed/Eci for sawdust concretes which data are presented
in Figure 5 are 1.68 (I), 1.59 (II), 1.62 (III), 1.34 (IV) and 1.31 (V).
Variations of UPV and, consequently, of dynamic modulus of elasticity may be also useful to
assess homogeneity and porosity of concrete [18], making possible to detect heterogeneous
regions, leading to a total control of the structure [1].
Despite the heterogeneity of sawdust concrete and the fact that ultrasonic measurements may
be affected by several factors such as path length, moisture content and temperature, shape and
size of specimen, results presented in this paper show that the use of UPV is trustworthy to
estimate quantitatively physical and mechanical properties of sawdust concrete.

4. Conclusions
In general, excellent correlations were found between UPV measurements and physical and
mechanical properties of sawdust concretes which means that this non;destructive technique
maz be used to estimate quantitatively physical and mechanical properties of sawdust
concretes.
Density is directly correlated to mechanical properties of sawdust concretes and inversely
correlated to absorption, void ratio and wood:cement ratio. High values of density are related to
low values of void ratio and water absorption and high values of tensile and compressive
strength and static and dynamic modulus of elasticity.

References

1. L. D. Kirchhof, A Lorenzi, L. C. P. Silva Filho, ‘Assessment of Concrete Residual


Strength at High Temperatures using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity’, The e-Journal of
Nondestructive Testing , Vol 20, No 7, 2015.
2. T. H. Panzera, A. L. Christoforo, F. P. Cota, P. H. R. Borges, C. R. Bowen, ‘Ultrasonic
Pulse Velocity Evaluation of Cementitious Materials’, In: Pavla Těšinova (ed.) Advances
in Composite Materials - Analysis of Natural and Man-Made Materials, (InTech), pp
411-436, 2011.
3. C. Jürgensen, W. Kollert, A. Lebedys, ‘Assessment of industrial roundwood production
from planted forests’, Planted Forests and Trees Working Paper Series, FAO FP/48/E.
2014.
4. M. R. Garcez, E. O. Garcez, A. O. Machado, D. A. Gatto, ‘Cement-Wood Composites:
Effects of Wood Species, Particle Treatments and Mix Proportion’, International Journal
of Composite Materials, Vol 6, No 1, 2016.
5. X. Lin, M. R. Silsbee, D. M. Roy, R. Kessler, P. R. Blankenhorn, ‘Approaches to
improve the properties of wood fiber reinforced cementitious composites’, Cement and
Concrete Research, Vol 24, No 8, pp 1558-1566, 1994.
6. J. L.Pehanicha, P. R. Blankenhorna, M. R.Silsbeeb, ‘Wood fiber surface treatment level
effects on selected me-chanical properties of wood fiber–cement composites’ Cement and
Concrete Research, Vol 34, pp 59–65, 2004.
7. A. Ashori, T. Tabarsa, F. Amosi, ‘Evaluation of using waste timber railway sleepers in
wood–cement composite materials’, Construction and Building Materials, Vol 27, pp
126–129, 2012.
8. M.Fan, M. K. Ndikontar, X. Zhou, J. H. Ngamveng, ‘Cement-bonded composites made
from tropical woods: Compatibility of Wood and cement’, Construction and Building
Materials, Vol 36, pp 135–140, 2012.
9. M. S. Bertolini, C. I. Campos, A. M. Souza, T. H. Panzera, A. L. Christoforo, F. A. R.
Lahr, ‘Wood-cement composites from wastes of Pinus sp. wood: Effect of particles
treatment’, International Journal of Composite Materials, Vol 4, No 2, pp 146-149, 2014.
10. R. M. Ronquim, F. S. Ferro, F. H. Icimoto, C. I. Campos, M. S. Bertolini, A L.
Christoforo, F. A. R. Lahr, ‘Physical and Mechanical Properties of Wood-Cement
Composite with Lignocellulosic Grading Waste Variation’, International Journal of
Composite Materials, Vol 4, No 2, pp 69-72, 2014.
11. J. Torkaman, A. Ashori, A. S. Momtazi, ‘Using wood fiber waste, rice husk ash, and
limestone powder waste as cement replacement materials for lightweight concrete
blocks’, Construction and Building Materials, Vol 50, pp 432–436, 2014.
12. M. R. Garcez, T. Santos, D. A. Gatto, ‘Avaliação das propriedades físicas e mecânicas de
concretos pré-moldados com adição de serragem em substituição ao agregado miúdo’,
Ciência & Engenharia, Vol 22, pp 95-104, 2013.
13. ABNT. Brazilian Technical Standards Association. NBR 5736: Pozzolanic Portland
Cement, 1991.
14. ASTM. American Society for Testing and Materials. ASTM C 595: Standard
Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements, 2016.
15. ABNT. Brazilian Technical Standards Association. NBR 9778: Hardened Cement Mortar
and Concrete – Determination of absorption by immersion – Borehole index and bulk
density – Method of test, 2005.
16. ABNT. Brazilian Technical Standards Association. NBR 7222: Concrete and mortar -
Determination of the tensile strength by diametrical compression of cylindrical test
specimens, 2010.
17. ABNT. Brazilian Technical Standards Association. NBR 5739: Concrete – Compression
Test of cylindrical specimens – method of test, 2007.
18. M. C. Cunha, E. B. Monteiro, P. R. L. Helene, 'Análise do módulo de elasticidade
estático e dinâmico para diferentes dosagens de concreto’, CBC2013 Proceedings,
September, 2013.
19. J. Pacheco, P. Bilesky, T. R. M. Morais, F. Grando, P. R. L. Helene, Considerações sobre
o Módulo de Elasticidade do Concreto’, CBC2014 Proceedings, September, 2014.
20. ABNT. Brazilian Technical Standards Association. NBR 8802: Hardened concrete –
Determination of ultrasonic wave transmission velocity, 2010.
21. BRITISH STANDARD ASSOCIATION. BS 1881 Part 203: Recommendations for
measurement of velocity of ultrasonic pulses in concrete, 1986.
22. ABNT. Brazilian Technical Standards Association. NBR 6118: Design of concrete
structures - Procedure, 2014.
23. ABNT. Brazilian Technical Standards Association. NBR 12655: Portland cement
concrete – Preparation, control, receipt and acceptance – Procedure, 2015.
24. ACI. American Concrete Institute. ACI 318: Building Code Requirements Structural
Concrete, 2014.
25. A. L. Christoforo, S. L. M. Ribeiro Filho, T. H. Panzerai, F. A. R. Lahri, ‘Metodologia
para o cálculo dos módulos de elasticidade longitudinal e transversal em vigas de madeira
de dimensões estruturais’, Ciência Rural, Vol 43, No 4, pp 610-615, 2013.
26. F. C. Jorge, C. Pereira, J. M. F. Ferreira, ‘Wood-cement composites: a review’, Holz Roh
Werkst, Vol 62, pp 370–377, 2004.
27. S. Iwakiri, A. B. M. Stinghen, E. L. Silveira, E. H. C. Zamarian, J. G. Prata, M. Bronoski,
‘Influência da massa específica sobre as propriedades mecânicas de painéis
aglomerados’, Floresta, Vol 38, No 3, pp 487-493, 2008.
28. S. Frybort, R. Mauritz, A. Teischinger, U. Muller, ‘Cement bonded composites – A
mechanical review’, BioResourches, Vol 3, No 2, pp 602-626, 2008.
29. N.U. Kockal, T. Ozturan, ‘Strength and elastic properties of structural lightweight
concretes’, Materials and Design, Vol 32, pp 2396–2403, 2011.
30. J. S. Popovics, J. Zemajti, I. Shkolnik, ‘A Study of Static and Dynamic Modulus of
Elasticity of Concrete’ ACI-CRC Final Report, 2008.
31. P. K. Metha, P. Monteiro, ‘Concrete Structure Properties and Materials’, McGraw-Hill
Education, 2013.

You might also like