Development and Applications of Cement Composites Made of Various Forms of Basalt Fibre – Year two

The structural health and performance of existing infrastructure in Canada has a large impact on the Canadian economy and hence, it is imperative that this infrastructure is kept in good operational conditions. A significant portion of this infrastructure was built during the post world war period, which suggests much of this infrastructure has surpassed their service life. Additionally, Canada’s extreme cold weather conditions give rise to adverse loading conditions such as freeze and thaw cycles, which further leads to damage and making this infrastructure more susceptible to failure. This proposed Mitacs fellowship project will develop various cement composite materials to facilitate a quick and straightforward rehabilitation process of existing damaged concrete structures. Various types of basalt fibre products such as basalt bundle dispersion fibres, basalt filament dispersion fibres, and basalt minibars will be used in various cement mixes to improve better bonding, mechanical, and durability properties. This work will be accomplished using experimental methods, which will be undertaken in the Structural Engineering Laboratory at the University of Windsor. The conclusions made from the laboratory tests will form the basis of rehabilitation techniques, which will then be applied in the field to rehabilitate concrete pavements, industrial floors, buildings, and bridges.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sreekanta Das

Student:

Jamshid Zohrehheydariha

Partner:

MEDA Engineering & Technical Services

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Windsor