Novel Alternative Cement Binders for Highway Structures and Pavements Dataset

Abstract

The ubiquity and the necessity of concrete infrastructure prompts innovation in addressing the global challenge of meeting societal needs in the most sustainable and economical ways possible. Increasing the use of non-portland cements or “alternative cementitious materials” (ACMs) is increasingly of interest due to their special properties and to their potential to reduce the environmental footprint of concrete. The special properties of ACMs may vary by material but include rapid setting, rapid strength development, higher ultimate strength, improved dimensional stability and increased durability in aggressive environments. The increased strength and increased durability further contribute to enhanced service life which can help offset initially higher materials costs, and also to enhanced sustainability.

In the past, most ACMs have primarily been used in specialty limited applications and some of them have been shown in lab-scale studies to be feasible for the partial or full replacement of traditional portland cements used in concrete. However, there is limited understanding of the scalability of construction with these material systems, their long-term performance and durability in a range of environments, and their structural response when subjected to transportation-relevant loading conditions. This data presents the results from the comprehensive investigation of the applications of these commercially available ACMs in durable and sustainable transportation infrastructure, which include the early-age and long-term material properties as well as complete multi-scale durability investigations.