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- All Subjects: engineering
- Creators: Neithalath, Narayanan
Description
Alkali-activated aluminosilicates, commonly known as "geopolymers", are being increasingly studied as a potential replacement for Portland cement. These binders use an alkaline activator, typically alkali silicates, alkali hydroxides or a combination of both along with a silica-and-alumina rich material, such as fly ash or slag, to form a final product with properties comparable to or better than those of ordinary Portland cement. The kinetics of alkali activation is highly dependent on the chemical composition of the binder material and the activator concentration. The influence of binder composition (slag, fly ash or both), different levels of alkalinity, expressed using the ratios of Na2O-to-binders (n) and activator SiO2-to-Na2O ratios (Ms), on the early age behavior in sodium silicate solution (waterglass) activated fly ash-slag blended systems is discussed in this thesis. Optimal binder composition and the n values are selected based on the setting times. Higher activator alkalinity (n value) is required when the amount of slag in the fly ash-slag blended mixtures is reduced. Isothermal calorimetry is performed to evaluate the early age hydration process and to understand the reaction kinetics of the alkali activated systems. The differences in the calorimetric signatures between waterglass activated slag and fly ash-slag blends facilitate an understanding of the impact of the binder composition on the reaction rates. Kinetic modeling is used to quantify the differences in reaction kinetics using the Exponential as well as the Knudsen method. The influence of temperature on the reaction kinetics of activated slag and fly ash-slag blends based on the hydration parameters are discussed. Very high compressive strengths can be obtained both at early ages as well as later ages (more than 70 MPa) with waterglass activated slag mortars. Compressive strength decreases with the increase in the fly ash content. A qualitative evidence of leaching is presented through the electrical conductivity changes in the saturating solution. The impact of leaching and the strength loss is found to be generally higher for the mixtures made using a higher activator Ms and a higher n value. Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) is used to obtain information about the reaction products.
ContributorsChithiraputhiran, Sundara Raman (Author) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Thesis advisor) / Rajan, Subramaniyam D (Committee member) / Mobasher, Barzin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
The alkali activation of aluminosilicate materials as binder systems derived from industrial byproducts have been extensively studied due to the advantages they offer in terms enhanced material properties, while increasing sustainability by the reuse of industrial waste and byproducts and reducing the adverse impacts of OPC production. Fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag are commonly used for their content of soluble silica and aluminate species that can undergo dissolution, polymerization with the alkali, condensation on particle surfaces and solidification. The following topics are the focus of this thesis: (i) the use of microwave assisted thermal processing, in addition to heat-curing as a means of alkali activation and (ii) the relative effects of alkali cations (K or Na) in the activator (powder activators) on the mechanical properties and chemical structure of these systems. Unsuitable curing conditions instigate carbonation, which in turn lowers the pH of the system causing significant reductions in the rate of fly ash activation and mechanical strength development. This study explores the effects of sealing the samples during the curing process, which effectively traps the free water in the system, and allows for increased aluminosilicate activation. The use of microwave-curing in lieu of thermal-curing is also studied in order to reduce energy consumption and for its ability to provide fast volumetric heating. Potassium-based powder activators dry blended into the slag binder system is shown to be effective in obtaining very high compressive strengths under moist curing conditions (greater than 70 MPa), whereas sodium-based powder activation is much weaker (around 25 MPa). Compressive strength decreases when fly ash is introduced into the system. Isothermal calorimetry is used to evaluate the early hydration process, and to understand the reaction kinetics of the alkali powder activated systems. A qualitative evidence of the alkali-hydroxide concentration of the paste pore solution through the use of electrical conductivity measurements is also presented, with the results indicating the ion concentration of alkali is more prevalent in the pore solution of potassium-based systems. The use of advanced spectroscopic and thermal analysis techniques to distinguish the influence of studied parameters is also discussed.
ContributorsChowdhury, Ussala (Author) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Thesis advisor) / Rajan, Subramanium D. (Committee member) / Mobasher, Barzin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The relationship between video games and education is something that has been studied extensively in academia. Based upon these studies a new concept was created, gamification. Gamification is the next step in video game research to analyze why video games enhance learning. The interest and research into this concept have developed so much so that it has become its own topic area for research. This study is looking to analyze the effect that gamification has on not only learning, but also self-efficacy. Through a choose your own adventure game, the knowledge and self-efficacy of participants will be examined to observe the differences when learning difficult engineering concepts with and without gamification. It is expected that participants that experienced training through gamification will demonstrate deeper learning and higher self-efficacy than trained through a video. Furthermore, it is anticipated that some video trained participants’ self-efficacy will increase; however, their comprehension will be less than participants trained through gamification. The results of this study can help promote the interest in researching gamification and education, while influencing educators to corporate gamification elements when designing their courses. Moreover, this study continued through adaptation and integration into a statics forces class, investigated if the same results can be found within a classroom setting.
ContributorsKanechika, Amber (Author) / Craig, Scotty (Thesis director) / Roscoe, Rod (Committee member) / Engineering Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Although knowledge about effective teaching and learning exists, and theories of change strategies are considered, the lack of the understanding of the behavior of engineering faculty during curricular change remains a major contributor against robust efforts for change. In this work, faculty adaptability is conceptualized as self-regulation during curricular change. Faculty participants were recruited from two divergent curricular change contexts: one that is prescribed with interdependence while the other is emergent with uncertainty. In this study, attitude toward context’s strength is conceptualized along the four dimensions of clarity, consistency, constraints, and consequences of the context, while faculty’s self-efficacy and willingness for adaptability are conceptualized along the three dimensions of planning, reflecting, and adjusting. This study uses a mixed method, quantitative-qualitative, sequential explanatory research design. The quantitative phase addresses the question of “How does faculty group in the first context differ from faculty group in the second context in terms of self-efficacy and willingness for planning, adjusting, and reflecting?” The qualitative phase addresses the question of “How do faculty respond to curricular change, as exhibited in their activities of planning, adjusting, and reflecting during change?” Findings point to differences in patterns of correlations between attitude toward context with both self-efficacy and willingness across the two contexts, even though analysis showed no significant differences between attitude toward context, self-efficacy, and willingness across the two contexts. Moreover, faculty participants’ willingness for adjusting, in both contexts, was not correlated with neither attitude toward context’s clarity nor constraints. Furthermore, in the prescribed context, Group A faculty (self-identified as Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, or Adjunct Faculty) showed higher willingness for planning, adjusting, and reflecting activities, compared to Group B faculty (self-identified as Assistant, Associate or Full Professors). Also, in the prescribed context, Group A faculty showed no overall significant correlation with attitude toward context. This study has implications on the way change is conceived of, designed, and implemented, when special attention is given to faculty as key change agents. Without the comprehensive understanding of the adaptability of faculty as key change agents in the educational system, the effective enacting of curricular change initiatives will remain unfulfilled.
ContributorsAli, Hadi (Author) / McKenna, Ann (Thesis advisor) / Bekki, Jennifer (Committee member) / Roscoe, Rod (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This study investigates the energy saving potential of high albedo roof coatings which are designed to reflect a large proportion of solar radiation compared to traditional roofing materials. Using EnergyPlus simulations, the efficacy of silicone, acrylic, and aluminum roof coatings is assessed across two prototype commercial buildings—a standalone retail (2,294 m2 or 24,692 ft2) and a strip-mall (2,090 m2 or 22,500 ft2)—located in four cities: Phoenix, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami. The performance of reflective coatings was compared with respect to a black roof having a solar reflectance of 5% and a thermal emittance of 90%. A sensitivity analysis was done to assess the impact of solar reflectance and thermal emittance on the ability of roof coatings to reduce surface temperatures, a key factor behind energy savings. This factor plays a crucial role in all three heat transfer mechanisms: conduction, convection, and radiation. The rooftop surface temperature exhibits considerable variation depending on the solar reflectance and thermal emittance attributes of the roof. A contour plot between these properties reveals that high values of both result in reduced cooling needs and a heating penalty which is insignificant when compared with cooling savings for cooling-dominant climates like Phoenix where the cooling demand significantly outweighs the heating demand, yielding significant energy savings. Furthermore, the study also investigates the effects of reflective coatings on buildings that have photovoltaic solar panels installed on them. This includes exploring their impact on building HVAC loads, as well as the performance improvement due to the reduced temperatures beneath them.
ContributorsSharma, Ajay Kumar (Author) / Phelan, Patrick (Thesis advisor) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Committee member) / Milcarek, Ryan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Encouraging women’s pursuit and retention in higher education has been an important movement in the United States over the last several decades. While there has been considerable progress, women are still underrepresented in fields related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The most significant gender gap being engineering, where women make up only 21% of all engineering majors. Lack of self-efficacy is one variable that has been implicated as a barrier for women in engineering, due to implicit and explicit biases and discrimination women experience relating to engineering in higher education. Self-compassion has been shown to be strongly correlated with self-efficacy, with explanations theorized at the level of each positive subcomponent: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. The current study investigates the effects of a self-compassion mindstate induction (SCMI) intervention on engineering self-efficacy compared to a control group. This study also explores gender and race discrimination from faculty and peers in the participants' environment to observe if this plays a role in the effect of the intervention. Women (N = 73) majoring in engineering were recruited from a large southwestern university to participate. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted, revealing a significant three-way interaction for condition type (SCMI or control), discrimination scores, and engineering self-efficacy from Time 1 to Time 2 (F(1, 69) = 6.51, p = .01). The results of this study suggest that participants in the SCMI condition experienced a significant increase in engineering self-efficacy from Time 1 to Time 2 when controlling for discrimination in the women's environment. Self-compassion based interventions that have the potential to increase engineering self-efficacy may be particularly helpful to women who experience more gender and race discrimination in their environment. Future work should be done to examine discrimination more directly in the context of self-compassion and engineering self-efficacy. These results show promise for using brief, accessible, cost-free, positive psychology interventions to support women pursuing engineering in higher education. This research contributes to the literature aiming to address gender disparities in engineering higher education, laying the groundwork for future interventions that support underrepresented populations in STEM.
ContributorsKampf, Taylor (Author) / Lum, Heather (Thesis advisor) / Roscoe, Rod (Committee member) / Lauer, Claire (Committee member) / Chiou, Erin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Phase change materials (PCMs) are combined sensible-and-latent thermal energy storage materials that can be used to store and dissipate energy in the form of heat. PCMs incorporated into wall-element systems have been well-studied with respect to energy efficiency of building envelopes. New applications of PCMs in infrastructural concrete, e.g., for mitigating early-age cracking and freeze-and-thaw induced damage, have also been proposed. Hence, the focus of this dissertation is to develop a detailed understanding of the physic-chemical and thermo-mechanical characteristics of cementitious systems and novel coating systems for wall-elements containing PCM. The initial phase of this work assesses the influence of interface properties and inter-inclusion interactions between microencapsulated PCM, macroencapsulated PCM, and the cementitious matrix. The fact that these inclusions within the composites are by themselves heterogeneous, and contain multiple components necessitate careful application of models to predict the thermal properties. The next phase observes the influence of PCM inclusions on the fracture and fatigue behavior of PCM-cementitious composites. The compliant nature of the inclusion creates less variability in the fatigue life for these composites subjected to cyclic loading. The incorporation of small amounts of PCM is found to slightly improve the fracture properties compared to PCM free cementitious composites. Inelastic deformations at the crack-tip in the direction of crack opening are influenced by the microscale PCM inclusions. After initial laboratory characterization of the microstructure and evaluation of the thermo-mechanical performance of these systems, field scale applicability and performance were evaluated. Wireless temperature and strain sensors for smart monitoring were embedded within a conventional portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP) and a thermal control smart concrete pavement (TCSCP) containing PCM. The TCSCP exhibited enhanced thermal performance over multiple heating and cooling cycles. PCCP showed significant shrinkage behavior as a result of compressive strains in the reinforcement that were twice that of the TCSCP. For building applications, novel PCM-composites coatings were developed to improve and extend the thermal efficiency. These coatings demonstrated a delay in temperature by up to four hours and were found to be more cost-effective than traditional building insulating materials.
The results of this work prove the feasibility of PCMs as a temperature-regulating technology. Not only do PCMs reduce and control the temperature within cementitious systems without affecting the rate of early property development but they can also be used as an auto-adaptive technology capable of improving the thermal performance of building envelopes.
The results of this work prove the feasibility of PCMs as a temperature-regulating technology. Not only do PCMs reduce and control the temperature within cementitious systems without affecting the rate of early property development but they can also be used as an auto-adaptive technology capable of improving the thermal performance of building envelopes.
ContributorsAguayo, Matthew Joseph (Author) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Thesis advisor) / Rajan, Subramaniam D. (Committee member) / Mobasher, Barzin (Committee member) / Underwood, Benjamin (Committee member) / Liu, Yongming (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Across a wide variety of sports, our visual abilities have been proven to profoundly impact performance. Numerous studies have examined the effects of visual training in athletes and have found supporting evidence that performance can be enhanced through vision training. The present case study aimed to expand on research in the field of stroboscopic visual training. To do so, twelve softball players, half novice and half expert, took part in this study. Six underwent a four-week stroboscopic training program and six underwent a four-week non-stroboscopic training program. The quantitative data collected in this case study showed that training group (stroboscopic vs. non-stroboscopic) and skill level (novice vs expert) of each softball player were significant factors that contributed to how much their fielding performance increased. Qualitative data collected in this study support these findings as well as players’ subjective reports that their visual and perceptual skills had increased. Players trained in the stroboscopic group reported that they felt like they could “focus” on the ball better and “predict” where the ball would be. Future research should examine more participants across a longer training period and determine if more data would yield even greater significance for stroboscopic training.
ContributorsEdgerton, Lindsey Ann (Author) / Gray, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Branaghan, Russ (Committee member) / Roscoe, Rod (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Nanolaminate materials are layered composites with layer thickness ≤ 100 nm. They exhibit unique properties due to their small length scale, the presence of a high number of interfaces and the effect of imposed constraint. This thesis focuses on the mechanical behavior of Al/SiC nanolaminates. The high strength of ceramics combined with the ductility of Al makes this combination desirable. Al/SiC nanolaminates were synthesized through magnetron sputtering and have an overall thickness of ~ 20 μm which limits the characterization techniques to microscale testing methods. A large amount of work has already been done towards evaluating their mechanical properties under indentation loading and micropillar compression. The effects of temperature, orientation and layer thickness have been well established. Al/SiC nanolaminates exhibited a flaw dependent deformation, anisotropy with respect to loading direction and strengthening due to imposed constraint. However, the mechanical behavior of nanolaminates under tension and fatigue loading has not yet been studied which is critical for obtaining a complete understanding of their deformation behavior. This thesis fills this gap and presents experiments which were conducted to gain an insight into the behavior of nanolaminates under tensile and cyclic loading. The effect of layer thickness, tension-compression asymmetry and effect of a wavy microstructure on mechanical response have been presented. Further, results on in situ micropillar compression using lab-based X-ray microscope through novel experimental design are also presented. This was the first time when a resolution of 50 nms was achieved during in situ micropillar compression in a lab-based setup. Pores present in the microstructure were characterized in 3D and sites of damage initiation were correlated with the channel of pores present in the microstructure.
The understanding of these deformation mechanisms paved way for the development of co-sputtered Al/SiC composites. For these composites, Al and SiC were sputtered together in a layer. The effect of change in the atomic fraction of SiC on the microstructure and mechanical properties were evaluated. Extensive microstructural characterization was performed at the nanoscale level and Al nanocrystalline aggregates were observed dispersed in an amorphous matrix. The modulus and hardness of co- sputtered composites were much higher than their traditional counterparts owing to denser atomic packing and the absence of synthesis induced defects such as pores and columnar boundaries.
The understanding of these deformation mechanisms paved way for the development of co-sputtered Al/SiC composites. For these composites, Al and SiC were sputtered together in a layer. The effect of change in the atomic fraction of SiC on the microstructure and mechanical properties were evaluated. Extensive microstructural characterization was performed at the nanoscale level and Al nanocrystalline aggregates were observed dispersed in an amorphous matrix. The modulus and hardness of co- sputtered composites were much higher than their traditional counterparts owing to denser atomic packing and the absence of synthesis induced defects such as pores and columnar boundaries.
ContributorsSingh, Somya (Author) / Chawla, Nikhilesh (Thesis advisor) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Committee member) / Jiao, Yang (Committee member) / Mara, Nathan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The need for sustainability in construction has encouraged scientists to develop novel environmentally friendly materials. The use of supplementary cementitious materials was one such initiative which aided in enhancing the fresh and hardened concrete properties. This thesis aims to explore the understanding of the early age rheological properties of such cementitious systems.
The first phase of the work investigates the influence of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) in combination with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) on the rheological properties of fresh paste with and without the effect of superplasticizers. Yield stress, plastic viscosity and storage modulus are the rheological parameters which were evaluated for all the design mixtures to fundamentally understand the synergistic effects of the SCM. A time-dependent study was conducted on these blends to explore the structure formation at various time intervals which explains the effect of hydration in conjecture to its physical stiffening. The second phase focuses on the rheological characterization of novel iron powder based binder system.
The results of this work indicate that the rheological characteristics of cementitious suspensions are complex, and strongly dependent on several key parameters including: the solid loading, inter-particle forces, shape of the particle, particle size distribution of the particles, and rheological nature of the media in which the particles are suspended. Chemical composition and reactivity of the material play an important role in the time-dependent rheological study.
A stress plateau method is utilized for the determination of rheological properties of concentrated suspensions, as it better predicts the apparent yield stress and is shown to correlate well with other viscoelastic properties of the suspensions. Plastic viscosity is obtained by calculating the slope of the stress-strain rate curve of ramp down values of shear rates. In oscillatory stress measurements the plateau obtained within the linear visco-elastic region was considered to be the value for storage modulus.
Between the different types of fly ash, class F fly ash indicated a reduction in the rheological parameters as opposed to class C fly ash that is attributable to the enhanced ettringite formation in the latter. Use of superplasticizer led to a huge influence on yield stress and storage modulus of the paste due to the steric hindrance effect.
In the study of iron based binder systems, metakaolin had comparatively higher influence than fly ash on the rheology due to its tendency to agglomerate as opposed to the ball bearing effect observed in the latter. Iron increment above 60% resulted in a decrease in all the parameters of rheology discussed in this thesis. In the OPC-iron binder, the iron behaved as reinforcements yielding higher yield stress and plastic viscosity.
The first phase of the work investigates the influence of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) in combination with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) on the rheological properties of fresh paste with and without the effect of superplasticizers. Yield stress, plastic viscosity and storage modulus are the rheological parameters which were evaluated for all the design mixtures to fundamentally understand the synergistic effects of the SCM. A time-dependent study was conducted on these blends to explore the structure formation at various time intervals which explains the effect of hydration in conjecture to its physical stiffening. The second phase focuses on the rheological characterization of novel iron powder based binder system.
The results of this work indicate that the rheological characteristics of cementitious suspensions are complex, and strongly dependent on several key parameters including: the solid loading, inter-particle forces, shape of the particle, particle size distribution of the particles, and rheological nature of the media in which the particles are suspended. Chemical composition and reactivity of the material play an important role in the time-dependent rheological study.
A stress plateau method is utilized for the determination of rheological properties of concentrated suspensions, as it better predicts the apparent yield stress and is shown to correlate well with other viscoelastic properties of the suspensions. Plastic viscosity is obtained by calculating the slope of the stress-strain rate curve of ramp down values of shear rates. In oscillatory stress measurements the plateau obtained within the linear visco-elastic region was considered to be the value for storage modulus.
Between the different types of fly ash, class F fly ash indicated a reduction in the rheological parameters as opposed to class C fly ash that is attributable to the enhanced ettringite formation in the latter. Use of superplasticizer led to a huge influence on yield stress and storage modulus of the paste due to the steric hindrance effect.
In the study of iron based binder systems, metakaolin had comparatively higher influence than fly ash on the rheology due to its tendency to agglomerate as opposed to the ball bearing effect observed in the latter. Iron increment above 60% resulted in a decrease in all the parameters of rheology discussed in this thesis. In the OPC-iron binder, the iron behaved as reinforcements yielding higher yield stress and plastic viscosity.
ContributorsInbasekaran, Aditya (Author) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Thesis advisor) / Rajan, Subramaniam D. (Committee member) / Mobasher, Barzin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016