1. Investigating the synergistic impact of freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts on the properties of cementitious composites incorporating natural fibers and fly ashIldikó Merta, Vesna Zalar Serjun, Alenka Mauko Pranjić, Aljoša Šajna, Mateja Štefančič, Bojan Poletanovic, Farshad Ameri, Ana Mladenović, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: In cold climates, concrete structures confront durability challenges due to harsh conditions. This study evaluates the effects of incorporating natural fibers, such as hemp and flax fibers (at 1 vol%), and partially replacing cement with fly ash (at 25 and 50 wt%) on the properties of cementitious composites subjected to accelerated aging under freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts. Findings reveal that natural fibers enhance the freeze-thaw resistance, reducing deterioration (scaling) to 5-8% after 56 cycles. When mortars were subjected to accelerated freeze-thaw cycles, the compressive strength of plain mortar significantly decreased (up to 57%). However, adding natural fibers to the matrix substantially reduced its compressive strength loss. In the case of flexural strength, plain mortars experienced 33% loss, while hemp, flax, and polypropylene fiber mortars showed only 13%, 23%, and 10% losses, respectively. Furthermore, mortars experience a notable enhancement in their energy absorption capacity when reinforced with natural fibers, particularly with hemp fibers (up to 348% higher than plain mortar). Under harsh conditions, hemp and flax-reinforced mortars, with 25wt% fly ash replacement, lose the compressive strength significantly however still demonstrate an alternative to synthetic fibers in terms of flexural strength. Even with 25wt% of fly ash, mortars with natural fiber reinforcement display significantly superior energy absorption capacities compared to plain mortars (up to 48%). Keywords: cementitious composites, natural fibers, freeze-thaw cycles, mechanical properties, mass loss, fly ash Published in DiRROS: 23.12.2024; Views: 218; Downloads: 63
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2. Environmental life cycle assessment of railway bridge materials using UHPFRCKarmen Fifer Bizjak, Aljoša Šajna, Katja Slanc, Friderik Knez, 2016, original scientific article Abstract: The railway infrastructure is a very important component of the world’s total transportation network. Investment in its construction and maintenance is significant on a global scale. Previously published life cycle assessment (LCA) studies performed on road and rail systems very seldom included infrastructures in detail, mainly choosing to focus on vehicle manufacturing and fuel consumption. This article presents results from an environmental study for railway steel bridge materials for the demonstration case of the Buna Bridge in Croatia. The goal of these analyses was to compare two different types of remediation works for railway bridges with different materials and construction types. In the first part, the environmental impact of the classical concrete bridge construction was calculated, whereas in the second one, an alternative new solution, namely, the strengthening of the old steel bridge with ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) deck, was studied. The results of the LCA show that the new solution with UHPFRC deck gives much better environmental performance. Up to now, results of LCA of railway open lines, railway bridges and tunnels have been published, but detailed analyses of the new solution with UHPFRC deck above the old bridge have not previously been performed. Keywords: railway, materials, ife cycle assessment, bridge, environmental Published in DiRROS: 23.08.2024; Views: 377; Downloads: 303
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3. Pitna voda v Mestni občini Ljubljana : pot od vodnega vira do kozarcaTadeja Kosec, Nina Gartner, Brigita Jamnik, Viviana Golja, Alenka Labovič, Lucija Smojver, Sabina Dolenec, Aljoša Šajna, Monika Novak Babič, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, Tinkara Kopar, 2019, professional monograph Keywords: centralni vodovodni sistem Ljubljana (CVS), pitna voda, materiali v stiku s pitno vodo, vzdrževanje sistemov, preskušanje, kovinski materiali, organski materiali, cementni materiali, mikrobiološki vpliv, certificiranje proizvodov, vodno gospodarstvo, oskrba z vodo Published in DiRROS: 08.03.2024; Views: 680; Downloads: 333
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4. Construction materials for a sustainable future : proceedings of the 2nd International Conference CoMS 2020/212021, proceedings of peer-reviewed scientific conference contributions (international and foreign conferences) Abstract: Zbornik pokriva številne, predvsem tehnične teme, ki so pomembne za trajnostni razvoj gradbenega sektorja, kot ključnega dejavnika pri doseganju ciljev EU za obvladovanje podnebnih sprememb in za prehod v brezogljično družbo. Vsebinsko naslavlja inovacije v gradbenih materialih in tehnologijah, vključno s komponentami za zdravo in udobno bivanje, ter interakcije med materiali in okoljem. Poleg energetske učinkovitosti stavb je v njem zajeto področje širšega razumevanja trajnostnega načrtovanja, gradnje in vzdrževanja stavb ter monitoring, ocenjevanje in modeliranje stavb. Vključuje pa tudi vsebine, ki se nanašajo na krožno gospodarstvo, kot je recikliranje materialov in komponent ter koncepti sanacij stavb, ter na digitalizacijo in avtomatizacijo področja. Keywords: trajnostno gradbeništvo, trajnostna gradnja, gradbeni materiali, tehnologije, energetska učinkovitost, zborniki, elektronske knjige Published in DiRROS: 25.01.2024; Views: 847; Downloads: 325
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5. LCA and LCC assessment of UHPFRC application for railway steel bridge strengtheningIrina Stipanović, Sandra Škarić Palić, Aljoša Šajna, Martín-Sanz Henar, Eleni Chatzi, 2021, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Most of the existing railway steel bridges are nowadays older than 70 years, experiencing serious aging and overload problems. Therefore they either need to be replaced or strengthened to fulfil the increased requirements. The main idea of strengthening existing steel bridges is considering the possibility of adding load bearing deck above the main girders without replacing them. In this particular case study, the original steel structure of the 9m long railway bridge was dismantled and transported to the laboratory for the experimental assessment and development of the new rehabilitation method. Based on the assessment results, a strengthening slab was designed using Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) formula. In the life cycle analysis, using LCC and LCA models, the comparison of the application of UHPFRC cast in-situ deck is compared to the bridge replacement solution, which was actually selected method by the owner. The executed solution used also a temporary bridge in order to enable continuous traffic, which has caused very high construction costs. In order to compare different options, we have additionally analysed a solution without a temporary bridge, which created three life cycle scenarios. Most important steps during the construction, exploitation and end-of-life stage have been taken into account and integrated into the LCA and LCC models. Finally the environmental, economy and societal impacts of three solutions were compared over the period of 60 years. The rehabilitation option with UHPFRC deck has shown by far the lowest direct and environmental cost while the user delay costs only after the period of 50 years are not the most convenient for users. Superior characteristics of UHPFRC enabled the optimization of the load bearing deck and by that a very low total used quantity of material resulting in minimum direct and indirect costs. Keywords: railway steel bridge, UHPFRC, strengthening, LCA, LCC model Published in DiRROS: 25.01.2024; Views: 599; Downloads: 391
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6. Experimental carbonation study for durability assessment of novel cementitious materialsSebastijan Robič, Aljoša Šajna, Lucija Hanžič, Alisa Machner, Marie Helene Bjørndal, Klaartje De Weerdt, Yushan Gu, Benoit Bary, Rosamaria Lample, 2021, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The design process of concrete structures is carried out using standards and guidelines, while the durability predictions of concrete structures is supported only with exposure classes and experience-based requirements. To improve durability predictions of the carbonation resistance of concrete, a numerical model is being developed within the Horizon 2020 project EnDurCrete, coupling the rate of carbonation, and the drying rate. To verify the numerical model, an accelerated carbonation study was carried out. Experiments were conducted on mortars incorporating a novel CEM II/C (S-LL) cement, developed within the EnDurCrete project, and a commercially available reference cementCEM II/A-S. EnDurCrete mortars (EnM) and reference mortars (RefM) were prepared with water-cement ratios of 0.6 and 0.5 (denoted with label extensions -06 and -05). Visual assessments and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to measure the carbonation rates, which were found to be ~1.0 mm day-0.5 in EnM-06 and ~0.6 mm day-0.5 in RefM-06, while in EnM-05 and RefM-05 the values were ~0.7 and ~0.2 mm day-0.5 respectively. Additionally, TGA shows that the initial portlandite (CH) content is ~1.5 wt% in EnM-06 as opposed to ~3.0 wt% in RefM-06. The difference in the initial CH content in the two hydrated binders might explain the difference in their carbonation rate. During the moisture transport experiments a gravimetric method was used to determine mass changes as specimens underwent drying and resaturation with and without CO2 present. The drying led to a decrease in mass, but in the presence of CO2 this mass loss was compensated by the mass gain due to uptake of CO2 during carbonation. The resaturation experiments indicate an increase in the suction porosity in the carbonated samples compared to the non-carbonated samples. Keywords: concrete, absorption of water, carbonation, durability assessment, model verification Published in DiRROS: 25.01.2024; Views: 664; Downloads: 478
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9. Measurement of the chloride resistance of environmentally friendly and durable concreteAlisa Machner, Marie Helene Bjørndal, Aljoša Šajna, Lucija Hanžič, Yushan Gu, Benoit Bary, Klaartje De Weerdt, 2020, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: The increasing demand for concrete and thereby Portland cement, creates the need for novel low-clinker Portland composite cements. Concretes prepared with such novel composite cements need to show similar or even improved durability compared to concrete prepared with commonly used Portland composite cements. This study represents a part of the EnDurCrete project that focuses on the durability of concrete produced with novel low-clinker cements, containing high-value industrial by-products. More specifically, we investigated the chloride ingress resistance of such concrete. Concrete cylinders were submitted to chloride ingress by bulk diffusion. The chloride ingress resistance was investigated on concrete samples by %XRF scanning and chloride titration. In addition, the chloride binding capacity of these novel binders was investigated on paste samples by determining chloride binding isotherms for both binders. In the next step of the project, these experimental results will be matched with an advanced model, which is being developed within the project. By combining modelling with experimental verification, we aim to reach a better understanding of the fundamental chloride ingress mechanisms acting on novel types of concrete. The overall goal of the work is to produce a concrete with lower cost, lower environmental footprint and with verified similar or improved durability. Keywords: chloride ingress, durability, novel binders, Low C02, sustainability, concrete Published in DiRROS: 19.01.2024; Views: 708; Downloads: 305
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10. Construction materials for a sustainable future : proceedings of the 2nd International Conference CoMS 2020/212020, proceedings of peer-reviewed scientific conference contributions (international and foreign conferences) Abstract: Zbornik pokriva številne, predvsem tehnične teme, ki so pomembne za trajnostni razvoj gradbenega sektorja, kot ključnega dejavnika pri doseganju ciljev EU za obvladovanje podnebnih sprememb in za prehod v brezogljično družbo. Vsebinsko naslavlja inovacije v gradbenih materialih in tehnologijah, vključno s komponentami za zdravo in udobno bivanje, ter interakcije med materiali in okoljem. Poleg energetske učinkovitosti stavb je v njem zajeto področje širšega razumevanja trajnostnega načrtovanja, gradnje in vzdrževanja stavb ter monitoring, ocenjevanje in modeliranje stavb. Vključuje pa tudi vsebine, ki se nanašajo na krožno gospodarstvo, kot je recikliranje materialov in komponent ter koncepti sanacij stavb, ter na digitalizacijo in avtomatizacijo področja. Published in DiRROS: 19.01.2024; Views: 816; Downloads: 215
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