Overview of Work

Much of the cost and environmental impact of concrete infrastructure occurs over decades of service due to maintenance, repair, and premature deterioration. Improving the durability and service life of concrete structures is therefore essential for creating more resilient and sustainable infrastructure systems.

The MatSLab focuses on understanding and modeling the physical and chemical processes that govern long-term degradation in concrete, including reinforcement corrosion and other time-dependent material deterioration mechanisms. This work combines experimental testing with advanced computational modeling to link cracking, transport of aggressive agents, and material degradation to the long-term structural performance of concrete components. These tools allow researchers and practicioners to move beyond purely empirical approaches and toward predictive, performance-based service life assessment.

This research has been applied to both conventional and high-performance concrete systems, including ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), demonstrating how improved material design and crack control can significantly extend structural service life. By integrating durability directly into structural performance and life-cycle assessments, the MatSLab’s work enables the design of infrastructure that is safer, more resilient, and more sustainable over its full life cycle.

Related Publications

1. Fan, J, AJ Strand, MJ Bandelt, and MP Adams. 2025. “Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Impact of Cracking and Chloride Concentrations on Corrosion in Steel-Reinforced Concrete.” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering. 37(12): 04025433. https://doi.org/10.1061/JMCEE7.MTENG-20554.

2. Fan, J., Y. Shao, M.J. Bandelt, M.P. Adams, C.P. Ostertag. 2024. “Sustainable Reinforced Concrete Design: The Role of Ultra-high Performance Concrete (UHPC) in Life-cycle Structural Performance and Environmental Impacts.” Engineering Structures, 316: 118585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2024.118585.

3. Fan, J., S.M. Shirkhorshidi, M.P. Adams, M.J. Bandelt. 2022. “Predicting Corrosion in Reinforced UHPC Members through Time-Dependent Multi-Physics Numerical Simulation.” Construction and Building Materials. 340: 127805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.127805.

4. Adams, M.P., R.D. Lute, E.G. Moffatt, and J.H. Ideker. 2018. “Evaluation of a procedure for determining the converted strength of calcium aluminate cement concrete.” ASTM Journal of Testing and Evaluation. 46(4). 

5. Adams, M.P., and J.H. Ideker. 2017. “Influence of aggregate type on conversion and strength in calcium aluminate cement concrete.” Cement and Concrete Research. 100(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2017.07.007

Recent Sponsors

Overview of Work

Reducing the environmental impact of concrete infrastructure is a critical challenge, driven by the carbon footprint of cement production and the use of virgin materials. The MatSLab’s research in this area focuses on enabling low embodied carbon concrete systems through the use of recycled materials, alternative cementitious binders, and mixtures with high supplementary cementitious material (SCM) content, while maintaining the performance and reliability required for structural applications.

A major component of this work addresses concrete containing recycled concrete aggregates (RCA). Through a combination of experimental testing, statistical analysis, and stochastic multi-scale modeling, the MatSLab has shown how material heterogeneity influences mechanical behavior and how this variability can be explicitly accounted for in engineering design. This work provides a rational, performance-based framework that supports the safe and effective use of recycled materials in structural concrete.

In parallel, the MatSLab investigates alternative cementitious systems and high-SCM mixtures that reduce reliance on carbon-intensive Portland cement. This research has supported the adoption of low-carbon concrete specifications by transportation agencies, enabling the use of innovative, lower-carbon binders and recycled constituents in infrastructure projects. Together, this work advances concrete technologies that significantly reduce embodied carbon while preserving long-term performance and durability.

Related Publications

1. Jayasuriya, A., M.J. Bandelt, and M.P Adams. 2022. “Stochastic Mesoscopic Modeling of Concrete Systems Containing Recycled Concrete Aggregates using Monte Carlo Methods.” ACI Materials Journal. 119 (2): 3-18. https://doi.org/10.14359/51734483.

2. Jayasuriya, A., E.S. Shibata, E.S., T. Chen, and M.P. Adams. 2021. “Development and statistical database analysis of hardened concrete properties made with recycled concrete aggregates.” Journal of Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 164 (1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105121

3. Fiore, B.D., K. Gerrow, M.P. Adams, and J.E. Tanner. 2018. “Accelerated mortar bar test for precision with recycled concrete aggregate.” ACI Materials Journal. 115(4). https://doi.org/10.14359/51702186

4. Jayasuriya, A., M.P. Adams, and M.J. Bandelt. 2018. “Understanding variability in recycled aggregate concrete mechanical properties through numerical simulation and statistical evaluation.” Construction and Building Materials. 178: 301-312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.05.158

5. Adams, M.P., A. Jones, S. Beauchemin, R. Johnson, B. Fournier, M. Shehata, J.E. Tanner, and J.H. Ideker. 2013. “Applicability of the ASTM C1260 accelerated mortar bar test for alkali-silica reactivity testing of recycled concrete aggregates.” Advances in Civil Engineering Materials. 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1520/ACEM20120030

Recent Sponsors

Overview of Work

Highly ductile concrete materials including ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) and other high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCCs) offer advantages to traditional concrete systems through the use of fiber-reinforcement which allows for post-cracking resilience.  The MatSLab has recently worked on two topics in this area: (1) seismic performance of highly ductile concrete in structural systems and (2) durability of highly ductile concrete systems in aggressive environmental conditions.

Proof-of-concept studies have shown that highly ductile concrete materials drastically improve the seismic response of individual building components. In order to promote transformational change and progress the science of structural design for natural hazards, the MatSLab work has focused on how these materials can be engineered for the use in entire building systems to improve seismic performance. By creating a new understanding of how structural systems behave with these materials, engineers will be able to design more resilient structures that enhance the public’s safety, prosperity, and welfare. This work integrates physical experimentation, computational modeling, and risk assessment to create new methods to evaluate and design reinforced concrete structures. 

Since deterioration mechanisms and transport properties (i) are initially accelerated by the presence of mechanical or volume stability cracks, and (ii) cause expansive stresses surrounding the deterioration site, one potential approach to overcome multiple deterioration mechanisms is through the use of concrete systems with high ductility through the use of fiber-reinforcement. This work focuses on experimental characterization of corrosion in a range of high ductility systems and numerical modeling to predict their impact on long-term durability performance of structural components.

Related Publications

1. Fan, J., Y. Shao, M.J. Bandelt, M.P. Adams, C.P. Ostertag. 2024. “Sustainable Reinforced Concrete Design: The Role of Ultra-high Performance Concrete (UHPC) in Life-cycle Structural Performance and Environmental Impacts.” Engineering Structures, 316: 118585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2024.118585.

2. Almeida, J., and M.J. Bandelt. 2024. “Plastic Hinge Length in Reinforced HPFRCC Beams and Columns.” Engineering Structures, 315: 118345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2024.118345.

3. Tariq, H., E.A. Jampole, and M.J. Bandelt. 2021. “Development and application of spring hinge models to simulate reinforced ductile concrete structural components under cyclic loading.” Journal of Structural Engineering. 1472 (2): 0402322. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0002891.

4. Pokhrel, M., and M.J. Bandelt. 2019. “Plastic hinge behavior and rotation capacity in reinforced ductile concrete flexural members.” Engineering Structures, 200: 109699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.109699

5. Bandelt, M.J., and S.L. Billington. 2016. “Impact of reinforcement ratio and loading type on the deformation capacity of high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites reinforced with mild steel.” ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering. 142(10): 04016084. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0001562

Recent Sponsors