Mechanical and durability properties of coal cinder concrete: Experimental study and GPR-based analysis

This study investigates the mechanical behavior and durability of High-Performance Concrete (HPC) incorporating coal cinder (CC) as a partial replacement for traditional aggregates, aiming to improve sustainability and performance. While alternative sustainable aggregates have been explored, coal ci...

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Main Authors: Ali Toghroli, Seyed Azim Hosseini, Farshid Farokhizadeh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Case Studies in Construction Materials
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509524012452
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author Ali Toghroli
Seyed Azim Hosseini
Farshid Farokhizadeh
author_facet Ali Toghroli
Seyed Azim Hosseini
Farshid Farokhizadeh
author_sort Ali Toghroli
collection DOAJ
description This study investigates the mechanical behavior and durability of High-Performance Concrete (HPC) incorporating coal cinder (CC) as a partial replacement for traditional aggregates, aiming to improve sustainability and performance. While alternative sustainable aggregates have been explored, coal cinder remains a novel choice due to its unique combination of lightweight and pozzolanic properties. The novelty of this research lies in the exploration of coal cinder as an innovative additive for enhancing HPC properties, which has been relatively underexplored. Various CC compositions (ranging from 10 % to 30 %) were analyzed for their effects on compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural tensile strength, density, open porosity, water absorption, and resistance to freezing-thawing and salt attacks. Results showed that as CC content increased, absorptivity and open porosity also rose, while compressive strength improved, peaking at 77.4 MPa with 30 % CC. Despite the increases in porosity, freeze-thaw and salt resistance tests confirmed the durability of the modified HPC. Splitting tensile strength and flexural tensile strength were highest in samples with 30 % and 10 % CC, respectively. Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) was employed to predict these properties, showing high accuracy with RMSE values ranging from 0.29 to 0.38 and Adjusted R² values between 0.85 and 0.92. The strong predictive performance of GPR highlights its applicability for modeling complex materials like HPC. These findings demonstrate that coal cinder additives not only enhance the mechanical properties of HPC but also improve its porosity and durability characteristics, presenting a promising approach for sustainable construction materials.
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spelling doaj-art-9edbf71b42f740e98d319ac44802278f2025-01-28T04:14:37ZengElsevierCase Studies in Construction Materials2214-50952025-07-0122e04093Mechanical and durability properties of coal cinder concrete: Experimental study and GPR-based analysisAli Toghroli0Seyed Azim Hosseini1Farshid Farokhizadeh2Department of Civil Engineering, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranCorresponding author.; Department of Civil Engineering, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranDepartment of Civil Engineering, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranThis study investigates the mechanical behavior and durability of High-Performance Concrete (HPC) incorporating coal cinder (CC) as a partial replacement for traditional aggregates, aiming to improve sustainability and performance. While alternative sustainable aggregates have been explored, coal cinder remains a novel choice due to its unique combination of lightweight and pozzolanic properties. The novelty of this research lies in the exploration of coal cinder as an innovative additive for enhancing HPC properties, which has been relatively underexplored. Various CC compositions (ranging from 10 % to 30 %) were analyzed for their effects on compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural tensile strength, density, open porosity, water absorption, and resistance to freezing-thawing and salt attacks. Results showed that as CC content increased, absorptivity and open porosity also rose, while compressive strength improved, peaking at 77.4 MPa with 30 % CC. Despite the increases in porosity, freeze-thaw and salt resistance tests confirmed the durability of the modified HPC. Splitting tensile strength and flexural tensile strength were highest in samples with 30 % and 10 % CC, respectively. Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) was employed to predict these properties, showing high accuracy with RMSE values ranging from 0.29 to 0.38 and Adjusted R² values between 0.85 and 0.92. The strong predictive performance of GPR highlights its applicability for modeling complex materials like HPC. These findings demonstrate that coal cinder additives not only enhance the mechanical properties of HPC but also improve its porosity and durability characteristics, presenting a promising approach for sustainable construction materials.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509524012452Coal cinder additivesCompressive strengthDurability characteristicsGaussian process regression (GPR)High-performance concrete (HPC)Sustainable construction materials
spellingShingle Ali Toghroli
Seyed Azim Hosseini
Farshid Farokhizadeh
Mechanical and durability properties of coal cinder concrete: Experimental study and GPR-based analysis
Case Studies in Construction Materials
Coal cinder additives
Compressive strength
Durability characteristics
Gaussian process regression (GPR)
High-performance concrete (HPC)
Sustainable construction materials
title Mechanical and durability properties of coal cinder concrete: Experimental study and GPR-based analysis
title_full Mechanical and durability properties of coal cinder concrete: Experimental study and GPR-based analysis
title_fullStr Mechanical and durability properties of coal cinder concrete: Experimental study and GPR-based analysis
title_full_unstemmed Mechanical and durability properties of coal cinder concrete: Experimental study and GPR-based analysis
title_short Mechanical and durability properties of coal cinder concrete: Experimental study and GPR-based analysis
title_sort mechanical and durability properties of coal cinder concrete experimental study and gpr based analysis
topic Coal cinder additives
Compressive strength
Durability characteristics
Gaussian process regression (GPR)
High-performance concrete (HPC)
Sustainable construction materials
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509524012452
work_keys_str_mv AT alitoghroli mechanicalanddurabilitypropertiesofcoalcinderconcreteexperimentalstudyandgprbasedanalysis
AT seyedazimhosseini mechanicalanddurabilitypropertiesofcoalcinderconcreteexperimentalstudyandgprbasedanalysis
AT farshidfarokhizadeh mechanicalanddurabilitypropertiesofcoalcinderconcreteexperimentalstudyandgprbasedanalysis