Improving the Sustainability of Performance-Based Concrete Overlay Mix Design made with Rounded Aggregate

The deterioration of bridge decks remains a persistent challenge for transportation infrastructure, especially in Texas, where environmental exposure and heavy mechanical loading accelerate damage. Conventional prescriptive concrete overlay designs are often inflexible, limiting the use of new materials and failing to address region-specific performance needs. This research aims to develop performance-based concrete overlay mix designs using locally available rounded aggregates, such as river gravel, to improve workability, reduce cement usage, and enhance overall sustainability. The research is divided into three integrated phases. The first phase focuses on optimizing aggregate gradation using the modified void ratio method, combining the Power 45 and Tarantula curves to improve particle packing and concrete cohesiveness. Concrete mixtures were designed with three types of cement, Type I/II, Type IL, and calcium sulfoaluminate cement with polymer (CSAP), and evaluated at two water-to-cement ratios (0.35 and 0.40). The results show that optimized mixtures, particularly those with CSAP, can achieve compressive strengths exceeding 7000 psi while reducing cement content. In the second phase, the effect of curing temperature on the correlation between compressive strength and non-destructive testing (NDT) methods is examined. Establishing reliable NDT-strength relationships under varying thermal conditions will improve the accuracy of in-situ performance evaluation for overlays. The final phase assesses the sustainability of developed mixtures using life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing on environmental impact, material efficiency, and long-term durability. By integrating performance-based mix design with sustainable material use, this research supports the development of cost-effective, resilient, and environmentally responsible concrete overlays tailored to the specific demands of Texas bridge infrastructure.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization

Grantor

Texas State University

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Gholami Hossein Abadi, Ghazal

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Moro Martinez, Carlos
• Torres, Anthony

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Shi, Xijun
• Chavez, Wilson Espinoza
• Huang, Dan

• concrete overlays
• latex-modified concrete
• aggregate optimization
• power 45 method
• nondestructive testing (NDT)
• artificial neural networks
• Gaussian noise augmentation
• regression analysis
• curing temperature
• performance-based concrete
• life cycle assessment (LCA)
• multi-criteria decision making (MCDM)
• sustainable concrete

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/25157

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/25157