{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/116075"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/116075","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Characterization of Quarry By-Products as a Partial Replacement of Cement in Cementitious Composites","abstract":"Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in the world. Its versatility, strength, and relative ease of construction allow it to be used in the majority of civil infrastructure. However, concrete production plays a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 8% of CO2 emissions worldwide. This thesis aims to reduce the demand for cement in concrete construction, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the concrete, by focusing on classifying and determining the effectiveness of seven different quarry by-products as partial replacements of cement. Several methods were utilized in this study to characterize the quarry by-products: particle size distribution, helium pycnometry, X-Ray diffraction, X-Ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and a modified ASTM C1897 Method A that utilizes isothermal calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. These various methods allowed for the determination of the physical properties (e.g., gradation, specific gravity, and morphology) and the chemical properties (e.g., mineralogy and reactivity in a cementitious system). The quarry by-products were classified as four granites, two limestones, and one greenstone. These quarry by-products were found to be non-pozzolanic and non-hydraulic. However, there are indications that there may be reactions with the various clays and feldspars in the quarry by-products with calcium hydroxide, which suggests a degree of reactivity that is not necessarily pozzolanic or hydraulic.","abstract_html":"Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in the world. Its versatility, strength, and relative ease of construction allow it to be used in the majority of civil infrastructure. However, concrete production plays a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 8% of CO2 emissions worldwide. This thesis aims to reduce the demand for cement in concrete construction, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the concrete, by focusing on classifying and determining the effectiveness of seven different quarry by-products as partial replacements of cement. Several methods were utilized in this study to characterize the quarry by-products: particle size distribution, helium pycnometry, X-Ray diffraction, X-Ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and a modified ASTM C1897 Method A that utilizes isothermal calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. These various methods allowed for the determination of the physical properties (e.g., gradation, specific gravity, and morphology) and the chemical properties (e.g., mineralogy and reactivity in a cementitious system). The quarry by-products were classified as four granites, two limestones, and one greenstone. These quarry by-products were found to be non-pozzolanic and non-hydraulic. However, there are indications that there may be reactions with the various clays and feldspars in the quarry by-products with calcium hydroxide, which suggests a degree of reactivity that is not necessarily pozzolanic or hydraulic.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Nguyen, Tu-Nam N."],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Civil Engineering","degree_department":"Civil and Environmental Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Brand, Alexander S."],"committee_members":["Case, Scott W.","Caddick, Mark J."],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-08-21","date_published":"2023-08-21","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:00Z","subjects":["Quarry By-Products","Cement","Supplementary Cementitious Materials","Mineral Filler","Particle Size Distribution","Helium Pycnometry","X-Ray Diffraction","X-Ray Fluorescence","Scanning Electron Microscopy","Isothermal Calorimetry","Thermogravimetric Analysis"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:38298"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:38298","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/116075","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Brand, Alexander S."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Case, Scott W.","Caddick, Mark J."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Civil and Environmental Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Nguyen, Tu-Nam N."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2023-08-22T08:00:51Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-08-22T08:00:51Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2023-08-21"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Civil Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Quarry By-Products","Cement","Supplementary Cementitious Materials","Mineral Filler","Particle Size Distribution","Helium Pycnometry","X-Ray Diffraction","X-Ray Fluorescence","Scanning Electron Microscopy","Isothermal Calorimetry","Thermogravimetric Analysis"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:38298"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/116075"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in the world. Its versatility, strength, and relative ease of construction allow it to be used in the majority of civil infrastructure. However, concrete production plays a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 8% of CO2 emissions worldwide. This thesis aims to reduce the demand for cement in concrete construction, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the concrete, by focusing on classifying and determining the effectiveness of seven different quarry by-products as partial replacements of cement. Several methods were utilized in this study to characterize the quarry by-products: particle size distribution, helium pycnometry, X-Ray diffraction, X-Ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and a modified ASTM C1897 Method A that utilizes isothermal calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. These various methods allowed for the determination of the physical properties (e.g., gradation, specific gravity, and morphology) and the chemical properties (e.g., mineralogy and reactivity in a cementitious system). The quarry by-products were classified as four granites, two limestones, and one greenstone. These quarry by-products were found to be non-pozzolanic and non-hydraulic. However, there are indications that there may be reactions with the various clays and feldspars in the quarry by-products with calcium hydroxide, which suggests a degree of reactivity that is not necessarily pozzolanic or hydraulic."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in the world. Its versatility, strength, and relative ease of construction allow it to be used in the majority of civil infrastructure. However, concrete production plays a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 8% of CO2 emissions worldwide. This thesis aims to reduce the demand for cement in concrete construction, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the concrete, by focusing on classifying and determining the effectiveness of seven different quarry by-products as partial replacements of cement. Several methods were utilized in this study to determine the physical properties (e.g., gradation, specific gravity, and morphology) and the chemical properties (e.g., mineralogy and reactivity in a cementitious solution) of the materials. The quarry by-products were classified as four granites, two limestones, and one greenstone. In general, these quarry by-products were not found to be reactive as a supplementary cementitious material, although the data may suggest some degree of reactivity between calcium hydroxide and the clays and/or feldspars in the quarry by-products."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Characterization of Quarry By-Products as a Partial Replacement of Cement in Cementitious Composites"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Brand, Alexander S."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Case, Scott W.","Caddick, Mark J."],"dc:contributor.department":["Civil and Environmental Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Nguyen, Tu-Nam N."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2023-08-22T08:00:51Z"],"dc:date.available":["2023-08-22T08:00:51Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2023-08-21"],"dc:description.abstract":["Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in the world. Its versatility, strength, and relative ease of construction allow it to be used in the majority of civil infrastructure. However, concrete production plays a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 8% of CO2 emissions worldwide. This thesis aims to reduce the demand for cement in concrete construction, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the concrete, by focusing on classifying and determining the effectiveness of seven different quarry by-products as partial replacements of cement. Several methods were utilized in this study to characterize the quarry by-products: particle size distribution, helium pycnometry, X-Ray diffraction, X-Ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and a modified ASTM C1897 Method A that utilizes isothermal calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. These various methods allowed for the determination of the physical properties (e.g., gradation, specific gravity, and morphology) and the chemical properties (e.g., mineralogy and reactivity in a cementitious system). The quarry by-products were classified as four granites, two limestones, and one greenstone. These quarry by-products were found to be non-pozzolanic and non-hydraulic. However, there are indications that there may be reactions with the various clays and feldspars in the quarry by-products with calcium hydroxide, which suggests a degree of reactivity that is not necessarily pozzolanic or hydraulic."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in the world. Its versatility, strength, and relative ease of construction allow it to be used in the majority of civil infrastructure. However, concrete production plays a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 8% of CO2 emissions worldwide. This thesis aims to reduce the demand for cement in concrete construction, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the concrete, by focusing on classifying and determining the effectiveness of seven different quarry by-products as partial replacements of cement. Several methods were utilized in this study to determine the physical properties (e.g., gradation, specific gravity, and morphology) and the chemical properties (e.g., mineralogy and reactivity in a cementitious solution) of the materials. The quarry by-products were classified as four granites, two limestones, and one greenstone. In general, these quarry by-products were not found to be reactive as a supplementary cementitious material, although the data may suggest some degree of reactivity between calcium hydroxide and the clays and/or feldspars in the quarry by-products."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:38298"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/116075"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Quarry By-Products","Cement","Supplementary Cementitious Materials","Mineral Filler","Particle Size Distribution","Helium Pycnometry","X-Ray Diffraction","X-Ray Fluorescence","Scanning Electron Microscopy","Isothermal Calorimetry","Thermogravimetric Analysis"],"dc:title":["Characterization of Quarry By-Products as a Partial Replacement of Cement in Cementitious Composites"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Civil Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:00Z"}