My research program works to design new environmentally-friendly cementitious materials and quantify how concrete materials perform during construction and use. Work is under way to develop new materials for concrete that are more durable, environmentally friendly, and lower cost than concrete containing only portland cement.
Current Topics
Concrete Transport Properties
Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete is most often caused by chlorides that penetrate into the porous concrete. Research is underway to determine how to best measure the concrete’s resistance to chloride penetration in extremely aggressive environments for use in quality control applications. As part of this work and to link concrete laboratory tests and field performance, we have established a concrete field exposure site at Seahorse Key, FL.
Ultra-High-Performance Concrete
Ultra-high-performance concrete has the potential to significantly improve concrete durability, especially in marine environments. We are currently working on methods to measure UHPC tensile properties for qualification in the lab and quality control at the precast plant, requirements and test methods to measure UHPC durabilty, and methods to non-destructively measure the quantity and orientation of steel fibers present in concrete members on-site.
UHPC Direct Tension Test 
Double Punch Test Sample 
Testing to Determine Fresh Chloride Limits for UHPC
Match-Cast Segmental Bridge Construction
Match-cast bridge segments can experience distortion during curing under some circumstances. Simulations are being performed to determine the extent that concrete materials, construction methods, segment geometry, and environmental conditions affect the distortion in match-cast segments. Recommendations on when mitigation methods should be used to prevent segment distortion are being made based on the results of the simulations.
Alternative Supplementary Cementitious Material Use in Concrete
Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are often used in concrete to improve concrete strength and durability. Fly ash has been the dominant SCM used in North America for the last 50 years. Research is being conducted to understand and quantify the durability of concrete made with lternative sources of SCMs. These alternative SCMs being investigated include impounded fly ash, sugarcane bagasse, and calcined clay.