News and Events
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Melting Snow Using Phase Change Materials (PCM) in Concrete (Reference vs PCM-LWA, 7 °C to 2 °C)
Phase change materials (PCM) can be incorporated in concrete pavement as a novel methodology to melt ice/snow over the surface of the pavement. PCM is an organic biomaterial that can be designed to store energy from ambient, applied or solar sources and the stored energy can be used during cooling events to heat up concrete pavements. In this movie, PCM was incorporated in concrete slab using lightweight aggregate (LWA) and its potential to melt snow was compared with reference slab with no PCM when the ambient temperature varied between 7 °C to 2 °C. Watch Here, July 2016 |
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The Most Cited Article: "Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Impact Behavior of Ultra-High Performance Concrete" Is Among the Most Cited International Journal of Impact Engineering Articles Since 2010
"Experimental and numerical investigations of low velocity impact behavior of high-performance fiber-reinforced cement based composite" by Y. Farnam, S. Mohammadi, and M. Shekarchi is announced to be among the most cited International Journal of Impact Engineering (Elsevier) articles since 2010, extracted from Scopus. Read More, Nov 2015 |
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Road Salt is Worse Than You Think!
U.S. infrastructure continues to decay at an alarming rate, as exemplified by the low grades consistently awarded by the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card. While there are many contributors to the decay and degradation of our nation's transportation infrastructure, one that cannot be overlooked in many states is the annual winter application of deicing salts. We often use deicing salt to melt ice and snow after a snowstorm and to increase the safety, but is it bad for the environment? Read More for damage mechanisms, Watch Here for environmental impact, Oct. 2015 |
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Damage Development, Phase Changes, Transport Properties, and Freeze-Thaw Performance of Cementitious Materials Exposed to Chloride Based Salts
Dr. Farnam presented "Damage development, phase changes, transport properties, and freeze-thaw performance of cementitious materials exposed to chloride based salts" at Purdue University. Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in premature deterioration in concrete pavements and flat works that are exposed to chloride based salts. Chloride based salts can cause damage and deterioration in concrete due to the combination of factors which include: increased saturation, ice formation, salt crystallization, osmotic pressure, corrosion in steel reinforcement, and/or deleterious chemical reactions. This thesis discusses how chloride based salts interact with cementitious materials to (1) develop damage in concrete, (2) create new chemical phases in concrete, (3) alter transport properties of concrete, and (4) change the concrete freeze-thaw performance. To mitigate the damage and degradation due to the chemical phase transition, three approaches were evaluated: (1) use of a cementitious binder that does not react with salts, (2) use of a new practical technology (phase change material) to melt ice and snow, thereby decreasing the demand for deicing salt usage, and (3) use of sealers. Read More, April 2015 |
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Yaghoob Farnam Receives 2014 Portland Cement Association J.P. Gleason Fellowship Award
Dr. Farnam has been named a recipient of the 2014 PCA Education Foundation J. P. Gleason Fellowship. The support provided by the Education Foundation is used to identify and attract outstanding candidates in the field of the cement and concrete. Yaghoob is one of four students who were selected in 2014 for this prestigious award. Read More, May 2014 |
