On the compressive strength and sustainability of protein bound concretes
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- This thesis focuses on the study of protein and its use as a binder for Civil Engineering applications in material constrained construction systems. More specifically this thesis is intended to provide an understanding and quantification of the strength gained by soils with the addition of globular unfractionated blood proteins. At the same time, the thesis examines the potential materials use and environmental impact of using proteins compared to the use of Ordinary Portland Cement Concrete (OPCC) on earth. This thesis distinguishes itself from previous work as it identifies and determines the relevant mechanical properties of proteins taken out of their natural environments and used specifically for a construction composite in a material constrained system. In doing so, a mixture design methodology is developed focusing on the compressive strength of the composite. Building upon that work, the thesis uses a mechanistic model to extend the mixture design theory to enable sample design for targeted compressive strength. And finally, the thesis combines the strength and material mixture methodologies to create a functional unit for a life cycle assessment, which models the environmental impacts of 10,000 pavers made from proteins in comparison to Ordinary Portland Cement. The result is a coherent set of contributions to this novel class of materials that explores both its strength and environmental impact. The decision to study material constrained construction systems is two fold: The first is to provide an alternative that can reduce the environmental impact associated with OPCC manufacture. The second is to provide an alternative technique for extraterrestrial construction. In the field of planetary construction, considerations of binders are regarded with skepticism due to launch mass constraints. Instead, much of the focus in this field is placed on heat sintering methods, an energy intensive proposition. Proponents of these energy based methods have suggested that given enough time, the power requirements for sintering can become manageable. While correct in theory, the assumption of having ample time to charge batteries (\textit{i.e.}, through solar power) breaks down in the cases of maintenance and repair. This author also argues that a building is not made up of a single material, but many materials; and that the addition of new materials, such as Protein Bound Concrete, is necessary.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2017 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Roedel, Henning |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department. |
| Primary advisor | Lepech, Michael |
| Thesis advisor | Lepech, Michael |
| Thesis advisor | Billington, Sarah L. (Sarah Longstreth), 1968- |
| Thesis advisor | Loftus, David (David John) |
| Advisor | Billington, Sarah L. (Sarah Longstreth), 1968- |
| Advisor | Loftus, David (David John) |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Henning Roedel. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2017. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2017 by Henning Roedel
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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