Effect of pigments on the structural properties of reinforced concrete beams

Abstract

The effect of colored pigments on civil engineering structures is not well researched. Due to their aesthetical features and improvements in the propetires of concrete, colored pigments could be an alternative to the products used for painting. The aim of this project is to pursue previous projects done regarding this topic and test it for structural applications; it will be tested on reinforced concrete beams both in shear without stirrups and in flexure with stirrups. the tests will monitor the effect of colored pigments have on the fresh and hardened concrete properties by introducing 3 different types of pigments (yellow, red and TiO2) at different doses varying between 1.5% and 3%. The test results showed that the addition of pigments helped improving the concrete properties, as well as the stuctural behavior of reinforced beams. the shear strength particularly improved with the use of the yellow pigments, given their needle shapes that increased internal friction. As for the flexure testing, the addition of pigments did not induce any major changes to the concrete properties.