This book provides a sound understanding of the alkali-aggregate reaction and how it affects the design, construction and maintenance of concrete roads and bridges. It draws on examples from the UK and around the world to relate experience of damage caused by this reaction and how the problems have been investigated and treated.

This book addresses the properties of particles in colloidal suspensions. It has a focus on particle aggregates and the dependency of their physical behaviour on morphological parameters. For this purpose, relevant theories and methodological tools are reviewed and applied to selected examples. The book is divided into four main chapters. The first of them introduces important measurement techniques for the determination of particle size and interfacial properties in colloidal suspensions. A further chapter is devoted to the physico-chemical properties of colloidal particles—highlighting the interfacial phenomena and the corresponding interactions between particles. The book’s central chapter examines the structure-property relations of colloidal aggregates. This comprises concepts to quantify size and structure of aggregates, models and numerical tools for calculating the (light) scattering and hydrodynamic properties of aggregates, and a discussion on van-der-Waals and double layer interactions between aggregates. It is illustrated how such knowledge may significantly enhance the characterisation of colloidal suspensions. The final part of the book refers to the information, ideas and concepts already presented in order to address technical aspects of the preparation of colloidal suspensions—in particular the performance of relevant dispersion techniques and the stability of colloidal suspensions.

This book describes how to address the analysis of aggregates and particles in protein pharmaceuticals, provides a comprehensive overview of current methods and integrated approaches used to quantify and characterize aggregates and particles, and discusses regulatory requirements. Analytical methods covered in the book include separation, light scattering, microscopy, and spectroscopy.

This book reports on the physical and mechanical characterization of Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC), produced through a partial-to-total replacement of ordinary aggregates with what have been dubbed Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCAs). It proposes a theoretical framework for understanding the relationships between RCAs and RCA, and for predicting the resulting behavior of RAC. The book demonstrates that in the case of RAC two additional parameters have to be taken into account than with ordinary aggregates, due to the composite nature and higher porosity of RCAs. By extending Abrams’ Law for Recycled Aggregate Concrete, it represents a first step in the formulation of a general model for predicting the properties of RAC. The theoretical approach presented here addresses an important gap in the literature and is expected to stimulate new research on the use of this more sustainable form of concrete in structural applications.