Presentation of the orientations of the Chair by Olivier Collin (EDYCEM CEO), Daniel Robin (HERIGE), Jean-Baptiste Avrillier (Director of Centrale Nantes), Ahmed Loukili (GeM Professor at Centrale Nantes and Chair holder), Walid Chebbi (Technical & Innovation Director EDYCEM), Emmanuel Rozière (GeM Professor-Centrale Nantes), Sonia Boudache (GeM Research Engineer-Centrale Nantes), Frédéric Grondin (GeM Professor-Centrale Nantes).
After more than 20 years of collaboration, EDYCEM and Centrale Nantes were pleased to welcome representatives of the press to Centrale Nantes on March 15, 2024, to present the main orientations of the research chair held at GeM by Ahmed Loukili.
3 major research themes
Reducing the environmental footprint in concrete design
EDYCEM and Centrale Nantes are considering the possibility of further reducing clinker while seeking satisfactory properties from an early stage. They will be studying workability by monitoring rheology and its stability over time, as well as mechanical strength over the first few hours of concrete placing to ensure rapid form removal, even in winter. Shrinkage and cracking sensitivity, which include viscoelastic properties, must also be controlled. EDYCEM aims to use the data collected in this study to promote the use of low-carbon binders in national standards bodies.
In addition to traditional cements, alternative binders will also be explored: biomass ash, crystallized slag, clays, fine recycled concrete aggregates, in order to compare the performance of a wide range of alternative binders. Another area on which the future Research Chair will focus is testing the incorporation of high rates of recycled aggregates to limit the use of marine or alluvial sands, in order to further reduce the environmental impact of concrete.
The contribution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to new-generation concretes
While concrete made with Portland cement has enjoyed widespread recognition among specialists for over a century, the time scale for exploring new-generation concretes containing less clinker and more additions promises to be much shorter, as the urgency of climate change drives their use. This is a major challenge, which requires gathering as much data as possible and analyzing it in a short space of time, in order to predict the mechanical behavior and durability of these new materials.
The aim of this work, combining computer simulation and practical tests in laboratories and concrete mixing plants, is to develop new concretes with low environmental impact, taking into account their physico-chemical evolution throughout the construction life cycle. The structural aspect will also feature in the exploratory research, with the development of eco-design methods for the streamlined use of concrete and steel.
Contributing to the city of tomorrow
At a time when health issues took priority, cities were largely left to their own devices, so it’s time to strike the right balance. The development of housing and infrastructure changes the rate at which groundwater is filtered, with the associated risk of flooding, but also the formation of “urban heat islands” (UHIs) through radiative trapping (multiple reflections and solar absorption) and aeraulic confinement of urban canyons.
EDYCEM and GeM-Centrale Nantes will explore ways of controlling these phenomena through the study of pavement surfacing.