Performance of prestressed concrete beams using magnetic water for concrete mixing

Civil engineering network is virtually orient to develop high-performance materials with eco-friendly construction to welfare of the society. Undoubtedly, water plays an important role in the performance of concrete to provide workability, strength, and other durability properties. Magnetic water being salt free and its properties are turning out to be as good as potable water. When water is passing through a magnetic field, water molecules get rearranged inside the structure, which allows the water to seep through more effectively than normal water in cementitious particles, thereby enabling the hydration process to operationalize faster and effective. Based on the preliminary studies, it has observed that workability of M40 grade concrete mixed with magnetic water is improved significantly without compromising its strength and also it has been observed that the strength achievement is faster than the conventional concrete with the considerable reduction of cement content. This research paper intends to investigate the efficient utilization of magnetic water in M40 grade concrete and to study the enhancement of its properties on hardened concrete and structural behavior of prestressed concrete (PSC) beams such as load carrying capacity, ductility factor, and energy absorption capacity. These properties are comparatively studied for pre-tensioned reinforced concrete (RC) beam subjected to central concentrated load for concrete mixing to use the normal water and magnetic water. Utilization of magnetic water on pre-tensioned concrete beams is improving the flexural strength by 25%. The characterization study on concrete with magnetic water such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy substantiates hydrated products of cements at early ages. Further the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) studies demonstrate the high degree of hydration of cement with separation of calcium hydroxide (CH) crystal using magnetic water.

Automated summary

The application of magnetic water in concrete can significantly improve its workability and strength, accelerate the hydration process, and reduce the cement content. For M40 grade concrete, the use of magnetic water can also increase its flexural strength. Studies have shown that magnetic water helps in the formation of hydrated products of cements, enhancing the hydration level of concrete.