Predictive modeling of abrasion resistance of hydraulic concrete using supplementary cementitious materials

Ahmed, Afaq (author), Mikoš, Matjaž (author)

Many hydraulic concrete structures are subjected to severe abrasion from sediment-laden flows, necessitating durable and sustainable material solutions. Conventional concrete, with its high cement content, contributes significantly to CO₂ emissions; thus, there is a growing trend of using fly ash and silica fume as eco-friendly Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) in concrete mixtures to partially replace cement, which not only reduces environmental impact but also enhances durability and strength. Despite this, there remains a lack of research on prediction of abrasion resistance of such concretes in hydraulic structures. To assess their durability, abrasion resistance was predicted through abrasion depth modeling, based solely on experimental abrasion test data obtained using standardized Underwater Method (ASTM C1138), ensuring relevance to field hydraulic conditions. A dataset of 241 test results reported in previous studies was collected and statistically analyzed. Various models were applied and compared to predict the abrasion depth of hydraulic concrete, with Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) achieving the highest accuracy (R2 = 0.93, RMSE = 0.415, MAE = 0.230, SI = 0.202). SCMs showed a weak correlation with abrasion depth (Pearson r < 0.4) and had limited influence on model performance, as confirmed by sensitivity analysis. This suggests that SCMs had only a slight positive impact on abrasion resistance, especially when compared to more influential variables such as testing time and concrete age. However, their inclusion contributes to CO2 reduction while having an almost neutral effect on abrasion resistance in hydraulic concrete. The developed predictive models provide: i) a cost-effective, data-driven approach to evaluating abrasion resistance in hydraulic concrete, ii) minimizing a need for extensive laboratory testing, and iii) supporting resilient, low-carbon hydraulic infrastructure and sustainable construction.

• Language: English
• Keywords: abrasion resistance, hydraulic concrete, predictive modeling, supplementary cementitious materials, silica fume, fly ash
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 25 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 23, art. e05346
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180849
• UDC: 69
• ISSN on article: 2214-5095
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2025.e05346
• COBISS.SI-ID: 272069635
• Publication date in RUL: 18.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Case studies in construction materials
• Publisher: Elevier
• ISSN: 2214-5095
• COBISS.SI-ID: 520377881

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: abrazijska odpornost, vodarski beton, napovedno modeliranje, nadomestni cementni materiali, žlindra, filterski pepel

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0180
• Name: Vodarstvo in geotehnika: orodja in metode za analize in simulacije procesov ter razvoj tehnologij