Described are cementitious reagent materials produced from globally abundant inorganic feedstocks. Also described are methods for the manufacture of such cementitious reagent materials and forming the reagent materials as microspheroidal glassy particles. Also described are apparatuses, systems and methods for the thermochemical production of glassy cementitious reagents with spheroidal morphology. The apparatuses, systems and methods makes use of an in-flight melting/quenching technology such that solid particles are flown in suspension, melted in suspension, and then quenched in suspension. The cementitious reagents can be used in concrete to substantially reduce the CO.sub.2 emission associated with cement production.

The present invention relates to granular composite density enhancement, and related methods and compositions. The application where the properties are valuable include but are not limited to: 1) additive manufacturing (“3D printing”) involving metallic, ceramic, cermet, polymer, plastic, or other dry or solvent-suspended powders or gels, 2) concrete materials, 3) solid propellant materials, 4) cermet materials, 5) granular armors, 6) glass-metal and glass-plastic mixtures, and 7) ceramics comprising (or manufactured using) granular composites.

Electromagnetically-induced cement concrete crack self-healing diisocyanate microcapsules include raw materials, in parts by weight, comprising 15-55 parts of petroleum resin, 5-10 parts of paraffin, 5-10 parts of polyethylene wax, 3-10 parts of magnetic iron powder and 20-67 parts of diisocyanate. The diisocyanate microcapsules use the diisocyanate as a core material, and the petroleum resin/paraffin/polyethylene wax/magnetic iron powder mixture as the shell of the capsule. When micro cracks occur in the concrete, the crack propagation can break partial of the microcapsule inside, the diisocyanate inside the microcapsules flows out and diffuses into the crack and is subjected to a solidifying reaction with water in the concrete, so that the crack is repaired in time; and for the microcapsules that are not broken by cracks, external electromagnetic field can be applied to melt the shell to release the diisocyanate inside, thereby diffusing into cracks and solidify with water to repair them.

A method for manufacturing a binder of a hydratable material includes providing a starting material from one or more raw materials convertible by tempering at 600 to 1200° C. into the hydratable material and tempering the starting material to provide the hydratable material containing not more than 10% by weight monocalcium silicate and at least 15% by weight hydratable phases in the form of lime and dicalcium silicate. The residence time and the tempering temperature are adapted to obtain the hydratable material by converting not more than 80% by weight of the starting material, and the hydratable material is then cooled to provide the binder comprising the hydratable material. The binder can be mixed with water and optionally one or more of aggregate, additives, admixtures to obtain a binder paste that is placed, hydrated and carbonated to produce a building product.

A fireplace surround structure is disclosed. The fireplace surround structure includes a mantel portion, a first vertical leg portion and a second vertical leg portion. The first leg portion and the second leg portion extend downward from the mantel portion at opposite ends to form a unitary fireplace surround structure. Each leg portion has a skeletal bar frame with a plurality of bar portions defining a three sided generally rectangular structure. Each of the sides has a lightweight non-combustible board portion attached on the exterior of the frame. The fireplace surround structure is open to one side and mountable on a wall surface. Each board portion is cast from a mix of Portland cement, silica, and cellulose fibers, which are combined and sintered into a flat board structure.

Methods for drilling a wellbore into a subterranean formation include preparing a drilling fluid and circulating the drilling fluid in the wellbore while drilling in the subterranean formation, forming a filtercake from the drilling fluid, creating or encountering one or more fractures in the subterranean formation while drilling, and allowing a portion of the filtercake formed to at least partially seal the one or more fractures while continuing the drilling.

A method for making a carbonated precast concrete product includes: obtaining a mixture including at least one binder material, an aggregate, and water; molding the mixture into a molded intermediate; demolding the molded intermediate to obtain a demolded intermediate, the demolded intermediate having a first water-to-binder ratio; conditioning the demolded intermediate to provide a conditioned article having a second water-to-binder ratio less than the first water-to-binder ratio of the demolded intermediate; moisturizing at least one surface of the conditioned article with an aqueous medium, thereby causing a weight gain of the conditioned article and providing a moisturized product, a first portion of the moisturized product having a third water-to-binder ratio greater than a fourth water-to-binder ratio of a remainder of the moisturized product; and curing the moisturized product with carbon dioxide to obtain the carbonated precast concrete product.

Integrally waterproof fiber cement composite materials including interior and exterior fiber cement articles for building structures are disclosed. Fiber cement formulations include small percentages of silica fume and silanol. Formulations may additionally include a cementitious binder, silica, and a density modifier such as calcium silicate or perlite. Advantageously, the addition of preselected small percentages of silica fume and silanol has been discovered to yield waterproofness at substantially lower concentrations of silica fume and silanol than would be required to yield waterproofness when using either silica fume or silanol alone.

An anti-blast concrete and a method of fabricating an anti-blast structure member using such anti-blast concrete are disclosed. The composition of the anti-blast concrete according to the invention includes, in parts by weight, 1.0 part by weight of cement, 1.0 to 2.5 parts by weight of fine aggregates, 1.0 to 2.5 parts by weight of coarse aggregates, and a plurality of reinforcing fibers. The weight ratio of the reinforcing fibers to the cement ranges from 0.5% to 3%. The plurality of reinforcing fibers are a plurality of carbon fibers or a plurality of aramid fibers. A test body, made of the anti-blast concrete of the invention, has an average number of times of repeated impacts at an impact energy of 49.0 Joules equal to or larger than 41 times at 28 days of age.

Disclosed is a draining composition for a light-traffic road pavement, including: (a) a first granular layer having a percentage of communicating voids ranging 25-50%, including a binder and a granular mixture of which at least 80% by weight, relative to the total weight of the granular mixture, has a granular size distribution range 4-20 mm, the layer having a thickness suitable for the pavement's mechanical strength; (b) a second granular layer having main lower and upper surfaces, the main lower surface resting directly on the first granular matrix and the main upper surface in direct contact with the air, the second granular layer being a granular mixture not bound by a binder and of which at least 80% by weight, relative to the total weight of the granular mixture, has a granular size distribution range 2-14 mm, the second granular layer having a thickness appropriate for water accumulation.