A method of preparing a fibrous panel including surface treating a mineral wool with a water repellent agent to provide a water-repellent surface treated mineral wool, admixing the water-repellent surface-treated mineral wool with water to provide a slurry, and dewatering and drying the slurry to provide a fibrous panel. A method of preparing a mineral wool having a surface treated with a water repellent agent including contacting a water repellent agent emulsion with a mineral wool and drying the mineral wool, and a method of preparing a water-repellent surface-treated fibrous panel including mineral wool having a surface pre-treated with a water repellent agent are also provided.

A method of preparing a fibrous panel including surface treating a mineral wool with a water repellent agent to provide a water-repellent surface treated mineral wool, admixing the water-repellent surface-treated mineral wool with water to provide a slurry, and dewatering and drying the slurry to provide a fibrous panel. A method of preparing a mineral wool having a surface treated with a water repellent agent including contacting a water repellent agent emulsion with a mineral wool and drying the mineral wool, and a method of preparing a water-repellent surface-treated fibrous panel including mineral wool having a surface pre-treated with a water repellent agent are also provided.

Method for producing a friction material, including the following steps in sequence: mixing an aluminosilicate source with an alkaline silicate solution to form a geopolymer, adding a friction mix to the geopolymer solution of the previous step to obtain a slurry, casting the slurry in a mold at temperature between room temperature and 120° C. and for between 5 min and 2 h and demolding to obtain a pad, attaching a backplate to the pad, curing for a time between X and Y hours at a temperature of between X and Y. The friction material obtained with the method is for the manufacture of friction layers/blocks for friction elements such as braking elements, including vehicle brake pads or blocks, and/or friction discs.

Method for producing a friction material, including the following steps in sequence: mixing an aluminosilicate source with an alkaline silicate solution to form a geopolymer, adding a friction mix to the geopolymer solution of the previous step to obtain a slurry, casting the slurry in a mold at temperature between room temperature and 120° C. and for between 5 min and 2 h and demolding to obtain a pad, attaching a backplate to the pad, curing for a time between X and Y hours at a temperature of between X and Y. The friction material obtained with the method is for the manufacture of friction layers/blocks for friction elements such as braking elements, including vehicle brake pads or blocks, and/or friction discs.

The corrosion-preventing additive for reinforced concrete is a concrete additive for preventing corrosion of steel rebars in steel-reinforced concrete. The corrosion-preventing additive is a solution with an organic solvent, the solute being either gallic acid (3,4.5-trihydroxybenzoic acid), at least one ester of gallic acid, or combinations thereof. The weight-to-volume concentration of the solute to the organic solvent may be between 1% and 10% w/v. Reinforced concrete may be made using the corrosion-preventing additive by mixing the corrosion-preventing additive with a conventional concrete mixture (i.e., a mixture of an aggregate, water, and cement), with at least one steel rebar being embedded in the mixture, similar to conventional steel rebar reinforced concrete. The concentration of the corrosion-preventing additive with respect to the cement of the mixture may be between 0.0125 wt% and 1.0 wt%.

The corrosion-preventing additive for reinforced concrete is a concrete additive for preventing corrosion of steel rebars in steel-reinforced concrete. The corrosion-preventing additive is a solution with an organic solvent, the solute being either gallic acid (3,4.5-trihydroxybenzoic acid), at least one ester of gallic acid, or combinations thereof. The weight-to-volume concentration of the solute to the organic solvent may be between 1% and 10% w/v. Reinforced concrete may be made using the corrosion-preventing additive by mixing the corrosion-preventing additive with a conventional concrete mixture (i.e., a mixture of an aggregate, water, and cement), with at least one steel rebar being embedded in the mixture, similar to conventional steel rebar reinforced concrete. The concentration of the corrosion-preventing additive with respect to the cement of the mixture may be between 0.0125 wt% and 1.0 wt%.

A repaired reinforced concrete structure is provided which includes one or more reinforcing steel bars of cross-sectional area A.sub.x, the one or more reinforcing steel bars having one or more corroded sections of cross-sectional area A.sub.y, wherein A.sub.y is greater than or equal to approximately 0.6 A.sub.x. A reinforced ordinary Portland cement-based repair mortar is positioned directly on the one or more corroded sections of the one or more reinforcing steel bars without the addition of a lapped reinforcing steel bar. The reinforced repair mortar includes at least approximately 1 percent by volume of reinforcing steel fibers such that the reinforced repair mortar restores a strength of a repaired region to greater than approximately 100% of an original strength of the concrete structure in an uncorroded state. The repaired reinforced concrete structure is highly durable, as the repair mortar exhibits an air permeability resistance of greater than 1000 seconds.

A repaired reinforced concrete structure is provided which includes one or more reinforcing steel bars of cross-sectional area A.sub.x, the one or more reinforcing steel bars having one or more corroded sections of cross-sectional area A.sub.y, wherein A.sub.y is greater than or equal to approximately 0.6 A.sub.x. A reinforced ordinary Portland cement-based repair mortar is positioned directly on the one or more corroded sections of the one or more reinforcing steel bars without the addition of a lapped reinforcing steel bar. The reinforced repair mortar includes at least approximately 1 percent by volume of reinforcing steel fibers such that the reinforced repair mortar restores a strength of a repaired region to greater than approximately 100% of an original strength of the concrete structure in an uncorroded state. The repaired reinforced concrete structure is highly durable, as the repair mortar exhibits an air permeability resistance of greater than 1000 seconds.

A repaired reinforced concrete structure is provided which includes one or more reinforcing steel bars of cross-sectional area A.sub.x, the one or more reinforcing steel bars having one or more corroded sections of cross-sectional area A.sub.y, wherein A.sub.y is greater than or equal to approximately 0.6 A.sub.x. A reinforced ordinary Portland cement-based repair mortar is positioned directly on the one or more corroded sections of the one or more reinforcing steel bars without the addition of a lapped reinforcing steel bar. The reinforced repair mortar includes at least approximately 1 percent by volume of reinforcing steel fibers such that the reinforced repair mortar restores a strength of a repaired region to greater than approximately 100% of an original strength of the concrete structure in an uncorroded state. The repaired reinforced concrete structure is highly durable, as the repair mortar exhibits an air permeability resistance of greater than 1000 seconds.

A concrete-based composite material including iron rich particles is characterized by an iron content greater than 17% by weight of the composite material, can include iron particles which are an iron by-product recovered from iron slag material, can include iron rich particles which have an iron content of at least 60% by weight of the iron rich particles, and/or can include iron particles having a particle size distribution in the range of about −⅜ inch to +60 mesh or in the range of about −20 mesh to about +60 mesh. The composite material can include ground granulated blast furnace slag as a portion of the cementitious component of the composite material. A method of forming a structural element from the composite material includes casting the structural element such that the structural element is characterized by a ballistic performance of Level 10 as defined by Underwriters Laboratories standard UL752.