The document discusses the challenges faced by the U.S. construction industry in implementing sustainable practices, particularly regarding measurement science related to infrastructure materials such as concrete, steel, and polymers. It highlights the necessity for reliable input data on sustainability to improve decision-making, efficiency, and environmental performance, especially amidst increasing industry demands and resource constraints. The Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) is working on developing measurement science and predictive capabilities to enhance the durability and sustainability of construction materials, addressing complex interactions and performance assessments critical for modern engineering.

1. M e a s u r e M e n t s c i e n c e fo r
Sustainable
Infrastructure Materials
What is the problem? of metal smelting), into concrete as well as
reduce environmental, health, and safety
National and international economic growth
concerns related to the potential release of
cannot continue into the next century unless
nanoparticles from nanocomposite materi-
industries, especially high volume trades
als that are rapidly being introduced into the
like the construction industry, dramatically
marketplace.
reduce the amounts of natural resources
Sustainability decision analysis tools are
and energy they consume and the waste that
currently being developed by industry, gov-
they produce. To remain globally competi-
ernment agencies, and standards organiza-
tive while embracing sustainability, the U.S.
tions. The efficacy of these decision tools,
construction industry needs to reexamine
however, is greatly hampered by the lack of
and redefine its practices: chemicals, mate-
reliable sustainability input data, especially
rials, manufacturing methods, products,
service life data for materials, components
and waste disposal. Currently, construction
and systems, and the absence of measure-
materials, mainly concrete, steel, and poly-
ment science for gauging this critical input.
meric materials, are being consumed at an
Without technically sound, thoroughly
annual rate of approximately $500 billion per
evaluated measurement science, the input
year in new construction, and an additional
available for making sustainability decisions
$2.2 trillion in materials and construction
is too crude and unreliable. This deficiency
products are required for renewal of the
was highlighted at a recent meeting hosted
existing deteriorating U.S. physical infra-
by the U.S. Department of Commerce where
structure, according to the 2009 American
industry expressed the “need for the estab-
Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure
lishment of internationally comparable
Report Card.
metrics to measure the cost-effectiveness
Sustainability drivers include energy
of sustainable manufacturing practices.”
costs, global climate change, environmental
regulations, disposal costs, resource scarci- Why is it hard to solve?
ties, and population increases. Examples of
The most fundamental quality in full-life
environmental concerns include the need to
cycle assessment is a reliable estimate of
reduce environmental impact through the
the expected service life of a material, com-
inclusion of increased fractions of supple-
ponent, or system. Current durability tests
mentary cementitious materials, like fly
were designed early in the 20th century to
ash (one of the residues generated in the
make qualitative performance assessments
combustion of coal) and slag (a byproduct
(i.e., at best, they can provide assessments
BuiLDinG & fire researcH LaBoratorY

2. MeasureMent science for
S u S ta i n a B L e i n F R a S t R u ct u R e M at e R i a L S
as to whether product A is better than Why BFRL?
product B or vice versa under a specified
The Building and Fire Research
set of exposure conditions) and these
Laboratory (BFRL) is the primary fed-
tests are fraught with scientific uncer-
eral laboratory serving the building and
tainties. Extensive research efforts are
fire safety industries. This strategic goal
being made to put service life estimation
leverages the BFRL core competency in
on a scientific basis. The measurement
performance, durability, and service life
science needed to generate quantitative a computer model for predicting the flow proper-
prediction of building materials. BFRL’s
ties of high performance concrete (HPc) aimed
and accurate predictions of service life,
research in sustainability decision at designing HPc mixtures with optimum perfor-
however, is at a nascent level. mance, both in the fresh and hardened states.
analysis tools and in high performance
The measurement science for pre-
construction and building materials has
dicting the service life of construction
been ongoing for several decades, and and specifications in key technical areas.
materials involves measurements of the
is internationally recognized. Industrial the overarching problem for the u.s.
degradation, flammability, and nanopar-
customers continue to recognize BFRL’s cement and concrete industry is that
ticle release from these materials. These
world class expertise in advancing the either relevant performance-based
processes are inherently complex. They
measurement science of infrastructure standards do not exist or that the per-
involve numerous component interac-
materials. This recognition is evidenced formance-based standards that do exist
tions and multifunctional (chemical,
by their willingness over the last two are not built upon measurements that
physical, and mechanical) responses
decades to establish and support ongo- reliably predict real performance. this
that operate over extremely wide length
ing NIST/industry consortia, which have problem becomes evident in the techni-
and time scale ranges. Nanoscale mate-
as their objectives creating and validat- cal problems plaguing the cement and
rials also possess unique properties
ing the measurement science necessary concrete industry and concrete construc-
(high surface area, high surface reac-
to effect reliable sustainability decisions tion users and owners. the main prob-
tivity, large inter-particle forces) that
for infrastructure materials. lem is concrete durability, which needs
will affect degradation, flammability,
predictive tests for the many new mate-
and the release rate of nanoparticles in contact: Dr. jonatHan Martin
rials being produced, and assured longer
unknown ways. Science-based models jonathan.martin@nist.gov
service life. some of these new materials
for predicting these complex phenom-
include nanoadditives, whether to the
ena are just beginning to be developed, Service Life Prediction liquid part of concrete (water-filled pore
but such modeling is known to involve of Concrete Building space), or the solid part (a complex com-
multiscale, multifunctional interactions
in which damage accumulates over time.
and Infrastructure posite of cement, hydration products,
sand, and gravel), or the interface
A multiplicity of linked models will be Materials between the two, which is very large in
necessary to span these length and time this program will develop and implement concrete and crucially affects properties
scales, which in turn require advanced, the enabling measurement science that like shrinkage and ionic transport.
high resolution measurement tools for will give the concrete industry and state But concrete durability is just a part
characterizing the constituent properties and federal government agencies the pre- of the larger problem of concrete sus-
of nano-infrastructural materials (NIMs). dictive capability upon which they can base tainability—trying to make and use con-
the use of performance-based standards crete that has less of an environmental

3. B F R L act i v i t i e s , a c c o M p L i s H M e n t s & r e c o G n i t i o n s
impact, uses less energy and produces concrete industry and in major national accurately and quantitatively predicting
less carbon dioxide, yet at the same time problems involving sustainable trans- life cycle performance of polymeric
continues to meet or exceed expecta- portation infrastructure rebuilding and construction materials in their end-use
tions as the main construction mate- sustainable nuclear waste containment environment. the addition of nanopar-
rial used in a rapidly-growing world. structures and new nuclear facilities. ticles to polymeric matrices further
a large part of sustainability efforts in the impact of success in improving the increases the difficulty of predicting life
the cement and concrete industry is sustainability of concrete will include: cycle performance. Degradation and
focused on increasing the use of fly ash satisfying the construction needs of a nanoparticle release phenomena in
and other waste-stream materials as growing u.s. and world economy while nanostructured materials are inherently
substitutes for cement. this will reduce minimizing increase in co2 emissions; complex and involve numerous compo-
the need for cement and safely recycle close to 100% recycling of fly ash, mini- nent interactions and multifunctional
coal combustion products, yet at the mizing land-fill disposal; improving the (chemical, physical, and mechanical)
same time will improve the properties of performance and durability of concrete responses that operate over extremely
concrete, including durability, to rebuild used in the infrastructure; and minimiz- large length and time scales. nanoscale
the nation’s physical infrastructure with ing the co2/ton of cementitious material materials also possess unique proper-
more sustainable materials. used in concrete. ties (high surface area, high surface
Building performance prediction capa- reactivity, and large interparticle forces)
contact: Dr. eDwarD GarBoczi
bilities for cement-based materials is a that affect many initial and long-term
edward.garboczi@nist.gov
challenging task due to the complexity properties. thus, new metrologies and
of these materials. it is known that the methodologies that are radically different
materials industry in general needs Service Life from the approaches currently used are
performance prediction capability, which Prediction of High required to obtain the necessary data for
for complex modern materials (among
Performance Polymers accurately modeling lifetimes and par-
which concrete is arguably the most ticle release behavior in new nanostruc-
complex) can only be supplied by com-
and Composites tured materials.
putational materials science/engineering polymeric materials are used in the
models or what is called an integrated construction and building industries in a
computational Materials engineering myriad of applications including protec-
(icMe).1 therefore, the technical idea that tive coatings, siding, roofing, windows,
underlies this research program is to use doors, pipes, and geotextiles. they can be
a combination of experimental and com- combined with fibers to form composites
putational materials science/engineering, that have enhanced properties, enabling
in an icMe approach, to develop perfor- them to be used as structural and load-
mance prediction capability for selected bearing members. polymers offer many
major problems encountered by the u.s. advantages over conventional materials
including lightness, corrosion resistance,
1 icMe, integrated computational Materials engineering: a
and ease of processing and installation. the goal of BFRL’s automated analytical Laboratory
(aaL) is to automate and accelerate analytical mea-
transformational Discipline for improved competitiveness there is currently no established, surements on polymeric specimens following expo-
and national security, national research council, National
Academies Press, 2008 scientifically-based methodology for sure to various exposure environments.

4. MeasureMent science for
S u S ta i n a B L e i n F R a S t R u ct u R e M at e R i a L S
in 2006, BfrL became the first research chemical, mechanical, and photolytic
team to successfully and quantitatively decomposition of nanostructured poly-
link field and laboratory exposure results meric materials. the release rates and
for an unfilled, model epoxy coating using properties of these nanoparticles could
a reliability-based methodology. success have environmental, health and safety
in applying this methodology in predict- impacts. BfrL is quantitatively measur-
ing the service life of the epoxy coating ing release rates, chemical composi-
BFRL works with the u.S. mattress industry to
has provided BfrL with an opportunity tions, morphologies, and size distribu- develop the technical underpinnings for a mattress/
foundation standard that would serve as the basis
to move into the study of nanostructured tions of aerosolized nanoparticles, using
for limiting the consequences of residential bed fires.
systems, which includes polymers filled a number of advanced methods. total
with nanoscale materials. Measurement mass loss and depletion of nanostruc-
manufacturability, aging and recyclability.
science is being developed by BfrL tured materials during environmental
the challenge of coupling the difficult
researchers over a wide range of length exposure is being characterized with
fire problem to the equally complex
and time scales to enable quantitative high resolution nano-gravimetry and
sustainability analysis is considerable.
prediction of the life cycle performance 1 infrared spectroscopy. such models will
this program is focused on three
of nanostructured polymeric materials. be instrumental in designing improved
specific thrusts: 1) development of
the linkage between field and labora- nanocomposite materials.
validated bench scale flammability
tory exposures is studied using a reli-
contact: Dr. joannie cHin measurement methods, 2) evaluation
ability-based methodology for the three
joannie.chin@nist.gov
of new methods and materials for fire
major classes of polymers: thermoset,
safe products and 3) a critical assess-
thermoplastic, and elastomers. High
resolution microscopy, spectroscopy
Reduced Flammability ment of the sustainability of new fire safe
and nanomechanical testing devices of Materials approaches. the program will provide a
competitive advantage in international
are being used to elucidate the effects the phenomena associated with fire
markets where the new bench scale
that nanofillers have on the chemical are inherently stochastic, complex and
measurement methods and sustainable
and physical properties of nanomateri- dynamic. to successfully address these
flame retardant approaches will enable
als, and as well as on the service lives challenges, BfrL is providing industry
u.s. companies to develop sustainable,
of filled polymer systems. temperature, with measurement tools capable of
cost effective, fire safe products.
relative humidity, and spectral uv are accurately predicting the flammability
recent results of this program have
the primary environmental factors of behavior of materials over a multiplicity
led to two important impacts: 1) the
interest. BfrL is focusing on metal oxide of time and length scales. furthermore,
promulgation of a national Mattress
particles and carbon nanotubes, which developing the measurement science
flammability standard, and 2) the
are nano-scale fillers of interest in many tools to enable industry to accurately
development, by the polymer industry,
structural applications. evaluate the sustainability of fire safe
of the first new non-halogen flame
release of nanoparticles occurs products, especially those based on
retardant system in decades based on
in-service via environmental degradation nano-materials, is primarily impeded
nanoadditives.
and incineration through thermal, by the lack of data available on their
sustainability, i.e., their environmental, contact: Dr. jeffreY GiLMan
1 Life cycle is defined as material performance from
manufacturing to decommissioning/disposal. health and safety performance, jeffrey.gilman@nist .gov
BFRL 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8600 301.975.5900 http://www.bfrl.nist.gov