Dr. Rangaraju has served this summer (Summer 2020) as a Office of Naval Research Senior Faculty Fellow in collaboration with Researchers at Naval Facilities and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NavFac EXWC) to address the durability problems in Naval concrete infrastructure triggered by the presence of a Iron Sulfide mineral (Pyrrhotite) contamination in natural aggregate sources used in making Portland cement concrete. Dr. Rangaraju was involved in not only synthesizing the published literature on this subject matter, but also identifying local aggregate sources that could be used to simulate the distress in lab scale studies as well as assist Metna Co. in conducting field investigations on structures that are potentially undergoing the Pyrrhotite-induced distress in concrete. In addition, Dr. Rangaraju is also assisting Metna Co. in calibrating a rapid field scale NMR test method in identifying the Pyrrhotite mineral as a contaminant in natural aggregate sources. Dr. Rangaraju has agreed to serve on this project on a continuing basis in an advisory capacity to help with this project, beyond summer 2020.
