A scientist from South Ural State University has made an interesting confession. Candidate of Sciences (Engineering) Kirill Shuldiakov caught himself thinking in his childhood: "I need to create something amazing, monumental. So that when I am gone, this "something" remains and serves people for a long time". Frankly, this is far from an ordinary childhood dream… In the meantime, the young researcher is ready to make it come true. Moreover, to do it in the Arctic.
Reference of the scientist's R&D activities
Kirill Shuldiakov is a Candidate of Sciences (Engineering), Associate Professor of the Department of Construction Materials and Products. In 2014, he graduated with honours from the SUSU Master's degree program in Construction. His main taught discipline and area of research interests was Concrete Technology. In 2023, he won a grant from the Russian Science Foundation for initiative research by young scientists. He was a holder of the scholarship of the President of Russia, the Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region and the Legislative Assembly of the Chelyabinsk Region. He was awarded a letter of thanks from the Chelyabinsk City Duma. He is a winner of the regional competition of research works of young scientists and the UMNIK competition. He is also an author of more than 50 scientific publications, including 12 in English.
No alternative in sight
– I studied in a physics and mathematics class (Kirill recalls). The training was quite strong. I participated and won in Olympiads, I played chess quite well. Having received my certificate, I chose a university right away, but there was a lot of thought about the direction of study...
– Did you like both physics and mathematics?
– I wouldn't say that I liked them much, but in any case, they were easy for me. In the end, I chose a Specialist degree programme in Construction. I decided to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather, who had been a builder and for a long time had headed the SUSU Department of Construction Materials. He did everything with his own hands at our dacha, and I helped him since childhood. Together we built a banya (sauna) in the garden, repaired the house... As life shows, I made the right choice. And so I work in my specialty.
– Your specialization is concrete. Against which criteria did you choose the topic from a wide range of building materials?
– The spectrum is really very wide. Wood, all kinds of insulation, bricks, ceramics... Of course, I have a general idea of all this diversity, I even teach the relevant subjects, but concrete is, you could say, my area of expertise. It is the main structural building material, the most produced one in the world in terms of volume. The rest of the construction products are highly specialized. I think that in the near future, there will be no alternative to concrete. It has always held a leading position in terms of price and quality in the construction market. Plus, it is harmless for humans. Of course, you can build houses from titanium. They will probably be harmless and durable, but many times more expensive. Or from plastic, but this will not be environmentally friendly, not good for health.
Concrete consists exclusively of natural components. In fact, it is an artificial stone. Ancient people lived in caves, and now we build ourselves "caves" from concrete. The raw materials base for cement production is practically unlimited. Limestone and clay are found in all corners of the world. This is another plus.
– Did the ancient Romans know about these benefits?
– When building, for example, the Roman Pantheon, they used concrete, but only the cementless kind. Cement production requires high-temperature firing, up to 1450 degrees Celsius. They could achieve that back then. They took the ashes of Mount Vesuvius, mixed it with lime, and got a lime pozzolanic binder. As we can see, ancient Roman concrete has stood the test of time for the period of 2000 years.
Not all modern concretes are better than what the ancient Romans used. But then, construction was not massive. Now, of course, its pace is incomparable. Especially in the Soviet period, there was a shortage of good cement, this was a problem. Therefore, it was necessary to resort to tricks − to save, to dilute, which had a negative effect on the construction quality and durability.
Mysterious term
– Durability…is a mysterious term. What are its parameters?
– It's an interesting term. Its mechanics as applied to concrete is not entirely clear. It cannot be said that concrete of a certain strength will last, say, 63.5 years. There is no such direct conversion into years.
– So no one knows how long it will last?
– By and large – no one. Although, of course, designers have certain standards. And, as we can see, in general, it works. Houses do not fall. Scientific activity is quite well developed at our department, and students are attracted to perform various jobs, including contractual ones. If you want, you can work in your free time from studying, and even be paid money for it.
Of course, a professor will not carry concrete cubes and press them himself. He has other tasks. He needs working hands. As a student, I was involved in this activity. I tested concrete samples for the Chelyabinsk metro. The Komsomolskaya Ploshchad station, as far as I know, was filled with it.
Thanks to these works, I published my first scientific article already in my third year of study. I also actively participated in various competitions. Sometimes I won, and even received some prize money. And when I obtained my diploma, the question of choice arose again just like after school: What to do next? I decided to continue my education, went to a Master's degree programme and began preparing my Candidate's dissertation. The beginning was laid back in my Specialist's degree, so it seemed to be reasonable. And, in fact, the topic of the dissertation "sprang" from the business agreement.
To put it simply, I was working on high-frost-resistant concrete. Look, here's the story... Everything is more or less clear with ordinary concrete. But the field of highly frost-resistant high-strength concrete has been little studied. We have a scientific school in this area at our department. And I was fascinated by the research.
– So, your second love is frost?..
– More likely, the Arctic [laughs]. Where else can these concretes be used? Although, of course, they can be used for highways. The top coating is very demanding of the quality of the material. There are many impacts, natural and mechanical. Anti-icing agents again. Therefore, special requirements are imposed on the coating, much stricter than in the construction of civil buildings or road bases. And a relatively high frost resistance grade is required.
I participated in the contract work when they were planning to build the high-speed railway line Chelyabinsk-Yekaterinburg. It was necessary to develop compositions of frost-resistant concrete, and our team successfully solved this problem. Of course, I acted more as a worker then. I carried bags of cement, and mixed mixtures. At that time, I began to think about how to apply my knowledge in the future, making my childhood dream come true.
Here, the Arctic theme has become popular and relevant. There is a real need for such materials. And first of all, we are talking about coastal structures, the tidal zone. The offshore platforms of oil companies also have harsh conditions, aggressive environments. The main characteristic is frost resistance, and the rest will follow since such concrete is a priori highly durable.
– "The rest" is again the much-speculated durability?
– And it is possible to achieve it, as well as other parameters. Actually, scientists have already attempted to calculate the service life of the material by the number of frost resistance cycles. How many years will concrete last in certain climatic conditions? However, such studies have not received widespread distribution.
In fact, this is a separate issue. There is much debate. The fact is that in different countries the methods for determining frost resistance differ greatly. In scientific circles, in publications, this is a debatable topic. To freeze for six months, to thaw for six months, or to conduct research in some other way? In fact, the most dangerous periods are probably autumn and spring, when the sun heats everything during the day, and at night everything freezes at sub-zero temperatures.
To be continued.