Influence of class F fly ash on the abrasion–erosion resistance of high-strength concrete

This study investigates the abrasion–erosion resistance of high-strength concrete (HSC) mixtures in which cement was partially replaced by four kinds of replacements (15%, 20%, 25% and 30%) of class F fly ash. The mixtures containing ordinary Portland cement were designed to have 28 days compressive strength of approximately 40–80 MPa. Specimens were subjected to abrasion–erosion testing in accordance with ASTM C1138. Experimental results show that the abrasion–erosion resistances of fly ash concrete mixtures were improved by increasing compressive strength and decreasing the ratio of water-to-cementitious materials. The abrasion–erosion resistance of concrete with cement replacement up to 15% was comparable to that of control concrete without fly ash. Beyond 15% cement replacement, fly ash concrete showed lower resistance to abrasion–erosion compared to non-fly ash concrete. Equations were established based on effective compressive strengths and effective water-to-cementitious materials ratios, which were modified by cement replacement and developed to predict the 28- and 91-day abrasion–erosion resistance of concretes with compressive strengths ranging from approximately 30–100 MPa. The calculation results are compared favorably with the experimental results.     

Comparison on efficiency factors of F and C types of fly ashes

Fly ashes are obtained from thermal power plants and they are pozzolanic materials, which can act as partial replacement material for both portland cement and fine aggregate. With their economical advantages and potential for improving fresh and hardened concrete performance, they have some benefits for using in concrete industry. In this study, the objective was to find the efficiency factors of Turkish C and F-type fly ashes and to compare their properties. Three different cement dosages were used (260, 320, 400 kg/m³), two different ratios (10% and 17%) of cement reduced from the control concretes and three different ratios (depending on cement reduction ratio) of fly ash were added into the mixtures. At the ages of 28 and 90 days, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and ultrasound velocity tests were carried out. From the compressive strength results, the k efficiency factors of C and F-type fly ashes were obtained. As a result, it is seen that efficiency factors of the concrete produced by the replacement of F and C type fly ashes with cement increase with the increase in cement dosage and concrete age.     

Influence of pozzolan from various by-product materials on mechanical properties of high-strength concrete

This paper presents experimentally investigated the effects of pozzolan made from various by-product materials on mechanical properties of high-strength concrete. Ground pulverized coal combustion fly ash (FA), ground fluidized bed combustion fly ash (FB), ground rice husk–bark ash (RHBA), and ground palm oil fuel ash (POFA) having median particle sizes less than 11 μm were used to partially replace Portland cement type I to cast high-strength concrete. The results suggest that concretes containing FA, FB, RHBA, and POFA can be used as pozzolanic materials in making high-strength concrete with 28-day compressive strengths higher than 80 MPa. After 7 days of curing, the concretes containing 10–40% FA or FB and 10–30% RHBA or POFA exhibited higher compressive strengths than that of the control concrete (CT). The use of FA, FB, RHBA, and POFA to partially replace Portland cement type I has no significant effect on the splitting tensile strength and modulus of elasticity as compared to control concrete or silica fume concretes. This results suggest that the by-products from industries can be used to substitute Portland cement to produce high-strength concrete without alteration the mechanical properties of concrete.     

Permeability properties of self-compacting rubberized concretes

The paper presented herein was carried out to investigate the permeability characteristics of self-compacting rubberized concretes with and without fly ash. At a water–cementitious material (w/cm) ratio of 0.35, the self-compacting concretes (SCCs) were produced by replacing the fine aggregate with four designated crump rubber contents of 0%, 5%, 15%, and 25% by fine aggregate volume. Moreover, the SCCs with fly ash were produced by partial substitution of cement with fly ash at varying amounts of 20% to 60%. Totally, 16 concrete mixtures were cast and tested for permeability related properties such as chloride ion permeability, water sorptivity, and water absorption. The tests were conducted at 28 and 90 days after casting. Tests results revealed that using the crumb rubber aggravated all of the measured properties of self-compacting rubberized concretes (SCRCs) without fly ash. However, with the combined use of the crump rubber and fly ash, the concretes had better resistance to the chloride ion permeability, water sorptivity, and water absorption.     

Investigation on the corrosion resistance of bagasse-rice husk-wood ash blended cement concrete by impressed voltage

In this study, the compressive strength, the durability to chloride penetration and the corrosion of concrete containing bagasse-rice husk-wood ash (BRWA) were tested. Normal strength concrete with water to binder ratio (w/b) of 0.45 and 0.60 were used. The Portland cement was partially replaced with BRWA at the dosage of 10% and 20% by weight of binder. For concrete with w/b of 0.60, the replacement level of 40% was also tested. The chloride penetration resistance of the concretes was evaluated using the measurement of non-steady state chloride diffusion coefficient by accelerated salt ponding. The accelerated corrosion test by impressed voltage (ACTIV) was also performed to verify the findings and to investigate the characteristics of corrosion in terms of the initial current, the time of initial crack, and the weight loss of embedded steel.From the experiment, it was found that the concrete with 20% BRWA had the highest gain of compressive strength at the ages ranging from 7 to 180 days. The results of the experiments of accelerated salt ponding were in good agreement and conformed with ACTIV. The increase of the incorporation of the BRWA reduced the chloride penetration. The diffusion coefficient was reduced by 30–40% and 65–70% for concrete containing 10% BRWA and 20% BRWA compared to control concrete. The results of ACTIV also indicated that the initial current and the weight loss of embedded steel reduced and the time of initial crack increased with the increase in the replacement level of BRWA.     

Effects of post-mercury-control fly ash on fresh and hardened concrete properties

Activated carbon injection is the most mature technology for mercury capture from coal burning power plants; however, this technology increases the carbon content and mercury concentration in the fly ash. This, in turn, may reduce the suitability of fly ash for use in concrete and call into question the safety of using fly ash derived from this process. The focus of this paper is to investigate the reuse potential of post-mercury-control fly ash in concrete by examining the influence of three fly ashes derived from the activated carbon injection on the air content, compressive strength, permeability, and resistance to freezing and thawing of concrete mixtures. Laboratory testing confirmed the influence of the carbon on the air content of the concrete. However there was no difficulty in entraining air in activated carbon injection fly ash concretes within the recommended dosage range of the air-entraining admixture. All air-entrained fly ash concretes exhibited excellent characteristics in compressive strength (?32.0 MPa, 4641 psi at 28 days), resistance to chloride-ion penetration (moderate to low at 28 days of age) and freeze–thaw (?90 average durability factor after 300 cycles). The possible leaching of toxic elements including mercury from one fly ash sample used in this study was also evaluated using the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure. The test results indicated that the leaching of toxic elements was much lower than the contamination level.     

Lightweight concretes of activated metakaolin-fly ash binders,with blast furnace slag aggregates

This work investigated geopolymeric lightweight concretes based on binders composed of metakaolin with 0% and 25% fly ash, activated with 15.2% of Na₂O using sodium silicate of modulus SiO₂/Na₂O = 1.2. Concretes of densities of 1200, 900 and 600 kg/m³ were obtained by aeration by adding aluminium powder, in some formulations lightweight aggregate of blast furnace slag was added at a ratio binder:aggregate 1:1; curing was carried out at 20 and 75 °C. The compressive and flexural strength development was monitored for up to 180 days. The strength diminished with the reduction of the density and high temperature curing accelerated strength development. The use of the slag had a positive effect on strength for 1200 kg/m³ concretes; reducing the amount of binder used. The thermal conductivity diminished from 1.65 to 0.47 W/mK for densities from 1800 to 600 kg/m³. The microstructures revealed dense cementitious matrices conformed of reaction products and unreacted metakaolin and fly ash. Energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction showed the formation of amorphous silicoaluminate reaction products.     

Long term performance of chloride binding capacity in fly ash concrete in a marine environment

The capacity of binding chloride ions in fly ash concrete under marine exposure was studied. The free and total chloride contents in concrete were determined by water and acid-soluble methods, respectively. In order to study the effects of W/B ratios, exposure time, and fly ash contents on chloride binding capacity of concrete in a marine site, a class F fly ash was used as a partial replacement of Portland cement type I at 0%, 15%, 25%, 35%, and 50% by weight of binder. Water to binder ratios (W/B) were varied at 0.45, 0.55, and 0.65. Concrete cube specimens of 200 mm were cast and placed into the tidal zone of a marine environment in the Gulf of Thailand. Consequently, acid-soluble and water-soluble chlorides in the concrete were measured after the concrete was exposed to the tidal zone for 3, 4, 5, and 7 years. It was found that the percentage of chloride binding capacity compared to total chloride content increased with the increase of fly ash in the concrete. The percentage of chloride binding capacity significantly decreased within 3–4 years after the concrete was exposed to the marine environment, and then its value was almost constant. The research also showed that the W/B ratio does not noticeably affect the chloride binding capacity of concrete.     

Properties of self-compacting concretes made with binary,ternary, and quaternary cementitious blends of fly ash,blast furnace slag,and silica fume

Self-compacting concretes (SCCs) have brought a promising insight into the concrete industry to provide environmental impact and cost reduction. However, the use of ternary and especially quaternary cementitious blends of mineral admixtures have not found sufficient applications in the production of SCCs. For this purpose, an experimental study was conducted to investigate properties of SCCs with mineral admixtures. Moreover, durability based multi-objective optimization of the mixtures were performed to achieve an optimal concrete mixture proportioning. A total of 22 concrete mixtures were designed having a constant water/binder ratio of 0.44 and a total binder content of 450 kg/m³. The control mixture included only a Portland cement (PC) as the binder while the remaining mixtures incorporated binary, ternary, and quaternary cementitious blends of PC, fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (S), and silica fume (SF). Fresh properties of the SCCs were tested for slump flow diameter, slump flow time, L-box height ratio, and V-funnel flow time. Furthermore, the hardened properties of the concretes were tested for sorptivity, water permeability, chloride permeability, electrical resistivity, drying shrinkage, compressive strength, and ultrasonic pulse velocity. The results indicated that when the durability properties of the concretes were taken into account, the ternary use of S and SF provided the best performance.     

Hybrid fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete with a high-volume coarse fly ash

This paper presents a study on the fresh and mechanical properties of a fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete incorporating high-volume fly ash that does not meet the fineness requirements of ASTM C 618. A polycarboxylic-based superplasticizer was used in combination with a viscosity modifying admixture. In mixtures containing fly ash, 50% of cement by weight was replaced with fly ash. Two different types of steel fibers were used in combination, keeping the total fiber content constant at 60 kg/m³. Slump flow time and diameter, V-funnel, and air content were performed to assess the fresh properties of the concrete. Compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and ultrasonic pulse velocity of the concrete were determined for the hardened properties. The results indicated that high-volume coarse fly ash can be used to produce fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete, even though there is some reduction in the concrete strength because of the use of high-volume coarse fly ash.     

Influence of fly ash on strength and sorption characteristics of cold-bonded fly ash aggregate concrete

Cold-bonded fly ash aggregate concrete with fly ash as part of binder or fine aggregate facilitates high volume utilization of fly ash in concrete with minimum energy consumption. This paper investigates the influence of fly ash on strength and sorption behaviour of cold-bonded fly ash aggregate concrete due to partial replacement of cement and also as replacement material for sand. While cement replacement must be restricted based on the compressive strength requirement at desired age, replacement of sand with fly ash appears to be advantageous from early days onwards with higher enhancement in strength and higher utilization of fly ash in mixes of lower cement content. Microstructure of concrete was examined under BSEI mode. Replacement of sand with fly ash is effective in reducing water absorption and sorptivity attributable to the densification of both matrix and matrix–aggregate interfacial bond. Cold-bonded fly ash aggregate concrete with a cement content of 250 kg/m³, results in compressive strength of about 45 MPa, with a total inclusion of around 0.6 m³ of fly ash in unit volume of concrete.     

The effects of air entrainment and pozzolans on frost resistance of 50–60 MPa grade concrete

An experimental investigation was conducted using an air-entraining agent and pozzolans such as silica fume and fly ash, to meet the design strengths 50 and 60 MPa, as well as frost resistance to 300 cycles of freezing and thawing. Among a series of concretes of grade 50 or 60 MPa, only a small part could resist 300 cycles of freezing and thawing. It was demonstrated that frost resistance might be independent on strength of concrete. By means of mercury intrusion porosimeter, the pore structure characteristics of six concretes were identified. Air entrainment, no matter whether the pozzolans were used, caused an increase in cumulative pore volume, and also an increase in the mean pore size. It is revealed that, as to concrete at a 0.32 water/binder ratio, air entrainment should be a main approach to enhance frost resistance, although the pozzolans could be used to increase long-term strength of concrete.     

The influences of matrix and steel fibre tensile strengths on the fracture energy of high-strength concrete

This research discusses the effects of both steel fibre and matrix strengths on fracture energy of high-strength concrete. The variables of experimental study were water/cement ratio, steel fibre strength and steel fibre volume fraction. The water/cement ratios of 0.35, 0.45 and 0.55, and steel fibres with a tensile strengths of 1100 and 2000 MPa were used and volume fractions of steel fibre were 0.33%, 0.67% and 1%. Mechanical properties, fracture energy and characteristic length of concretes were investigated.Significant influences of matrix and fibre tensile strengths on the fracture energy and the characteristic length are noted.     

The role of industrial by-products in self-compacting concrete

The development of self-compacting concrete is considered as a milestone achievement in concrete technology due to several advantages. In order to be self-compactable the fresh concrete must show high fluidity besides good cohesiveness. For the purpose of evaluating these properties, several concrete mixtures were prepared with a water to cement ratio of 0.45 in the presence of an acrylic-based superplasticizer at a dosage ranging from 1% to 2% by weight of very fine material fraction (maximum 150 μm). Either limestone powder or fly ash or recycled aggregate powder (that is a powder obtained from the rubble recycling process) were used as mineral addition, in order to assure adequate rheological properties, in terms of cohesiveness, in the self-compacting concretes. Preliminary rheological tests were carried out on cement pastes containing these mineral additions. In some cases, recycled instead of natural aggregate was used by substituting either the coarse or the fine aggregate fraction. The fresh concrete properties were evaluated through slump flow, L-box test and segregation resistance. Compressive strength of concrete was determined at 1, 3, 7 and 28 days of wet curing. Results obtained showed that an optimization of self-compacting concrete mixture seems to be achievable by the simultaneous use of rubble powder and coarse recycled aggregate with improved fresh concrete performance and unchanged concrete mechanical strength.     

Influence of the use of rice husk ash on the electrical resistivity of concrete: A technical and economic feasibility study

This study investigated the behavior of apparent electrical resistivity of concrete mixes with the addition of rice husk ash using Wenner’s four electrode method. Tests included compressive strength, porosity and electrical conductivity of the pore solution. The contents of rice husk ash tested were 10%, 20% and 30% and results were compared with a reference mix with 100% Portland cement and two other binary mixes with 35% fly ash and 50% blast furnace slag. Higher contents of rice husk ash resulted in higher electrical resistivity, which exceeded those of all other samples. However, for compressive strength levels between 40 MPa and 70 MPa, the mix with 50% blast furnace slag showed the best combination of cost and performance.     

Strength and drying shrinkage properties of concrete containing furnace bottom ash as fine aggregate

The strength and drying shrinkage of concretes with the natural sand replaced with furnace bottom ash (FBA) at 0%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 100% by mass, were studied at fixed water–cement ratios (W/C) and fixed slump ranges.The results showed that, at fixed water–cement ratios, the compressive strength and the drying shrinkage decreased with the increase of the FBA sand content. However, at fixed workability, the compressive strength was comparable with that of the control concrete, while the drying shrinkage increased with the increase of the FBA sand content beyond 30% replacement level. Nevertheless, 30% of the natural sand can be beneficially replaced with the FBA sand to produce concrete in the compressive strength range from 40 to 60 N/mm² without detrimentally affecting drying shrinkage properties of the concrete.     

A study on improvement of durability of reinforced concrete structures mixed with Natural Inorganic Minerals

As a fundamental study on the corrosion resistance of reinforced concrete structures using Natural Inorganic Minerals exposed to carbonation environment. The test specimens were concrete(W/C = 60%) with Natural Inorganic Minerals content of 0% and 10%. Accelerated arbonation and autoclave corrosion accelerated curing were then conducted with them. The corrosion resistance of steel in concrete with Natural Inorganic Minerals content of 0% and 10% was examined by corrosion form, half-cell potential, polarization resistance, corrosion area and weight loss after 24 h of autoclave corrosion accelerated curing.The results of the study showed that as for steel in concrete with Natural Inorganic Minerals content of 10%, the corrosion resistance was more excellent than steel in concrete with Natural Inorganic Minerals content of 0%.     

Effect of electric arc furnace dust on the properties of OPC and blended cement concretes

This paper presents results of a study conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties and durability characteristics of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and blended cement (silica fume and fly ash) concrete specimens prepared with electric arc furnace dust (EAFD). Concrete specimens were prepared with and without EAFD. In the silica fume cement concrete, silica fume constituted 8% of the total cementitious material while fly ash cement concrete contained 30% fly ash. EAFD was added as 2% replacement of cement in the OPC concrete and 2% replacement of the total cementitious content in the blended cement concretes. Mechanical properties, such as compressive strength, drying shrinkage, initial and final setting time, and slump retention were determined. The durability characteristics were evaluated by measuring water absorption, chloride permeability, and reinforcement corrosion. The initial and final setting time and slump retention increased due to the incorporation of EAFD in both OPC and blended cement concretes. The drying shrinkage of EAFD cement concrete specimens was more than that of concrete specimens without EAFD. The incorporation of EAFD was beneficial to OPC concrete in terms of strength gain while such a gain was not noted in the blended cement concretes. However, the strength differential between the blended cement concretes with EAFD and the corresponding concretes without EAFD was not that significant. The water absorption and chloride permeability, however, decreased due to the incorporation of EAFD in both the OPC and blended cement concretes. The corrosion resistance of OPC and blended cement concrete specimens increased due to the addition of EAFD.     

Water absorption,permeability, and resistance to chloride-ion penetration of lightweight aggregate concrete

This paper presents an experimental study to evaluate effect of cumulative lightweight aggregate (LWA) content (including lightweight sand) in concrete [water/cement ratio (w/c) = 0.38] on its water absorption, water permeability, and resistance to chloride-ion penetration. Rapid chloride penetrability test (ASTM C 1202), rapid migration test (NT Build 492), and salt ponding test (AASHTO T 259) were conducted to evaluate the concrete resistance to chloride-ion penetration. The results were compared with those of a cement paste and a control normal weight aggregate concrete (NWAC) with the same w/c and a NWAC (w/c = 0.54) with 28-day compressive strength similar to some of the lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC). Results indicate that although the total charge passed, migration coefficient, and diffusion coefficient of the LWAC were not significantly different from those of NWAC with the same w/c of 0.38, resistance of the LWAC to chloride penetration decreased with increase in the cumulative LWA content in the concretes. The water penetration depth under pressure and water sorptivity showed, in general, similar trends. The LWAC with only coarse LWA had similar water sorptivity, water permeability coefficient, and resistance to chloride-ion penetration compared to NWAC with similar w/c. The LWAC had lower water sorptivity, water permeability and higher resistance to chloride-ion penetration than the NWAC with similar 28-day strength but higher w/c. Both the NWAC and LWAC had lower sorptivity and higher resistance to chloride-ion penetration than the cement paste with similar w/c.     

The characteristics of air void and frost resistance of RCC with fly ash and expansive agent

In order to assure the outer concrete of Longtan dam in China possesses excellent of frost resistance, the losses of strength, mass and air void characteristics of roller compacted concrete (RCC) containing fly ash, superplasticizer and a novel MgO-bearing expansive agent (HNM) were studied using the freezing–thawing method ASTM C666. The results show that there is a linear correlation between strength and mass losses in RCC subjected to cycles of freezing and thawing.There is a relationship between the air void spacing factor and the frost resistance of RCC. However, for RCC containing fly ash and superplasticizer a spacing factor of 0.25 mm is not necessary. Using a water:binder ratio of 0.48 in RCC containing 50% fly ash and 8% HNM a durability factor of over D₃₀₀ can be achieved provided the spacing factor is less than 0.4 mm.