Experimental Study on Preparation and Performance of Concrete With Large Content of Fly Ash

Producing concrete with large content of fly ash attracts increasing attention in low carbon building materials. In this paper, the fly-ash concrete (FAC) with a content of fly ash no less than 50% total weight of binders was developed. The adaptability of fly ash used for concrete was firstly examined by testing the water requirement of normal consistency and the setting time for cement fly-ash paste, and the strengths of cement fly-ash mortar at the curing age of 7 and 28 days. The factors of water-to-binder ratio from 0.3 to 0.5, the content of fly-ash from 40% to 80%, and the excitation measures with additional Ca(OH)2 and steam curing at initial were considered. After that, the FAC was designed by adding an excessive content of fly ash to reduce the water-to-binder ratio from 0.50 to 0.26, and the content of fly-ash varied from 52% to 60%. Results show that the cement fly-ash paste presented a reduction of water requirement and an elongation of setting time with the increased content of fly ash. This provides a foundation of maintaining the workability of fresh FAC with a decreased water-to-binder ratio by adding the excessive content of fly ash. The cement fly-ash mortar had a lower early strength due to the slow reaction of fly-ash with Ca(OH)2, which could be improved by steam curing at the initial 24 h due to the excitation of fly-ash activity. At curing age of 28 days, the FAC had the expected axial compressive strength and modulus of elasticity, but the tensile strength was lower than predicted. At the curing age of 56 days, all the basic mechanical properties of FAC reached the prediction. The resistances of FAC to chloride ion penetration and carbonization were realized at a very high level as specified in codes.

Enhanced Metakaolin Reactivity in Blended Cement with Additional Calcium Hydroxide

This study aims to increase the pozzolanic reactivity of metakaolin (MK) in Portland cement (PC) blends by adding additional calcium hydroxide (CH_add) to the initial mixture. Cement paste samples were prepared with PC, MK and water with a water-to-binder ratio of 0.6. Cement replacement ratios were chosen from 5 to 40 wt.% MK. For higher replacement ratios, i.e., 20, 30 and 40 wt.% MK, CH_add was included in the mixture. CH_add-to-MK ratios of 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out to study the pozzolanic reactivity after 1, 7, 28 and 56 days of hydration. A modified mass balance approach was used to normalize thermogravimetric data and to calculate the calcium hydroxide (CH) consumption of samples with CH_add. Results showed that, without CH_add, a replacement ratio of 30 wt.% or higher results in the complete consumption of CH after 28 days at the latest. In these samples, the pozzolanic reaction of MK turned out to be restricted by the amount of CH available from the cement hydration. The increased amount of CH in the samples with CH_add resulted in an enhanced pozzolanic reaction of MK as confirmed by CH consumption measurements from TGA.

Effect of Using Limestone Fines on the Chemical Shrinkage of Pastes and Mortars

The main aim of this study is to examine the effect of incorporating limestone fines (LF) on chemical shrinkage of pastes and mortars. For this purpose, five paste and five mortar mixes were prepared with 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% (by weight) LF as replacement of cement. The water to binder ratio (w/b) was 0.45 for all mixes. The sand to binder (s/b) ratio in the mortar mixes was 2. Testing included chemical shrinkage, compressive strength, density and ultrasonic-pulse velocity (UPV). Chemical shrinkage was tested each hour for the first 24 hrs, and thereafter each 2 days until a total period of 90 days. Furthermore, compressive strength and UPV tests were conducted at 1 day, 7, 28 and 90 days of curing. The results show that the long-term chemical shrinkage of pastes was found to increase with the increase in LF content up to 15%. Beyond this level of replacement, the chemical shrinkage started to decrease. However, the chemical shrinkage for mortars increased with the increase in LF content up to 10% LF and a decrease was observed beyond this level. It was also noticed that compressive strength for pastes and mortars attained the highest value for mixes containing 10 and 15% LF. The trend in the UPV results is somewhat similar to those of strength. Density for pastes and mortars increased up to 15% LF followed by a decrease at 20 % replacement level. Correlations between the various properties were conducted. It was found that an increase in chemical shrinkage led to an increase in compressive strength.

Mathematical modelling of crushed rock dust concrete: Performance using compressive strength

The paper gives out a mathematical model developed using linear regression statistical method to envisage the 28-day strength of CRD concrete, considering M20, M30 and M40 grades concrete and CRD replacement percentages of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% by weight of cement. Strength results of M40, M30 and M20 grades concrete are used to develop the relationship between CRD content and compressive strength. The ratios of compressive strengths between CRD and control concrete (CC) have been related to CRD replacement percentage. The expression, derived is with strength ratios and not with experimental strength values. The mathematical equation developed is independent of the specimen parameters and may be applicable to all types of specimens. The model is considered as it involves non-dimensional variables and is independent of the specimen size, water to binder ratio (w/b) and grade of concrete.

Effect of Fly Ash on Some Properties of Reactive Powder Concrete

To achieve sustainability in the field of civil engineering, there has become a great interest in developing reactive powder concrete RPC through the use of environmentally friendly materials to reduce the release of CO2 gas produced from cement factories as well as contribute to the recycling of industrial wastes that have a great impact on environmental pollution. In this study, reactive powder concrete was prepared using total binder content of 800 kg/m3, water to binder ratio (0.275), and micro steel fibers 1% by volume of concrete. The experimental program included replacing fly ash with (8, 12, 16) % by cement weight to find the optimal ratio, which achieved the best mechanical properties of (RPC) at 7, 28, and 90 days with standard curing. Some mechanical properties of reactive powder concrete (flow, compressive strength, tensile strength, and density) were verified. The results at 28 days showed that the compressive strength (96.5) Mpa, tensile strength (9.38) Mpa, and density (2395 kg/m3). The results showed that the percentage of replacement of 8% of fly ash with cement is the optimal percentage, which achieved the highest resistance compared to the others. The results also indicated that it is possible to develop RPC using fly ash with a high withstand stress, tensile strength, and density.

Experimental Study on Time-Dependent Changes in Rheological Properties and Flow Rate of 3D Concrete Printing Materials

Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) materials require a relatively low water-to-binder ratio (W/B) of 0.3 or less to ensure their buildability and flow properties are sufficiently maintained after mixing. In this study, the rheological properties of 3DCP materials with W/B 0.28 were evaluated up to 60 min after mixing, and the yield stress and plastic viscosity were analyzed over time. A gradual decrease in flow rate with time was observed during the transport of 200 kg of material per batch through a 20 m hose. To examine the time-dependent changes in flow rate and layer volume, a 2200 mm × 1000 mm test specimen was printed. The dependence of the layer width over time during the printing process was measured and analyzed. The experimental analyses showed that the flow rate and layer volume of the 3DCP material gradually decreased with time after mixing, which was correlated with the rheological properties.

Mechanical Behavior of Reactive Powder Concrete Made From Local Material Subjected to Axial Pressure

In order to investigate the influence of various parameters on the compressive strength and fluidity of reactive powder concrete (RPC) made from local materials, 22 groups of RPC cubic specimens and 3 groups of RPC prism specimens were designed, and the main parameters included water to binder ratio, the ratio of silica fume to cement, the ratio of slag powder to cement, the ratio of quartz sand to cement, volume fraction of steel fiber, and steam curing time. The stress-strain curves and failure mode of RPC cubic specimens were obtained by the axial compression test. The influence of various parameters on the compressive mechanical properties and the mixture fluidity of RPC cubic specimens was analyzed. The results showed that the ultimate compressive strength (fcu) of RPC gradually decreases with the increase in the water to binder ratio; however, fcu increases with the increase in the volume fraction of steel fiber. fcu increases firstly and then decreases with the increase in the ratio of silica fume to cement, the ratio of slag powder to cement, and the ratio of quartz sand to cement, so there exists a peak point. The fluidity of RPC mixture increases with the increase in the water to binder ratio and the ratio of slag powder to cement; on the contrary, it decreases with the increase in the ratio of silica fume to cement, the ratio of quartz sand to cement, and volume fraction of steel fiber. Based on the analysis of the parameters, the optimal mix proportion of the RPC made from local materials is proposed. The constitutive model of RPC is established according to the stress-strain curves of RPC prism specimens. Finally, the relationship between compressive strength and elastic modulus of RPC made of local materials is regressed statistically.