Hydration of fly ash cement

It is necessary to establish the material design system for the utilization of large amounts of fly ash as blended cement instead of disposing of it as a waste. Cement blended with fly ash is also required as a countermeasure to reduce the amount of CO₂ generation. In this study, the influences of the glass content and the basicity of glass phase on the hydration of fly ash cement were clarified and hydration over a long curing time was characterized. Two kinds of fly ash with different glass content, one with 38.2% and another with 76.6%, were used. The hydration ratio of fly ash was increased by increasing the glass content in fly ash in the specimens cured for 270 days. When the glass content of fly ash is low, the basicity of glass phase tends to decrease. Reactivity of fly ash is controlled by the basicity of the glass phase in fly ash during a period from 28 to 270 days. However, at an age of 360 days, the reaction ratios of fly ash show almost identical values with different glass contents. Fly ash also affected the hydration of cement clinker minerals in fly ash cement. While the hydration of alite was accelerated, that of belite was retarded at a late stage.     

High-percentage replacement of cement with fly ash for reinforced concrete pipe

Fly ash is commonly used as a substitute for cement within concrete in various applications. Manufacturers of reinforced concrete products commonly limit the quantity of fly ash used to 25% or less by weight. Test cylinders with varying percentages of Class C (25-65%) and Class F (25-75%) fly ash and a water-reducing admixture (WRA) were created under field manufacturing conditions and tested for 7-day compressive strength. Seven-day compressive strength for the concrete/fly ash/WRA was found to be highest when the concrete mix included approximately 35% Class C or 25% Class F fly ash. However, substitution ratios of up to 65% Class C or 40% Class F fly ash for cement met or exceeded American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) strength requirements for manufacture of Class I, II and III reinforced concrete pipe (RCP).     

The influence of air content by assessing the pozzolanic activity of fly ash by strength testing

The pozzolanic activity of fly ash and natural pozzolans are generally assessed by a compressive strength test with Portland cement in a mortar. A test mix in which part of the Portland cement is replaced by fly ash is compared with a control mix with pure Portland cement. When testing cement according to such procedures the influence of varying air contents in the test mortars can be comparable to that of other factors, hence complicating the interpretation of results. Fly ash seems to affect the air void content in mortar in two ways: By a direct contribution from hollow or porous particles in the fly ash and by reducing the amount of entrained air, an effect which is apparently caused by the residual carbon present in the fly ash.These aspects are elucidated by examples from laboratory experiments with fly ash.     

Effects of fly ash on the properties of environmentally friendly dam concrete

The utilization of a solid waste – fly ash (FA) in the construction of concrete dams was investigated in this paper, which contained its effects on the strength, shrinkage and expansion strain of dam concrete with and without 8% of a novel MgO-bearing expansive agent. The results are shown a relationship between the content of fly ash replacing cement and the above properties of dam concrete.The compressive strengths of dam concrete with 50% fly ash in 90 d are higher than that of dam concrete with 30% fly ash or without fly ash slightly. Fly ash may decrease the deformation of dam concrete in that with 50% fly ash, and the shrinkage and expansive strain was reduced significantly – about 33% and 40% less than that of the specimens without fly ash respectively.     

Utilization of fly ash coming from a CFBC boiler co-firing coal and petroleum coke in Portland cement

Fly ash coming from a circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) boiler co-firing coal and petroleum coke (CFBC fly ash) is very different from coal ash from traditional pulverized fuel firing due to many differences in their combustion processes, and thus they have different effects on the properties of Portland cement. The influences of CFBC fly ash on the strength, setting time, volume stability, water requirement for normal consistency, and hydration products of Portland cement were investigated. The results showed that CFBC fly ash had a little effect on the strength of the Portland cement when its content was below 20%, but the strength decreased significantly if the ash content was over 20%. The water requirement for normal consistency of cement increased from 1.8% to 3.2% (absolute increment value) with an addition of 10% CFBC fly ash; and the free lime (f-CaO) content of CFBC fly ash affected the value of increasing. The setting time decreased with an increase of CFBC fly ash content. The volume stability of the cement was qualified even when the content of SO₃ and f-CaO reached 4.48% and 3.0% in cement, respectively. The main hydration productions of cement with CFBC fly ash were C-S-H (hydrated calcium silicate), AFt (ettringite), and portlandite.     

钢渣-粉煤灰复合胶凝材料的试验研究

以钢渣、粉煤灰等固体废物,掺加少量的普通硅酸盐水泥、脱硫石膏,辅以适量化学激发剂,研制开发新型复合胶凝材料。试验表明,少量水泥能够有效地激发出钢渣-粉煤灰体系潜在的活性,单掺水泥的钢渣-粉煤灰体系最优配比为:钢渣/粉煤灰=6:4,水泥掺量为15%;对于复掺水泥和脱硫石膏的钢渣-粉煤灰体系来说,最优配比为钢渣/粉煤灰=6:4,水泥掺量为15%,脱硫石膏掺量为10%。合适的化学激发剂可以较好地提高复合胶凝材料的性能,复合胶凝材料在自然养护的条件下比标准养护条件下强度增长更快。     

Optimum usage of a natural pozzolan for the maximum compressive strength of concrete

Pozzolans provide an economic production possibility in the concrete industry and improve the properties of concrete, such as durability. Effects of a pozzolan on the properties of concrete vary with the pozzolan type and volume.In this study, effect of a natural pozzolan on the properties of concrete was investigated. Fifteen concrete mixtures were produced in three series with control mixes having 300, 350 and 400 kg cement content. These control mixes were modified to have a combination of 250, 300 and 350 kg cement content and 40, 50, 75 and 100 kg pozzolan addition for 1 m³ concrete. The efficiency of the pozzolan was obtained by using Bolomey and Feret strength equations on 28-day-old concretes. Maximum pozzolan amount with the optimum efficiency was determined. This study shows that the efficiencies obtained from each strength equations are similar and these values decrease with the increase of pozzolan/cement ratio.     

Mechanical behaviour of various mortars made by combined fly ash and limestone in Moroccan Portland cement

Physico-chemical properties and mechanical behaviour of ternary cements made by Portland cement, fly ash and limestone are studied. The mixtures at various compositions of clinker, gypsum fly ash and limestone are intimately ground and compared to other compositions without fly ash. Blended fly ash cements are also studied. The results show that fly ash acts as grinding agent by reducing the required time to obtain the same percentage of particles retained on a 80-μm sieve as the standard cement. Fly ash cements lead to an important extension of setting time than limestone cements. The replacement of clinker by limestone gives better mechanical strengths than the mixtures containing fly ash at early days; after 28 days, the cements prepared by incorporation of fly ash gain an important strength. From mechanical point of view, an optima dosage was obtained at 77% clinker, 2% gypsum, 7.5% fly ash and 13% limestone composition.     

Hydraulic conductivity of compacted cement-stabilized fly ash

When combined with portland cement and compacted, fly ash is a high-strength material. In some instances, it may also be desirable to control the hydraulic conductivity (k) of the compacted mixture. Therefore, a study was performed to assess the effects of water content (w), cement content, curing time, and compaction effort on the hydraulic conductivity of compacted cement-stabilized fly ash. When compacting relatively dry mixtures (w < 20%), k is independent of compaction effort, and is on the order of 10⁻⁵ cm/s. When compacting between w of 20% and optimum water content (w_opt), compaction effort affects k, and, at a given w, k decreases by about an order of magnitude when increasing from standard to modified proctor effort. When wet of w_opt, k is on the order of 10⁻⁶ cm/s regardless of compaction effort or water content. With respect to curing time, extended curing time has relatively little effect on k within a 60-day time frame. Based on the results of this study, an approach to construction quality assurance testing can be applied to estimate k based on in situ measurement of dry density (ρ_d) and w.     

Biomass fly ash in concrete: SEM, EDX and ESEM analysis

This document summarizes microscopy study of concrete prepared from cement and fly ash (25% fly ash and 75% cement by weight), which covers coal fly ash and biomass fly ash. All the fly ash concrete has the statistical equal strength from one day to one year after mix. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) analysis show that both coal and biomass fly ash particles undergo significant changes of morphology and chemical compositions in concrete due to pozzolanic reaction, although biomass fly ash differs substantially from coal fly ash in its fuel resources.     

Effectiveness of fly ash for strength and durability of concrete

The effectiveness, K, of a fly ash can be defined as the ratio of the amount of cement replaced to the amount of fly ash added, provided the specified requirements of the concrete are maintained. It is generally assumed that the effectiveness of a fly ash can be treated as a constant. This paper presents results on concrete made with various mix proportions using three different cements and fly ash from three different sources. It was found that the K factor of each fly ash in achieving common 28-day compressive strength varies over a wide range depending on the amount of fly ash used, the type of cement, the incorporation of chemical admixtures and the particular strength level chosen. Besides strength, K can also be calculated for other properties. For the materials used in this investigation, the K factors with respect to carbonation were found to be unequal to K factors for strength.     

Electrochemical studies on the corrosion performance of steel embedded in activated fly ash blended concrete

The use of fly ash to replace a portion of cement has resulted significant savings in the cost of cement production. Fly ash blended cement concretes require a longer curing time and their early strength is low when compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete. By adopting various activation techniques such as physical, thermal and chemical methods, hydration of fly ash blended cement concrete was accelerated and thereby improved the corrosion-resistance of concrete. Concrete specimens prepared with 10-40% of activated fly ash replacement were evaluated for their open circuit potential measurements, weight loss measurements, impedance measurements, linear polarization measurements, water absorption test, rapid chloride ion penetration test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test and the results were compared with those for OPC concrete without fly ash. All the studies confirmed that up to a critical level of 20-30% replacement; activated fly ash cement improved the corrosion-resistance properties of concrete. It was also confirmed that the chemical activation of fly ash yielded better results than the other methods of activation investigated in this study.     

Properties of fresh concrete containing large amounts of fly ash

The effect of replacing 35 to 50 percent of cement by fly ash on workability, water requirement, bleeding, and setting time of lean concrete mixtures was investigated, using two ASTM Class F and two ASTM Class C fly ashes.Workability of all concrete mixtures containing fly ash was found to be better than that of the control mixtures (without fly ash). The water requirement for obtaining the designated slump (2 in., 5cm) of all concrete mixtures containing fly ash was reduced by 5 to 10 percent. The rate and volume of the bleeding water was either higher or about the same compared with the control mixture, depending on the type of fly ash and the mix proportions.Setting time was delayed for both fly ash types and at all levels of fly ash substitution compared with the control mixture; initial setting time was delayed from 20 min up to 4 hrs and 20 min, and the final setting time from 1 hour up to 5 hrs and 15 min, depending on the type and the amount of fly ash used.     

Characteristics and composition of fly ash from Canadian coal-fired power plants

Fly ashes were collected from the electrostatic precipitator (ESPs) and/or the baghouse of seven coal-fired power plants. The fly ashes were sampled from power plants that use pulverized subbituminous and bituminous feed coals. Fly ash from bituminous coals and limestone feed coals from fluidized-bed power plant were also sampled. The fly ashes were examined for their mineralogies and elemental compositions. The fly ashes from pulverized low sulfur coals are ferrocalsialic, those from high sulfur coals are ferrosialic and the fly ashes from the fluidized bed coals are ferrocalcic. The concentrations of As, Cd, Hg, Mo, Ni, and Pb in fly ash are related to the S content of the coal. Generally, those feed coals with a high S content contain higher concentrations of these elements. The concentrations of these elements are also greater for baghouse fly ash compared to ESP fly ash for the same station. The S content of fly ash from high S coal is 0.1% for pulverized ESP fly ash and 7% for baghouse fly ash from the fluidized bed, indicating that most of the S is captured by fly ash in the fluidized bed. The baghouse fly ash from the fluidized bed has the highest content of Cd, Hg, Mo, Pb, and Se, indicating that CaO, for the most part, captures them. Arsenic is captured by calcium-bearing minerals and hematite, and forms a stable complex of calcium or a transition metal of iron hydroxy arsenate hydrate [(M²⁺)₂Fe₃(AsO₄)₃(OH)₄·10H₂O] in the fly ash. Most elements in fly ash have enrichment indices of greater than 0.7 indicating that they are more enriched in the fly ash than in the feed coal, except for Hg in all ESP ashes. Mercury is an exception; it is more enriched in baghouse fly ash compared to ESP. Fly ash collected from a station equipped with hot side ESP has a lower concentration of Hg compared to stations equipped with cold side ESP using feed coals of similar rank and mercury content. Fly ash particles from fluidized bed coal are angular and subangular with cores of quartz and calcite. The quartz core is encased in layer(s) of calcium-rich aluminosilicates, and/or calcium/iron oxides. The calcite core is usually encased in an anhydrite shell.     

Properties of high-volume fly ash concrete incorporating nano-SiO2

This paper presents a laboratory study on the properties of high-volume fly ash high-strength concrete incorporating nano-SiO₂ (SHFAC). The results were compared with those of control Portland cement concrete (PCC) and of high-volume fly ash high-strength concrete (HFAC). Assessments of these concrete mixes were based on short- and long-term performance. These included compressive strength and pore size distribution. Significant strength increases of SHFAC compared to the high-volume fly ash high-strength were observed as early as after 3 days curing, and improvements in the pore size distribution of SHFAC were also observed. In this work, the hydration heat of nano-SiO₂ fly ash cement systems was also studied in comparison to the fly ash-cement systems and to the pure cement systems. In addition, the weight change of fly ash incorporating nano-SiO₂, fly ash, and nano-SiO₂ alone after immersed in saturated lime solution was also studied.     

Analysis and design of a stabilized fly ash as pavement base material

The main objective of this study is to utilize a class F fly ash as base material in road pavements. Since class F fly ashes do not manifest desirable engineering properties for this purpose, it was decided to stabilize the material with cement. Fly ash may be utilized with or without aggregate as a pavement layer. It should be noted that, in this research only aggregate free stabilized mixtures (fly ash and cement only) were used since the aim was to utilize high volumes of this waste material. Cement content in the stabilized, laboratory prepared samples were between 2%, 4%, 8%, and 10% by total weight. Initially, Texas triaxial test was carried out to justify the suitability of the fly ash as pavement material. Then, mechanical tests were performed to obtain the fundamental properties of the cement stabilized material in order to analyze the pavement structure. Under repeated wheel loading, fatigue cracking is the primary mode of failure of stabilized materials in which cracks initiate due to the repeated tensile stresses. Utilizing an accelerated full scale road test data for the fatigue performance of cement stabilized fly ash and performing a mechanistic-empirical design procedure, required layer thickness for different lives were obtained for different amount of cement content.     

Effect of steam curing on class C high-volume fly ash concrete mixtures

The effect of steam curing on concrete incorporating ASTM Class C fly ash (FA), which is widely available in Turkey, was investigated. Cement was replaced with up to 70% fly ash, and concrete mixtures with 360 kg/m³ cementitious content and a constant water/binder ratio of 0.4 were made. Compressive strength of concrete, volume stability of mortar bar specimens, and setting times of pastes were investigated. Test results indicate that, under standard curing conditions, only 1-day strength of fly ash concrete was low. At later ages, the strength values of even 50% and 60% fly ash concretes were satisfactory. Steam curing accelerated the 1-day strength but the long-term strength was greatly reduced. Setting time of fly ash-cement pastes and volume stability of mortars with 50% or less fly ash content were found to be satisfactory for standard specimens. In addition, for steam curing, this properties were acceptable for all replacement ratios.     

Optimization of fly ash content in concrete: Part I: Non-air-entrained concrete made without superplasticizer

This paper outlines the preliminary results of a research project aimed at optimizing the fly ash content in concrete. Such fly ash concrete would develop an adequate 1-day compressive strength and would be less expensive than the normal Portland cement concrete with similar 28-day compressive strength. The results show that, in a normal Portland cement concrete having a 28-day compressive strength of 40 MPa, it is possible to replace 50% of cement by a fine fly ash (∼3000 cm²/g) with a CaO content of ∼13%, yielding a concrete of similar 28-day compressive strength. This concrete can be designed to yield an early-age strength of 10 MPa and results in a cost reduction of about 20% in comparison to the control concrete. In a case of a coarser fly ash (∼2000 cm²/g) with a CaO content of ∼4%, substitution levels of cement by this ash could be from 30% to 40%. This concrete yields a 1-day compressive strength of 10 MPa and a 28-day compressive strength similar to that of the control concrete. The total cost of this concrete is about 10% lower than that of the control concrete.     

Pozzolanic properties of reject fly ash in blended cement pastes

Low-grade fly ash (reject fly ash, r-FA), a significant portion of the pulverized fuel ash (PFA) produced from coal-fired power plants and rejected from the ash classifying process, has remained unused due to its high carbon content and large particle size. But it may be used in certain areas, such as in solidification and stabilization processes of hazardous waste and materials for road base or subbase construction, which require relatively lower strength and reactivity. It is therefore necessary to extend research on the properties of r-FA and explore its possible applications. This paper presents experimental results of a study on the mechanical and hydration properties of cementitious materials prepared by blending r-FA with ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Parallel mixes were also prepared with the good ash [i.e., classified fine fly ash (f-FA)] for comparison. Selective chemical activators were added to the mix to study the effects of the activators on the properties of the blend system. The results show that r-FA generally has a lower rate of hydration than f-FA particularly at the early stage of hydration. Adding Ca(OH)₂ alone almost had no effect on accelerating the hydration of r-FA. But adding a small quantity of Na₂SO₄ or K₂SO₄ together with Ca(OH)₂ significantly accelerated the hydration reaction. The results of the compressive strength measurement correlated nicely with the degree of hydration results. It was also found that water-to-binder ratio (w/b) was an important factor in affecting the strength development and the hydration degree of r-FA pastes.     

分光光度法快速测定粉煤灰水泥中粉煤灰含量

通过分光光度法,对粉煤灰水泥中Fe2O3和SO3总含量进行检测,后分别检测粉煤灰、熟料、脱硫石膏中的Fe2O3和SO3含量,最后通过混合材掺量计算公式,计算粉煤灰水泥中的粉煤灰含量。该检测方法准确性较高,并且检测快捷方便,检测结果绝对误差范围小于5%。