Utilization of fly ash concrete in marine environment for long term design life analysis

This paper presents the performance of 7-year fly ash concrete exposed to hot and high humidity climate in marine conditions. Control concrete and fly-ash concrete cube specimens of 200 mm were cast and steel bars of 12 mm in diameter and 50 mm in length were embedded at various cover depths. The concrete specimens were exposed to tidal zone of marine environment in the Gulf of Thailand. The concrete specimens were tested for chloride penetration profile, chloride content at the position of embedded steel bar, and corrosion of embedded steel bar after being exposed to tidal zone of sea water up to 7 years. Consequently, these experimental data were used to generate the empirical equation for predicting long term required cover depth of cement and fly ash concretes to protect against the initial corrosion of reinforcing steel in a marine environment.     

Prediction of long-term chloride diffusion in silica fume concrete in a marine environment

Chloride-induced corrosion is the main factor in determining the durability and service life of the reinforced concrete structures exposed to marine environments. Recognition of chloride diffusion phenomenon in concrete and developing a prediction model that can estimate the service life of the concrete structures subject to long-term exposure is vital for aggressive marine environments. The present study focuses on developing such a prediction model of chloride diffusion coefficient for silica fume concrete under long-term exposure to a durability site located in the southern region of Iran. All investigations are based on 16 concrete mix designs containing silica fume with variable water-to-binder ratios exposed to sea water for maximum period of 60 months. This empirical model is developed by applying regression analysis based on Fick’s second law on the experimental results and is compared with previous studies in this area. This comparison indicates that the predicted chloride diffusion coefficient level is within a ±25% error margin in the specimens. The results indicate that reducing the water-to-binder ratio and adding the silica fume to a dosage of 10% reduces the chloride diffusion coefficient in concrete. This study also confirms that the chloride diffusion coefficient increases with temperature and decreases over time.     

Service life and global warming potential of chloride exposed concrete with high volumes of fly ash

Today, it remains unclear how ‘green’ concrete with high volumes of fly ash really is, especially when subject to chloride-induced corrosion. This paper presents chloride diffusion test results for high-volume fly ash and fly ash + silica fume concrete. Apparent diffusion coefficients and surface concentrations were compared with those for traditional concrete. Instantaneous chloride diffusion coefficients and ageing exponents were estimated and critical chloride contents for submerged exposure conditions were experimentally verified. The estimated time to chloride-induced steel depassivation for the two concrete types with fly ash (60 to more than 100 years) was much longer than for traditional concrete (24–32 years). As a consequence, global warming potentials (GWPs) calculated for the required concrete volume per unit of strength and service life indicate that an important reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is possible for both concrete types with high volumes of fly ash (GWP –50 to −82%).     

Compressive strength of HPC containing CNI and fly ash after long-term exposure to a marine environment

This study addressed the effect of calcium nitrite based corrosion inhibitor (CNI) and fly ash (FA) on the long-term compressive strength of high performance concrete (HPC). A 3³ full factorial design was developed to evaluate the influence of CNI at addition rates of 0, 12.5 and 25 L/m³ on the compressive strength of HPC manufactured with 8% silica fume blended cement in combination with 0%, 20% and 40% FA replacements and mixed at 0.29, 0.37 and 0.45 water to cementing materials ratios (w/cm). Standard 100 × 200 mm cylinders were prepared and tested for compressive strength at 28 days and 1 year. The 9-year old concrete specimens were obtained from small-scale reinforced concrete slabs that were exposed to a marine environment. Results indicate that the interaction of CNI and FA does not adversely affect the short and long term compressive strength of concrete. In fact, an enhancement on the compressive strength was observed in concretes containing such combination even after long-term exposure to a marine environment.     

Efficiency of fly ash in concrete

Earlier efforts towards an understanding of the efficiency of fly ash in concrete has led to the introduction of rational methods. Based on the results available on some of the more recent pulverised fuel ashes, the authors evaluated the efficiency of fly ash in concrete over a wide range of percentage replacements (15–75%). It was clearly shown that the overall efficiency of fly ash cannot be adequately predicted using a single efficiency factor at all percentages of replacements. The overall efficiency factor (k) has been evaluated at all percentages of replacements considering the general efficiency factor (k_e) and the percentage efficiency factor (k_p). This study resulted in a quantitative assessment of the behaviour of fly ash in concrete, especially for the 28 day compressive strength at different percentages of replacement.     

Prediction of the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete

It has been experimentally verified that the structure of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) in concrete differs from that of bulk cement paste. As such, concrete should be modeled as a three-phase material at a mesoscopic level. This paper presents a three-phase composite model for predicting the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete. Taking the inclusion as aggregate and the matrix as cement paste, the composite circle model is established by adding an ITZ layer in between the inclusion and the matrix. Solving the asymmetrical problem analytically, a closed-form solution for the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete is derived. After verifying this model with experimental results, the effects of the aggregate area fraction, the chloride diffusion coefficient of ITZ, the ITZ thickness, the maximum aggregate diameter and the aggregate gradation on the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete are evaluated in a quantitative manner. It is found that the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete decreases with the increase of the aggregate area fraction and the maximum aggregate diameter, but increases with the increase of the chloride diffusion coefficient and thickness of ITZ. It is also found that the aggregate gradation has a significant influence on the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete.     

Influence of the slag content on the chloride and sulfuric acid resistances of alkali-activated fly ash/slag paste

This study aims to investigate the influence of the slag content on the chloride and sulfuric acid resistances of alkali-activated fly ash/slag (AFS) paste. A series of tests were conducted to examine the effects of reaction products and their contents on the chloride and sulfuric acid resistance capabilities. It was shown from the tests that the deterioration of the AFS binder due to a sulfuric acid attack was caused by 1) the corrosion by means of SO₄²⁻ penetration through the surface of the AFS binder, which is associated with permeable voids and a rate of water absorption and 2) the corrosion of the reaction products resulting from the different degrees of resistance to sulfuric attack between the C-(A)-S-H and the N-A-S-H. Variation of the slag content led to differences in the reaction product content of the AFS binder, clearly affecting the chloride-binding capacity and the resistance to chloride penetration.     

Influence of fly ash as a cement addition on the hardened properties of recycled aggregate concrete

The effects of the use of Class F fly ash as a cement addition on the hardened properties of recycled aggregate concrete were determined. In this study, four series of concrete mixtures were prepared with water-to-cement (w/c) ratios of 0.55, 0.50, 0.45 and 0.40. The recycled aggregate was used as 0%, 20%, 50% and 100% replacements of coarse natural aggregate. Furthermore, fly ash was employed as 0% and 25% addition of cement. Although the use of recycled aggregate had a negative effect on the mechanical properties of concrete, it was found that the addition of fly ash was able to mitigate this detrimental effect. Also, the addition of fly ash reduced the drying shrinkage and enhanced the resistance to chloride ion penetration of concrete prepared with recycled aggregate. Moreover, it was found that the drying shrinkage and chloride ion penetration decreased as the compressive strength increased. Compared with the results of our previous study, the present study has quantified the advantages of using fly ash as an additional cementitious material in recycled aggregate concrete over the use of fly use as a replacement of cement.     

Thaumasite formation in concrete and mortars containing fly ash

Due to recent reports on deterioration of concrete structures, the thaumasite form of sulfate attack has become a subject of study and close investigation. This paper investigates the formation of thaumasite in concrete and mortars containing fly ash. The results show that thaumasite formation can occur within 84 days of exposure to sulfate solutions. High volumes of fly ash can limit or promote thaumasite formation depending on the type of cement used. Thaumasite and ettringite were found among the deterioration products. However, the thaumasite formation in the specimen prepared from sulfate resisting Portland cement was not accompanied by deterioration, except by 50% fly ash addition. The mixtures of Portland limestone cement with 40% fly ash exhibited a very limited thaumasite formation while the mixtures with 50% had no thaumasite at all. It is concluded that thaumasite can also be formed in mixtures incorporating fly ash.     

Shrinkage behavior of structural foam lightweight concrete containing glycol compounds and fly ash

Shrinkage behavior of the structural foam lightweight concrete with density of 1600 kg/m³ was investigated. Owing to high drying shrinkage of the lightweight concrete, glycol compounds were used in the concrete mixture to study their effect on shrinkage behavior. Propylene glycol (PG), triethylene glycol (TEG) and dipropylene glycol tert-butyl ether (DPTE) were selected for testing of drying shrinkage of the lightweight concrete. Partial replacement of cement and sand with fly ash was also used to reduce the shrinkage. Results indicated that PG, TEG and DPTE were effective in reducing the shrinkage of lightweight concrete through reduction of surface tension of water. However, DPTE significantly reduced the surface tension and caused the foam instability and early stiffening of mixture. The partial replacement of cement and sand with fly ash could also reduce the shrinkage of the lightweight concrete. In this case, the compressive strength was also enhanced owing to the additional pozzolanic reaction.     

Compressive strength and chloride resistance of self-compacting concrete containing high level fly ash and silica fume

The influence of high-calcium fly ash and silica fume as a binary and ternary blended cement on compressive strength and chloride resistance of self-compacting concrete (SCC) were investigated in this study. High-calcium fly ash (40–70%) and silica fume (0–10%) were used to replace part of cement at 50, 60 and 70 wt.%. Compressive strength, density, volume of permeable pore space (voids) and water absorption of SCC were investigated. The total charge passed in coulombs was assessed in order to determine chloride resistance of SCC. The results show that binary blended cement with high level fly ash generally reduced the compressive strength of SCC at all test ages (3, 7, 28 and 90 days). However, ternary blended cement with fly ash and silica fume gained higher compressive strength after 7 days when compared to binary blended fly ash cement at the same replacement level. The compressive strength more than 60 MPa (high strength concrete) can be obtained when using high-calcium fly ash and silica fume as ternary blended cement. Fly ash decreased the charge passed of SCC and tends to decrease with increasing fly ash content, although the volume of permeable pore space (voids) and water absorption of SCC were increased. In addition when compared to binary blended cement at the same replacement level, the charge passed of SCC that containing ternary blended cement was lower than binary blended cement with fly ash only. This indicated that fly ash and silica fume can improve chloride resistance of SCC at high volume content of Portland cement replacement.     

Effect of fire exposure on cracking,spalling and residual strength of fly ash geopolymer concrete

Fly ash based geopolymer is an emerging alternative binder to cement for making concrete. The cracking, spalling and residual strength behaviours of geopolymer concrete were studied in order to understand its fire endurance, which is essential for its use as a building material. Fly ash based geopolymer and ordinary portland cement (OPC) concrete cylinder specimens were exposed to fires at different temperatures up to 1000 °C, with a heating rate of that given in the International Standards Organization (ISO) 834 standard. Compressive strength of the concretes varied in the range of 39–58 MPa. After the fire exposures, the geopolymer concrete specimens were found to suffer less damage in terms of cracking than the OPC concrete specimens. The OPC concrete cylinders suffered severe spalling for 800 and 1000 °C exposures, while there was no spalling in the geopolymer concrete specimens. The geopolymer concrete specimens generally retained higher strength than the OPC concrete specimens. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of geopolymer concrete showed continued densification of the microstructure with the increase of fire temperature. The strength loss in the geopolymer concrete specimens was mainly because of the difference between the thermal expansions of geopolymer matrix and the aggregates.     

Lattice modeling of chloride diffusion in sound and cracked concrete

Reinforced concrete structures are frequently exposed to aggressive environmental conditions. Most notably, chloride ions from sea water or de-icing salts are potentially harmful since they promote corrosion of steel reinforcement. Concrete cover of sufficient quality and depth can ensure protection of the steel reinforcement. However, it is necessary to study the effects of material heterogeneity and cracking on chloride ingress in concrete. This is done herein by proposing a three-dimensional lattice model capable of simulating chloride transport in saturated sound and cracked concrete. Means of computationally determining transport properties of individual phases in heterogeneous concrete (aggregate, mortar, and interface), knowing the concrete composition and its averaged transport properties, are presented and discussed. Based on numerical experimentation and available literature, a relation between the effective diffusion coefficient of cracked lattice elements and the crack width was adopted. The proposed model is coupled with a lattice fracture model to enable simulation of chloride ingress in cracked concrete. The model was validated on data from the literature, showing good agreement with experimental results.     

Effectiveness of fly ash on the restrained shrinkage cracking resistance of self-compacting concrete

This paper presents results from restrained shrinkage tests to assess the effectiveness of fly ash on cracking and relaxation behavior of Self Compacting Concrete (SCC). The effects of fly ash (FA) proportion, degree of restraint and curing regime are specifically addressed. The results show that curing condition and degree of restraint play a significant role on the effectiveness of FA on the cracking and relaxation behavior of SCC mixes. It was also found that addition of FA improves the cracking resistance and relaxation behavior of SCC relative to the control. The results further suggest that FA can replace cement by up to 50% for low degree of restraint, and up to 35% for high degree of restraint with significant improvement in cracking resistance, provided that appropriate moist curing is adopted. The normalized results presented may also prove to be an important tool in devising mixes best suited for onsite conditions.     

Adsorption of reactive dyes from aqueous solutions by fly ash: kinetic and equilibrium studies

Adsorption kinetic and equilibrium studies of three reactive dyes namely, Remazol Brillant Blue (RB), Remazol Red 133 (RR) and Rifacion Yellow HED (RY) from aqueous solutions at various initial dye concentration (100–500 mg/l), pH (2–8), particle size (45–112.5 μm) and temperature (293–323 K) on fly ash (FA) were studied in a batch mode operation. The adsorbent was characterized with using several methods such as SEM, XRD and FTIR. Adsorption of RB reactive dye was found to be pH dependent but both RR and RY reactive dyes were not. The result showed that the amount adsorbed of the reactive dyes increased with increasing initial dye concentration and contact time. Batch kinetic data from experimental investigations on the removal of reactive dyes from aqueous solutions using FA have been well described by external mass transfer and intraparticle diffusion models. It was found that external mass transfer and intraparticle diffusion had rate limiting affects on the removal process. This was attributed to the relatively simple macropore structure of FA particles. The adsorption data fitted well with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The optimum conditions for removal of the reactive dyes were 100 mg/l initial dye concentration, 0.6 g/100 ml adsorbent dose, temperature of 293 K, 45 μm particle size, pH 6 and agitation speed of 250 rpm, respectively. The values of Langmuir and Freundlich constants were found to increase with increasing temperature in the range 135–180 and 15–34 mg/g for RB, 47–86 and 1.9–3.7 mg/g for RR and 37–61 and 3.0–3.6 mg/g for RY reactive dyes, respectively. Different thermodynamic parameters viz., changes in standard free energy, enthalpy and entropy were evaluated and it was found that the reaction was spontaneous and endothermic in nature.     

Comparative study of different test methods for reinforced concrete durability assessment in marine environment

There are many different test methods to assess reinforced concrete durability. As in marine environment reinforcement corrosion due to chloride attack is the most important degradation process, chloride penetration rate has been compared with different durability tests results (concrete strength, porosity, water absorption, water penetration depth under pressure, capillarity, water and oxygen permeability) carried out on concrete cores obtained from the caissons of seven Spanish wharves. Data have been studied separately, depending on concrete location (chloride penetration rate is faster in submerged concretes than in tidal zone concretes) and cement type (mineral admixtures reduce permeation rate due to pore size refinement). Results show that it is advisable to control concrete water tightness through water penetration under pressure test; additionally, in order to make sure a slow corrosion rate, it should be advisable to control oxygen permeability in tidal zone concretes.     

Compressive strength and microstructural analysis of fly ash/palm oil fuel ash based geopolymer mortar

This paper presents the effects and adaptability of palm oil fuel ash (POFA) as a replacement material in fly ash (FA) based geopolymer mortar from the aspect of microstructural and compressive strength. The geopolymers developed were synthesized with a combination of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate as activator and POFA and FA as high silica–alumina resources. The development of compressive strength of POFA/FA based geopolymers was investigated using X-ray florescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). It was observed that the particle shapes and surface area of POFA and FA as well as chemical composition affects the density and compressive strength of the mortars. The increment in the percentages of POFA increased the silica/alumina (SiO₂/Al₂O₃) ratio and that resulted in reduction of the early compressive strength of the geopolymer and delayed the geopolymerization process.     

Effect of microwave irradiation on crystal growth of zeolitized coal fly ash with different solid/liquid ratios

In the present work, coal fly ash (CFA) was converted to zeolite (CFAZP) experimentally at atmospheric pressure via a conventional hydrothermal heating for 6 h at low temperature (90 ± 3 °C) followed by microwave irradiation for 30 min. The synthesized products were characterized using XRD, TGA/DTA, SEM, PSD, BET, and cation-exchange capacity (CEC) techniques. The effect of microwave on the crystal growth of nucleated CFAZP at different solid/liquid ratios (suspended CFA mass to NaOH solution volume, g/mL) was studied. A three-variable, three level central composite statistical experimental design was applied to investigate the effect of the independent variables on the response function defined as the ratio of the characteristic peak intensity at 2θ: 28° of a sample to that of the same peak of a sample run for 24 h with conventional heating. The relative peak intensity of CFAZP as high as 97% was achieved under optimum experimental conditions with 1 M of NaOH concentration, 6 h of conventional heating followed by 30 min microwave irradiation with a solid/liquid ratio of 0.40 g/mL. Under constant microwave energy, higher solid/liquid ratios led to higher relative peak intensity of the product.     

Leaching behaviour of major and trace elements from concrete: Effect of fly ash and GGBS

The leaching of major and trace elements from concrete made with Portland cement, fly ash and GGBS (ground granulated blast-furnace slag) was studied using pH static availability and tank leach tests. The release of substances during the tank leach test occurs by surface dissolution of phases at the concrete surface and diffusion inside the concrete, the amounts depending on the phases controlling solubility and concrete porosity. Alkali release is controlled by diffusion and is thus reduced by lower water/binder ratios and the replacement of Portland cement by fly ash. Ca, Al and S release occurs mainly by surface dissolution of portlandite and AFt/AFm, respectively. The release of V is determined by surface dissolution of V substituted ettringite and/or calcium vanadate. Although fly ash can increase the total V content of concrete, enhancing release, only 2% of the total V content in concrete was available for release.     

Bar-concrete bond in mixes containing calcium carbide residue,fly ash and recycled concrete aggregate

A mixture of calcium carbide residue and fly ash (CRFA) is an innovative new binder for concrete instead of using ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Therefore, this study aims at investigating the bond interaction between common steel reinforcing bars and the aforementioned concrete. To this end, both CRFA and OPC concretes using crushed limestone and recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as a coarse aggregate were prepared to investigate the bond strength of smooth and deformed bars by pull-out tests. The bond stress−slip relationships were also identified to determine the effects of CRFA binder and RCA on the bond strength behavior. The results indicate that the values the of bond-slip behavior and bond strengths of steel bar in CRFA concretes are similar to those embedded in OPC concrete. Moreover, the bond strength was significantly affected by RCA and the types of steel bar. Although the concretes had the same compressive strengths, the deformed bar embedded in CRFA concrete with RCA had a lower bond strength than the one with crushed limestone. However, the reduction in bond strength of the CRFA concrete with RCA was still less than that of OPC concrete with RCA. For the CRFA concretes, the bond strengths of the deformed bars were approximately 1.7–3.6 times higher than that of smooth bars.