The influences of siliceous waste on blended cement properties

The influences of siliceous waste on the properties of fly ash and blast furnace slag cement were studied, and its optimum mixing amount in blended cement was determined. The strength, setting time, resistance to chemical attack, dry shrinkage, and impermeability of blended cement mixed with siliceous waste were also investigated by different experiments. The measurement of pore size distribution for hardened cement pastes made by Poremaster-60 was recorded and analyzed in this article.     

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.     

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.     

Strength and microstructural characteristics of chemically activated fly ash-cement systems

The use of fly ash as a cement replacement material increases the long-term strength and durability of concrete. Despite these great benefits, the use of fly ash is limited due to the low early strength of fly ash concrete. To eliminate this problem, many studies have been conducted on accelerating the pozzolanic properties of fly ash. The study reported below investigated the strength and microstructural characteristics of fly ash-cement systems containing three kinds of activators—Na₂SO₄, K₂SO₄, and triethanolamine—to accelerate the early strength of fly ash mortars. Through the use of thermal gravity analysis, it was demonstrated that the activators not only decreased or maintained the amount of Ca(OH)₂ products, but also increased the production of ettringite at early ages. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microcopy, and mercury intrusion porosimetry also confirmed that in the early curing stages of fly ash-cement pastes containing activators, large amounts of ettringite were formed, resulting in a reduction in the pore size ranging from 0.01 to 5 μm. The research results support the supposition that the addition of small amounts of activators is a viable solution for increasing the early-age compressive strength of fly ash concrete.     

Reactions of fly ash with calcium aluminate cement and calcium sulphate

The hydration processes in the ternary system fly ash/calcium aluminate cement/calcium sulphate (FA/CAC/C$) at 20 °C were investigated; six compositions from the ternary system FA/CAC/C$ were selected for this study. The nature of the reaction products in these pastes were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). At four days reaction time, the main hydration reaction product in these pastes was ettringite and the samples with major initial CAC presented minor ettringite but calcium aluminates hydrates. The amount of ettringite developed in the systems has no direct relation with the initial components.     

Fly ash effects: III. The microaggregate effect of fly ash

In this paper, the microaggregate effect of fly ash is studied systematically by micromechanics, the hypothesis of center particle and pore size distribution. It is pointed out that the microaggregate effect is an important effect of fly ash. It is strengthened with the increase of content of fly ash, but weakened with age. At early age, fly ash cannot fine the pore structure. At late age, fly ash may fine the pore structure. However, in general, the fining role is only a relative fining role.     

Effect of fibers on expansion of concrete with a large amount of high f-CaO fly ash

The effects of different types of fibers on expansion of cement paste, in which a large amount of high content of f-CaO fly ash (HFA) was added, were investigated and the way to prevent cement paste with HFA from expansion was proposed. The results showed that the effects of different fibers on expansion of cement paste are related to the properties of fibers. Carbon fiber and alkali-resistant glass fiber, which have high elastic modulus, can effectively restrain the expansion, while nylon fiber with low elastic modulus has no restraint effect on the expansion. In addition, the restraint effect of alkali-resistant glass fiber increases with the increase of fiber content.     

Effect of fly ash on autogenous shrinkage

The correlation between autogenous shrinkage and degree of hydration of fly ash was determined with the selective dissolution method. Then, the relationship between the degree of hydration of fly ash and autogenous shrinkage was examined. The results showed that the degree of hydration of fly ash increased as its Blaine surface area increased. The degree of hydration of fly ash increased with time, and autogenous shrinkage increased corresponding to the increase in the degree of hydration of fly ash. Moreover, it was found that the total quantity of Al₂O₃ in cement-fly ash samples affected autogenous shrinkage at early ages, but the long-term influence was very small.     

Fly ash effects: II. The active effect of fly ash

This paper examines the method for determining the hydration degree of cement clinker and the pozzolanic reaction degree of fly ash in the system of cement and fly ash. In the base, the active effect of fly ash is studied. The studied results show that the active effect includes two aspects: (1) Fly ash has stronger pozzolanic activity and can react with Ca(OH)₂, and (2) it can promote the hydration of cement. When the content of fly ash is less, its pozzolanic activity can exert well, but its promoting role to the hydration of cement is weaker. When the content of fly ash is more, it is less than its pozzolanic activity can be used, but its promoting role to the hydration of cement is stronger.     

Colour control in fly ash as a combined function of particle size and chemical composition

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the combined effect of particle size and chemical composition on the colour of fly ash - a property that determines whether fly ash polymer composites can be engineered to have very light appearance satisfying the need for a wide range of commodity applications, particularly in the building material and computer housing industry. Four fly ash samples were collected from Tarong power plant Queensland, Australia, namely fly ash from first hopper (T59), classified fly ash from first hopper (T60), grinded and then classified fly ash from first hopper (T63) and fly ash from fourth hopper (T64). It was found that the particle size of T64 is smaller but still in the same order as T63. Colour measurement and chemical composition analysis of the different FA samples showed that there is a correlation between the particle size, chemical composition and colour of the fly ash. This information could be effectively used in fly ash recycling industry.     

Influence of fly ash fineness on strength, drying shrinkage and sulfate resistance of blended cement mortar

In this paper, the influence of fineness of fly ash on water demand and some of the properties of hardened mortar are examined. In addition to the original fly ash (OFA), five different fineness values of fly ash were obtained by sieving and by using an air separator. Two sieves, Nos. 200 and 325, were used to obtain two lots of graded fine fly ash. For the classification using air separator, the OFA was separated into fine, medium and coarse portions. The fly ash dosage of 40% by weight of binder was used throughout the experiment. From the tests, it was found that the compressive strength of mortar depended on the fineness of fly ash. The strength of mortar containing fine fly ash was better than that of OFA mortar at all ages with the very fine fly ash giving the highest strength. The use of all fly ashes resulted in significant improvement in drying shrinkage with the coarse fly ash showing the least improvement owing primarily to the high water to binder ratio (W/B) of the mix. Significant improvement of resistance to sulfate expansion was obtained for all fineness values except for the coarse fly ash where greater expansion was observed. The resistance to sulfuric acid attack was also improved with the incorporation of all fly ashes. In this case the coarse fly ash gave the best performance with the lowest rate of the weight loss owing probably to the better bonding of the coarse fly ash particles to the cement matrix and less hydration products. It is suggested that the fine fly ash is more reactive and its use resulted in a denser cement matrix and better mechanical properties of mortar.     

Activation of the fly ash pozzolanic reaction by hydrothermal conditions

The effect of hydrothermal treatment on the pozzolanic reaction of two kinds of Spanish fly ashes from coal combustion (ASTM class F) is discussed. Characterization of the compounds formed as a result of hydrothermal treatment and the changes provoked in the starting fly ashes were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. α-C₂SH, CSH gel, different solid solutions of katoites (the cubic crystallographic variety of hydrogarnets series (C₃ASH₄)) and a mixed oxide (CaFe₂O₄) were formed depending on the kind of fly ash. The hydrated compounds are precursors of a new kind of low-energy cement called fly ash belite cement (FABC); besides, they have potential properties to intercalate toxic ions and therefore can be used as immobilization systems of these ions.     

The effects of fly ash composition on the chemistry of pore solution in hydrated cement pastes

This paper reports the findings of an investigation to determine the influence of fly ash composition on the evolution of the pore solution chemistry in Portland cement/fly ash systems. Twelve fly ashes, selected to represent the wide range of composition of North American ashes, were used in the study. In addition to pore solution expression and analysis, inner hydration products were analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. The study shows that the alkalinity of pore solution increases as the calcium and alkali content of the fly ash increase, and decreases as the silica content of the ash increases. However, there is no consistent trend between the composition of the inner calcium-silicate hydrate and fly ash composition.     

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).     

公路粉煤灰水泥的研制（一）

文中研究了熟料掺量、复合激发剂、石膏掺量、水泥颗粒粒度对公路粉煤灰水泥的影响.获得了公路粉煤灰水泥的最佳配料方案和工艺参数.与粉煤灰硅酸盐水泥性能相比,公路粉煤灰水泥早期强度略低于粉煤灰硅酸盐水泥,凝结时间较长,但其7d～28d水化龄期内的强度增长率较高,28d强度已赶上或超过粉煤灰硅酸盐水泥,胶砂流动度好.     

The leachability of heavy metals in hardened fly ash cement and cement-solidified fly ash

The effect of mix proportion, leachant pH, curing age, carbonation and specimen making method etc. on the leaching of heavy metals and Cr(VI) in fly ash cement mortars and cement-solidified fly ashes has been investigated. In addition, a method for reducing the leaching of Cr(VI) from cement-solidified fly ashes is proposed. The results mainly indicate that: (1) either Portland cement or fly ash contains a certain amount of heavy and toxic metals, and the leaching of them from hardened fly ash incorporated specimens exists and is increased with fly ash addition and water to cement ratio; (2) the leachability of some heavy metals is greatly dependent on leachant pH; (3) when carbonation of cement mortars occurs the leaching of chromium ions is increased; (4) the amount of heavy metals leached from cement-solidified fly ashes depends more on the kind of fly ash than their contents in fly ash; and (5) with ground granulated blast furnace slag addition, the leaching of Cr(VI) from solidified fly ashes is decreased.     

Effect of fly ash on the kinetics of Portland cement hydration at different curing temperatures

This paper describes the effect of fly ash on the hydration kinetics of cement in low water to binder (w/b) fly ash-cement at different curing temperatures. The modified shrinking-core model was used to quantify the kinetic coefficients of the various hydration processes. The results show that the effect of fly ash on the hydration kinetics of cement depends on fly ash replacement ratios and curing temperatures. It was found that, at 20 °C and 35 °C, the fly ash retards the hydration of cement in the early period and accelerates the hydration of cement in the later period. Higher the fly ash replacement ratios lead to stronger effects. However, at 50 °C, the fly ash retards the hydration of the cement at later ages when it is used at high replacement ratios. This is because the pozzolanic reaction of the large volumes of fly ash is strongly accelerated from early in the aging, impeding the hydration of the cement.     

分选与磨细粉煤灰对水泥胶砂性能的影响

研究了分选与磨细粉煤灰的颗粒分布与形貌的差异及对水泥胶砂性能的影响。研究结果表明:当勃氏比表面积相近,磨细粉煤灰的中位粒径大于分选细粉煤灰,其圆珠状颗粒较少,表面较为粗糙。在相同水胶比的条件下,掺分选粗粉煤灰的水泥胶砂流动度及强度均低;分选粗粉煤灰磨细后,不仅减少了颗粒的粘连,增加了比表面积,而且提高了粉煤灰的反应活性和水泥胶砂流动度及强度,虽其水泥胶砂流动度仍小于掺分选细粉煤灰的水泥,3d水泥胶砂强度也略低,但其28d水泥胶砂强度略高于掺分选细粉煤灰的水泥;在相同水泥胶砂流动度的条件下,掺磨细粉煤灰配制的水泥胶砂3d强度低于掺分选细粉煤灰的水泥,但随着水化龄期的增长,其差距逐步缩小,至60d时可超过后者。     

Effect of pumice and fly ash incorporation on high temperature resistance of cement based mortars

The effects of high temperature on the mechanical properties of cement based mortars containing pumice and fly ash were investigated in this research. Four different mortar mixtures with varying amounts of fly ash were exposed to high temperatures of 300, 600, and 900 °C for 3 h. The residual strength of these specimens was determined after cooling by water soaking or by air cooling. Also, microstructure formations were investigated by X-ray and SEM analyses.Test results showed that the pumice mortar incorporating 60% fly ash revealed the best performance particularly at 900 °C. This mixture did not show any loss in compressive strength at all test temperatures when cooled in air. The superior performance of 60% FA mortar may be attributed to the strong aggregate-cement paste interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and ceramic bond formation at 900 °C. However, all mortar specimens showed severe losses in terms of flexural strength. Furthermore, specimens cooled in water showed greater strength loss than the air cooled specimens. Nevertheless, the developed pumice, fly ash and cement based mortars seemed to be a promising material in preventing high temperature hazards.