Alkali silica reactivity of agglomerated silica fume

It is commonly accepted that replacement of a portion of cement in mortar or concrete with well-dispersed silica fume reduces expansion caused by alkali silica reaction. Recently there has been much discussion that large, agglomerated particles of silica fume may actually act as alkali silica reactive aggregates, thereby increasing expansion rather than reducing it. The data in the literature, from both field and laboratory studies, are inconsistent. This prompted an extensive laboratory investigation into the alkali silica reactivity of silica fume. Results from accelerated expansion testing and microscopic investigations are presented. It was seen that some agglomerated silica fumes participate in ASR while others do not. Factors determining the reactivity of silica fume agglomerates are suggested.     

The effect of waste oil-cracking catalyst on the compressive strength of cement pastes and mortars

Epcat, one of the spent fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts from oil-cracking refineries, shows pozzolanic activity. In this study, pastes and mortars with Epcat were prepared and cured, and their compressive strengths after 3, 7 and 28 curing days were measured. The water/binder (W/B) ratios were 0.2, 0.25 and 0.3, and the replacement levels of cement by Epcat were 0, 5, 10 and 15 wt.%. Proper amount of superplasticizer was added into each mix to ensure similar workability.The results indicate that the presence of Epcat would increase the compressive strength of mortars substantially, but increase the compressive strength of the related pastes only slightly. Epcat mortars with W/B=0.25 show more strength-enhancing effect than those with W/B=0.3, and this effect increases with the catalyst content. Therefore, the mix (W/B=0.25) incorporated 15% Epcat exhibits the greatest compressive strength (92.3 MPa). For mortars with W/B=0.2, the strength-enhancing effect occurs only for those containing 5% catalyst; this effect becomes unclear when mixes containing 10% Epcat or more because high dosage of superplasticizer was added in obtaining proper workability and that affects the strength development. The improvement in the mechanical properties of mortars is attributed to the increase in the hydrated cement paste itself and, more importantly, improved bonds between the cement paste and aggregate.     

Comparing the pozzolanic behavior of sugar cane bagasse ash to amorphous and crystalline SiO2

The present paper aims to clarify the pozzolanic behavior of sugar cane bagasse ash-SCBA by comparing it to amorphous and crystalline silica. It is shown that calcium silicate hydrate is formed in lime solution with SCBA but the reaction is slow and does not consume all the material. Comparing its results with the obtained in tests with silica fume and with crushed quartz show a better agreement with the latter. Characterization of cement pastes shows 20% of cement replacement by sugar cane bagasse ash leads to only a minor reduction in the amount of calcium hydroxide formed. This behavior is also closer to the observed in quartz than in silica fume. The results suggest SCBA should be used as a replacement for inert constituents in cement composites rather than pozzolanic addition. Analysis of the microstructure of the cement pastes revealed the presence of calcium hydroxide in samples prepared with partial replacement by silica fume, quartz and sugar cane bagasse ash. The presence of this phase in the sample prepared with silica fume was attributed to agglomeration of the particles that affected the reactivity of this material.     

Examining the pozzolanicity of supplementary cementitious materials using isothermal calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis

It has recently been proposed that the pozzolanicity of supplementary cementitious materials can be determined by monitoring the heat released when supplementary cementitious materials are mixed with calcium hydroxide at high temperature and high pH. In this study, the heat release is measured using this procedure for a variety of different supplementary cementitious materials. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis is performed on the reacted material to determine the amount of calcium hydroxide consumed. The heat release and calcium hydroxide consumption can be used in conjunction to compare supplementary cementitious materials. Calcium hydroxide consumption can be used to determine the extent of reaction of supplementary cementitious materials in pastes where supplementary cementitious materials are used to replace a portion of cement.     

The influence of initial water curing on the strength development of ordinary portland and pozzolanic cement concretes

The effect of initial water-curing period on the strength properties of concretes was investigated. Three types of cement, one ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and two natural pozzolanic cements (blended and trass cements), were used in the concrete mixtures. Six different curing regimes were applied to the specimens, the first of which was continuous water storing, and the second continuous air storing. In the remaining four regimes, the specimens were stored under varying initial water-curing periods of 3, 7, 14, and 28 days, respectively. The compressive strength tests were carried out on the cubic specimens at the ages of 7, 14, 28, 90, and 180 days. The variation of compressive strength with time was evaluated by using a semilogarithmic function and the strength-gaining rates were calculated by using this equation for different curing conditions. It was found that poor curing conditions are more adversely effective on the strength of concretes made by pozzolanic cements than that of OPC, and it is necessary to apply water curing to the former concretes at least for the initial 7 days to expose the pozzolanic activity. However, when the pozzolanic cement concretes have sufficient initial curing, they can reach the strength of OPC concretes in reasonable periods of time.     

Engineering properties of amorphous silica as a new natural pozzolan for use in concrete

Nowadays, in order to produce the high strength concrete in the civil engineering applications, the use of different types of admixtures is well-known. In general, these materials are either chemical or mineral products. In this paper, the formations of amorphous silica of Isparta Region are defined in a technical manner and their use in the concrete manufacturing as a natural pozzolan is evaluated. The effectiveness of amorphous silica in making high strength concrete material is analysed experimentally, and the research findings are discussed.     

Use of zeolite, coal bottom ash and fly ash as replacement materials in cement production

In this research, the effects of zeolite, coal bottom ash and fly ash as Portland cement replacement materials on the properties of cement are investigated through three different combinations of tests. These materials are substituted for Portland cement in different proportions, and physical properties such as setting time, volume expansion, compressive strength and water consistency of the mortar are determined. Then, these physical properties are compared with those of PC 42.5. The results showed that replacement materials have some effects on the mechanical properties of the cement. The inclusion of zeolite up to the level of 15% resulted in an increase in compressive strength at early ages, but resulted in a decrease in compressive strength when used in combination with fly ash. Also, setting time was decreased when zeolite was substituted. The results obtained were compared with Turkish Standards (TS), and it was found that they are above the minimum requirements.     

Ultrafine grinding of sugar cane bagasse ash for application as pozzolanic admixture in concrete

Sugar cane bagasse ash, a byproduct of sugar and alcohol production, is a potential pozzolanic material. However, its effective application in mortar and concrete requires first the controlled use of grinding and classification processes to allow it to achieve the fineness and homogeneity that are required to meet industry standards. The present paper investigates the role of mill type and grinding circuit configuration in grinding in laboratory- and pilot plant-scale on the particle size, specific surface area and pozzolanic activity of the produced ashes. It was observed that, although different size distributions were produced by the different mills and milling configurations, the pozzolanic activity of the ground ash was directly correlated to its fineness, characterized by its 80% passing size or Blaine specific surface area. From a low pozzolanic activity of less than 50% of the as-received ash, values above 100% could be reached after prolonged grinding times. Electric power requirements to reach the minimum pozzolanic activity were estimated to be in the order of 42 kWh/t in an industrial ball mill. Incorporation of an ultrafinely-ground ash in a high-performance concrete in partial replacement of Portland cement (10, 15 and 20% by mass) resulted in no measurable change in mechanical behavior, but improved rheology and resistance to penetration of chloride ions.     

Formulating a low-alkalinity, high-resistance and low-heat concrete for radioactive waste repositories

Investigations were carried out in order to formulate and characterize low-alkalinity and low-heat cements which would be compatible with an underground waste repository environment. Several systems comprising Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), a fast-reacting pozzolan (silica fume (SF) or metakaolin (MK)) and, in some cases, a slow-reacting product (fly ash (FA) or blastfurnace slag (BFS)) were compared. Promising results were obtained with some binary mixtures of OPC and SF, and with some ternary blends of OPC, SF and FA or BFS: pH of water in equilibrium with the fully hydrated cements dropped below 11. Dependence of the properties of standard mortars on the high contents of FA and SF in the low-pH blends was examined. Combining SF and FA seemed attractive since SF compensated for the low reactivity of FA, while FA allowed to reduce the water demand, and dimensional variations of the mortars. Finally, low-heat (ΔT < 20 °C under semi-adiabatic conditions) and high strength (≈ 70–80 MPa) concretes were prepared from two low-pH cements: a binary blend made from 60% of OPC and 40% of SF, and a ternary blend including 37.5% OPC, 32.5% SF and 30% FA.     

Characteristics of brick used as aggregate in historic brick-lime mortars and plasters

Mortars and plasters composed of a mixture of brick powder and lime have been used since ancient times due to their hydraulic properties. In this study, raw material compositions, basic physical, mineralogical, microstructural and hydraulic properties of some historic Ottoman Bath brick-lime mortars and plasters were determined by XRD, SEM-EDS, AFM, TGA and chemical analyses. The mineralogical and chemical compositions, microstructures, morphologies and pozzolanicities of the brick powders and fragments used as aggregates in the mortars and plasters were examined to find out the relationship between hydraulic properties of the mortars and the bricks. The characteristics of bricks used in the bath domes were also determined to investigate whether the brick aggregates used in mortar and plasters were prepared from these bricks. The results indicated that the mortars and plasters were hydraulic owing to the presence of crushed brick powders that have good pozzolanicity. The brick powders had high pozzolanicity because they contained high amounts of calcium-poor clay minerals in their raw materials that were fired at low temperatures. On the other hand, bricks used in the domes had poor pozzolanicity with different mineralogical and chemical compositions from bricks used in mortars and plasters. Based on the results of the analysis, it was thought that the bricks manufactured with high amounts of clays were consciously chosen in the preparation of hydraulic mortars and plasters.