Cellular lightweight concrete containing high-calcium fly ash and natural zeolite

Cellular lightweight concrete (CLC) with the controlled density of approximately 800 kg/m3 was made from a preformed foam, Type-I Portland cement (OPC), fly ash (FA), or natural zeolite (NZ), and its compressive strength, setting time, water absorption, and microstructure of were tested. High-calcium FA and NZ with the median particle sizes of 14.52 and 7.72 μm, respectively, were used to partially replace OPC at 0, 10wt%, 20wt%, and 30wt% of the binder (OPC and pozzolan admixture). A water-to-binder mass ratio (W/B) of 0.5 was used for all mixes. The testing results indicated that CLC containing 10wt% NZ had the highest compressive strength. The replacement of OPC with NZ decreased the total porosity and air void size but increased the capillary porosity of the CLC. The incorporation of a suitable amount of NZ decreased the setting time, total porosity, and pore size of the paste compared with the findings with the same amount of FA. The total porosity and cumulative pore volume decreased, whereas the gel and capillary pores increased as a result of adding both pozzolans at all replacement levels. The water absorption increased as the capillary porosity increased; this effect depended on the volume of air entrained and the type or amount of pozzolan.     

Properties of high calcium fly ash geopolymer pastes with Portland cement as an additive

The effect of Portland cement (OPC) addition on the properties of high calcium fly ash geopolymer pastes was investigated in the paper. OPC partially replaced fly ash (FA) at the dosages of 0, 5%, 10%, and 15% by mass of binder. Sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions were used as the liquid portion in the mixture: NaOH 10 mol/L, Na₂SiO₃/NaOH with a mass ratio of 2.0, and alkaline liquid/binder (L/B) with a mass ratio of 0.6. The curing at 60℃ for 24 h was used to accelerate the geopolymerization. The setting time of all fresh pastes, porosity, and compressive strength of the pastes at the stages of 1, 7, 28, and 90 d were tested. The elastic modulus and strain capacity of the pastes at the stage of 7 d were determined. It is revealed that the use of OPC as an additive to replace part of FA results in the decreases in the setting time, porosity, and strain capacity of the paste specimens, while the compressive strength and elastic modulus seem to increase.     

Influence of fly ash fineness and shape on the porosity and permeability of blended cement pastes

The effects of the fineness and shape of fly ash on the porosity and air permeability of cement pastes were investigated. Pulverized coal combustion (PCC) fly ash and fluidized bed coal combustion (FBC) fly ash classified into three different finenesses were used. River sand with particle size distribution similar to that of fly ash was also used for comparison. Portland cement was replaced with fly ash and ground sand at the dosages of 0, 20wt%, and 40wt%. A water-to-binder ratio (w/b) of 0.35 was used throughout the experiment. The results show that the porosity and air permeability of the pastes are influenced by the shape, fineness, and replacement level of fly ash. The porosity and air permeability of FBC fly ash pastes are higher than those of PCC fly ash pastes. This is due to the higher irregular shape and surface of FBC fly ash compared to the spherical shape and relatively smooth surface of PCC fly ash. The porosity increases with the increase in fly ash replacement level and decreases with the increase in its fineness. The permeability of PCC fly ash pastes decreases with the increase in replacement level and fineness, while for FBC fly ash, the permeability increases with the increase in replacement level. Decreases in porosity and permeability are due to a combined effect of the packing of fine particles and the reaction of fly ash.