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Contribution of Fly ash to the properties of Mortar and Concrete

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 International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering 1017
ISSN 0974-5904, Volume 04, No 06 SPL, October 2011, pp 1017-1023

Contribution of Fly ash to the properties of Mortar and Concrete

Sarath Chandra Kumar. Bendapudi
M-Tech Final Year Student, Department of Civil Engg., K L University, Guntur, A.P, India. Email: [email protected]
P. Saha
Associate Professor, Department. of Civil Engg., K L University, Guntur, A.P, India. Email: [email protected]
ABSTRACT: In the last decade, the use of supplementary cementing materials has become an integral part of high
strength and high performance concrete mix design. These can be natural materials, by-products or industrial wastes, or
the ones requiring less energy and time to produce. One of the most commonly used supplementary cementing materials
is fly ash. Fly ash is a by-product material obtained from the combustion of coal. It is used as pozzolanic material in
mortar and concrete, and has demonstrated significant influence in improving the properties like water requirement,
workability, setting time, compressive strength, durability of mortar and concrete. This paper presents an overview of
the work carried out on the chemical properties and use of fly ash as supplementary material in mortar and concrete.
KEY WORDS: Fly ash, workability, setting time, compressive strength

INTRODUCTION
Fly ash is finely divided residue resulting from the cementitious material. High volume fly ash concrete is a
combustion of powdered coal and transported by the flue subject of current interest across the globe.
gases and collected by electrostatic precipitator. In U.K. it ASTM broadly classifies fly ash into two classes. Class F
is referred as pulverised fuel ash. Fly ash is the most and class C. Class F Fly ash normally produced by
widely used pozzolanic material all over the world. Fly burning anthracite or bituminous coal and has pozzolanic
ash was first used in large scale in the construction of properties only. Class C Fly ash normally produced by
Hungry Horse dam in America in the approximate amount burning lignite or sub-bituminous coal and can possesses
of 30 per cent by weight of cement. Later on it was used pozzolanic as well as cementitious properties (Shetty
in Canyon and Ferry dams etc. In India, Fly ash was used 2005).
in Rihand dam construction replacing cement up to about
PROPERTIES OF FLY ASH
15 per cent (Shetty 2005). Cement is the backbone for
Table 1 Chemical Composition of cement and fly ash
global infrastructural development. It was bestimated that
(Wt. %)
global production of cement is about 1.3 billion tons in
1996. Production of every tone of cement emits carbon
dioxide to the tune of about 0.87 ton. Expressing it in
another way, it can be said that 7% of the world’s carbon
dioxide emission is attributable to Portland cement
industry. As we all know that carbon dioxide is one of the
significant green house gas and it contribution to the
environmental pollution is very high. The ordinary Table 2 Physical properties of cement and fly ash (Shi
portland cement also consume natural resources like Cong et al. 2008)
limestone etc., that is why we cannot go on producing
Properties Materials
more and more cement and there is a need to economize
Cement Fly ash
the use of cement. One of the practical solutions to
economize cement is to replace cement with Density (g/cm3) 3.16 2.31
supplementary cementitious materials like fly ash (Shetty Specific surface 3519.5 3960
2005). The use of fly ash as concrete admixture not only area (cm2/g)
extends technical advantages to the properties of concrete POZZOLANIC REACTION
but also contributes to the environmental pollution The definition of pozzolan says that “A siliceous and
control. In India alone, we produce about 75 million tons aluminous material that in itself possesses a little or no
of fly ash per year, the disposal of which has become a cementitious value but that will, in finely divided form in
serious environmental problem. The effective utilization the presence of moisture, chemically react with calcium
of fly ash in concrete making is, therefore, attracting hydroxide (lime) at ordinary temperatures to form
serious considerations of concrete technologists and compound having cementitious properties”. In the cement
government departments (Shetty 2005). In the recent time, hydration development, the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-
the importance and use of fly ash in concrete has grown so H) and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2, or CH) are released
much that it has almost become a common ingredient in within the hydration of two main components of cement
concrete, particularly for making high strength and high namely tricalcium silicate (C3S) and dicalcium silicate
performance concrete. The new Indian Standard on (C2S) where C, S represent CaO and SiO2 (Omotosoa et
concrete mix proportions (IS 10262-2009) are already al. 1995). Hydration of C3S, C2S also C3A and C4AF (A
incorporated fly ash as a supplementary material to and F symbolize Al2O3 and Fe2O3) respectively, is
cement. Extensive research had been done all over the important. Upon wetting, the following reactions occur
world on the advantage of fly ash as a supplementary (Englehard et al.1995)

#020410462 Copyright © 2011 CAFET-INNOVA TECHNICAL SOCIETY. All rights reserved

 1018 B. Sarath Chandra Kumar, P. Saha

less quantity of CaO. It is clearly understood from

Equations 5 to 7 that fly ash has all the quality of being a
pozollan material. That is why fly ash becomes popular as
The C-S-H gel generated by the hydration of C3S and a partial replacement of cement all over the world.
C2S in equations (1) and (2) is the main strengthening Role of fly ash in the world
constituent. Calcium hydroxide and Ettringite A primary goal is a reduction in the use of Portland
(3CaO.3CaSO4.31H20, equation 3) that are crystalline cement, which is easily achieved by partially replacing it
hydration products are randomly distributed and form the with various cementitious materials, preferably those that
frame of the gel-like products. Hydration of C4AF are byproducts of industrial processes. The best known of
(equation 4), consumes calcium hydroxide and generates such materials is fly ash, a residue of coal combustion,
gel-like products. Excess calcium hydroxide can be which is an excellent cementitious material. As shown in
detrimental to concrete strength, due to tending the Table 3 (Mayer 2005), the utilization rates vary greatly
crystalline growth in one direction. from country to country, from as low as 3.5% for India to
It is known that by adding pozzolanic material to mortar as high as 93.7% for Hong Kong. The relatively low rate
or concrete mix, the pozzolanic reaction will only start of 13.5% in the US is an indication that there is a lot of
when CH is released and pozzolan/CH interaction exist room for improvement. The use of fly ash has a number of
(Villar Cocina et al. 2003). In the pozzolan-lime reaction, advantages. It is theoretically possible to replace 100% of
OH- and Ca 2+ react with the SiO2 or AI203-SiO2 Portland cement by fly ash, but replacement levels above
framework to form calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H), 80% generally require a chemical activator. We have
calcium aluminate hydrate (C-A-H), and calcium found that the optimum replacement level is around 30%.
aluminate ferrite hydrate: Moreover, fly ash can improve certain properties of
Tobermorite gel: concrete, such as durability. Because it generates less heat
SiO2 + Ca (OH)2 + H2O
CaO.SiO2.H2O (5) of hydration, it is particularly well suited for mass
Calcium aluminate hydrate: concrete applications. Fly ash is also widely available,
Ca (OH)2 + H2O + Al2O3
aO.A12O3.Ca(OH)2.H2O (6) namely wherever coal is being burned. Another advantage
Calcium aluminate ferrite hydrate: is the fly ash that fly ash is still less expensive than
Ca (OH)2 + Fe2O3 + A12O3 + H2O
Portland cement. Maybe most important, as a byproduct
Ca(OH)2.A12O3.Fe2O3.H2O (7) of coal combustion fly ash would be a waste product to be
The crystallized compound of C-S-H and C-A-H, which disposed of at great cost, if we don’t make good use of it.
are called cement gel, hardened with age to form a By utilizing its cementitious properties, we are adding
continuous binding matrix with a large surface area and value to it, we “beneficiate” it a major aspect of green
are components responsible for the development of building construction.
strength in the cement paste (Kassim et al. 2004). Table3 Coal-Ash Production and Utilization (Mayer 2005)
Pozzolan-lime reactions are slow, generally starting after Country Million Tons Million Tons %
one or more weeks (Englehard et al.1995). The behavior Produced Utilized
of the delay in pozzolanic reaction will result in more China 91.1 13.8 15.1
permeable concrete at early ages and gradually becomes
denser than plain concrete with time. This behavior is due Denmark 1.3 0.4 30.8
to two reasons: Firstly, pozzolan particles become the Hong Kong 0.63 0.59 93.7
precipitation sites for the early hydration C-S-H and CH India 57.0 2.0 3.5
that hinders pozzolanic reaction. Secondly, the strong Japan 4.7 2.8 59.6
dependency of the breaking down of glass phase on the
alkalinity of the pore water which could only attain the Russia 62.0 4.3 6.9
high pH after some days of hydration. Pozzolan can USA 60.0 8.1 13.5
partially replace cement in mortar or concrete mix without
affecting strength development. The effect of the Fly ash also has some disadvantages. First, there is the
pozzolanic reaction produces more cement gel (i.e. C-S-H relatively slow rate of strength development. But this is
and C-A-H) reducing the pore size, blocks the capillary irrelevant in applications where high early strength is not
and produces denser concrete thus making it stronger and required. More significant is the wide variability of its
more durable (Naji Givi et al. 2010). If the concrete chemical composition and quality, which is the main
contains a pozzolan, less cement is required to obtain a reason for the low utilization rates. It may be rejected for
specified strength. The amount of cement reduction will as trivial a reason as its color (Mayer 2005).
vary depending upon the reaction of the pozzolan. A
highly reactive pozzolan has more cementitious strength HIGH-VOLUME FLY ASH CONCRETE
value than the lower reactive pozzolan. The amount of In commercial practice, fly ash is used 15%-20% by mass
cement reduction will be greater with a more reactive of the total cementitious material. Though this amount is
pozzolan. good for workability and cost economy of concrete but it
If we observe the chemical composition of fly ash may not be enough to sufficiently improve the durability
provided in table 1, we will find that it consists of around to sulfate attack, alkali-silica expansion, and thermal
55% of SiO2, 25% of Al2O3 and 5% of Fe2O3 and Very cracking. For this purpose, larger amounts of fly ash, on

International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering

ISSN 0974-5904, Volume 04, No 06 SPL, October 2011, pp 1017-1023
 Contribution of Fly ash to the properties of Mortar and Concrete 1019

the order of 25%-35% are being used. But 25%-35% fly Drying shrinkage
ash by mass of the cementitious material is not high Perhaps the greatest disadvantage associated with the use
enough to classify the mixtures as HVFA concrete of neat portland-cement concrete is cracking due to drying
according to the definition proposed by Mehta and shrinkage. The drying shrinkage of concrete is directly
Malhotra (2002) The definition given by them are (i) influenced by the amount and the quality of the cement
Minimum of 50% of fly ash by mass of the cementitious paste present. It increases with an increase in the cement
materials must be maintained (ii) Low water content, paste-to-aggregate ratio in the concrete mixture, and also
generally less than 130 kg/m3 is mandatory (iii) Cement increases with the water content of the paste (Mehta
content, generally no more than 200kg/m3 is desirable. 2004).
From theoretical considerations and practical experience it Clearly, the water-reducing property of fly ash can be
is found, with 50% or more cement replacement by fly advantageously used for achieving a considerable
ash, it is possible to produce sustainable, high reduction in the drying shrinkage of concrete mixtures.
performance concrete mixtures that show high The significance of this concept is illustrated by data in
workability, high ultimate strength, and high durability Table 4 which shows mixture proportions of a
(Mehta 2004). conventional 25 MPa concrete compared to a
superplasticized HVFA concrete with similar strength but
Fly ash as a water reducer higher slump. Due to a significant reduction in the water
More consumption of water influences the strength of the requirement, the total volume of the cement paste in the
concrete greatly. There are two reasons why typical HVFA concrete is only 25% as compared to 29.6% for the
concrete mixtures contain consume more water. Firstly, conventional portland-cement concrete which represents a
the water demand and workability are influenced greatly 30% reduction in the cement paste-to aggregate volume
by particle size distribution, particle packing effect, and ratio.
voids present in the solid system. Typical concrete Table 4 Comparison of cement paste volumes (Mehta 2004)
mixtures do not have an optimum particle size
distribution, and this accounts for the undesirably high
water requirement to achieve certain workability.
Secondly, to plasticize a cement paste for achieving a
satisfactory consistency, much larger amounts of water
than necessary for the hydration of cement have to be used
because portland cement particles, due to the presence of
electric charge on the surface, tend to form flocs that trap
volumes of the mixing water (Mehta 2004).
It is generally observed that a partial substitution of
portland cement by fly ash in a mortar or concrete mixture
reduces that water requirement for obtaining a given
consistency. Experimental studies by Owen and Jiang and Thermal cracking
Malhotra have shown that with HVFA concrete mixtures, Thermal cracking is of serious concern in massive
depending on the quality of fly ash and the amount of concrete structures. It is generally assumed that this is not
cement replaced, up to 20% reduction in water a problem with reinforced-concrete structures of moderate
requirements can be achieved. This means that good fly thickness, e.g. 50-cm thick or less. However, due to the
ash can act as a superplasticizing admixture when used in high reactivity of modern cements, cases of thermal
high-volume. The phenomenon is attributable to three cracking are reported even from moderate-size structures
mechanisms. First, fine particles of fly ash get absorbed made with concrete mixtures of high-cement content that
on the oppositely charged surfaces of cement particles and tend to develop excessive heat during curing. The
prevent them from flocculation. The cement particles are physical-chemical characteristics of ordinary Portland
thus effectively dispersed and will trap large amounts of cements today are such that very high heat-of-hydration is
water that means that the system will have a reduced produced at an early age compared with that of normal
water requirement to achieve a given consistency. portland cements available 40 years ago. Also, high early
Secondly, the spherical shape and the smooth surface of strength requirements in modern construction practice are
fly ash particles help to reduce the inter particle friction usually satisfied by an increase in the cement content of
and thus facilitate mobility. Thirdly, the “particle packing the concrete mixture. Further, there is considerable
effect” is also responsible for the reduced water demand in construction activity now in the hot-arid areas of the
plasticizing the system. It may be noted that both portland world where concrete temperatures in excess of 60oC are
cement and fly ash contribute particles that are mostly in not uncommon within a few days of concrete placement.
the 1 to 45 µm size range, and therefore serve as excellent For unreinforced mass-concrete construction, several
fillers for the void space within the aggregate mixture. In methods are employed to prevent thermal cracking, and
fact, due to its lower density and higher volume per unit some of these techniques can be successfully used for
mass, fly ash is a more efficient void-filler than portland mitigation of thermal cracks in massive reinforced-
cement (Mehta 2004). concrete structures. For instance, a 40-MPa concrete
mixture containing 350 kg/m3 portland cement can raise

International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering

ISSN 0974-5904, Volume 04, No 06 SPL, October 2011, pp 1017-1023
 1020 B. Sarath Chandra Kumar, P. Saha

the temperature of concrete by approximately 55-60oC the crystalline hydration products in the transition zone,
within a week if there is no heat loss to the environment. thereby reducing its thickness and eliminating the weak
However, with a HVFA concrete mixture containing 50% link in the concrete microstructure. In conclusion, a
cement replacement with a Class F fly ash, the adiabatic combination of particle packing effect, low water content,
temperature rise is expected to be 30-35oC. As a rule of and pozzolanic reaction accounts for the eventual
thumb, the maximum temperature difference between the disappearance of the interfacial transition zone in HVFA
interior and exterior concrete should not exceed 25oC to concrete, and thus enables the development of a highly
avoid thermal cracking. This is because higher crack-resistant and durable product (Mehta 2004).
temperature differentials are accomplished by rapid
PROPERTIES OF MORTAR/CONCRETE
cooling rates that usually result in cracking. Evidently, in
Workability
the case of conventional concrete it is easier to solve the
Use of fly ash increases the absolute volume of
problem either by keeping the concrete insulated and
cementitious materials (cement plus fly ash) compared to
warm for a longer time in the forms until the temperature
non-fly-ash concrete; therefore, the paste volume is
differential drops below 25oC or by reducing the
increased, leading to a reduction in aggregate particle
proportion of portland cement in the binder by a
interference and enhancement in concrete workability.
considerable amount. The latter option can be exercised if
The spherical particle shape of fly ash also participates in
the structural designer is willing to accept a slightly
improving workability of fly ash concrete. Fly ash is
slower rate of strength development during the first 28
commonly used in concrete because it may improve
days, and the concrete strength specification is based on
durability of concrete, however, fly ash addition in
90-day instead of 28-day strength (Mehta 2004).
concrete should meet the ASTM C618 requirements, and
Water-tightness and durability of HVFA unclassified fly ash cannot be used to replace cement due
The resistance of a reinforced-concrete structure to to its low chemical reactivity. If large amounts
corrosion, alkali aggregate expansion, sulfate and other unclassified fly ash can be replaced without significant
forms of chemical attack depends on the water-tightness damage to mortar characteristics, the replacement
of the concrete. The water-tightness is greatly influenced unclassified fly ash in cement-lime mortar has both
by the amount of mixing-water, type and amount of environmental and economical advantages (Jiang 2000).
supplementary cementing materials, curing, and cracking High slump and low slump loss of fresh concrete were
resistance of concrete. High-volume fly ash concrete considered as an assurance for good concrete casting,
mixtures, when properly cured, are able to provide vibrating and finishing. Generally, superplasticizer
excellent water-tightness and durability (Mehta 2004). increases concrete slump, but causes high slump loss
When a concrete mixture is consolidated after placement, when compared with the plain concrete having the same
along with entrapped air, a part of the mixing-water is also initial slump. Because of a low water-to-binder ratio in
released. As water has low density, it tends to travel to the HPC, when the same amount of water is lost through
surface of concrete. However, not all of this “bleed water” evaporation or by cement hydration, the slump loss was
is able to find its way to the surface. Due to the wall effect more significant. Fig.1 shows the water reducing rate of
of coarse aggregate particles, some of it accumulates in concrete containing different finenesses and replacement
the vicinity of aggregate surfaces, causing a levels FLY ASH when the slump is equal. All fly ash have
heterogeneous distribution of water in the system. water reducing effects. When the replacement is 30%, the
Obviously, the interfacial transition zone between the water rate of A, B, and C fly ash are 2.1%, 7.9%, and
aggregate and cement paste is the area with high 9.7%, respectively. The water reducing rate increases with
water/cement and therefore with more available space that the level of fly ash replacement. The fly ashes actually
permits the formation of a highly porous hydration function as a kind of mineral water reducers. As to plain
product containing large crystals of calcium hydroxide concrete, the slump loss after 1 hour is 8.5%, 2 hours is
and ettringite. Micro cracks due to stress are readily 19.1%, and 3 hours is 36.2%, but the slump loss of
formed through this product because it is much weaker concrete containing 30% ultra fine fly ash after 1 hour is
than the bulk cement paste with a lower water/cement. It 2%, 2 hours is 8.2%, and 3 hours is 10.2%. Ultra fine fly
has been suggested that micro cracks in the interfacial ash could not only increase slump and spread, but also
transition zone play an important part in determining not reduce the slump loss. First, because ultra fine fly ashcan
only the mechanical properties but also the permeability prolong the setting time, which result in decreasing slump
and durability of concrete exposed to severe loss of concrete, secondly ultra fine fly ash have huge
environmental conditions. This is because the rate of fluid specific surface area which can absorb some
transport in concrete is much larger by percolation superplasticizer, thirdly the Zeta potential of ultra fine fly
through an interconnected network of micro-cracks than ash is negative in de-ionized water (Li et al. 2004).
by diffusion or capillary suction. The heterogeneities in Fresh concrete with replacement of cement by fly ash
the microstructure of the hydrated portland-cement paste, required lower superplasticizer as compared to the other
especially the existence of large pores and large concretes and decreased with the increase in percentage
crystalline products in the transition zone, are greatly replacement of fly ash. This is due to the small size of
reduced by the introduction of fine particles of fly ash. solid and spherically particle shapes of fly ash which
With the progress of the pozzolanic reaction, a gradual reduces the friction between cement and aggregates and
decrease occurs in both the size of the capillary pores and

International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering

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 Contribution of Fly ash to the properties of Mortar and Concrete 1021

results in an increase of workability of fresh concrete Bond strength of Mortar

(Namagga et al. 2009). The ability of mortar to have a good bond and adhesion
with the brick is determined by its bond strength and is
measured by the force necessary to separate the masonry
unit from the mortar. The bond strength of the mortar with
fly ash was determined by Gengying and Xiaozhong
(2005) and they observed that the bond strength
development for the mortar with coarse fly ash (CFA)
needs a much longer period of time than that of mortar
without fly ash. However, the bond strength of other
modified composite mortars develops faster than that of
mortar without fly ash, even at 7days the bond strength of
modified composite mortar with ultra-fine fly ash is
higher than that of controlled mortar. The 120-day bond
strength of modified composite mortars is almost 1.5
times of that of the cement–lime mortar. The bond
strength of mortars increases as the mean particle size
(PD) of fly ash decreases. However, the effect of fly ash
Fig. 1: Effect of fly ash replacement levels and fineness PD on the bond strength varies with the test age. At the
on water reducing rate (Li et al. 2004). age of 7 days, the bond strength was slightly influenced
by the fly ash size, which may due to cement that plays a
Setting time
main role on producing bond force at this period. Whereas
Class F and Class C fly ashes increase the time of setting
after 28 days curing, the bond strength was notability
of concrete. Time of setting of fly ash concrete is
influenced by the mean particle size (PD) of fly ash.
influenced by the characteristics and amounts of fly ash
Compressive strength
used in concrete. For highway construction, changes in
Namagga (2009) conducted experiment with varying
time of setting of fly ash concrete from non-fly-ash
proportions (0 to 50 %) of fly ash as a partial replacement
concrete using similar materials will not usually introduce
of cement. they have tested at 3, 7, 14, 28 and 56 days
a need for changes in construction techniques; the delays
after curing. they found that As more fly ash is added to
that occur may be considered advantageous.
the concrete, a decrease in the rate of strength gain is
observed as Shown in fig -3. Early strength gain (within
the first 3 – 7 days) generally decreases as more fly ash is
added to the concrete. Fly ash affects the early strength
gain probably due to the free lime that is still reacting
during the curing process. As the concrete is further cured,
the ultimate desired strength is attained at 56 days.
Concrete with 25 – 35% fly ash provided the most optimal
results for its compressive strength, as shown in Figure 3.
This is probably because the fly ash provides adequate
lime needed to react with the pozzolans in the hydration
process. More lime seems to inhibit the hydration process,
but yet is still adequate to provide the needed design
strength.
The compressive strength of the various compositions was
Fig. 2: Relation between the setting time and cement determined by Gengying et al. (2005). They observed that
replacement (Li et al.2004). the compressive strength development for the mortar with
coarse fly ash (CFA) needs a much longer period of time
When the ultra-fine fly ash replacement level is 20%, the than that of mortar without fly ash. The effect of fly ash
initial and final set time of ultra-fine fly ash -cement paste size on the compressive strength is that the compressive
was about 9.56 and 11.25 hours, respectively. When the strength of all modified composite mortars is slightly
ultra-fine fly ash replacement level increased to 40%, the influenced by the size of fly ash; the compressive strength
initial and final setting tines of ultra-fine fly ash -cement of mortars slightly increases as fly ash PD decreases.
paste are prolonged to about 11.85 and 13.58 hours, Sata et al. (2007) performed experiments to find out the
respectively. In general, the set time of ultra-fine fly ash - compressive strengths of fly ash concrete for 10%, 20%,
cement paste is prolonged with the increase of ultra-fine 30%, and 40% of cement replacement. They also observe
fly ash. The outer surface of ultra-fine fly ash particle the similar trend of getting lower strength at early stages
increase with the increase of ultra-fine fly ash, the amount and as the age of concrete increases it attains the strength
of absorbed calcium ions increased. That inhibits calcium of the design mix.
ions concentration build-up in fresh paste during early
hydration, resulting in the setting time is prolonged, thus,
the heat of hydration decreases (Li et al. 2004).

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ISSN 0974-5904, Volume 04, No 06 SPL, October 2011, pp 1017-1023
 1022 B. Sarath Chandra Kumar, P. Saha

Fig. 3: Relation between the compressive strength and

Fly Ash as a partial replacement of aggregate Fig. 4: Relation between the compressive strength and age
Shi Cong et al. (2008) also conducted several tests to of fly ash as partial replacement of aggregate
determine the compressive strength of the concrete
mixtures recycled aggregate. As the recycled aggregate
content increased from 0% to 100%, the compressive
strength decreased accordingly. However, the reduction in
strength can be either compensated by a decrease in the
w/c ratio or with the use of fly ash as an additional
cementitious material. Furthermore, when fly ash was
added, the gain in strength of all the concrete mixtures
between 28 and 90 days was greater than that of the
concrete mixtures prepared without fly ash. The larger
increase was mainly attributed to the pozzolanic reaction
of the fly ash particles. These results are similar to those
of Siddique (2003) who reported that, when fly ash was
used as an addition of cement (i.e. 28% by weight of
cement) in concrete, there was a 23% gain in strength Fig. 5: Relation between the compressive strength and
from 28 to 91 days compared to the 17% when no fly ash percentage of fly ash as partial replacement of aggregate
was added. The comparison clearly demonstrates the
benefits of using fly ash as an addition over as a Splitting tensile strength
replacement in preparing recycled aggregate concretes. The tests on splitting tensile strength of fly as concrete
Compressive Strength against Age of Concrete Namagga were performed by Siddique (2003), Shi Cong et al.
(2009) demonstrated that the compressive strength of the (2008) and Sata et al. (2007). Summarizing the results
fly ash concrete increased with an increase in the number obtained by them it was observed that the tensile strength
of days that it was cured. With a further increase in fly ash of high-strength concrete tended to increase slightly with
beyond the optimal value (beyond 35% fly ash the increasing of compressive strength. In addition, the
replacement), the concrete attains a low rate of strength splitting tensile strength of pozzolan concretes seemed to
development within the first 3 days. The strength be higher than that of control concrete, since the grain and
accelerates within the next 7 days then follows a similar pore refinement of concretes resulted from the very high
trend in strength gain with the rest of the samples. Both fineness of particles and pozzolanic reaction of the ashes.
Moreover, the highest value of splitting tensile strength
concrete with and without fly ash attained about 70 – 80%
occurred at the same cement replacement level similar to
of its strength within the first 7 days of curing. At 28 days
the results obtained of the compressive strength. The ratio
all the mixes had attained the required design strength. of the splitting tensile strength to the compressive strength
Compressive strength of concrete mixes made with and of concrete is between 6.3% and 6.9% which is lower than
without fly ash was determined at 7, 14, 28, 56, 91, and the results obtained from the normal and medium strength
365 days of curing were observed by Siddique (2003). concretes which are about 8–10%. This indicate that the
The test results are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. From the test higher is the compressive strength of concrete, the lower
results, it can be seen that the compressive strength of fly is the ratio of splitting tensile strength to compressive
ash concrete mixes with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% strength, which is consistent with other researches on
fine aggregate replacement with fly ash, were higher than high-strength concrete.
the control mix at all ages. It can be conclude from the
results that compressive strength of all mixes continued to Flexural strength of fly ash concrete
increase with the increase in age. It can be seen that there Siddique (2003) conducted the experiments to determine
is increase in strength with the increase in fly ash the flexural strength of the fly ash concrete. test results of
percentages. This increase in strength due to the fly ash concrete shown that the flexural strength of fly ash
replacement of fine aggregate with fly ash is attributed to concretes continued to increase with the age. This is
the pozzolanic action of fly ash. believed to be due to the large pozzolanic reaction and
improved interfacial bond between paste and aggregates.

International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering

ISSN 0974-5904, Volume 04, No 06 SPL, October 2011, pp 1017-1023
 Contribution of Fly ash to the properties of Mortar and Concrete 1023

Durability of fly ash concrete [ 8] Kassim, K.A., and Chern, K.K. 2004. Lime stabilized
To test the robustness of the fly ash concrete, the freeze- Malaysian cohesive soils. Civil engineering National
thaw experiments were conducted by Namagga (2009). Journal. 16(1): 13-23.
The test results are shown that due to the fineness of the [ 9] Li, Zhou Shiqiong, Yin Jian, and Gao Yingli, 2004,
fly ash (the finer, the lesser the voids), the concrete with The effect of fly ash on the fluidity of cement paste,
additional fly ash required more air-entraining agent to mortar, and concrete, International Workshop On
give the mix the desired air content. Results attained from Sustainable Development And Concrete Technology,
the tests will assist in determining the relative dynamic May 20-21, Beijing, China.
modulus of elasticity and durability factor. [ 10] Mehta and Malhotra, V.M., 2002, High-
Performance, High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete.
CONCLUSION Supplementary Cementing Materials for Sustainable
The employment of fly ash in cement and concrete has Development, Inc., Ottawa, Canada, 101 pp.
gained considerable importance because of the [ 11] Mehta, 2004, “High-Performance, High-Volume Fly
requirements of environmental safety and more durable Ash Concrete For Sustainable Development”,
construction in the future. The use of fly ash as partial International Workshop On Sustainable Development
replacement of cement in mortar and concrete has been And Concrete Technology, May 20-21, Beijing,
extensively investigated in recent years. This literature China.
review clearly demonstrates that fly ash is an effective [ 12] Meyer, 2005, Concrete as a green building material,
pozzolan which can contribute the properties of concrete. Invited Lecture, Proceedings of the Third Int.
Fly ash blended concrete can improve the workability of Conference on Construction Materials, ConMat'05,
concrete compared to OPC. It can also increase the initial Vancouver, Aug. 22-25.
and final setting time of cement pastes. Fly ash [ 13] Naji Givi , Suraya Abdul Rashid, Farah Nora A.
replacement of cement is effective for improving the Aziz, and Mohamad Amran Mohd Salleh, 2010,
resistance of concrete to sulfate attack expansion. the Contribution of rice husk ash to the properties of
higher is the compressive strength of concrete, the lower mortar and concrete: A Review, Journal of American
is the ratio of splitting tensile strength to compressive Science, 6(3).
strength. Finally, this literature search showed that the [ 14] Namagga and Rebecca A. Atadero, 2009,
properties of concrete are enhanced when the substitution “Optimization of Fly Ash in Concrete: High Lime Fly
of Portland cement and aggregate was done by fly ash. Ash as A Replacement for Cement and Filler
Material”, 2009 World of Coal Ash (WOCA)
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ISSN 0974-5904, Volume 04, No 06 SPL, October 2011, pp 1017-1023

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