Strategies for Developing High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete with High Early-Age Strength for Precast Applications
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36, Issue 10
Abstract
Partial replacement of portland cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), such as fly ash, is an effective strategy for improving durability and reducing the footprint of concrete. However, using high-volume fly ash (HVFA) binders in precast and prestressed concrete is currently limited; largely due to reduced early-age strength development that impedes rapid production and prestressing of precast concrete. To investigate and address this challenge, HVFA mortars with a minimum of 40% fly ash by mass of cementitious materials were developed and tested in this study. Two fresh fly ashes (an ASTM C618 Class F and a Class C) and a landfilled fly ash (Class F) were included. Various strategies for improving the early strength were evaluated, including gypsum optimization, chemical accelerators, steam curing, use of CSA cements, and adding other reactive SCMs like silica fume, calcined clay, and slag cement. Steam curing and the use of CSA cement at high dosages (40% of total binder) were found to be the most successful strategies across all three fly ashes. Additionally, significant improvements were observed with gypsum optimization (for Class C fly ash) and the use of accelerators (for Class F fly ashes), and these strategies are likely to be more feasible considering later-age strength and economic viability. Interestingly, HVFA mixtures made with the landfilled fly ash used in this study were able to achieve high early strengths with water-to-cementitious materials ratio adjustment alone. These HVFA mixtures were also found to be less responsive to accelerators when compared to the fresh Class F fly ash, highlighting an important distinction between the materials despite the similarity in chemical composition.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article. Additional information is available from Sao (2022).
Acknowledgments
This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DE-FE0031931. This publication was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. The authors are grateful for the input provided by Dr. John Fox throughout the project duration.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36 • Issue 10 • October 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 26, 2023
Accepted: Feb 23, 2024
Published online: Jul 31, 2024
Published in print: Oct 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Dec 31, 2024
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