Material Properties of Structurally Viable Alkali-Activated Fly Ash Concrete
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 10
Abstract
As the concern for the environment and need for sustainable construction practices continues to grow, development of portland cement–free binders is gaining wide interest in the concrete research and engineering community responsible for design and construction of civil infrastructure. In this work, microstructural (as determined by quantitative X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques) and material properties of alkali-activated fly ash concrete were evaluated to verify the material’s performance and structural viability. Results show that the heat-cured products of reaction of fly ash in an aqueous alkaline solution form a concrete binder with adequate design properties and promising durability aspects.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge support received from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Award No. 0923818. Special thanks to Materials Research Institute (MRI) at the Pennsylvania State University for their assistance in acquiring SEM images.
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© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 2, 2012
Accepted: Sep 7, 2012
Published online: Sep 10, 2012
Discussion open until: Feb 10, 2013
Published in print: Oct 1, 2013
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