Improving Freeze-Thaw Resistance and Strength Gain of Roller Compacted Fly Ash Concretes with Modified Absorbent Polymer
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 3
Abstract
It is difficult to entrain air into roller compacted concrete (RCC) using conventional air entraining agent (AEA) because of its low cement content. This paper examines whether modified absorbent polymer (MAP) can be used as an air entraining admixture to improve both freeze-thaw resistance and strength gain of roller compacted concrete with 40% fly ash content. Modified absorbent polymer is different from superabsorbent polymer because MAP particles are spherical, have low water-absorption capacity, do not entrain additional air by surfactant content, and can release the absorbed water during subsequent hydration. The influence of MAP and AEA on strength and freeze-thaw resistance of RCC is compared. The air void structure and pore structure are evaluated by microscopic imaging, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and nanoindentation. Compared with traditional AEA, the addition of MAP facilitates the formation of a more effective air void network, the improvement of capillary structure, and the enhancement of the strength of the matrix surrounding MAP voids, resulting in significant improvement of freeze-thaw resistance with great increase in strength.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the National 973 Program of China (Nos. 2013CB035901 and 2015CB655101) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51379163).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 3 • March 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 23, 2017
Accepted: Aug 15, 2017
Published online: Jan 6, 2018
Published in print: Mar 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jun 6, 2018
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