FLY ASH CONCRETE

A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

by
MANISH KUMAR MANDAL
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
2ND YEAR
VEL TECH HIGH TECH ENGINEERING
COLLEGE

FLY ASH-INTRODUCTION
Fly ash is a fine powder produced as a product from industrial plants using

pulverized coal or lignite as fuel.

It is the most widely used pozzolan siliceous or aluminosiliceous in nature
in a finely divided form.
They are spherical shaped balls finer than cement particles.

FLY ASH AS A SUPPLEMENTARY:

Apart from technical advantages it attributes to the concrete properties,
has its own benefits

fly ash

Problem of disposal:

In India alone, we produce 75 million tons of fly

ash every year, the disposal of which has become a
serious environmental problem. The effective use
of fly ash in concrete making is therefore attracting
serious considerations of concrete technologists
and government departments.

Global CO2 emissions:

Global cement production is about 1.3 billion

tons in 1996 and production of every 1 ton of cement
emits 0.87 ton of carbon dioxide.

In broader terms, 7% of global CO2 emissions can

be attributed to Portland cement industry.

FLY ASH IN CONCRETE:

Fly ash could be an expensive replacement for Portland cement in concrete and

using it, improves strength, segregation and ease of pumping concrete.

The rate of substitution typically specified is
a minimum of 1 to 1 pounds of fly ash to 1
pound of cement
Fly Ash particles provide a greater
workability of the powder portion of the
concrete mixture which results in greater
workability of the concrete and a lowering of
water requirement for the same concrete
consistency.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
MATERIALS

PORTLAND
CEMENT%

FLY ASH%

SiO2

21.82

53.39

Al2O3

6.49

16.07

Fe2O3

1.93

13.05

CaO

60.74

6.33

MgO

1.08

5.48

SO3

2.62

1.06

Na2O

0.14

1.59

Free Cao

0.84

0.11

1.fly ash are amorphous

(glassy) due to rapid
cooling; those of cement
are crystalline, formed
by slower cooling.
2. Portland cement is rich
in lime (CaO) while fly
ash is low. Fly ash is
high in reactive silicates
while Portland cement
has smaller amounts

COMPARISON BETWEEN CLASSES OF FLY ASH

Class F is fly ash produced from burning anthracite or

bituminous coal, and Class C is produced from the

burning of sub-bituminous coal and lignite.
Class F is low in lime, under 15 percent, and contains a

greater combination of silica, alumina and iron (greater

than 70 percent) than Class C fly ash.
Class C fly ash comes from coals which may produce an

ash with higher lime content generally more than 15

percent often as high as 30 percent. Elevated CaO may
give Class C unique self-hardening characteristics.

PHYSICAL ASPECTS:
The fly ash from boilers where
mechanical collectors
are used is coarser than fly ash from
electrostatic precipitators.
The color varies from light to dark

grey depending upon its carbon

contents.
The quality of fly ash varies from

source to source.
fly ash particles are small, they

effectively fill voids

Though fly ash offers environmental

advantages it also improves the:
performance and quality of concrete.
Fly ash affects the plastic properties of
concrete by improving workability
Reduces water demand
Reduces segregation and bleeding.
Lowers heat of hydration.
Fly ash increases strength
Reduces permeability

MECHANICAL ATTRIBUTES:
REACTION WITH MOISTURE:
The main benefit of fly ash in concrete is that it not only
reduces the amount of non durable calcium hydroxide
(lime), but in the process converts it into calcium silicate
hydrate (CSH), which is the strongest and most durable
portion of the paste in concrete.

HEAT OF HYDRATION:
Fly Ash has a lower heat of hydration.
Portland Cement produces considerable heat upon hydration.
In mass concrete placements the excess internal heat may contribute to
cracking.
The use of Fly Ash may greatly reduce this heat build up and reduce
external cracking.

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH:
Typically, concrete made with fly ash will be slightly lower in

strength than straight cement concrete up to 28 days, equal

strength at 28 days, and substantially higher strength within a
years time.
Thus, fly ash concrete achieves significantly higher ultimate
strength than can be achieved with conventional concrete.

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH TEST:

FLY ASH CONCRETE:

NEED FOR EXTENDING STRENGTH SPECIFICATIONS BEYOND 28 DAYS

Developing sustainable concrete to last more than 100

years requires extending the 28-day specifications.

Extended age parameters can assure more durable

concrete.
Proper mix designs can be developed to optimize the

projects timeline.

PROJECTS AND THEIR AGE ACCEPTANCE:

project

Fly ash%

Age strength acceptance

Naval facilities
engineering

25-40%

28-56 day acceptance

Olivenhain dam
San Diego

65%

365 day acceptance

Washbum airport

35%

Caltrans

25-35%

28-,56-and 90-day
acceptance
42 days

CONCLUSION:
Fly ash thus holds a vast potential for improving the modern
day concrete when it comes to quality in the long term. In
spite of being an industrial waste, it can improve
durability and reduce heat of hydration.
The prospects of fly ash are still being underused even
today. Thus keeping in mind about environmental
concerns and its indispensability as a mineral admixture,
the values of fly ash should be effectively garnered .

REFERENCES:
Concrete technology(theory and practice) M.S shetty
Activation of fly ash through

Nanomodification- ACI spring convention Shiho

Kawashima, Columbia University
Enhancing performance of high volume fly ash concrete

ACI spring convention.

http://www.concretebasics.org/articlesinfo/fa8.php#sthash

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magazine of concrete research- volume 64

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