Field investigation of high-volume fly ash pavement concrete

8
 Reso urces, Cons erva tion and Recy cling 73 (2013) 78–85 Con tents lists available at SciV erse ScienceDirect Resources, ConservationandRecycling  j o u r na l h o m epage: www.elsevier.com/locate/resconrec Fieldinvestigationof high-volumeyashpavementconcrete Roz-Ud-DinNassar a,, ParvizSoroushian b , TewodrosGhebrab c a Civil Engine erin g, Uni ver sit y of South Asi a, Lah ore , Pakist an b Civil and Enviro nmenta l Engine ering, Michig an State Univer sity , United State s c Const ructi on Engine ering, Texas Tech Univer sity, United State s articleinfo  Article history: Received 28 Ju ly 2 01 2 Rece ived in revi sed form 16 Dec emb er 2012 Acc epted 5 Jan uar y 2013 Keywords: High -vol ume y ash concr ete Durability Pozzolan Pavement abstract Fieldinvestigationof high-volumeyash(HVFA)concreteinpavementconstructionwascarriedout.Test result s perfor med oncores drilledfrompavementafter270daysof concreteageshowedthatuseof HVFA res ult s in productionof pavementconcretewithimprovements in:strength;moisturebarrierqualities; andabrasiveresistancecharacteristics. Theseimprovementsarebroughtaboutbythepozzolanicreaction of yashwiththehydratesof cementthatfavorablychangesthemicrostructureandinterfacialtransition zoneintheresultingconcrete. Useof highvolumeof y ash in pavementconcreteaspartialreplacement forcementisestimated toproducemajorenergyandenvironmental gainsandisa practi cethatisaimedatproducingdurable and sustai nabl econcrete-basedinfrastructure. Theuseof HVFAconcretecansignicantlyeconomizethe constructionof concretepavementsandimprovetheservicelifeof transportationinfrastructure. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduc ti on Ac co rd in g to U ni t ed N at io n ’s I nte rg ov er n men tal Pa ne l on Cli mat e Cha nge (IP CC) the global war min g att rib uta ble to ant hro- pogeni c greenhouse gases has gone up to an al ar mi ng rate (WMO, 2007). App roximatel y 77% of the ant hro pogenic greenhous e gas es co mp ri s es of carb on di ox id e (CO 2 ) and th e c ur re nt at mo spheri c conce ntrati on of CO 2  ha s re ac hed 39 0ppm wh ic h is th e hi gh e st ever recorded. Realiz ing the gravit y of the situat ion, IPCC has rec- o mm e nd ed that th e CO 2  emis si on must be br ou ght do wn to th e 199 0 l ev el in t he n ex t 20 yea rs (Mehta, 2009a, 2009b). To achiev e this target , the ma jor CO 2  cont ri butor wi ll have to pl ay thei r role. For mo re t ha n t wo c en tu r ies m an ki nd h as ac cep te d c on cr ete as a de pend a bl e con st ru ct io n m at er ia l b ec aus e of i ts du r ab il i ty , strength, loc al availa bil ity of raw mat eri al, low cos t, and arc hit ec- tural moldabil it y to form esthetic al ly pl easi ng shapes and forms (Nai k, 2005a; Meh ta and Monter io, 2006). Today , world ’s concre te co ns umption is 3 tons per ca pi ta as compar ed to 1 ton per cap it a 50 years ago. This consumption rate is going to gr ow with the con tinued ind ust ria liz ati on of develo ping countr ies and demand for re pa ir an d re tr ot in the d ev el o ped wor ld . M an uf ac tu ri ng of  c em en t, a key ingr ed ient us ed fo r th e pr od uc ti on of c on cr et e, is an energy-intensi ve pr ocess which is al so a ma jor source of green- hou se gasemis sions.On averag e,cementcons ist s of84% ofPortland C or re s pon di ng author at: 47- Tuf ai l R oa d, L ah or e, P ak is ta n. Tel.: +92 336 846 1516. E-ma il addres ses: [email protected] , [email protected](R.-U.-D. Nassar). clinker and the fabr ication of a ton of cl inker results in emissi on of  ab o ut 0. 9 ton s of CO 2  to th e a tm o sp here (Naik, 2008; Oss, 2002; Va n Oss an d Pad ov an i, 20 03; Meh ta ,2001; Wor re ll et al. , 20 01; Meht a and Walt ers, 2008; Gart ner, 2004). Ca rb on di ox ide is a by - pro duc t of thechemic al reacti onsinvolv ed in pro duc tio n of cement (chi ey decarbonation of limestone ); the ener gy consumed in the c ou rs e of c em en t pr od uc ti on is anot her sour ce of CO 2  emissions. Global ly, cement pr oduction contributes 5–8% of anthropogeni c CO 2  emiss ions (N ai k, 2 00 8; V an O s s a nd P ad o van i, 200 3; Me ht a, 2001; Wor rel l et al. , 2001; Mal hot ra, 2002, 1999). Major contri butions to sustainable development can be made by red uci ng the consumpti on of Por tla nd cement thr ough par tia lly repl acing it wi th supplement ar y cement itious materials (SCMs) (Mehta,2009b; Naik,2008;Mehta andWalters,2008;Naik, 2005b; Hab ertet al. , 201 0). Flyash, a by- pro duc t of coa l red power pla nts , is one such material thatisavai lable in abundance. TheUS produc - ti on of y as h in 20 10 wa sabo ut 61 mil lio n ton s whereas glo bal ly about 636 million tons of coal ash is produced each year out of  which about 70% is y ash (AC AA , 20 10 ; Ayd ı n et al ., 2007). Fly as h ha s bee n us ed fo r man y ye ar s ei th er as par ti al re p la ce me nt f or c em e nt or as a co mp o ne nt of b le nded cem en t. In ei ther f or m maj or energyand enviro nmenta l benet s have bee n obt ain ed fro m th e use of y as h in co nc re te man uf act uri n g. B es i des, the use of  y a sh as pa r ti a l re pl ac ement for ce me nt in concre te h as be en p ro ve n t o fo rm a conc re te wi th enha nc ed st re ngth and du ra bi l- it y and increased moisture resi st ance characteri stic (Bouzoubaâ et al ., 2001 ; Na th an d Sarke r, 20 11 ; Ma lho tr a, 19 90 ; Ra fa t, 20 04; Mehta, 2004). The prac ti ce has been recogniz ed as a step forward to w ar d gr ee n co n str uc ti o n pr ac tices in an ef fo rt to re d uc e the 0921-3449/$ seefrontmatter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.01.006

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Field investigation of high-volume fly ash pavement concrete

Transcript of Field investigation of high-volume fly ash pavement concrete

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Resources, Conservation and Recycling 73 (2013) 78–85

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Resources, Conservation and Recycling

 journal homepage: www.elsevier .com/ locate / resconrec

Field investigation of high-volume fly ash pavement concrete

Roz-Ud-Din Nassar a,∗, Parviz Soroushian b, Tewodros Ghebrab c

a Civil Engineering, University of South Asia, Lahore, Pakistanb Civil and Environmental Engineering,Michigan StateUniversity, United Statesc Construction Engineering, Texas Tech University,United States

a r t i c l e i n f o

 Article history:

Received 28 July 2012

Received in revised form16 December 2012

Accepted 5 January 2013

Keywords:

High-volume fly ash concrete

Durability

Pozzolan

Pavement

a b s t r a c t

Field investigation of high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete in pavement construction wascarried out. Test

results performed oncores drilled from pavement after 270days of concrete age showed that use of HVFA

results in production of pavement concrete with improvements in: strength; moisture barrier qualities;

and abrasive resistance characteristics. These improvements are brought about bythe pozzolanic reaction

offly ash with the hydrates of cement that favorably changes the microstructure and interfacial transition

zone in the resulting concrete.

Use of  high volume of  fly ash in pavement concrete as partial replacement for cement is estimated

to produce major energy and environmental gains and is a practice that is aimed at producing durable

and sustainable concrete-based infrastructure. The use of HVFA concrete can significantly economize the

construction of concrete pavements and improve the service life of transportation infrastructure.

© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

According to United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC) the global warming attributable to anthro-

pogenic greenhouse gases has gone up to an alarming rate (WMO,

2007). Approximately 77% of the anthropogenic greenhouse gases

comprises of carbon dioxide (CO2) and the current atmospheric

concentration of CO2   has reached 390ppm which is the highest

ever recorded. Realizing the gravity of the situation, IPCC has rec-

ommended that the CO2   emission must be brought down to the

1990 level in the next 20 years (Mehta, 2009a, 2009b). To achieve

this target, the major CO2 contributor will have to play their role.

For more than two centuries mankind has accepted concrete

as a dependable construction material because of its durability,

strength, local availability of raw material, low cost, and architec-

tural moldability to form esthetically pleasing shapes and forms

(Naik, 2005a; Mehta and Monterio, 2006). Today, world’s concrete

consumption is 3 tons per capita as compared to 1 ton per capita

50 years ago. This consumption rate is going to grow with the

continued industrialization of developing countries and demand

for repair and retrofit in the developed world. Manufacturing of 

cement, a key ingredient used for the production of concrete, is

an energy-intensive process which is also a major source of green-

house gasemissions.On average,cementconsists of84% ofPortland

∗ Corresponding author at: 47-Tufail Road, Lahore, Pakistan. Tel.: +92 336 846

1516.

E-mail addresses:[email protected], [email protected] (R.-U.-D. Nassar).

clinker and the fabrication of a ton of clinker results in emission of 

about 0.9 tons of CO2   to the atmosphere (Naik, 2008; Oss, 2002;

Van Oss and Padovani, 2003; Mehta, 2001; Worrell et al., 2001;

Mehta and Walters, 2008; Gartner, 2004). Carbon dioxide is a by-

product of thechemical reactionsinvolved in production of cement

(chiefly decarbonation of limestone); the energy consumed in the

course of cement production is another source of CO2  emissions.

Globally, cement production contributes 5–8% of anthropogenic

CO2   emissions (Naik, 2008; Van Oss and Padovani, 2003; Mehta,

2001; Worrell et al., 2001; Malhotra, 2002, 1999).

Major contributions to sustainable development can be made

by reducing the consumption of Portland cement through partially

replacing it with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs)

(Mehta,2009b; Naik, 2008; Mehta andWalters,2008; Naik, 2005b;

Habertet al., 2010). Flyash, a by-product of coal fired power plants,

is one such material that is available in abundance. TheUS produc-

tion of fly ash in 2010 was about 61 million tons whereas globally

about 636 million tons of coal ash is produced each year out of  

which about 70% is fly ash (ACAA, 2010; Aydın et al., 2007). Fly

ash has been used for many years either as partial replacement

for cement or as a component of blended cement. In either form

major energyand environmental benefits have been obtained from

the use of fly ash in concrete manufacturing. Besides, the use of 

fly ash as partial replacement for cement in concrete has been

proven to form a concrete with enhanced strength and durabil-

ity and increased moisture resistance characteristic (Bouzoubaâ

et al., 2001; Nath and Sarker, 2011; Malhotra, 1990; Rafat, 2004;

Mehta, 2004). The practice has been recognized as a step forward

toward green construction practices in an effort to reduce the

0921-3449/$ – seefrontmatter© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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R.-U.-D. Nassar et al./ Resources, Conservation andRecycling 73 (2013) 78–85 79

 Table 1

Physical properties of coarse and fine aggregates.

Aggregate type Dry density

(kg/m3)

Bulk specific

gravity

Bulk specific

gravity (SSD)

Absorption (%) Loss on

abrasion (%)

Coarse aggregate 1721 2.52 2.60 2.22 22.4

Fine aggregate 2.88 (F.M.) 2.64 – 1.20 –

carbon footprints of cement manufacturing. The use of high-

volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete (concrete incorporating≥50wt.%of 

fly ash as cement replacement) in concrete pavement construction

has been investigatedfor some years (Naik et al., 1994a,1995; Naik

and Singh, 1991; Nelson et al., 1992; Kumar et al., 2007; Naik et al.,

2001; Naik and Rammme, 1989). Earlier researchers have reported

significant gains in strength and durability attributes of HVFA con-

crete besides its environmental advantages when compared with

corresponding normal concrete. According to Mehta (2004) the

adoption of HVFA concrete system has the ability to address all

the sustainability issues associated with the construction industry.

The work of Hoppe Filho (2012) revealed improvement in chloride

diffusion resistance of concrete with the addition of high content

of fly ash. Naik et al. (2002) concluded that up to 40% of cement

replacement with fly ash did not have any effect on the abra-

sion resistance of the resulting concrete, however HVFA concretemixes incorporating fly ash in excessof 50% as cementreplacement

showed slightly less resistance to abrasion when compared with

the reference concrete mix. Sujjavanich et al. (2005) f ound signif-

icant improvement in the corrosion resistance of concrete beside

improvement in resistance to chloride permeability, as a result of 

cement replacement with fly ash in the range of 50–65%. Sengul

et al. (2005) recorded the compressive strengths of HVFA mortars

and concretes similar to that of corresponding no fly ash mixtures

up to replacement level of 40% of cement with fly ash, beyond this

replacement level they recorded significant decrease in compres-

sive strength of concrete.Comparing theperformanceof class C and

class F fly ash in HVFA concrete, Naik et al. (2003a) observed better

strength and higher resistance to chloride ion penetration in class F

flyashmixesthancorrespondingclassCflyashmixes.Inotherstud-ies, Naiket al. (1994b,2003b) reported the excellent performance of 

HVFA concrete in pavement construction with significant improve-

mentin laterage strength andfreeze-thaw durability. Testresults of 

theresearchwork carried outby Berry et al.(2011) showedpromis-

ing results with respect to durability and structural performance

of 100% fly ash concrete when manufactured using glass aggre-

gate. Research work of Atis (2002, 2005, 2003) showed superior

abrasion resistance, higher compressive strength and up to 30%

reduction in drying shrinkage of HVFA pavement concrete when

compared with corresponding normal concrete. Similarly Kumar

et al. (2007) have reported that concrete mixtures with 50–60% fly

ash can be designed to fulfill the strength, workability and abra-

sion resistance requirements of pavement concrete. They further

concluded that the drying shrinkage of such concrete decreasedwith an increase in fly ash content of the mix. Naik et al. (2001)

have also reported satisfactory performance of HVFA roller com-

pacted concrete. Such concrete showed satisfactory freeze-thaw

performance up to 210 F/T cycles when tested in accordance with

ASTM C 666, procedure. Zapata and Gambatese (2005) evaluated

the energy consumption of pavement materials and construction.

They have reported that the partial replacement of cement with

fly ash in pavement concrete can substantially reduce the con-

sumption of energy associated with manufacturing of pavement

concrete.

This research reports the field performance of high-volume

class C fly ash concrete in jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP)

construction. Two segments of this experimental pavement, one

each on eastbound (E.B.) and westbound (W.B.) Jackson Road

Boulevard were constructed in Ann Arbor, Michigan during the

course of widening and reconstruction of the Boulevard that

involved construction of JPCP using normal (control) concrete. The

field performance of HVFA concrete under weathering effects and

heavy traffic is subject of long-term monitoring. High-volume fly

ash concrete has been observed to perform satisfactorily in these

field studies. Class C flyash wasusedas replacement for50% of Type

1 Portland cement in HVFA concrete. Control concrete also incor-

porated 25% of cement replacement with fly ash. Cores taken from

pavement sections were tested for evaluation of strength and vari-

ous durability characteristics of field HVFA concrete versus control

concrete. Compression and flexure tests were also performed on

HVFA andcontrol concrete specimens prepared from field concrete

during construction.

2. Materials and methods

 2.1. Materials

Table 1 shows the physical properties of coarse and fine aggre-

gates used in the field projects.Type I Portland cement, conforming

to ASTM C 150 was used in all concrete mixtures. Table 2 presents

physical properties of class C fly ash while the chemical composi-

tion of fly ash and ordinary Portland cement used in this study is

presented in Table 3. A scanning electron microscope image of the

fly ash used in the experimental program is presented in Fig. 1. Mix

designs of the two concrete mixtures are shown in Table 4. Surfac-

tant based air entraining agent (with brand name of Conair 260TM)

and water reducing agent (known by brand name Optiflo 500TM)

were also used in both concrete mixtures. All batches of concrete

were manufactured in ready-mix concrete plant installed near the

project site.

 2.2. Test specimens

Representative concrete cylinders with 6 inch (152 mm) diam-

eter and 12inch (350mm) height were prepared and tested in

 Table 2

Physical properties of class C fly ash and Portland cement.

Parameter Fly ash Cement

% Passing # 325 mesh 84.6 87.25

Specific gravity 2.61 3.15Specific surface area (Blaine) (m2/kg) 319 356

 Table 3

Chemical compositionof class C fly ash and Portland cement.

Chemical composition (%) Fly ash Cement

SiO2   33.52 20.2

Al2O3   17.35 4.7

CaO 29.11 61.9

Fe2O3   5.14 3.0

SO3   2.38 3.9

MgO 4.56 2.6

Na2O 0.68 0.19

K2O 0.97 0.82

Loss on ignition 0.67 0.79

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80   R.-U.-D. Nassaret al./ Resources, Conservation andRecycling 73 (2013) 78–85

Fig. 1. SEMmicrographs of thefly ashused in theinvestigation program.

compression after 7, 28 and 90 days of moist curing (in lime-

saturated water). Similarly, concrete beams were prepared fromall concrete mixtures, and were tested for flexural strength after 7,

28 and90 days of moist curing. Both; cylinder andbeam specimens

werecast at the construction siteand transferred to laboratory after

24–36 h of concrete age. For each test, six specimens were tested at

the given concrete ages. In addition, 270 days after construction,

cores were drilled from the constructed pavement sections and

tested for evaluation of the compressive strength, water sorption,

chloride permeability and abrasion resistance of field concretes. All

test results on field concrete representa mean of sixvalues with the

exception of ‘core compressive strength’ which is a mean of three

values. All tests were carried out according to the provisions of rel-

evant ASTM standards. Table 5 lists various tests and the relevant

ASTM standards followed in this experimental program.

 2.3. Pavement construction

The field projects consisted of four-lane JPCP Concrete-

Boulevard and a bike lane on east and westbound Jackson Road.

 Table 4

Concrete mix designs.

Control HVFA

Coarse aggregate (kg/m3) 1005 1005

Sand (kg/m3) 739 739

w/cm ratio 0.42 0.42

Cement content (kg/m3) 234 156

Water content (kg/m3) 132 132

Fly ash (kg/m3) 78a 156b

Air entraining admixture (ml/kg) 2.80 2.80Water reducing admixture (ml/kg) 1.75 1.75

a 25% replacement of cement with class-C fly ash.b 50% replacement of cementwith class-Cfly ash.

 Table 5

ASTM standards followed in the experimental work.

Test description Specification

Slump ASTM C 143

Density (fresh concrete) ASTM C 138

Air content ASTM C 231

Compressive strength ASTM C 39

Flexural strength ASTM C 78

Sorption ASTM C 1585

Chloride permeability ASTM C 1202

Fig. 2. Views of the HVFA pavement construction: (a) paving of concrete and (b)

finishing of freshly paved concrete.

The east and westbound pavement sections were constructed in

the months of June and July, respectively. Experimental pavement

sections were replicated on east and westbound Jackson Road to

account for possible variations in concrete mix ingredients and

traffic load. Each experimental pavement section was 250 ft long

having 27ft wide and 9inch deep concrete cross-section. Fig. 2

shows views of various construction activities during paving and

finishing of the pavement concrete. Fig. 3 shows photographs of 

the newly completed pavement that has been opened to traffic.

3. Experimental results anddiscussion

 3.1. Tests on field concrete

 3.1.1. Fresh concrete properties

Fresh mix properties of the two concrete mixtures are shown

in Table 6. Air content of the concrete mixtures was measured in

front of the paverto account for the loss of entrained air during the

transit of concrete to the paving site. HVFA concrete mixtures are

observed to have less entrained airat equal dosageof air entraining

agent than the control mixtures. This is a typical effect of min-

eral admixture, which, owing to the presence of residual carbon

strongly inhibits the air entrainment (Mehta and Monterio, 2006;

Mindess and Darwin, 2003). Statistical analysis proved this effect

to be significant at 0.05 level of confidence. Besides, fresh concrete

density of the HVFA mixtures is found to be slightly on the lower

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R.-U.-D. Nassar et al./ Resources, Conservation andRecycling 73 (2013) 78–85 81

Fig. 3. Views of the newly constructed HVFA pavement: (a) eastbound pavement

and (b) westbound pavement.

side when compared with corresponding control mixes. This effect

may be attributed to thelower specific gravity of fly ashwhen com-

pared with that of Portland cement. Slump of the HVFA concrete

mixtures is also slightly less than that of control mixes showing

the stiffness of these mixtures.

 3.1.2. Compressive strength

Fig.4 showsthe compressivestrengthtest results at various con-

crete ages forHVFAand control mixes forthe eastbound while Fig.5

shows the corresponding compressive strength test results for the

westbound section of the pavement. Up to the age of 28 days, the

HVFA concrete mixtures showed lower compressive strength than

that of control mixes for the east and westbound pavement con-

crete mixtures. This trend was, however, reversed at the age of 90

days, when theincreased pozzolanic reactionof flyash with cement

 Table 6

Fresh concrete properties of control and HVFA mixes.

Mix design Slumpa (mm) Densitya (kg/m3) Air contenta (%)

Eastbound pavement

Control 52 2285 7.5

HVFA 48 2219 5

Westbound pavement

Control 55 2287 7.8

HVFA 51 2225 5.5

a

Each value is a mean of three readings.

Fig. 4. Compressive strength test results of eastbound pavement concrete speci-

mens prepared using field concrete materials (means and standard errors).

hydrates resulted in microstructural improvements of hydrated

cement paste. Statistical analysis of test results indicated that the

effect of increase in dosage of fly ash (50% (by weight) replacement

of cement with fly ash) on the compressive strength of east andwestbound pavement concrete materials was significant at 0.05

level of confidence at the age of 90 days.

The significant improvement in later age strength is an indirect

measure of the pozzolanic reaction of fly ash. Besides the filling

effect of tiny fly ash particles results in improvement of compres-

sive strength as well. This effect is observed to increase with an

increase in the percent replacement of cement with fly ash (25%

vs. 50%). Both, the east and westbound pavement concrete mixture

showed almost identical trends of strength development.

 3.1.3. Flexural strength

The flexural strength test results are shown in Figs. 6 and 7 f or

the east and westbound pavement concrete mixtures, respectively.

In this case too, theflexural strength of theHVFA concrete mixtureswas lower than thatof the control concrete mixtures up to the con-

crete ageof 28days,for theeast andwestbound pavement concrete

mixes. At the age of 90 days, however the flexural strength of the

HVFA concrete mixtures was higher than that of control mixtures

for the two pavement sections. Statistical analysis at 0.05 level of 

confidence indicated significant beneficial effect of high volume

replacement of cement with fly ash on flexural strength of con-

crete at 90 days of concrete age for east and west bound pavement

concrete mixtures.

Fig. 5. Compressive strength test results of westbound pavement concrete speci-

mens prepared using field concrete materials (means and standard errors).

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82   R.-U.-D. Nassaret al./ Resources, Conservation andRecycling 73 (2013) 78–85

Fig. 6. Flexural strengths test results of eastbound pavement concrete specimens

prepared using field concrete materials (means and standard errors).

The significant increase in the later-age flexural strength of 

concrete mixtures with incorporation of high-volume of fly ash

as partial replacement for cement is expected to be the result of 

the improvements in the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and thecementitious paste in concrete realized by the pozzolanic reactions

of fly ash with calcium hydroxide (CH) resulting in its conversion

into calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H). This effect is higher in the

HVFA concrete mixtures than the control concrete mixtures which

have only 25% of cement replacement with fly ash.

 3.2. Test on concrete cores

 3.2.1. Compressive strength of concrete cores

Cores with 102 mm (4inch) diameter and heights varying from

178 to 203 mm (7–8inch) were drilled from the HVFA and control

concrete pavements in the months of April/May (in the following

year), after their exposure to a cycle of summer and winter. Dur-

ing this period the temperature was recorded to range from 20◦

C(July) to −7 ◦C (January). Fig. 8 shows views of the core drilling

operations of the pavement concrete. Fig. 9 shows the compres-

sive strength test results of these cores at 270 days of concrete

age. Generally, the strengths of cores exposed to field environ-

ment are less than those obtained using continuously moist-cured

cylindrical specimens produced using the same concrete (see

Figs. 4 and 5). The higher strength of specimens prepared in molds

andsubsequently cured in laboratory, when compared with that of 

Fig. 7. Flexural strengths test results of westbound pavement concrete specimens

prepared using field concrete materials (means and standard errors).

Fig. 8. Views of thecore taking process:(a) coring of pavement and (b) core speci-

men.

specimens cored from field concrete, is due to the improved curing

and probably better preparation of molded specimens. The lower

strength of field concrete may also be attributed to the deterio-

rating effects of its exposure to freeze-thaw and other weathering

cycles.

The strength gain with time for cores follows trends similar to

those for molded specimens. At the ages of 270 days, the core com-

pressive strength of HVFA pavement concrete is higher than that of 

Fig. 9. Compressive strengths of concrete cores (means and standard errors).

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0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

0 200 400 600 800 1000

   S  o  r  p   t   i  o  n   (  m  m   )

Time (sec1/2)

Cont. E.B.

 Ash E.B.

Cont. W.B.

 Ash W.B.

Fig.10. Sorptiontest results of corespecimens fromeast and westbound pavement

concrete mixtures.

the control concrete. Statistical analysis showedsignificant effectof 

theincrease in %weight replacement of cement with fly ash on corecompressive strength for eastbound pavement concrete mixture at

0.05 confidence level. In the case of westbound pavement concrete

mixtures the core compressive strengths of control and HVFA con-

crete materials were found to be statistically comparable at 0.05

confidence level. The compressive strength test results for molded

and cored specimens provide strong evidence for the effectiveness

of the pozzolanic reactions between fly ash and cement hydrates.

These pozzolanic reactions seem to continue to contribute to the

concrete quality up to 270 days of age. The increase in later-age

compressive strength of concrete points at the formation of denser

microstructure.

 3.2.2. Water sorption

Throughout the service life of concrete, it is mostly in an unsat-urated state, consequently sorption is the most important mode of 

moisture transport in concrete. Water absorption is also an impor-

tant indicator of the durability of hardened concrete. Reduction

of water absorption which shows reduction in porosity of con-

crete can greatly enhance the long-term performance and service

life of concrete in aggressive service environments. Sorption tests

were carried out following the procedure of ASTM C 1585-04

(ASTM, 2006) in this experimental program. Disc specimens hav-

ing 102 m m diameter and 51 m m thickness were cut out from

the drilled concrete cores and conditioned by oven drying till a

constant mass was achieved. This process on average required

about 25 days of continuous oven drying at 50 ◦C. Specimens

were then sealed on sides and top with epoxy to produce one-

dimensional sorption during the test. Each mix design had threereplicate specimens. Fig. 10 shows the, i (sorption per unit area

per unit density of water) vs. time1/2 plots of HVFA and control

concrete mixtures used in the east and westbound pavements.

These plots show statistically significant (at 0.05 confidence level)

reduction in rate of moisture absorption with increase in the fly

ash content as partial replacement for cement in concrete mix-

tures.

The reduction in rate of sorption of HVFA concrete may be

attributed to the pozzolanic reaction of fly ash, producing more C-

S-H and hence greater pore refinement and pore blocking effects.

The formation of denser and less permeable microstructure may

be another cause of significant reduction in rate of sorption. This

effect is observed to increase with an increase in fly ash content in

concrete mix.

Fig. 11. Chloride permeability test results of field and core concrete specimens.

 3.2.3. Chloride permeability

Resistance of concrete to chloride ion permeation gives an indi-

cation of the barrier qualities of concrete against salt solution and

other aggressive liquids, which critically influence its long-termdurability. Fig. 11 shows the results of the chloride permeability

tests of field and cored concrete specimens. Considerable reduc-

tion in chloride permeability of the HVFA field and core concretes

specimensis seen(at 270daysof age) when compared with thecor-

responding control concrete mixtures. According to ASTM C 1202,

if the number of coulombs passed lies between 2000 and 4000, the

chloride permeability of concrete is considered low, and it is con-

sidered very low for the 100–1000 range. All concrete materials

in this study provided low chloride permeability levels. The HVFA

concrete mix had the number of coulombs passed less than 1800.

The HVFA concrete specimens recorded about 11% reduction in the

number of coulombs passed through them when compared with

corresponding control concrete specimens. A similar reduction in

thecharge passedthrough HVFA cored specimenswas about 12%incomparison to cored control concrete specimens. In both cases the

effect of the increase in dosage of fly ash on reduction in chloride

permeability was found to be statistically significant at 0.05 level

of confidence.

The significant improvements in resistance to chloride perme-

ation arebrought about by thepartial blocking of pores in hydrated

cement paste with the products of pozzolanic reactions involving

fly ash. This effect is recorded to increase with increase in fly ash

content as partial replacement for cement.

 3.2.4. Abrasion resistance

Abrasion resistance is an important property of concrete pave-

ments and floors. Concrete in these structures is continuously

subjected to abrasive action influencing its long term durability(Fwa and Paramasivam, 1990; Kumar et al., 2007; Li et al., 2006;

Nanni, 1989). Visual observation of the pavement sections after

exposure to a complete cycle of aggressive weather under traf-

fic load did not suggest any signs of surface damage in the form

of scaling. Fig. 12 shows the abrasion resistance test results pro-

duced using cores obtained from the east and westbound concrete

pavements at 270 days of concrete age. The abrasion test results

point at the significant improvements in the abrasion resistance

of concrete materials benefited by the use of fly ash as partial

replacement of cement. These improvements are brought about

by the improvements in structure and strength of concrete (not-

ing that a direct relationship exists between compressive strength

and abrasion resistance of concrete) due to the pozzolanic reac-

tions of fly ash with cement hydrates. The abrasive weight losses

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84   R.-U.-D. Nassaret al./ Resources, Conservation andRecycling 73 (2013) 78–85

Fig.12. Abrasionweightlossesof eastand westbound pavementconcrete materials

(means and standard errors).

of HVFA and control concrete materials were statistically compa-

rable, pointing at the suitability of HVFA concrete for pavement

construction.

4. Conclusions

•   Production of concrete incorporating high-volume of fly ash as

partial replacement for cement in concrete is an important step

aimed to reduce the energy and environmental implications of 

cement and concrete industry.•   Use of HVFA concrete in pavement construction is a viable

practice that can help in development of economical transporta-

tion infrastructure with increased service life benefited from the

enhanced concrete durability.•   Significant increase in the later age strength of HVFA concrete

materials is achieved through the formation of denser and lesspermeable microstructure as a result of the pozzolanic reaction

offly ashand thefilling effectof sub-micron sizedfly ashparticles.•  No signs of surface damage in the form of scaling were noticed in

the HVFA concrete pavement sections during the field observa-

tions done after their exposure to a complete cycle of aggressive

weather under heavy traffic load.•  The use of high-volume fly ash as partial replacement of cement

in HVFA concrete results in enhanced durability characteristic

such as sorption, chloride permeability, and abrasion resistance

through improvement in poresystem characteristics,filling effect

of fly ash particles, and conversion of CH to C-S-H through poz-

zolanic reaction of fly ash with hydrates of cement.

 Acknowledgements

Part of this research project was funded jointly by FHWA

and Washtenaw County Road Commission, MI. Authors are grate-

ful to their financial support. Vital support of Roy Townsend

and Sheryl Soderholm Siddall of Washtenaw Road Commission

and Hugh Luedtke of Ajax Paving is gratefully acknowledged as

well.

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