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Structural behavior of alkali activated fly ash concrete. Part 1: mixture design, material properties and sample fabrication

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Abstract

Alkali Activated Fly Ash Concrete (AAFAC) is an alternative form of concrete that uses fly ash as a 100 % replacement for ordinary portland cement. In producing AAFAC, fly ash is combined with alkali activators that chemically react to form a binder. When combined further with fine and coarse aggregates and often cured at elevated temperature, a concrete material is produced with strength and stiffness properties similar to ordinary portland cement concrete (OPCC). In this paper fabrication of full scale steel reinforced AAFAC beams is presented. The research scope includes: development of an AAFAC mixture design, fabrication of nine AAFAC beam samples, development of an elevated temperature curing system, temperature measurement during curing, and investigation of hardened AAFAC material properties. Results show AAFAC can be manufactured in the same way as OPCC, and that it has a self consolidating consistency in the fresh state. Curing at 60 °C for 24 h produced very rapid strength gain. Compression strengths at 1 day ranged between 47 and 53 MPa, with 28 days compression strengths ranging from 48 to 55 MPa. Material test results show AAFAC is a brittle material with an approximately linear stress–strain response, and an elastic modulus slightly less than that predicted by ACI 318.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the National Science Foundation under Award Number 0923818 for providing financial support for this project, and the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects at Villanova University for providing graduate student tuition. Finally the collaboration and in-kind support provided by Oldcastle Precast of Telford, PA, USA is acknowledged and greatly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, 19085-1681, USA

    Joseph Robert Yost & Michael Salera

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802-1408, USA

    Aleksandra Radlińska

  3. Tetra Tech, Langhorne, PA, 19407, USA

    Stephen Ernst

Authors
  1. Joseph Robert Yost
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  2. Aleksandra Radlińska
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  3. Stephen Ernst
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  4. Michael Salera
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph Robert Yost.

Additional information

This is a two-part research publication describing an experimental program involving fabrication and structural testing of full scale steel reinforced alkali activated fly ash concrete (AAFAC) beams. Part 1 of the article series presents the AAFAC mixture design, batching and concrete placement, methods of curing at elevated temperature, time–temperature data measured during curing, and hardened material properties of the AAFAC including strength, elastic modulus, and stress–strain behavior. In Part 2 of the article series the structural testing program is described, methods of analysis presented, and four point bending test results related to neutral axis location, strength, stiffness, failure mode, and crack width discussed.

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Yost, J.R., Radlińska, A., Ernst, S. et al. Structural behavior of alkali activated fly ash concrete. Part 1: mixture design, material properties and sample fabrication. Mater Struct 46, 435–447 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-9919-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-9919-x

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