Effects of sulphate salts on concrete with untreated coal fly ash (CFA) as partial cement replacement

Abstract

Purpose – The cementitious/chemical properties of the untreated CFA are dependent on the coal composition and previous burning conditions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether untreated CFA can efficiently reduce cement replacement and does not require further combustion treatment to be a viable cement replacement. Design/methodology/approach – Two types of mixes: Type I concrete and PCFA (Type I and 30 per cent untreated CFA) concrete were batched and subjected to compressive strength tests and cyclic exposures of 5 per cent sodium sulphate (Na2SO4) and 5 per cent magnesium sulphate (MgSO4), respectively. Findings – PCFA mix was 41.1 and 35.21 per cent lower in strength compared to Type I at 28 and 56 days correspondingly. Continuous-sulphate-exposure resulted in slow but continued strength development for both mixes. However, the strengths of PCFA cubes exposed to cyclic sulphate and sulphate/magnesium salts continued to increase at a lower rate from their corresponding 28-day strength (r...