Strength and Durability of Concrete Using Bottom Ash as Replacement for Fine Aggregate

It is anticipated that coal-fired thermal power stations will increase in Japan and that the discharged amount of coal ashes, which are industrial by-products, will rapidly increase in the future. In order to effectively use the bottom ash discharged from coal-fired thermal power stations, concrete which substitutes bottom ash from 0 to 40% by volume for fine aggregate was investigated in this study. The compressive strength, tensile strength, freezing and thawing resistance, and abrasion resistance of the concrete were examined. The results of the concrete strength tests indicate that the compressive strength and tensile strength of bottom ash concrete generally increases with the increase of replacement ratio of fine aggregate and curing age. The freezing and thawing resistance of concrete using bottom ash is lower than that of ordinary concrete and the abrasion resistance of bottom ash concrete is higher than that of ordinary concrete. The use of bottom ash in amounts of 10 to 40% as replacement for fine aggregate is effective in improving the concrete properties except for the freezing and thawing resistance.