Watcharapong Wongkeo

Compressive Strength of Binary and Ternary Blended Cement Mortars Containing Fly Ash and Silica Fume under Autoclaved Curing

Cement industry is a one of the major sources of environmental pollution therefore the reduction of cement demand should be improved. Fly ash and silica fume is a by-product of industries and it should be reused to reduce the waste pollution. Thus, this study investigated the use of fly ash and silica fume as a cement replacement in binary and ternary blended cements on compressive strength and physical properties of mortar. Autoclaved curing at 130 °C and 20 psi of pressure for 9 h was used in this study. The results show that the compressive strength of binary blended cement mortar with FA tends to decrease with increased FA replacement and shows compressive strength lower than PC control. However, compressive strength of binary blended cement mortar with SF was improved and shows compressive strength higher than that of PC control. The compressive strength of ternary blended cement mortar was higher than binary blended cement at the same level replacement and it increases with increased SF replacement. Moreover, ternary blended cement mortar containing 10%SF by weight contribute in giving compressive strength higher than PC control. The incorporation of FA with SF can enhance workability of blended cement mortar containing only SF replacement.

Effect of Limestone Powders on Compressive Strength and Setting Time of Portland-Limestone Cement Pastes

In this study limestone powders with different particle sizes of 5, 10 and 20 μm were used to replace a part of Portland cement in different replacement levels to produce Portland-limestone cement pastes. The percentages of limestone replacement are 0, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15 and 20% by weight. The effect of fineness and the amount of limestone powders on compressive strength and setting time are investigated. It has been established that limestone replacement causes reduce the compressive strength due to the dilution effect, but it can reduce energy consumption and CO2 emission in cement manufacturing. The fineness of limestone powder used has influence on the observed compressive strength values. From the standard consistency results, it seems that limestone has no effect on water requirement compared to Portland cement. Moreover, the increase in level of fine particles would require much water. Both initial and final setting times were decreased with an increase in the amount of limestone. Furthermore, at the same level replacement, the cement pastes using 5 μm of limestone show lower setting time than those using 10 and 20 μm, respectively.

Microstructure and Characterizations of Portland-Bottom Ash-Silica Fume Cement Pastes

This research investigated the microstructure and characterization of Portland-bottom ash-silica fume cement pastes. Bottom ash, a by – product from coal-fired thermal power plants, was obtained from Mae Moh power plant, Lampang, Thailand. It currently exists as waste approximately 1.5 MT per year and has not been put to use. Unlike its counterpart, fly ash, which is recognized as an alternative material used to replace part of Portland cement. Silica fume, a nanomaterial from ferrosilicon industry, is nanoparticle and highly amorphous. It is highly pozzolanic reaction and could improve properties of Portland-bottom ash cement pastes. Thus, this research investigated the effect of silica fume on microstructure and characterization of Portland-bottom ash-silica fume cement pastes. The ratios of bottom ash used to replace Portland cement were 0, 10, 20 and 30 percent by weight and silica fume was added at 5 and 10 percent by weight. Compressive strength test was then carried out. SEM and TGA were used to study the microstructure of Portland-bottom ash-silica fume cement pastes. The results show that, the compressive strength of Portland-Bottom ash-silica fume cement pastes increased with added silica fume at 5 and 10 percent. SEM micrographs show C-S-H gel and silica fume around the cement particle in Portland-bottom ash-silica fume cement pastes which gives a highly dense and less porous microstructure. TGA graphs show Ca(OH)2 decreased with silica fume content.

Compressive strength of blended Portland cement mortars incorporating fly ash and silica fume at high volume replacement

Fly ash has been widely used as a replacement of Portland cement at high content levels, but the compressive strength of Portland cement blended with fly ash is lower at early ages. Thus, this study compares the compressive strength of ternary blended Portland cement mortars incorporating fly ash (40-70 wt%) and silica fume (5-10 wt%) with binary blended Portland cement mortars incorporating fly ash only. Blended Portland cement mortars were designed with a constant water/binder ratio of 0.485 and the flow table tested was carried out. A fine aggregate to binder ratio of 2.75 was used. The compressive strength of all blended Portland cement mortars that cured in water at 23 °C was tested at 28 days. The results show that the flow of blended Portland cement mortars increased with increasing fly ash content and tended to decrease with increasing silica fume content, at the same replacement level. Moreover, the compressive strength of blended Portland cement mortars decreased with increasing fly ash content. However, compressive strength gains were obtained from ternary blended Portland cement mortars incorporating silica fume, tending to increase with increasing silica fume content.