FLYASH

What is Fly Ash?

Fly ash is one of the naturally-occurring products from the coal combustion process and is a material that
is nearly the same as volcanic ash. Volcanic ash concrete was used thousands of years ago to produce
Roman concrete structures that exist and function today; e.g., the Pantheon, Coliseum, and ancient
aqueducts. When coal is burned in todays modern electric generating plants, combustion temperatures
reach approximately 2800F. The non-combustible minerals that naturally occur from burning coal form
bottom ash and fly ash. Bottom ash is a light-weight aggregate material that falls to the boiler bottom for
collection. Fly ash is the material that is carried off with the flue gases, where it is collected and can be
stored in silos for testing and beneficial use classification.

How is Fly Ash Used?

The most common use of fly ash is as a partial replacement for portland cement used in producing
concrete. Replacement rates normally run between 20% to 30%, but can be higher. Fly ash reacts as a
pozzolana with the lime in cement as it hydrates, creating more of the durable binder that holds concrete
together. As a result, concrete made with fly ash is stronger and more durable than traditional concrete
made exclusively with portland cement.

Why Use Fly Ash?

Fly ash concrete has increased strength and durability, which means it can handle greater loads, is more
resilient and lasts longer. Fly ash concrete can withstand harsher service environments than straight
Portland cement concrete. It is less susceptible to chemical attacks (de-icing salts, soil sulfates, etc.) and
mitigates the negative impact of deleterious aggregates. This is especially true when using fly ash in
infrastructure projects, such as roads, highways and bridges. A study conducted by the American Road
and Transportation Builders Association in September of 2011, stated, The cost to build roads, runways
and bridges would increase by an estimated $104.6 billion over the next 20 years if fly ash were not
available.
Fly ash concrete is easier to work with because of its spherical shape and its ability to moderate early
concrete set time. The improved flowability, reduced hydration temperatures and delayed setting time of
fly ash concrete are the main factors that contribute to ease of placement of concrete. Fly ash concrete
also has lower permeability than traditional concrete, which means less water and chemicals can enter the
concrete. Therefore, fly ash concrete has a longer service life and doesnt need to be repaired or replaced
as often. Some states require the use of fly ash concrete to prevent premature deterioration. Fly ash is
used to mitigate a problem called alkali silica reaction, which occurs when concrete deteriorates early due
to issues with aggregate quality. This is a major issue for some states, and fly ash is the product most
widely-used to combat this problem.
Fly ash concrete costs less. Depending on what area of the country you are in, fly ash can be 20% to 60%
less expensive than portland cement. In some cases, portland cement can be more than twice as
expensive. However, there have been few instances where fly ash was shipped long distances and sold
for higher prices than local portland cement because the concrete durability requirements could only be
met using fly ash.

The use of fly ash has positive environmental impacts, as it conserves landfill space, reduces energy and
water consumption, and helps reduce greenhouse gases. The use of fly ash displaces portland cement
production, which emits approximately one ton of CO 2 for every ton of cement produced; i.e. for every
ton of fly ash used, CO2 emissions are reduced by one ton. According to a National Conference of State
Legislatures Briefing Paper entitled Recycling Fly Ash, If all the fly ash generated each year were used
in producing concrete, the reduction in CO2 emissions would be equal to eliminating 25% of the worlds
vehicles.

Classification of fly ash

Fly ash can be classified into two groups
1. Class C and
2. Class F

1. Class C

This fly ash is produce by the burning of lignite or sub bituminous coal. It posses both pozzolanic
and cementitious properties. More over they do not requires any additive substances to show the
pozzolanic properties in them. As we know CaO is an important constituent of fly ash but in some Class
C fly ash the quality of CaO is more than 10%.
2. Class F
The burning of harder, older anthracite and bituminous coal typically produces Class F fly ash. This fly ash is
pozzolanic in nature, and contains less than 10% lime (CaO). The glassy silica and alumina of Class F fly ash
requires a cementing agent, such as Portland cement, quicklime, or hydrated lime, with the presence of water in
order to react and produce cementitious compounds.

Physical and chemical properties:

Fly ash is generally finely divided residue ash particle resulting from the combustion of coal in the
furnaces which blows along with flue gas of the furnace. Theses ash are collected with the help of
electric precipitators and termed as fly ash. Fly ash is the most widely used pozzolanic material all over
the world. In UK it is termed as pulverised fuel ash i.e. PFA . Although it is a residue of coal but it contain
chemical components like silicon dioxide, aluminium oxide, iron oxide in major quality and apart from
these substance reactive silica, magnesium oxide, sodium oxide, calcium oxide, titanium, lead oxide are
also found in major quantity which marks fly ash suitable to be used in combination with cement in the
production of concrete.

Size and Shape

Fly ash is typically finer than portland cement and lime. Fly ash consists of silt-sized particles which are
generally spherical, typically ranging in size between 10 and 100 micron. These small glass spheres
improve the fluidity and workability of fresh concrete. Fineness is one of the important properties
contributing to the pozzolanic reactivity of fly ash.
According to the IS: 3812- Part -1: 2003 the standard chemical requirement of fly ash is existed below
Sl.
No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Characteristics

Requirements

Silicon dioxide(Sio2) plus aluminium oxide (Al2O3)plus

iron oxide (Fe 2O3) per cent by mass, Min.
Silicon dioxide (SiO2), per cent by mass, Min
Reactive silica in percent by mass, min
Magnesium Oxide (Mgo), percent by Max
Total sulphur as sulphur trioxide, per cent mass, Max
Available alkali, as sodium oxide, per cent by mass, Max
Total chloride in present by mass , Max
Loss on ignition, per cent by mass, Max

70
35
20
5
3
1.5
0.05
5

On the other hand a standard fly ash should satisfy certain physical properties in order to attain high
performance concrete mix. According to IS: 3812- part: 2003 these requirements are as follows :

Sl.
No.

Characteristics

1.

Fineness- specific surface in metre square

per kilogram by Blaines permeability
method, Min
Lime reactivity- average compressive
strength in N/ metre square, Min
Compressive strength at 28 days inn/
square metre, Min

2.
3.

4.

Requirements grade of fly ash

Soundness by autoclave test expansion of

specimens per cent, Max

320

4.5

II
250

Not less than 80% of the strength

of corresponding plane cement
mortar cubes
0.8
0.8

The Pros and

Cons of Using
Fly ash
Fly ash is used in many
countries because of
its advantages.
There
are
also
some
disadvantages of using
fly ash in concrete.

These pros and cons are described in brief below.

The significant benefits of using fly ash in concrete:

Fly ash in the concrete mix efficiently replaces Portland cement that in turn can aid in making big
savings in concrete material prices.

It is also an environmentally-friendly solution, which meets the performance specifications. It can

also contribute to LEED points.

It improves the strength over time and thus, it offers greater strength to the building.

Increased density and also the long-term strengthening action of flash that ties up with free lime and
thus, results in lower bleed channels and also decreases the permeability.

The reduced permeability of concrete by using fly ash, also aids to keep aggressive composites on the
surface where the damaging action is reduced. It is also highly resistant to attack by mild acid, water
and sulfate.

It effectively combines with alkalis from cement, which thereby prevents the destructive expansion.

It is also helpful in reducing the heat of hydration. The pozzolanic reaction in between lime and fly
ash will significantly generate less heat and thus, prevents thermal cracking.

It chemically and effectively binds salts and free lime, which can create efflorescence. The lower
permeability of fly ash concrete can efficiently reduce the effects of efflorescence.

The disadvantages of using fly ash in concrete:

There are also some disadvantages of using fly ash that should be considered.

The quality of fly ash to be utilized is very vital. Poor quality often has a negative impact on the
concrete.

The poor quality can increase the permeability and thus damaging the building.

Some fly ash, those are produced in power plant is usually compatible with concrete, while some
other needs to be beneficiated, and few other types cannot actually be improved for using in concrete.
Thus, it is very much vital to use only high quality fly ash to prevent negative effects on the structure
of the building.

The aforesaid is few advantages and disadvantages of fly ash concrete. This type of concrete offers many
advantages and as mentioned above it also has some disadvantages. There are various other advantages of
utilizing fly ash concrete such as it is much easier to place with reduced effort and it is also able to have
improved finishing to the structure with such type of concrete. Fly ash concrete can certainly add greater
strength to the building.

RESEACH PAPERS ON FLYASH

1. Effect of Fly ASH on Properties of Concrete(P. R. Wankhede & V. A. Fular)

ABSTRACT
Effect of Fly Ash on Properties of Concrete. In the present study Use of fly ash in concrete imparts
several environmental benefits and thus it is ecofriendly. It saves the cement requirement for the same
strength thus saving of raw materials such as limestone, coaletc required for manufacture of cement. Fly
ash is pozzolanic material & it improving the properties of concrete like compressive strength &
Durability.
OBJECTIVE
Properties of concrete depend upon properties of ingredients and their relative proportion.
Addition
of mineral in concrete mixes, while designing of mixes has become increasingly complex. This is due to
the chemical composition and pozzolonic properties of admixtures. Above complexity will be
experimentally studied in this research. The study will investigate the effect over the various properties of
concrete with use of mineral admixtures. Based on above mechanism & combination the main objectives
of this study are
1.
2.

To increase strength & durability of concrete by reducing water content & cement content.
Reduce disposal problem by using industrial waste as a concrete ingredient.
PROBLEM DEFINITION

We performed work for nominal mix M25 grade concrete for 0.35 w/c ratio. With mineral admixture
10%, 20%, and 30% replacement by mass of cement. In this work we studied the effects of different w/c
ratio, percentage of mineral admixture over the properties of concrete like workability & strength further
more we studied the effect with age of concrete and slump loss. Quality is essence of good work. Good
quality of concrete is a homogenous mixture of water, cement, aggregate and admixture. Only the mixing
of these materials is not the matter but to obtain the concrete which governs all the properties of concrete
mixes in fresh as well as hardened concrete. To produce good quality concrete the following steps are
involved in concrete preparation.
1.
Batching of materials.
2.
Mixing
3.
Compaction.

4.
5.
6.

Finishing.
Curing and Demoulding.
Cube testing.
To produce good quality of concrete the selection of materials as well as selection of required grade of
concrete is necessary.

RESULTS INTERPRETATION
In this research we show the effect of mineral admixture (fly ash) on the properties of concrete, which
has been investigated in laboratory and result obtained. So we present it graphically and discussed about
it. The study has been carried out by preparing concrete cubes for M25 grade of nominal mix and tested
after 7, 14 and 28 days of curing. Cubes are casted for 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% replacement of fly ash
(mineral admixture) with the weight of cement.
We also study of variation in slump for different w/c ratio. For 0.35 w/c ratio concrete does not show
fluidity. slump loss for 0.35, 0.45 and 0.55 w/c ratio respectively. In this we observed that fluidity of
concrete increases with the increment in w/c ratio. For 0.55 w/c ratio fluidity of concrete is more.
2. FLY ASH CONCRETE: A TECHNICAL ANALYSIS FOR COMPRESSIVE
STRENGTH(Dr S L Pati1, J N Kale , S Suman)
ABSTRACT
Fly ash, a waste generated by thermal power plants is as such a big environmental concern. The
investigation reported in this paper is carried out to study the utilization of fly ash in cement concrete as a
partial replacement of cement as well as an additive so as to provide an environmentally consistent way
of its disposal and reuse. This work is a case study for Deep Nagar thermal power plant of Jalgaon
District in MS. The cement in concrete matrix is replaced from 5% to 25% by step in steps of 5%. It is
observed that replacement of cement in any proportion lowers the compressive strength of concrete as
well as delays its hardening. This provides an environmental friendly method of Deep Nagar fly ash
disposal.
OBJECTIVE
Study proves that Deep Nagar fly ash can be successfully used in the cement c oncrete in minor amount
as an additive. Considering the intangible cost of disposal problem of fly ash and hidden cost of
environmental protection, the methodology appears to be indeed successful. Fly ash is actually a solid
waste. So, it is priceless. If it can be used for any purpose then it will be good for both environment and
economy. Use of this fly ash as a raw material in Portland cement is an effective means for its
management and leads to saving of cement and economy consequently. Hence it is a safe and
environmentally consistent method of disposal of fly ash. However the rate of strength development is
less, Due to lesser rate of strength development, fly ash finds specific application in mass concreting e. g.
dam construction. It can be concluded that power plant waste is extensively used in co ncrete as a partial
replacement for cement and an admixture.
In this experimental investigation, an attempt has been made to study the techno-economic analysis for
the compressive strength of fly ash concrete. The flyash is procured from Deepnagar Thermal Power
Plant. This plant is located near bhusawal city inJalgaon District in Maharashtra state. The plant is an
establishment of 1968. It has a generation capacity of 480 MW. It consumes 7500-8500 MT/day of coal
and produces 2550 to 2800 MT/day fly ash. Here, in our work a comparative study of the characteristics
compressive strength between Ordinary Portland Cement concrete and Fly ash based concrete has been
made. Fly ash is used in various proportions ranging from 10% to 50% by weight of cement in steps of

5%. Using the experimental data, a column section is designed. The relative cost of column section
designed with OPC as well as various proportion of fly ash is estimated and compared. It is observed that
fly ash can be safely and economically used. This also provides an environmental friendly method of fly
ash disposal.
EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Cement fly ash blends:
The fly ash is blended in cement at a rate of 10 to 50% by weight of cement in steps of 10%. The
cement-fly ash blends are then tested for following properties: consistency, setting time, soundness,
workability and compressive strength, as per IS 546- 2003.
Concrete Mix Design:
In the present study, M20 grade with nominal mix as per IS 456-2000 was used. The concrete mix
proportion (cement: fine aggregate: coarse aggregate) is 1: 1.5: 3 by volume and a water cement ratio of
0.5 is taken. The fly ash is blended in cement at a rate of 5 to 25% by weight of cement in steps of 5%.
Compressive strength determination:
In this test sample of concrete is filled in the mould of size 15cm x 15cm x 15cm and top of mould is
strike off. A total number of 18 cubes were casted. Fly ash is added in place of cement in concrete in 6
different percentages starting from 0%, and raised the mixing of fly ash upto 25%, at an interval of 5%.
The specimens are covered with the wet gunny bags for
24 hours. Then after sample is removed and kept for curing in curing tank. At the end of curing period
sample is removed and tested immediately. The testing is done under Universal Testing Machine model
no. UTM 40, Yama Engineers Kolhapur make.The load is applied smoothly and gradually. The crushing
loads are noted and average compressive strength for three specimens is determined for each which is
given in table 2.

Table 2: Compressive strength of cement fly ash concrete (three sample average)

Compressive strength of fly ash concrete

The characteristic compressive strength of various blends of concrete is presented in table no. 2. Figure 2
shows the graphical representation of data no 2.
The curves in figure 2 show the rate of compressive strength development of various blends of fly ash
concrete over a span of 90 days.It can be seen that 0% fly ash i.e. concrete with no
replacement of cement with fly ash, has maximum rate of compressive strength development at 60 days
and after it becomes nearly constant. 5% fly ash has maximum rate of compressive strength development
upto the age of 21 days and then after its rate decreases. Strength development at later stage is negligible.
The rate of strength development is large
upto 21 days for 10% fly ash and then after its rate becomes negligible for few days and after 28 days
increases uniformly. Its final strength development is also maximum than any other fly ash blends. After
90 days of storage the concretes containing 10 % of fly ash, related to cement mass, gained a compressive
strength about 6 % higher than the concrete addition for Ordinary Portland cement. For fly ash blends
greater than 10% fly ash, the rates of strength development as well as final strengths both reduce with
addition of fly ash. In long terms, concrete with higher proportions of fly ash gains comparable with that
of pure concrete.It is important to note from table 2 that the strength of concrete decreases with the
increase in % of replacement of cement with fly ash at 28 days. But, at 90 days we get maximum strength
for 10% fly ash addition.

3. The effects of using fly ash on high strength lightweight concrete produced with
expanded clay aggregate(Serkan Suba)
ABSTRACT
In this study, the effect of using fly ash in high strength lightweight aggregate concrete produced
with expanded clay aggregate on physical and mechanical properties of the concrete was
investigated. For this purpose, lightweight concrete mixtures with 350, 400 and 450 kg/m3 cement
content were prepared using expanded clay aggregate. Besides, concretes with 0, 10, 20 and 30%
fly ash replacement were produced out of the mixtures with different cement contents. Concrete
density, porosity, ultrasonic pulse velocity, compressive and split tensile strength experiments
were performed on the prepared samples. As a result, it was seen that it is possible to produce
high strength lightweight concrete using expanded clay aggregate; the cement content with 450
kg/m3 among concrete mixtures had the highest strength values; mechanical properties of concrete
could be enhanced by using 10% fly ash; thus a saving in cement amount could be achieved.
OBJECTIVE
In recent years, more attention has been paid to the development of lightweight aggregate concrete (Lo et
al., 2007) . The specific gravity of concrete can be lowered either by using porous, therefore lightweight
aggregates instead of ordinary ones, or introducing air into the mor-tar, or removing the fine fractions of
aggregate and com-pacting concrete only partially. In all cases, the main goal is to introduce voids into
the aggregate and the mortar or between mortar and aggregate. A combination of these methods can also
be made in order to reduce further the weight of concrete. The use of lightweight aggregates is by far the
simplest and most commonly used method of making a lightweight concrete (Gndz and U ur, 2005).
The use of lightweight aggregate in concrete has many advantages. These include:
Reduction of dead load that may result in reduced footings sizes and lighter and smaller
upper structure.This may result in reduction in cement quantity and possible reduction in

reinforcement.
Lighter and smaller pre-cast elements needing small-ler and less expensive handling and
transporting equip-ment.
Reductions in the sizes of columns and slab and beam dimensions that result in larger
space availability.
High thermal insulation.
Enhanced fire resistance (Kayali, 2007; ACI 213, 2003).

EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS
Materials
Raw materials used in this study are composed of ordinary Portland cement, 0 - 2 mm natural sand (NS),
0 - 2, 2 - 4 and 4 - 8 mm Expanded Clay Aggregate (ECA), class F Fly Ash (FA), Super Plasticizer (SP)
and water. The cement used was TS EN Type I normal Portland cement (NPC), having a 28 day
compressive strength of 42.5 N/mm2 (MPa). Specific gravity of the cement was 3.15 g/cm3. Initial and
final setting times of the cement were 2 and 3h, respectively. Its Blaine specific surface area was 3172
cm2/g. The fly ash (FA) used was obtained from the Orhaneli Thermal Power Station in Turkey. It is class
F fly ash. Its specific gravity was
2.70 g/cm3 and Blaine-specific surface area was 2970 cm2/g. Physical, chemical and mechanical
properties of the cement and the FA were given in Table 1. The ECA used in this study was supplied by
Germany Liapor Company. The natural sand was obtained from Duzce Melen River in Turkey. The ECA
which was used as aggregate in the concrete was shown in Figure 1. Physical properties of the natural
sand and the ECA were listed in Table 2.
Mix proportions and preparation of samples
For preparing the mix design, three different reference concrete batches having 350, 400 and 450 kg/m 3
(Set-I, II, III) cement content were designed. Then three different FA contents which are 10, 20 and 30%
by weight of the cement content were used for preparing the other concrete batches. Totally 12 different
batches of the concrete specimen were prepared. Mix designs of all of the concrete batches were shown in
Table 3. In order to maintain the desired workability, the chemical admixture having water-reducing and
plasticizer properties, with a density of 1.2 kg/lt, pH of 7.5 and which does not contain chloride, was used
1.2% by weight of the total cementitious material. Water/cement (W/C) ratio was taken as 0.45 in
concrete mixtures.
Aggregates were used in the concrete mixtures after they were brought to saturated surface dry
condition. Cube samples with dimensions of 150 x 150 x 150 mm were cast from fresh concrete mixtures.
The complete compaction of the samples was obtained by means of vibration. All the test specimens were
demoulded at 1 day and then cured under constant temperature and relative humidity conditions of 22
1C.
Concrete density test
Hardened concrete density test was performed on 150 x 150 x 150 mm cube samples in accordance with
the principles indicated in the standard TS EN 12390-7 after they had been cured in water for 28 days.
Tests were performed on a total of 48 samples, that is, 4 samples from each 12 different concrete
mixtures.
Porosity test
Porosity test was performed on cube samples of 150 x 150 x 150 mm, cured in water for 28 days, in
accordance with the principles indicated in ASTM C138 standard. Equation 1 given below was
employed in calculating the porosity. Tests were performed on a total of 48 samples, that is, 4 samples
from each 12 different con-crete mixture.

B0 C A .100
CD

(1)

Table 1. Physical and mechanical properties of the cement and the fly ash.

Cement

Flay ash

Chemical composition (%)

SiO2
Al2O3
Fe2O3
CaO
MgO
SO3
Na2O
K2O
Loss on ignition
Unknown
CaO

Chemical composition (%)

20.32
5.59
3.09
62.50
1.74
3.29
0.34
0.91

SiO2
AL2O3
Fe2O3
S+A+F
CaO
MgO
SO3
K2O
1.18
Loss on ignition
Cl

0.31
0.93

Physical properties
Initial Setting Time, (h/m.)
Final Setting Time, (h/m.)
Specific Gravity (g/cm)
Specific Surface (cm/g)

01:58
02:57
3.15
3172

Free CaO

0.11

Reactive SiO2
Reactive CaO

34.06
7.58

Mechanical properties
[compressive strength (MPa)]
nd

30.8
39.5
56.0

2 Day
th
7 Day
th
28 Day

Table 2. Physical properties of ECA and natural sand.

Aggregate

Specific

size

gravity

7.

(g/cm )

Saturated surface dry

density
3

(g/cm )

Loose specific
gravity
3

48.53
24.61
7.59
80.73
9.48
2.28
2.48
2.51
Na2O
1.69
0.005

(g/cm )

Compact
specific

gravity (g/cm )
0-2 NS
0-2 ECA
2-4 ECA
4-8 ECA

Water
absorption

Moisture
content (%)

(%)
2.70
0.96
1.22
1.47

2.82
1.18
1.44
1.36

1.49
0.82
0.62
0.68

1.64
1.04
0.7
0.74

1.2
22.4
18.00
20.20

0.8
0.01
0.09
0.02

Table 3. Mixture proportion of ECAC.

Cement
content
Set-I

(350 kg/m )

Set-II

(400 kg/m )

Set-III

(450 kg/m )

Fly ash
(%)

Cement
(kg)

Fly ash
(kg)

0
10

350
315

20
30

Aggregates proportions

Water
(liter)

0-2 NS
(%)

0-2 ECA
(%)

2-4 ECA
(%)

4-8 ECA
(%)

0
35

20
20

26
26

22
22

32
32

157.5
157.5

280
245

70
105

20
20

26
26

22
22

32
32

157.5
157.5

0
10

400
360

0
40

20
20

26
26

22
22

32
32

180
180

20
30

320
280

80
120

20
20

26
26

22
22

32
32

180
180

0
10

450
405

0
45

20
20

26
26

22
22

32
32

202.5
202.5

20
30

360
315

80
135

20
20

26
26

22
22

32
32

202.5
202.5

Admixture
(liter)

4.2

4.8

5.4

Figure 2. Cross-sections and photomicrographs of expanded clay aggregate which is used in this study. (a) Partial cross-section; (b)
Micrograph of interior; (c) Surface texture

Figure 3. Cross-section and photomicrographs of ECAC A: Interior of ECA, B:

Sintered shell, C: Cement paste, N: Natural sand

In the equation,
B0 = Porosity ratio, %
C = Weight of saturated surface dry after boiling, g
A = Weight of oven dry, g
D = Weight of in the water, g
Ultrasonic pulse velocity tests
Ultrasonic pulse velocity tests were performed on cube samples of 150 x 150 x 150 mm after the
28th day. Measurements were made on two different surfaces for each sample and ultrasonic
pulse velocity values were determined using the average values of measurements. Test was
performed on a total of 48 samples, that is, 4 samples from each 12 different concrete mixture
and on oven-dry samples in accordance with the principles indicated in standard ASTM C597 97.
Compressive and split tensile strength tests
Prepared concrete specimens were cured in water during 28 days. And then the specimens were
removed from the cure tank and dried in room condition to determine the compressive and the
split tensile strength. For each concrete batches 6 cube specimens having 150 x 150 x 150 mm
dimensions were prepared for compressive strength and split tensile strength tests. Three cubes
were used for compressive strength test; another three cubes were used for split tensile strength
test in accordance with the TS EN 12390 - 3 and TS EN 12390 - 6 standards respectively.
DISCUSSION
Descriptive statistics, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and the Turkey multiple comparisons tests
were performed based on the experimental studies in this paper to evaluate the test results
statistically. Besides, ECA used in high strength lightweight aggregate concrete produc-tion and
the produced expanded clay aggregate concrete (ECAC) were examined using optic microscope.
Interior structure and surface texture of ECA are seen in Figure 2 and the image of the cross
section of the concretes produced is shown in Figure 3.
Partial cross section and sintered aggregate shell of ECA, porous interior structure of ECA, and
surface texture of ECA can be seen in Figure 2a, b and c respec- tively. Accordingly, ECA has a
generally smooth surface and a porous interior structure. Interior structure of ECA (A), sintered
shell (B), cement paste (C) and natural sand
(N) are shown in the Figure 3. It is seen in Figure 3 that there is a strong bonding between
cement paste and ECA interfacial transition zone in the cross section taken from ECACs
produced.

Figure 4. Means of density values.

Physical properties of ECAC

Descriptive statistics of the test results which were density, porosity and pulse velocity were
summarized in Table 4 for each cement content (350, 400 and 450 kg/m 3) respectively. As a
result of the analysis of variance performed between the fly ash replacement amounts in each test
type, significant differences were found between the groups (p 0.05). In other words, test results
changed significantly depending on the amount of fly ash replaced. Turkey Multiple Comparison
test was performed in order to determine among which types of concrete the difference lays. The
Turkey multiple comparison tests were demonstrated in Table 5.
The density values of the ECACs produced vary between 1.20 and 1.71 g/cm 3 (Figure 4). It was
found that Set I concretes with 30% FA replacement had the lowest density values and Set III
concretes with 10% FA replacement had the highest density values ones. For all concrete
batches, it is seen that concretes with 10% FA replacement have the highest density values while
the concretes with 30% FA replacement have the lowest. For all the batches, the densities
decrease in the concretes with 20 and 30% FA replacement. As the cement content in concrete
mixtures increase, so do the density values. According to the result of multiple comparison test
performed between FA replacement amounts in terms of density values in each concrete batch
(Table 5), it was seen that:
For all concrete batches, the density values of concretes with 0 and 20% FA replacement were
identical but density values of other concretes were different from each other,
(i) For all concrete batches, concretes with 10% FA replacement had the highest density values
while those with 30% FA replacement had the lowest.
(ii) For Set I, II and III concretes, densities of concretes with 10% FA replacement increased by 3,
2.5 and 2% respectively, relative to the reference concrete.

(iii)
Densities of concretes with 30% FA replacement decreased by 10, 7 and 4% respectively.
(iv)Density values of concretes with 10% FA replacement were more than that of concretes with
30% FA replacement by the rates of 13, 9 and 6% respectively.
Porosity values of ECACs vary between 3.5 and 29% (Figure 5) . It was found that Set-III 10%
FA replacement concretes had the lowest porosity value while Set-I 30% FA replacement
concretes had the highest. It is seen that for all concrete batches, 10% FA replacement concretes
have the lowest porosity values while 30% FA replace-ment concretes have the highest one. For
all batches, porosities of concretes with 20 and 30% FA replacement increase. The cement
content increases in concrete mix-tures, but the porosity values decreases. According to the result
of the multiple comparison test performed between FA replacement values in terms of porosity
values in each concrete batch (Table 5), it was seen that :
(i) For Set-I concrete, all groups were different from each other.
(ii) For Set-II concretes, 10 and 30% FA replacement concretes were different from each other and
other concretes were identical in terms of porosity values.
(iii) For Set-III concretes, 10% FA replacement concretes were different from other concretes.
0, 20 and 30% FA replacement concretes were not different from each other.
(v) For Set-I,II and III concretes, porosity values of con-cretes with an FA replacement ratio of 10%
decreased by a ratio of 13, 14 and 46% respectively, relative to re-ference concrete.
(vi)Porosity values of concretes with an FA replacement ratio of 30% increased by a ratio of 31, 18
and 38% respectively.
Ultrasonic pulse velocity values range between 2.3 and 3.82 km/s (Figure 6). It was found that
the lowest pulse velocity value was of 30% FA replacement concretes of Set-I and the highest
pulse velocity value was of 10% FA replacement concretes of Set-III. For all concrete batch-es, it
is seen that concretes with FA replacement ratio of 10% have the highest pulse velocity values
while concretes with FA replacement ratio of 30% have the lowest ones. It was observed that
there was an increase in pulse velocity values in parallel to the increase in cement content in
concrete mixtures. According to the result of multiple comparison test performed between FA
replacement amounts in terms of pulse velocity values in each concrete batch, it was seen that
(Table 5):
(i) For Set-I concrete, concretes with 0 and 10% FA replacement were identical to each other and
different from the others.
(ii) For Set-II concretes, concretes with 10 and 30% FA replacement were different from each other
and other concretes were identical.
(iii)
For Set-III concretes, concretes with 20 and 30% FA replacement were identical
to each other and different

Figure 5. Means of porosity values.

Figure 6. Means of ultrasonic pulse velocity values.

Conclusion
In the study, in order to determine the effect of use of fly ash in expanded clay aggregated
concretes on bond strength, lightweight concrete mixtures of 350, 400, 450 kg/m3 cement content
and of 0, 10, 20 and 30% fly ash replacement were prepared. 15 x 15 x 15 cm cube speci-mens
were prepared from the mixtures. Density, porosity, ultrasonic pulse velocity, compressive and
split tensile strength tests were performed on the specimens. Also, samples taken from the
concretes produced were inspec-ted under optical microscope. Statistical analysis was carried out
on the obtained experimental data.

References
1. I.S. 3812 (Part-I) Specification for fly ash
2. Kishore Kaushal Concrete Mix Design With Flyash & Superplasticizer ICI Bulletin April
June, 1997, pp. 29-30.