Coal fly ash benefits in concrete

Using coal fly ash in concrete can reduce the amount of mix water required,
improve cohesion and plasticity, and enhance placing and finishing characteristics

By Samuel S. Tyson and

Thomas H. Blackstock Jr.

O
ne of the first major uses of
coal fly ash in concrete was by
the Bureau of Reclamation to
repair a tunnel spillway at Hoover
Dam in 1942. Currently more than 6
million tons of coal fly ash are used
annually in the United States in virtu-
ally all types of concrete products and
applications. Typically, the amount of
fly ash used in structural concrete
applications ranges from 15% to 35%
by weight of total cementitious mater-
ial. Amounts up to 70% and more
often are used in dams and in massive
walls and girders.
Coal fly ash is a pozzolan, defined
by ASTM C 618 as “siliceous or
siliceous and albuminous materials
which in themselves possess little or
The Sunshine Skyway bridge in Tampa, Fla., is one notable example of the use of fly ash concrete.
no cementitious value but will, in
finely divided form and in the pres-
ence of moisture, chemically react PROPORTIONING cement omitted. Up to 70% fly ash can
with calcium hydroxide at ordinary CONCRETE MIXTURES be used, particularly where Class C fly
temperatures to form compounds Two general methods are used to ash is available, on a case-by-case basis.
possessing cementitious properties.” incorporate fly ash in concrete mix- Strength requirements for selected
Coal fly ash conforming to require- tures. In one method, fly ash is used concrete ages normally are given, and
ments of ASTM C 618 will have phys- prescriptively as a substitute for port - trial batches typically are required to
ical and chemical characteristics that land cement. In the other method, fly verify each combination of materials.
make it desirable for use with port- ash is used on the basis of information If fly ash contents are specified, they
land cement to produce concrete. developed to optimize its effect on are expressed as a percentage, either
ASTM C 618 classifies coal fly ash in concrete properties and performance. by weight or volume, of the total
two categories based on the type of Each method has a valid place in cementitious material in the mixture.
coal from which the fly ash is pro- engineering practice. The optimization of the effect of fly
duced and the pozzolanic or poz- The prescriptive, or substitute ash—or any other concrete-making
zolanic and cementitious characteris- method, is used most often in highway material—on concrete characteristics
tics of the fly ash. Class F fly ash nor- and agency specifications as a way of and performance is approached on the
mally is produced from burning exercising control not only over fly ash basis of either field records or trial
anthracite or bituminous coal and has but also over a broad range of other batches. Typically, fresh concrete char-
pozzolanic properties. Class C fly ash, concrete-making materials. Typically, a acteristics such as workability and time
which may have lime contents higher weight or volume percentage of port- of setting will be considered along with
than 10%, normally is produced from land cement is omitted from the con- hardened concrete characteristics such
lignite or subbituminous coal and, in crete mixture and an equal or greater as compressive or flexural strength at
addition to pozzolanic properties, also amount of fly ash is added. Typically, given ages. Additional factors may
has some cementitious properties. the range of cement omitted is 15% to include entrained air contents for the
Typically, the free lime in Class C fly 30% by weight, and the rate of fly ash fresh concrete (to address freeze-thaw
ash is less than 3%. added typically is in a range of 1 to 11⁄2 durability of the hardened concrete),
pounds of fly ash for each pound of temperature limitations in the fresh
concrete and in the curing of the hard-
ened concrete (to address time of set-
ting), shrinkage and cracking, and con-
trol of harmful chemical reactions in
the hardened concrete due to alkalies
in the portland cement and from exter-
nal sources of sulfates. Fly ash is used
for equal and improved durability in
all of these situations.
The principal requirements for fresh
and hardened concrete that are speci-
fied to assure satisfactory workability,
strength, and durability are
maximum ratio of water to
cementitious material—
w/(c+f)—for the fresh con-
crete (where w, c, and f repre-
sent the weights of water,
portland cement, and fly ash,
respectively) and minimum
hardened concrete strength at
a given age.
In Standard Practices for
Selecting Proportions for Normal,
Heavyweight and Mass Concrete,
Class C fly ash (left) is produced from burning anthracite or bituminous
published by the American coal and has pozzolanic properties; it is lighter in color than Class F fly
Concrete Institute, the selec- ash (right) produced from lignite or subbituminous coal and which has
tion of mixture properties for pozzolanic properties and some cementitious properties.
concrete containing fly ash is
accomplished by using the same pro-
cedures that apply to any other con-
crete.
The familiar ratio of water to
cement—w/c—or ratio of water to
cementitious material—w/(c+f)—
when fly ash or other pozzolans are
used, includes paste materials that
chemically react around and with
aggregates to form a concrete matrix.
FLY ASH EFFECTS IN CONCRETE
The use of fly ash in concrete
reduces the amount of water required
for a given slump. The achievement of
equal or better workability with less
mixing water, compared to concrete
with portland cement only, means that
desired strengths can be achieved
with less drying shrinkage and crack-
ing. Typical water reductions of 5%, or
approximately one gallon of water per
cubic yard of concrete, can be expect-
ed with fly ash in normal usage. The
fundamental requirement for good-
quality concrete is the achievement of
a sufficiently low ratio of water to
cementitious material—w/(c+f). Fly
ash reduces the ratio directly by its
addition and indirectly by reducing
the amount of water required for a
given slump.
The better workability of concrete
containing fly ash is seen in character-
istics other than the traditional mea-
sure of slump. Fly ash also improves
pumpability and enhances placing and
finishing characteristics. The water
reduction and improved workability
achieved with fly ash in concrete gen-
erally are attributed to the spherical
shape of fly ash particles, most of
which are smaller than portland
cement particles, which have an irreg-
ular angular shape. Fly ash also
improves the cohesion and plasticity
of the concrete and reduces the bleed-
ing of water from the mixture.
Fly ash helps reduce the heat gener-
ated during early stages of hydration
and thereby reduces thermal crack-
ing. This is significant not only in
mass concrete applications where
thermal cracking would disrupt the
structural integrity of the concrete,
but also in parking lots, garage slabs,
pavements, and bridges where con-
crete with reduced thermal microc-
racking is denser and less permeable
to deicing chemicals and other
aggressive chemicals.
The strength-making quality of fly
ash in concrete results from its reac-
tion with the free lime released during
the hydration of portland cement.
Cementitious compounds incorporat-
ing fly ash increase both the strength
and durability of the concrete. The
rate of strength gain for concrete with
fly ash depends on the particular fly
ash and cement used. However, in
general, fly ash concrete will continue
to gain strength over a longer period
of time than concrete with cement
alone. This long-term strength gain
makes fly ash an essential ingredient
in high-strength concrete.
The continued hydration and
strength gain of fly ash in concrete
beyond the normal time specified for
acceptance strength testing results in
continued decreases in permeability.
Concrete with low permeability is
less susceptible to attack from chemi-
cals in the environment, such
as sulfate-containing soils and
water, and is more protective
of reinforcing steel from corro-
sion caused by externally
applied deicing salts. A denser,
more watertight concrete also
is less susceptible to damage
caused by freezing and thaw-
ing. Fly ash use is recognized
universally as a method to con-
trol expansion and cracking of
hardened concrete due to
chemical reactions between
alkalies in the portland cement
and certain reactive aggre-
gates.
PRECAUTIONS FOR FLY ASH USE
All engineering materials have ben-
efits as well as precautions associated
with their use. Sources of trou-
bleshooting help include the National
Ready Mixed Concrete Association,
which conducts educational seminars
throughout the United States for indi-
viduals involved in any aspect of the
production and use of concrete and
concrete-making materials. In addi-
tion, local fly ash suppliers can help
with information on local materials
and conditions.
Coal fly ash is just one of several
ingredients that can be used in concrete
and, like other ingredients, has some
precautions associated with its use.
First, the addition rate for typical air-
entraining agents—computed on the
basis of the total weight of cementitious
materials—needed to achieve a given
volume of entrained air will generally
be higher in concrete containing fly ash
when compared with concrete contain-
ing only portland cement. Typical
increases in the addition rate will be
from 25% to more than 50%.
Also, the addition rate for typical
air-entraining agents will vary with
variations in the loss on ignition (LOI)
of the fly ash. As the LOI increases or
decreases beyond a certain magni-
tude, the addition rate for air-entrain-
ing agents will similarly increase or
decrease. It is therefore important not
only to adhere to the upper limits for
LOI specified in ASTM C 618, but also
to monitor variations in LOI and the
related effect on entrained air con-
tents. Typical approaches for limiting
the effects of variations in LOI are to
reduce the allowable upper limit for
LOI and to limit the range through
which the LOI may vary.
All sources of fine material (minus
#200 sieve) in a concrete mixture will
influence chemical admixture addi-
tion rates. In addition to considering
portland cement and fly ash, fine
material must be addressed from
sources such as coated coarse aggre-
gates and dirty sand, variations in the
sand/coarse aggregate ratio, and
fines in wash water reused as a por-
tion of the mix water.
In cold weather, the time required for
a freshly mixed concrete containing fly
ash to stiffen sufficiently to allow final
troweling and other treatments of the
unformed surface may be lengthened
in some cases, depending on the source
of the fly ash. Similarly, the time
required for hardened concrete contain-
ing fly ash to gain early strength may be
lengthened.
Typically, when ambient tempera-
tures are less than 45° F, the mixture
can be adjusted with chemical admix-
tures, heated water or aggregates, or
increased cementitious material.
ECONOMIES OF FLY ASH USE
Equal or reduced total materials
costs can be realized with the use of
fly ash while maintaining or improv-
ing concrete properties. In many
cases, either because concrete with fly
ash is equal to or significantly higher
in quality than concrete without fly
ash or because the needed concrete
characteristics or performance can
best be achieved through the use of
fly ash, it is advantageous to use fly
ash even though no direct cost sav-
ings are realized.
Samuel S. Tyson is executive director and
Thomas H. Blackstock Jr. is director of technical
services at the American Coal Ash Association.
For more information on coal fly ash use
in concrete, contact your local fly ash sup-
plier or the American Coal Ash
Association, 1913 I St. N.W., Sixth floor,
Washington, DC 20006 (phone: 202-659-
2303, fax: 202.223.4984).
REFERENCES
1. Samuel S. Tyson, “Coal Fly Ash in
Concrete—50 Years of Preparation for the
1990s,” American Coal Ash Association,
Materials Symposium, Ohio Ready Mixed
Concrete Association, Columbus, Ohio.
2. Standard Specification for Fly Ash
and Raw or Calcined Natural
Pozzolan for Use as a Mineral
Admixture in Portland Cement
C o n c re t e , ASTM C 618, American
Society for Testing and Materials,
Philadelphia.
3. Use of Fly Ash in Concrete,
NCHRP Synthesis 127, National
Cooperative Highway Research Program,
Transportation Research Board.
4. Fly Ash Facts for Highway
Engineers, FHWA-DP-59-8, Federal
Highway Administration.
5. Use of Fly Ash in Concrete, ACI
Committee 226, American Concrete
Institute, ACI Manual of Concrete
Practice, Part 1, Materials and General
Properties of Concrete.
6 . Standard Practice for Selecting
Proportions for Normal, Heavy-
weight and Mass Concrete, ACI
Committee 211.1, American Concrete
Institute, Manual of Concrete Practice,
Part 1, Materials and General Properties
of Concrete.
PUBLICATION #J940421
Copyright © 1994, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved