Tag Archives: Blended cement

Mechanical Properties and Durability of Concrete made with HVFA Blended Cement Produced in a Cement Plant

Posted on by

This paper presents the results of a study on the mechanical properties and durability of concrete made with high volume fly ash -HVFA- blended cement produced in a cement plant. The test results obtained were compared with those of a control concrete made with a commercially available ASTM Type I cement; the control concrete had a 28-day compressive strength comparable to that of the concrete made with the HVFA blended cement.

The results showed that in order to obtain similar slump and air content to those of the control concrete the use of HVFA blended cement required increased dosages of the superplasticizer and the air-entraining admixture. This resulted in some delay in the initial and final setting times of concrete.

The use of HVFA blended cement resulted in lower compressive and flexural strengths at early ages -before 28 days- and higher mechanical properties after 28 days as compared with those of the control concrete made with ASTM Type I cement. The concrete made with the HVFA blended cement developed a 1-day compressive strength of 13 MPa -compared to 19 MPa for the control concrete- which is considered more than satisfactory for formwork removal.

The use of the HVFA blended cement improved significantly the durability characteristics of the concrete; the only exception was the resistance to the de-icing salt scaling as determined in ASTM C 672 test.

Technical Report Author: Nabil Bouzoubaa, Benoit Fournier, V.M. Malhotra, D.M. Golden

The EcoSmart Concrete Project: Results from the Case Studies

Posted on by

Following a brief introduction to the EcoSmartâ„¢ Concrete Project and its mandate of working with the cement and concrete industry to decrease greenhouse gas -GHG- emissions from that industry the report highlights the case studies that were undertaken during the project in 1999/2000. The report summarizes the most significant findings of various case studies which include practical solutions to the technical challenges that were identified while working with EcoSmartâ„¢ concrete on construction sites. In addition to the case study findings the fly ash infrastructure -types and uses of fly ash- is described once again offering practical advice on working with high volume fly ash concrete. A review of the technical advances in concrete production is provided offering the highlights of the innovations that have taken place in intergrind and precast technologies. The report concludes with an illustration of the CO2 emission potential of using EcoSmartâ„¢ concrete and several recommendations for future work.

Case Study Report Author: Veronica Gillies, Busby Perkins + Will Architects Ltd.,