Construction Materials (CENG 6025)

Lecture 2: Supplementary Cementitious

Materials (Pozzolans)

MSc Program in Construction Technology and Management

Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering

Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University

Mitiku D., (Ph.D.)

February 2022
Supplementary Cementitious Materials

• Pozzolans are a broad class of siliceous or siliceous and

aluminous materials which, in themselves, possess little or no
cementitious value but which will, in finely divided form and
in the presence of water, react chemically with calcium
hydroxide at ordinary temperature to form compounds
possessing cementitious properties.

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Supplementary Cementitious Materials
From left to right:

• Fly ash (Class C)

• Metakaolin (calcined clay)

• Silica fume

• Fly ash (Class F)

• Slag

• Calcined shale

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Supplementary Cementitious Materials
ASTM C 618

Pozzolanic materials can be broadly classified as:

1. Natural

Volcanic ash, calcined clay, metakaolin, shales ….

2. Artificial

GGBFS, SF, FA,……

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Supplementary Cementitious Materials

• Supplementary cementing materials are added to concrete as

part of the total cementing system.

• They may be used in addition to or as a partial replacement of

Portland cement or blended cement in concrete, depending on the
properties of the materials and the desired effect on concrete.

• They are used to improve a particular concrete property, such as

the workability, strength, durability etc.

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Fly ash
• Fly ash is a finely divided residue (a
powder resembling cement) that
results from the combustion of
pulverized coal in electric power
generating plants.

• Most of the fly ash particles are

solid spheres and some are hollow
cenospheres.

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Fly ash

• The particle sizes in fly ash vary from less than 1 µm to

more than 100 µm with the typical particle size measuring
under 20 µm.

• The surface area is typically 300 to 500 m2 /kg.

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Fly ash
• Fly ash is primarily silicate glass containing silica, alumina, iron,
and calcium.

• Minor constituents are magnesium, sulphur, sodium, potassium,

and carbon.

• Crystalline compounds are present in small amounts.

• The relative density (specific gravity) of fly ash generally ranges

between 1.9 and 2.8 and is generally tan or grey in colour.

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Shape and quality of FA at different burning temperature

Moderate burning temperature

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Fly ash classification

ASTM C618
Class F
• Pozzolanic behavior
• SiO2 + Al2O3 + Fe2O3 ≥ 70%
Class C
• Pozzolanic with some hydraulic behavior
• SiO2 + Al2O3 + Fe2O3 ≥ 50%

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Class F Fly ash

Usually has less than 5% CaO but may contain up to 10%.

Fly ash produced from anthracite or bituminous coal

Often used at dosages of 15% to 25% by mass of cementing

material

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Class C fly ash

• Class C fly ash has 15% to 30% CaO

• produced from lignite or subbituminous coal

• Class C fly ash is used at dosages of 15% to 40%

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Advantages of fly ash
• To improve the workability ?????

• To lower the heat of hydration????

• To increase the water tightness????

• To lower the alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR)

• To reduce sulphate attack

• To increase later age strength ????

• To improve the durability

• To produce high-performance concrete (HPC)

• To reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
GGBF Slag
• Ground granulated blast
furnace slag is made from
iron blast-furnce slag
• consisting essentially of
silicates and
aluminosilicates of calcium
developed in a molten
condition simultaneously
with iron in a blast furnace

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Air cooled slag
• formed when the liquid slag is allowed to cool under
atmospheric conditions

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Water Quenched Slag
• water is used to quench the hot slag

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Slag
• The molten slag at a temperature of about 1500°C is rapidly
cooled by quenching in water to form a glassy sand like
granulated material.

• The granulated material, which ground to less than 45 microns,

has a surface area fineness of about 400 to 600 m2/kg.

• the relative density is in the range of 2.85 to 2.95.

• The bulk density varies from 1050 to 1375 kg/m3

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Slag

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Silica fume
By product a result of the reduction of high-purity quartz
with coal in an electric arc furnace in the manufacture of
silicon or ferrosilicon alloy.

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Silica Fume
Very fine non-crystalline silica produced in electric arc furnaces as a by
product of the production of elemental silicon or alloys containing silicon;
also known as condensed silica fume or micro silica.
-- ACI 116R

Cement particle
Cement particle

MS particle
MICROSILICA GRAINS

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Silica Fume

ASTM C1240

• As-produced

• Slurry

• Densified

• Up to 99% silica content

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Silica Fume
• It is extremely fine with particles less than 1 µm in
diameter and with an average diameter of about 0.1 µm,
about 100 times smaller than average cement particles.

• The relative density of silica fume is generally in the range

of 2.20 to 2.25, but can be as high as 2.5

• The bulk density of silica fume varies from 130 to 430

kg/m3

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Why Micro silica?
• Improved particle packing - SCC

• Improved matrix and microstructure

• Improved bond to reinforcement

• Improved finish

• Strength gain and ultimate strength

• Reduced permeability

• Water resistance

• Sulfate resistance

• Chloride Resistance

• Durability!
Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Typical Amounts of SCM in Concrete by Mass of
Cementing Materials
 Fly ash
 Class C 15% to 40%
 Class F 15% to 20%
 Slag 30% to 45%
 Silica fume 5% to 10%
 Calcined clay 15% to 35%
 Metakaolin 10%
 Calcined shale 15% to 35%

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Physical and chemical properties of SCM

A: Alite
B: Belite Q: Quartz
P: Pentlandite M: Mulite
A A,B
A A
A A P OPC
Q

M Q
M M M Q FA

SF

GGBFS

10 20 30 40 50 60
2 (degrees)

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Physical and Chemical Properties of SCM

100

80
Cumulative percentage (%)

60

40

OPC
20 FA
GGBFS
SF
0
0.1 1 10 100 1000
Particle Size (m)

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
SEM image of Pozzolans
OPC FA

GGBFS SF

SF

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Physical and Chemical Properties of SCM
Items OPC SF FA GGBFS
Specific gravity 3.15 2.20 2.26 2.92
Mean particle size (μm) 19.1 14.3 21.8 8.8
Physical
Specific surface area
properties 1.061 1.681 0.886 1.819
(m2/g)
Loss on ignition (%) 1.4 0.7 2.0 4.7
SiO2 20.0 89.3 64.0 35.6
Al2O3 4.2 0.3 22.1 11.3
Fe2O3 3.1 0.2 5.6 0.5
CaO 62.4 1.2 2.8 41.0
Chemical
MgO 4.2 2.0 0.9 6.5
composition
SO3 2.9 0.5 0.6 0.9
(wt.%)
Na2O 0.4 0.3 1.4 0.6
K2O 0.3 4.3 0.8 0.3
TiO2 0.6 - 0.9 1.3
P2O5 - - 0.3 -
Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
SiO2-CaO-Al2O3 Tertiary diagram
SiO2
0 100
10 90
20 80
30 Silica 70
fume
40 60
GGBFS
50 50
60 40
70 Fly 30
ash
80 20
Portland
90 10
cement
100 0
CaO 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Al2O3

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Effect of SCM on Harden Concrete
Properties

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
 Sulfate attack

Nie et al ,CBM (2014) Chatveera et al, JEM (2009)

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Chloride ion penetration

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)
Carbonation

Mitiku D. (Ph.D.)