Temperature Rise and Durability of Concrete Containing Fly Ash

This paper describes how a research program was conducted in which the temperature rise of mortars and the durability of concrete containing fly ash were studied. The study of the effect of fly ash on the temperature rise of mortars included the use of both ASTM C 618 Class C and Class F fly ashes. Control tests were conducted on mortars containing ASTM C 150 Type I, Type I-II, and Type III cements, and comparison tests were conducted on mortars containing 20, 27.5, and 35 percent fly ash by volume of cement. It was found that the use of Class F fly ash resulted in a reduction in the temperature of the mortar, whereas the partial replacement of cement with Class C fly ash did not lower the mortar temperature, regardless of the type of cement used. Resistance to scaling in the presence of deicing salts and abrasion resistance tests were conducted on concrete samples cast from 21 batches of concrete. Variables studied included fly ash type, fly ash content, and curing conditions. Both ASTM Class F and Class C fly ashes were used to replace 25 or 35 percent of the cement by volume, and curing conditions included combinations of 50, 75, and 100 F with 50 and 100 percent relative humidities.