An assessment of characteristics of densified high-performance concrete incorporating high volume fly ash

Abstract

The present study evaluates the mechanical-microstructural characteristics of the densified high-performance concrete (HPC) incorporating high volume fly ash (FA). The densified mixture design algorithm (DMDA) technology was applied to design the concrete proportions. The effects of various FA contents on both fresh and hardened concrete were investigated. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the microstructure of the concrete samples. The effectiveness of using DMDA in mix deign was also discussed in this study. As the experimental results, the FA content was found to affect the concrete properties significantly. The maximum compressive strength value of 65.1 MPa was obtained at the concrete samples containing 40% FA. Additionally, the 40% FA samples exhibited a denser microstructure as compared to the others. Generally, all of the tested concrete samples exhibited good performance in terms of workability, strength development, water absorption, and porosity. The results of this study further show the effectiveness of using DMDA technology in proportioning of the concrete mixture.