Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) and Mitigation Methods for Addressing the Negative Durable Impact in Glass-mix Concrete: A Comprehensive Review

Use of waste glass as sand in mortar: Part II – Alkali–silica reaction and mitigation methods

Blended cements were studied for their efficacy against sulphate attack and alkali-silica reaction using six different types of fly ashes, a slag, a silica fume and four types of General Use Portland cement of different alkalinity. The study results showed that low calcium fly ash, silica fume and ground granulated blast furnace slag enhanced the sulphate resistance of cement with increased efficacy with the increase in the replacement level. However, slag and silica fume, especially at low replacement levels, exhibited increased rate of expansion beyond the age of 78 weeks. On the contrary, high calcium fly ashes showed reduced resistance to sulphate attack with no clear trend between the replacement level and expansion. Ternary blends consisting of silica fume, particulary in the amount of 5%, high calcium fly ashes and General Use (GU) cement provided high sulphate resistance, which was attributable to reduced permeability. In the same way, some of ternary blends consisting of slag, high calcium fly ash and GU cement improved sulphate resistance. Pre-blending optimum amount of gypsum with high calcium fly ash enhanced the latter's resistance to sulphate attack by producing more ettringite at the early stage of hydration. In the context of alkali-silica reaction permeability was found to be a contributing factor to the results of the accelerated mortar bar test. High-alkali, high-calcium fly ash was found to worsen the alkali silica reaction when used in concrete containing some reactive aggregates. Ternary blend of slag with high calcium fly ash was found to produce promising results in terms of counteracting alkali-silica reaction.

Blended cements were studied for their efficacy against sulphate attack and alkali-silica reaction using six different types of fly ashes, a slag, a silica fume and four types of General Use Portland cement of different alkalinity. The study results showed that low calcium fly ash, silica fume and ground granulated blast furnace slag enhanced the sulphate resistance of cement with increased efficacy with the increase in the replacement level. However, slag and silica fume, especially at low replacement levels, exhibited increased rate of expansion beyond the age of 78 weeks. On the contrary, high calcium fly ashes showed reduced resistance to sulphate attack with no clear trend between the replacement level and expansion. Ternary blends consisting of silica fume, particulary in the amount of 5%, high calcium fly ashes and General Use (GU) cement provided high sulphate resistance, which was attributable to reduced permeability. In the same way, some of ternary blends consisting of slag, high calcium fly ash and GU cement improved sulphate resistance. Pre-blending optimum amount of gypsum with high calcium fly ash enhanced the latter's resistance to sulphate attack by producing more ettringite at the early stage of hydration. In the context of alkali-silica reaction permeability was found to be a contributing factor to the results of the accelerated mortar bar test. High-alkali, high-calcium fly ash was found to worsen the alkali silica reaction when used in concrete containing some reactive aggregates. Ternary blend of slag with high calcium fly ash was found to produce promising results in terms of counteracting alkali-silica reaction.

This paper presents the influence of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), such as fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), and waste glass fine aggregate (GA), on the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in high-strength and normal-strength mortar using an accelerated mortar bar test (AMBT). Residual mechanical properties and scanning electron micrographs were used to assess the changes in the matrix. GA reduced the mechanical properties of both normal-strength (NGA_OPC) and high-strength mortars (HGA_OPC), contributing to a decline in overall performance. This phenomenon was a result of the slipping of the GA from the matrix owing to its smooth surface. However, the inclusion of reactive SF and GGBS in the HGA improved the slip phenomenon of the GA, leading to a significant enhancement in its mechanical properties. Following the ASR expansion measurement, HGA_OPC demonstrated an ASR expansion rate approximately three times higher than that of NGA_OPC. This was attributed to the dense structure of HGA_OPC, which resulted in greater expansion than that of NGA_OPC. However, with the incorporation of SCMs into both HGA and NGA, a significant reduction in ASR expansion was observed. This was attributed to the delayed ASR of GA due to alkali activation or the pozzolanic reaction of the SCMs. Continuous exposure to the AMBT environment can lead to the destruction of GA. This was caused by the inner ASR that originated from the surface crack of the GA, which resulted in a reduction in the flexural strength of the mortar. The HGA with SF exhibited the highest resistance to ASR expansion and residual mechanical properties’ degradation. Therefore, various durability and long-term performance-monitoring studies on ultra-high-performance concrete or high-strength cementitious composites with very high SF contents and GA can be conducted.

The utilization of recycled concrete and glass aggregates in concrete production has emerged as a highly promising method to significantly increase the recycling rate of waste materials. However, the interaction between alkaline environment and silica present in concrete detrimentally impacts mechanical properties and durability of the concrete due to the significant silica content of the aggregates. This study aims to develop a high‐performance and sustainable concrete to resist alkali–silica reaction (ASR). The study focuses on the use of a blend of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and fly ash (FA) as binder materials to mitigate negative effects of the ASR on the mechanical properties and and durability of concrete made with crushed glass sand and coarse recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). Various tests, including ASR expansion, flow, slump, density, compression, three‐point bending, water absorption, and chloride attack, were conducted. Furthermore, microanalysis using scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy was performed. Based on the results, it is found that the GGBS is less effective than the FA in reducing the ASR expansion of the concrete, with only 3%, 9%, and 12% decreased expansion as a result of the addition of 20%, 40%, and 70% GGBS to the concrete containing 30% FA, respectively. It is also shown that combining 20% GGBS with 30% FA in the RCA concrete containing glass sand develops similar compressive and flexural strengths and water absorption compared to that containing natural sand. This can be related to the pozzolanic reaction of the FA and GGBS, which helps to retain the alkalis for reducing the crack development and propagation in the concrete. However, further GGBS content leads to a decrease in the strengths and an increase in the water absorption of the concrete. The results of this study point to the significant potential of combining FA and GGBS at an optimum ratio to mitigate the ASR effect on RCA concretes containing crushed glass sand. This approach helps in minimizing the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants generated during cement production, thereby mitigating environmental pollution. Additionally, it helps the preservation of natural resources by reducing the depletion of natural sand and coarse aggregate.

Effect of glass powder on alkali-silica reaction mitigation for tunnel waste rock slag in concrete

The use of dynamic nondestructive test methods such as pulse velocity and dynamic modulus to monitor the initiation and progress of concrete deterioration due to alkali-silica reactions (ASR) is described. The tests reported cover a range of parameters: two different types of reactive aggregates; varying environments; concretes without and with mineral admixtures such as fly ash, ground-granulated blast-furnace slag, and silica fume; and concrete beams with and without reinforcement. The results show that both pulse velocity and dynamic modulus are sensitive to material and structural changes arising from ASR and that they can respond reliably to changes prior to first crack, at first crack, and the progress of deterioration with time in concrete both with and without cementitious materials other than portland cement. With engineering judgment, pulse-velocity measurements can be used confidently to assess structural deterioration due to ASR.

Featured ApplicationIn this paper, blended cements are proposed as an effective means of meeting the needs of mitigating climatic change. This proposal is a two-pronged strategy, i.e., durable and sustainable. The pozzolanic reaction of four binders is assessed, which is related to an alkali–silica reaction (ASR). Thanks to the findings made here, mix-design optimization can be performed.Alkali–silica reaction (ASR) is a swelling reaction that occurs in concrete structures over time between the reactive amorphous siliceous aggregate particles and the hydroxyl ions of the hardened concrete pore solution. The aim of this paper is to assess the effect of pozzolanic Portland cements on the alkali–silica reaction (ASR) evaluated from two different points of view: (i) alkali-silica reaction (ASR) abatement and (ii) climatic change mitigation by clinker reduction, i.e., by depleting its emissions. Open porosity, SEM microscopy, compressive strength and ASR-expansion measurements were performed in mortars made with silica fume, siliceous coal fly ash, natural pozzolan and blast-furnace slag. The main contributions are as follows: (i) the higher the content of reactive silica in the pozzolanic material, the greater the ASR inhibition level; (ii) silica fume and coal fly ash are the best Portland cement constituents for ASR mitigation.

Waste glass has been increasingly used in industrial applications. One shortcoming in the utilization of waste glass for concrete production is that it can cause the concrete to be weakened and cracked due to its expansion by alkali-silica reaction(ASR). This study analyzed the ASR expansion and strength properties of concrete in terms of waste glass color(amber and emerald-green), and industrial by-products(ground granulated blast-furnace slag, fly ash). Specifically, the role of industrial by-products content in reducing the ASR expansion caused by waste glass was analyzed in detail. In addition, the feasibility of using ground glass for its pozzolanic property was also analyzed. The research result revealed that the pessimum size for waste glass was <TEX>$2.5{\sim}1.2mm$</TEX> regardless of the color of waste glass. Moreover, it was found that the smaller the waste glass is than the size of <TEX>$2.5{\sim}1.2mm$</TEX>, the less expansion of ASR was. Additionally, the use of waste glass in combination with industrial by-products had an effect of reducing the expansion and strength loss caused by ASR between the alkali in the cement paste and the silica in the waste glass. Finally, ground glass less than 0.075 mm was deemed to be applicable as a pozzolanic material.

This paper investigates the effectiveness of two zeolites with different reactive silica content, fly ash (FA), blast furnace slag (BFC), silica fume (SF), and micronized calcite (MC) in reducing expansion of concrete due to alkali-silica reaction. Also in this research, effects of three different cement usages were investigated by using accelerated mortar bar method, ASTM C1260. Five different aggregates, three natural sands, and two crushed sands were used for preparing mortar bars. All of these aggregates have been petrographically examined according to ASTM C295 standard and have been found out to be harmful to ASTM C 1260. Performances of the mineral admixtures were compared by examining the expansion due to alkali silica reaction (ASR). The aggregate and cement mixtures were tested with accelerated mortar bar test procedures including 10 and 20% replacement of mineral admixtures by weight of cement. 20% substitution levels of all admixtures were highly effective in inhibiting the ASR. The expansions of test specimens, in which mineral admixtures were used, were within the code-defined acceptable limits of ASTM C1260. According to the standard, different cement usage should not affect expansions in this accelerated test method. However, on contrary to ASTM C1260 statement, this research showed that the mixtures prepared with the same aggregate but different cements displayed different expansions at the end of 14 days. In addition, this different cement usage does not significantly affect the expansions. Key words: Alkali silica reaction (ASR), natural zeolite (NZ), fly ash (FA), blast furnace slag (BFC), silica fume (SF), micronised calcite (MC).

Chemical and physical approaches to improve the properties of concrete for application to nuclear related structures

The recycled glass fine aggregate (RG) causes an alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete of mortar using cement materials. However, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) like fly ash, silica fume, blast furnace slag can reduce ASR expansion of RG. In this study, the mechanical properties and ASR behavior of RG mortar mixed with/without SCMs was evaluated. It was confirmed that the RG mortar mixed with SCMs decreased ASR expansion. However, the mechanical properties after ASR decreased as reaction days increased. This is because ASR gel was formed inside the microcracks that existed in RG. Therefore, the ASR gel inside the RG destroyed the RG and reduce the mechanical properties of mortar.

Alkali silica reaction (ASR) is influenced by external factors such as the surrounding environment of high alkalinity. Countries with cold climate have a high probability to be exposed to high concentrations of NaCl solution by the deicing salt. This condition will lead to serious ASR problems in concrete, if the aggregates contain reactive silica. The main research work in this paper is to investigate the effect of 15% replacement ratio of high quality fine fly ash (FA15%) and 42% replacement ratio of blast furnace slag (BFS42%) on the ASR mitigation in concrete with different alkali amount inside the pore solution. The experiments were conducted according to the accelerated mortar bars experiment following the JIS A1146 mortar bar test method. In addition, post-analysis such as observation of ASR gel formation by the Uranyl Acetate Fluorescence Method and observation of thin sections using a Polarizing Microscope were also conducted. The mortar bar tests show a very good mitigation effect of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The results show that only small ASR expansions, which can be categorized as “innocuous”, occurred for specimens with 1.2% Na2Oeq using FA15% and BFS42%. However, larger alkali amount inside the system will require more SCMs amount.

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) such as fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag and silica fume are now being extensively used in concrete to control expansion due to alkali-silica reactivity (ASR). However, the replacement level of a single SCM needed to deleterious ASR expansion and cracking may create other problem and concerns. For example, incorporating silica fume at levels greater than 10％ by mass of cement may lead to dispersion and workability concerns, while fly ash can lead to poor strength development at early age, The combination of silica fume and fly ash in ternary cementitious system may alleviate this and other concerns, and result in a number of synergistic effects. The aim of the study was to enable evaluation of more realistic suitability of a silica fume-fly ash combination system for ASR resistance based on an in-house modification of ASTM C 1260 test method. The modification can be more closely identified with actual field conditions. In this study three different strengths of NaOH test solution(1N, 0.5N, and 0.25N) were used to measure the expansion characteristics of mortar bar made with a reactive aggregate. The other variable included longer testing period of 28 days instead of a conventional 14 days.

This study tested the alkali-silica reactivity of various types of crushed stones, following the specifications of ASTM C 227 and C 1260, and the results obtained from the tests were compared. This study also analyzed the effects of particle size and grading of reactive aggregate based on the expansion of mortar-bar due to an alkali-silica. The effect of mineral admixtures to reduce the detrimental expansion caused by the alkali-silica reaction was investigated based on the method specified by ASTM C 1260. The mineral admixtures used in this study were fly ash, silica fume, metakaolin and ground granulated blast furnace slag. The replacement ratios of 0, 5, 10, 15, 25 and 35% were uniformly applied to all the mineral admixtures, and the replacement ratios of 45 and 55% were additionally applied for the admixtures that could sustain the workability at these ratios. The results indicate that replacement ratios of 25% for fly ash, 10% for silica fume, 25% for metakaolin and 35% for ground granulated blast furnace slag were the most effective in reducing the expansion due to the alkali-silica reaction under the experimental conditions of this study.