Durability properties of concrete containing amorphous silicate tuff as a type of natural cementitious material

Abstract

Due to the increasing growth of building technology, the production of new durable concrete using sustainable material is one of the most important aspects of this industry. With regard to the destructive environmental aspects of cement production, many efforts have been made to partially replace cement with pozzolanic materials that have less destructive effects and can improve the performance of the produced concrete. In this study, an amorphous silicate tuff (AST) has been introduced as a natural pozzolan and its chemical and physical properties have been assessed, as well as, the compressive strength and durability of the produced concrete. Using the full factorial design method, the total number of 24 concrete mix samples was designed by replacing 0–40% Portland cement with AST and water to binder ratios between 0.45 and 0.6. Compressive strength, rapid chloride permeability, rapid chloride migration, and bulk electrical conductivity tests were carried out at various ages (384 experiments). The results show that the best-improved properties of concrete were achieved for samples with 5% AST replacement. In addition, there are relatively good correlations among the results of mechanical and durability tests.