Effectiveness and Mechanism of Fly Ash in Inhibiting Alkali-Silica Reaction of Sandstone

Abstract

The effectiveness of fly ash in suppressing expansion due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR) of sandstone are studied respectively based on accelerated mortar bar test and concrete prism test. The mechanism of fly ash in inhibiting the ASR of sandstone is examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive analysis of x-ray (EDAX). Moreover, the reliability of fly ash in inhibiting ASR of sandstone was discussed through concrete strength and frost resistance tests. Results indicate that the replacement amount of fly ash is 20%, the expansion due to ASR can be decreased to the critical value of a non-reactive aggregate. The reason why fly ash can inhibit the alkali reactivity for the sandstone is that the strong reaction between alkali and fly ash dissipates the alkali, and the products of alkali-silica-aluminate gels are non-expansible. For the concrete specimens suffered from accelerated ASR tests, their strength and frost resistance are decreased with the increment of fly ash replacement.