Feasibility Study on Concrete Performance Made by Partial Replacement of Cement with Nanoglass Powder and Fly Ash

Abstract

In this paper, the feasibility of using nanoglass as a partial replacement of cement in combination with fly ash was investigated. Three concrete mixtures made with fly ash and nanoglass as cement replacements were studied as a preliminary investigation. The first mixture contained 25% class F-fly ash (FA) and 0% nanoglass powder (NGP); the second mixture had 12.5% class F-FA with 12.5% NGP; while the third mixture had 0% class F-FA, with 25% NGP. In all the mixtures, the water-to-cementitious (w/cm) ratios were kept constant at 0.42. Fresh properties of each mixture were tested, which included air content and workability. Expansion due to potential alkali–silica reaction (ASR) was also tested, as well as mechanical properties such as compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength. It was observed that the increase in NGP content beyond 12.5% in the presence of 12.5% class F-fly had a negative effect on the concrete fresh and mechanical properties. Overall, the addition of NGP enhanced the mechanical properties of the concrete, and the expansion due to ASR is less than 0.1% which is the threshold value.