Laboratory-Made Roller Compacted Concretes Containing Dry Bottom Ash: Part II—Long-Term Durability

Abstract

Laboratory-made roller compacted concretes with various combinations of cement (Type I and Type V for sulfate-resistant concrete), lignite dry bottom ash, and crushed limestone coarse aggregate were tested to ascertain the suitability of this type of concrete for pavement applications. The fresh properties and strength and deformation of the hardened roller compacted concrete containing bottom ash have been discussed in the companion article (Part I). This paper describes the data pertaining to long-term durability of bottom ash roller compacted concretes. The analysis of the test results leads to the conclusions that durable concrete can be produced with the high-calcium dry bottom ash used in this investigation. Resistance to sulfate attack, rapid freezing and thawing, and wear improved with increases in cement and/or coarse aggregate contents. Length change caused by external sulfate attack varied from 0.0203% to 0.0388%, whereas no mass loss or reduction in strength were found in any of the test samples. Abrasion testing under wet conditions was consistently worse than under dry conditions. After 300 rapid freezing and thawing cycles, the mixture proportions of this investigation displayed a maximum mass loss of 2.3% and a minimum durability factor of 91.2%.