Microstructure of Concrete Made with Blends of Fly Ash Cement and Waste Clay by Backscattered Electron Images

Abstract

Industrial waste clay materials, which are good pozzolans, can be used in place of cement in place of cement in the manufacture of mortars and concretes. During the manufacturing process, which involves dehydration followed by firing at controlled temperatures ranging from 700 degrees Celsius to 1000 degrees Celsius , the clay minerals found in high proportions in the natural materials used to make bricks and similar products acquire pozzolanic properties. This study examines the microstructure and morphology of the industrial concrete made with standard Portland cement containing fly ash partially substituted with waste clay material, by backscattered electron images (BSE) and mercury porosimetry (MP) techniques. The microstructure of concrete test samples is not altered by the inclusion of clay discards and the pore size did not vary too, the only difference found was a slight decline in the proportion of larger diameter pores.