Role of Fly Ash on Strength and Microstructure Development in Blended Cement Stabilized Silty Clay

Abstract

This paper presents the role of fly ash on strength and microstructure development in blended cement stabilized silty clay. Its strength was examined by unconfined compression test and its microstructure (fabric and cementation bond) by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and thermal gravity (TG) analysis. The flocculation of clay particles due to the cation exchange process is controlled by cement content, regardless of fly ash content. It increases dry unit weight of the stabilized clay with insignificant change in liquid limit. This results in irrelevant difference in optimum water content (OWC) for the unstabilized and the stabilized clay since OWC of low swelling silty clay is mainly controlled by liquid limit. It is found from the microstructural and the strength test results that the reactivity of fly ash (pozzolanic reaction) is minimal, which is different from concrete technology. This is possibly due to less amount of Ca(OH)2 to be consumed. The role of fly ash in cement stabilization is to disperse the large clay-cement clusters into smaller clusters. Consequently, the reactive surfaces to be interacted with water increase, and hence the cementitious products (inter-cluster cementation bond). To conclude, the strength development in the blended cement stabilized clay is controlled by cementitious products due to combined effect: hydration and dispersion. Cementitious products due to hydration are governed by cement content, while cementitious products due to dispersion by fly ash content and fineness. Water content of 1.2OWC and 10% replacement ratio are regarded as the effective mixing condition for the stabilization, exhibiting the highest cementitious products.