Evaluation of the Possibility of Replacing Fly Ash with Glass Powder in Lower-Strength Concrete Mixes

Abstract

This article presents the results of research on the possibility of replacing fly ash with recycled waste glass in lower-strength concrete mixes. The results of testing concrete mixes containing either waste-glass powder or fly ash are presented in the article. A standard C12/15 concrete mix was chosen for the tests based on its common use for producing concrete for footings to support road kerbs and gutters along national roads in the Polish province of West Pomerania. In the first step of the testing procedure, reference mixes were prepared with 22.5% and 45% fly ash in relation to the content of cement. In the next step, mixes were prepared based on the same specification, except that glass powder was added in place of fly ash. The samples were then tested to determine the influence of waste-glass powder on the main properties of the prepared concrete mixes and on the performance of the concrete when hardened. All the samples were tested for 7 and 28-day compressive strength, water absorption, and freeze-thaw resistance in water. Next, the performance parameters of the samples containing waste-glass powder were compared to the reference mixes containing an equal amount of fly ash. The test results and their analysis allow us to conclude that mixes containing glass powder are not only equal to mixes containing fly ash, but even outperform them by a wide margin in terms of durability.