Use of a Database of Chemical, Mineralogical and Physical Properties of North American Fly Ash to Study the Nature of Fly Ashand Its Utilization as a Mineral Admixture in Concrete

Abstract

AbstractA database of chemical, mineralogical and physical characteristics of North American fly ashes has been assembled by the Western Fly Ash Research, Development and Data Center. One-hundred and seventy-eight representative ashes were divided into three groups according to their analytical CaO content: low-calcium, <10%; intermediate-calcium, 10–20%; high-calcium, 20+%. Statistical analyses were performed within each of the three groups. Thirty-two plots relating chemical composition, mineralogy and physical test results are presented. Extensive discussions relating the chemistry and mineralogy of the ash to the source coal, the distribution of the chemical constituents among crystalline and glassy phases, and the reactions of these phases in concrete are given. The consistency of high-calcium fly ash generated at a Midwestern U.S. power station fired with Wyoming bituminous coal was studied using ninety-three ashes collected over a two year period. The availability of mineralogy for each ash leads to a more thorough understanding of the bulk chemical and physical test results used in evaluating fly ashes for utilization, and in modeling their behavior after disposal