Microstructural Development in High‐Volume Fly‐Ash Cement System

Abstract

The writers present the results of research findings on the micro‐structural development in a high‐volume fly‐ash (HVFA) cement system containing 60% fly ash by weight of binder. Although the one‐day strength of HVFA mortar is low compared to plain cement mortar, from three‐day onward the strength starts to increase. Corresponding to the development of microstructure, the strength increases significantly at later ages and reaches 78% of the control specimen at 180 days. The literature survey reveals that hydration of fly‐ash aluminate phases produces hydrates similar to those in cement. To reveal the fly‐ash hydration process more vividly, a special type of cement containing very low