EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON USE OF FLY ASH IN

CONCRETE

Amit Mittal, M.B.Kaisare, Rajendrakumar Shetti

Tarapur Atomic Power Project 3 & 4,
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited.



The utilization of fly ash in concrete as partial replacement of cement is gaining
immense importance today, mainly on account of the improvements in the long-
term durability of concrete combined with ecological benefits. Technological
improvements in thermal power plant operations and fly ash collection systems
have resulted in improving the consistency of fly ash. To study the effect of partial
replacement of cement by fly ash, studies have been conducted on concrete mixes
with 300 to 500 kg/cum cementitious material at 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%
replacement levels. In this paper the effect of fly ash on workability, setting time,
density, air content, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, shrinkage and
permeability by Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RCPT) are studied. Based on this
study, compressive strength vs W/Cm curves have been plotted so that concrete
mixes of grade M 15 to M 45 with different percentage of fly ash can be directly
designed.

INTRODUCTION

In view of global warming, efforts are on to reduce the emission of CO
2
to the
environment. Cement industry is a major contributor in the emission of CO
2
as well
as using up high levels of energy resources in the production of cement. By
replacing cement with a material of pozzolanic characteristic, such as the fly ash,
the cement and concrete industry together can meet the growing demand in the
construction industry as well as help in reducing the environmental pollution.

India is a resourceful country for fly ash generation with an annual output of over
110 million tonnes, but utilization is still below 20 % in spite of quantum jump in
last three to four years. Availability of consistent quality fly ash across the country
and awareness of positive effects of using fly ash in concrete are pre requisite for
change of perception of fly ash from a 'A waste material' to 'A resource material'.

Technological efforts have been made to improve the quality of fly ash. At present
most of the power plants are using Electro Static Precipitators (ESP) through which
fly ash is collected in different chambers according to its particle size. Hence a
uniform good quality of fly ash can be collected from these power plants. Some of
the power plants have gone a step further by developing a collection system, in
which the fly ash collected from different fields is combined and the final product is
taken to an air classifying plant where coarse particles are removed. The final
beneficial product is then stored in a silo to be used in cement and concrete
industry.

To study the impact of partial replacement of cement by fly ash on the properties of
concrete, experiments were conducted on different concrete mixes. This paper
presents the details of experimental set up and discussion on test results.

EXPERIMENTAL SET UP

Concrete mixes taken up for this study were proportioned with total cementitious
content starting from 300 kg/cum to 500 kg/cum in the increments of 50 kg/cum.
For each cementitious content, 5 sets of concrete mixes were proportioned with
0%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% replacement of cementitious content by fly ash.
Each mix was identified by a unique no. `xFy where `x indicates the total
cementitious content and `y indicates the percentage replacement by fly ash.
Concrete mixes were proportioned using absolute volume method.

High range superplasticizer was used in all the concrete mixes to achieve good
workability. A slump of 200 mm + 25 mm was maintained in all the mixes to
ensure that these mixes could be pumped and placed even in the most congested
areas. Unit water content was kept constant for a particular series of mixes of same
cementitious content. To achieve the uniform workability, the admixture dosage
was adjusted without changing the unit water content. This ensured the identical
W/Cm ratio for a particular cementitious content and the effect of fly ash
replacement can be directly studied on the various properties of concrete. Mix
proportions of all the mixes is given in table -1

All the concrete mixes were produced in the concrete technology laboratory of
Tarapur Atomic Power Project 3&4 (TAPP 3&4) using pan type laboratory concrete
mixer. Mixing sequence and time was also standardized in all the mixes to minimize
the variations. The 3000 KN automatic compression testing machine was used to
determine the strength properties of concrete mixes.

INGREDIENTS

Cement
The Ordinary Portland Cement of 43 grade conforming to IS: 8112 was used. The
28 days compressive strength and the specific surface of cement used in this study
was 60 N/mm
2
and 295 m
2
/kg respectively.

Coarse Aggregates
The Coarse Aggregates from crushed Basalt rock, conforming to IS: 383 were used.
The Flakiness and Elongation Index were maintained well below 15%.

Fine Aggregates
The river sand and crushed sand was used in combination as fine aggregate
conforming to the requirements of IS: 383. The river sand was washed and
screened, to eliminate deleterious materials and over size particles.

Admixture
The high range water reducing and retarding superplasticizer conforming to ASTM
C-494 Type G was used. The base of admixture used in this study was sulphonated
naphthalene formaldehyde and water reduction of admixture was around 20%.
Fly Ash
Fly ash for this study is taken from Dahanu Thermal Power Station (DTPS) at
Dahanu. DTPS have installed ESP for segregation and collection of fly ash into 6
different fields. As the field number increases the fineness of fly ash increases but
the quantity decreases. Field-1 fly ash has coarse particles and is not suitable for
concrete applications. Fly ash from Field-2 onwards is segregated, packed and used
for concrete applications. Since maximum availability of fly ash is from Field 2,
same was used for our study. This fly ash conforms to the requirements of IS: 3812
Part 1 and also ASTM C-618 type F.

Generally fly ash quality is assessed on the basis of some of the key parameters
like pozzolanic activity, material retained on 45 micron sieve, loss on ignition and
other chemical parameters. It is advisable that to qualify a source of fly ash all the
test as specified in IS / ASTM shall be conducted initially and only key parameters
can be tested for each batch to ensure a consistent quality of fly ash. Test results of
fly ash used in the experimental study are given in Table -2.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Test results of properties of fresh and hardened concrete are given in Table -3. The
main observations are follows.

Workability
The spherical shaped particles of fly ash act as miniature ball bearing within the
concrete mix and this leads to the improvement of workability of concrete or
reduction of unit water content. In the present study we have kept the same unit
water content for a particular series of mixes of same cementitious content, hence
to maintain the same workability of concrete the admixture dosage are reduced as
the fly ash content is increased from 0% to 50%. Figure-1 shows the details of
admixture dosage vs fly ash content of concrete mixes with different cementitious
content. From this figure it can be seen that this reduction in admixture dosage
with increase in fly ash percentage is observed in all ranges of cementitious
content.

Density and Air Content
It is observed that air content of the concrete mix is unaffected by the replacement
of cement by fly ash. As fly ash is has lower specific gravity as compared to
cement, at higher level of cement replacement, there is a slight reduction in the
density of concrete.

Initial and Final Setting Time
Normally it is observed that use of fly ash retards the setting time of concrete.
Setting characteristics of concrete depends on various parameters like ambient and
concrete temperature, cement type, fly ash type, admixture type and their relative
quantities. In the present study high range water reducing and retarding
superplasticizer (ASTM C- 494 Type G) has been used and quantity of
superplasticizer is getting reduced as the percentage of fly ash is increasing to
maintain the same workability of concrete. In 350 kg/cum and 450 kg/cum
cementitious content concrete mixes the initial and final setting times are
determined and no significant change in the setting characteristic is observed. It is
probably due to the fact that retardation due to increase in percentage of fly ash is
compensated by reduction in the superplasticizer.

Bleeding and Surface Finish
Use of fly ash in concrete mixes reduces bleeding by providing greater fines
volume, which blocks bleed water channels. Use of fly ash also improves the
cohesiveness of the concrete mix resulting in reduction of pumping pressure and
better surface finish.

Compressive Strength at Various Ages
Compressive strength of all the mixes is determined at 7, 28, 56 and 90 days. For
each set of cementitious content the development of compressive strength at
various ages with respect to different fly ash percentages are shown in Figure 2 to
6. The observations indicate that :

a) As the fly ash content increases there is reduction in the strength of concrete.
This reduction is more at earlier ages as compared to later ages.
b) The reduction in compressive strength with increase in fly ash content is more in
mixes with lower cementitious content as compared to the mixes with higher
cementitious content. For example 28 days compressive strength with 40%
replacement by fly ash as compared to control mix is 59%, 61%, 71%, 76% and
79%, as total cementitious contents of mixes increases from 300 to 500 kg/m
3

c) The ratio of compressive strength with 40% replacement by fly ash to control
mix at 56 days is around 68%, for the concrete mixes with 300, 350 & 400
kg/m
3
cementitious content, and 85% and 99% for 450 & 500 kg/m
3
cementitious content respectively. This indicates that as the total cementitious
content increases the reduction in its strength at later ages reduces.
d) For total cementitious content of 450 & 500 kg/m
3
mixes, the compressive
strength at 56 days & 90 days are comparable for the control mix, and 20%,
30% and 40% fly ash mixes. However there is a sudden drop for 50% fly ash
mix.
e) The development of strength for 20%, 30% and 40% fly ash mixes for total
cementitious content of 450 & 500 kg/m
3
beyond 28 days is very high and it
increases with increase in fly ash content. For example for 450 kg mix the ratio
of 90 days compressive strength to 28 days strength is 111%, 117%, 129% and
142% for control, 20%, 30% and 40% fly ash mix respectively.

Modulus of Elasticity
The modulus of elasticity was determined using 150 mm diameter and 300 mm
high cylinder as per IS: 516 at 28 days. The mixes of 400 kg/m
3
and 500 kg/m
3

cementitious content were selected for determination of modulus of elasticity.
Figure-7 gives the details of E value of concrete mixes with various percentage of
fly ash. From this figure, it can be observed that with the increase of total
cementitious content the E value also increases for all levels of fly ash percentages.
For a given cementitious content as the fly ash percentage increases the E value
reduces, however this reduction in E value is much lower as compared to reduction
in compressive strength at same age. This indicates that cement and aggregate
characteristics have a greater effect on modulus of elasticity than the use of fly ash.

Shrinkage
As per ACI 226.3 R-87 "Drying shrinkage of concrete is a function of fractional
volume of paste, the water content, type of cement and its content and type of
aggregate. In those cases where the addition of fly ash increases the paste volume,
drying shrinkage may increase slightly if water content remains constant. If there is
a water content reduction, shrinkage should be about the same as concrete without
fly ash. In the present study, shrinkage of concrete was determined using 75 X 75
X 250 mm specimens as per IS: 1199. The mixes of 400 kg/m
3
and 450 kg/m
3
cementitious content

were selected for this study. Figure-8 gives the details of
shrinkage with different percentages of fly ash. From this figure it can be concluded
that the shrinkage of concrete increased slightly with the increase in the total
cementitious content. Different percentage of fly ash does not seems to have any
significant effect on shrinkage of concrete.

Durability of Concrete
One of the major advantages of use of fly ash in concrete mixes is to improve the
durability of concrete. The existence of large pores and large crystalline products in
the transition zone in OPC concrete are greatly reduced by the introduction of fine
particles of fly ash. The decrease in the water content combined with the pore
interconnectivity of concrete thus decreases the permeability of fly ash concrete.
The reduced permeability results in improved long term durability and resistance to
various forms of deterioration of concrete structures.

The permeability of concrete was determined by means of Rapid Chloride
Penetration Test (RCPT) as per ASTM C-1202 on 100 mm diameter and 51 mm
thick concrete cores extracted from the various samples of concrete mixes. RCPT
was conducted at 28, 56 and 90 days of age for various combinations of mixes.
Figure-8 to 11 show the details of RCPT value. From these figures it can be
observed that generally there is reduction in permeability of concrete as the
cementitious content increases (or W/Cm decreases) at all ages. Reduction in
permeability of concrete with the incorporation of fly ash is marginal at 28 days of
age, but at 56 and 90 days age the permeability of fly ash concrete is considerably
lower as compared to concrete without fly ash. This is mainly due to extended
pozzolanic reaction of fly ash concrete mix. Therefore this study prove conclusively
that the fly ash concrete is less permeable as compared to OPC concrete of all
ranges of concrete mixes.

DEVELOPMENT OF W/Cm CURVES FOR MIX DESIGN

Based on the various research carried out on fly ash concrete, published data and
the results of above experimental study it is proved that fly ash can be gainfully
used in making concrete of desired grades of improved characteristics at fresh and
hardened stage, durable, eco friendly and economical without any reservation.

Concrete mix proportioning with fly ash as a cementitious ingredient is slightly
tricky as compared to the OPC concrete. It depends on various parameters like type
of fly ash, percentage of replacement, age at which desired strength is required,
reheological characteristics of concrete mix and durability criteria. From this study it
is clear that simple replacement of cement by fly ash reduces the strength of
concrete at early ages and the development of strength at various ages is related to
total cementitious content or W/Cm and the percentage replacement of cement by
fly ash. To simplify the mix proportioning process, based on the above study,
strength vs W/Cm graphs are plotted for different percentages of fly ash. Figures-
13 and 14 give the strength vs W/Cm graphs at 28 days and 56 days age
respectively. For a given type of concrete ingredients these graphs can be used to
quickly design the concrete mix proportions of the desired grade. Based on the 28
days target mean strength the required W/Cm can be selected from the graphs
depending on the percentage of fly ash in the mix. Unit water content can be
decided by the workability requirements and type and dosage of admixture. Total
cementitious contents, quantity of cement and fly ash is then calculated. Quantities
of coarse and fine aggregates shall be worked out based on absolute volume
method.

It is also observed from the study that there is a considerable increase in the
compressive strength of concrete with fly ash beyond 28 days. Therefore structures
like raft, footing and column etc. where design load is not expected to come on 28
th

day, the acceptance criteria for fly ash concrete can be based on 56 days
compressive strength. Strength vs W/Cm graphs at 56 day shall be used to design
concrete mix proportions. This practice of accepting the concrete mix at 56 days
will help in utilizing the development of strength of fly ash concrete beyond 28
days, reduction in total cementitious content and overall economy of the concrete
mix without compromising the quality of concrete.

To generalize the strength vs W/Cm curves for different flyash percentages it is
desired that similar type of exercises be conducted by various organizations using
different types of concrete ingredients. All such data be then analyzed carefully
giving due consideration to input materials and generalized graphs be developed.
This will encourage many users to adopt flyash concrete with confidence.

CONCLUSIONS

India has a vast resource of fly ash generation all across the country. This material
if segregated, collected and used properly can solve the major problems of fly ash
disposal and reducing the use of cement, which consumes lot of energy and natural
resources. Specially in India many organizations are putting their efforts to promote
the awareness of fly ash concrete and its advantages. Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Ltd (NPCIL) is also involved in R&D activities for development of fly ash
concrete and implementing it in construction of various nuclear power structures.

The experimental exercise has helped to study the various properties of fly ash
concrete and to develop the mix design curves for concrete mix proportioning with
various percentages of fly ash. Based on the studies conducted by authors following
conclusions are drawn on the fly ash concrete.

1. Use of fly ash improves the workability of concrete. This phenomenon can be
used either to reduce the unit water content of mix or to reduce the
admixture dosage.
2. Density and air content of concrete mix are generally unaffected with the use
of fly ash.
3. Normally use of fly ash slightly retards the setting time of concrete, but it is
compensated by reduction in the admixture dosage to maintain the same
workability.
4. Bleeding in fly ash concrete is significantly reduced and other properties like
cohesiveness, pumping characteristics and surface finish are improved.
5. As the fly ash content increases there is reduction in the strength of
concrete. This reduction is more at earlier ages as compared to later ages.
This is expected, as the secondary hydration due to pozzolanic action is
slower at initial stage for flyash concrete.
6. Rate of strength development at various ages is related to the W/Cm and
percentages of fly ash in the concrete mix.
7. Modulus of elasticity of fly ash concrete also reduces with the increase in fly
ash percentage for a given W/Cm. Reduction in E value is much lower as
compared to compressive strength.
8. Shrinkage of fly ash concrete mix is similar to control concrete mix.
9. Fly ash concrete is more durable as compared to OPC concrete. Significant
reduction in RCPT values at 56 days and 90 days indicates much lower
permeability of fly ash concrete as compared to OPC concrete.

The time has come Ior appreciating the Iact without any reservation that Ily ash can be gain Iully
used in making concrete strong, durable, Eco-Iriendly and economical.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Authors are grateful to Sh. O.P.Goyal, Site Director (TMS) and Sh. H. D. Singh,
Chief Construction Engineer for their guidance and encouragement. Authors are
also thankful to the staff of Concrete Technology Laboratory TAPP 3&4 who have
performed the trial mix studies and helped in testing and analyzing the test results.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not
necessarily reflect the official views of TAPP-3&4.

REFERENCES
1. ACI Committee 226, "Use of fly ash in concrete" ACI 226.3R-87.
2. American Standard specification for Coal fly-ash and raw or calcined natural
pozzolana for use as a mineral admixture in concrete, ASTM C - 618.
3. Indian Standard, Pulverized fuel ash - Specification, Part I, For use as
pozzolana in cement mortar and concrete (Second Revision) , IS 3812 (Part 1)
: 2003.
4. Malhotra V.M., Ramezanianpour A.A., "Fly ash in concrete" , Second edition,
September 1994.
5. Mittal Amit " Chemical Admixtures - An Experience in using 4000 MT in Nuclear
Industry, National Seminar on RMC & Chemical Admixture for Concrete
Technology, March 14-15 2003, Mumbai.
6. Mittal Amit, Kaisare M.B., Shetti R.G., "Use of SCC in a pump house at TAPP
3&4, Tarapur , The Indian Concrete journal Vol 78, June 2004 No 6 pp 30 to
34.
7. Mittal Amit, Lahari A. K, Bapat S. G, "Use of Fly ash in concrete and Quality
Aspects, DAE Concrete Day Celebration, September 22, 2003, Mumbai.
8. M.J.McCarthy, Dhir R.K., "Development of high volume fly ash cements for use
in concrete construction" www.sciencedirect.com
9. Mullick A.K., "Use of fly ash in structural concrete : Part I - Why ?, The Indian
Concrete journal Vol 79, May 2005 No 5 pp 13 to 22.
10. Mullick A.K., "Use of fly ash in structural concrete : Part II - How much ?, The
Indian Concrete journal Vol 79, June 2005 No 6 pp 10 to 14 .
Table 1 : Concrete Mix Proportions
TotaI
Cementitious
content (Cm)
Cement
FIy
Ash
Water
Coarse
Aggre-
gates
Fine
Aggre-
gates
Admixture
Mix
Designation
(Kg/Cum) (Kg) (Kg) (Kg)
W/Cm
(Kg) (Kg) (Kg)
300 F 0 300 300 - 150 0.50 1090 925 4.50
300 F 20 300 240 60 150 0.50 1076 914 4.50
300 F 30 300 210 90 150 0.50 1070 908 4.50
300 F 40 300 180 120 150 0.50 1063 902 4.50
300 F 50 300 150 150 150 0.50 1056 896 4.50
350 F0 350 350 - 158 0.45 1054 896 5.60
350 F 20 350 280 70 158 0.45 1038 881 4.90
350 F30 350 245 105 158 0.45 1030 876 3.50
350 F40 350 210 140 158 0.45 1024 868 2.80
350 F50 350 175 175 158 0.45 1016 861 2.10
400 F0 400 400 - 160 0.40 1064 833 5.60
400 F 20 400 320 80 160 0.40 1048 819 4.00
400 F30 400 280 120 160 0.40 1038 813 2.40
400 F40 400 240 160 160 0.40 1030 806 1.60
400 F50 400 200 200 160 0.40 1022 800 1.60
450 F0 450 450 - 158 0.35 1078 778 9.00
450 F 20 450 360 90 158 0.35 1060 764 6.52
450 F30 450 315 135 158 0.35 1050 757 5.40
450 F40 450 270 180 158 0.35 1040 750 3.60
450 F50 450 225 225 158 0.35 1030 743 3.60
500 F0 500 500 - 150 0.30 1102 732 10.00
500 F 20 500 400 100 150 0.30 1080 717 9.00
500 F30 500 350 150 150 0.30 1068 709 9.00
500 F40 500 300 200 150 0.30 1056 702 8.00
500 F50 500 250 250 150 0.30 1046 694 6.00
Table 2 : Test results of fly ash

Acceptable Value
Description test Test Value
IS 3812 -
2003 Part 1
ASTM C-618
Type-F
Physical Properties
Specific Gravity 2.14 - -
Setting Time (mins.) Initial 130 - -
Setting Time (mins.) Final 290 - -
Retained on 45 micron (%) 2.77 Max. 34.0 Max. 34.0
Specific Surface (m
2
/kg) 328.0 Min. 320 -
Soundness
(Lechatelier)(mm) 0.15
- -
Soundness (Autoclave) (%) 0.027 Max. 0.8 Max. 0.8
Water requirement (% of
control) 96.0
- Max. 105
Compressive Strength (% of
control)
- - -
7 Days 158.1 - Min. 75
28 Days 160.9
Not less than
80 percent of
the strength of
corresponding
plain cement
mortar cubes.
Min. 75
Chemical Properties
Silica (SiO
2
) % 58.74 Min. 35 -
Aluminium Oxide (as Al
2
O
3
)
% -
- -
Iron Oxide (as Fe
2
O
3
) % - - -
Combind Oxide
(Sio
2
+A
l2
O
3
+Fe
2
O
3
) %
93.77 Min. 70.0 Min. 70.0
Magnesium Oxide (MgO) % 0.48 Max. 5.0 -
Sulphur Trioxide (SO
3
) % 1.80 Max. 3.0 Max. 5.0
Sodium Oxide ( Na
2
O) % 0.16 Max. 1.5 -
Loss of Ignition (%) 0.59 Max. 5.0 Max. 6.0
Moisture Content (%) 0.051 - Max. 3.0


Table 3: Properties of Fresh and Hardened Concrete

SIump Setting Time Compressive Strength
0
Min
30
Min
Density
Air
content
InitiaI FinaI
7
Days
28
Days
56
Days
90
Days
Mix
Designat
ion
(mm) (mm) (Kg/m
3
) (%) (Hr:Mins) (Hr:Mins) (N/mm
2
) (N/mm
2
) (N/mm
2
) (N/mm
2
)
300 F 0 185 150 2468 1.3 33.0 41.7 45.6 -
300 F 20 185 160 2450 1.5 23.5 33.7 44.8 -
300 F 30 210 175 2442 1.2 16.3 30.7 38.1 -
300 F 40 180 110 2430 1.6 13.9 24.4 30.8 -
300 F 50 200 140 2422 1.3 8.1 17.9 24.4 -
350 F0 210 190 2499 1.3 6:50 8:10 34.2 43.7 48.8 54.2
350 F 20 230 220 2484 1.2 6:20 8:05 24.9 37.7 45.4 50.9
350 F30 220 200 2478 1.2 5:55 7:30 23.1 32.9 39.7 45.5
350 F40 220 180 2427 1.2 6:40 7:45 14.5 26.5 32.7 41.9
350 F50 210 160 2426 1.5 7:20 8:55 10.4 19.0 25.6 34.4
400 F0 210 190 2472 1.2 41.9 46.5 52.6 54.2
400 F 20 210 190 2480 1.6 29.5 41.2 47.8 52.9
400 F30 200 180 2465 1.5 25.6 37.9 44.3 50.4
400 F40 200 120 2466 1.7 19.4 32.9 35.8 43.5
400 F50 190 110 2445 1.6 15.5 23.2 30.2 36.8
450 F0 220 210 2486 1.3 8:20 9:05 45.9 55.2 60.3 61.2
450 F 20 220 210 2488 1.6 8:35 9:45 37.6 51.1 55.2 59.9
450 F30 220 200 2480 1.3 7:45 9:15 31.1 45.3 54.3 58.6
450 F40 180 170 2476 1.5 7:35 8:50 25.6 42.2 51.4 59.9
450 F50 210 200 2444 1.6 8:45 10:10 17.8 28.2 42.7 46.2
500 F0 200 180 2538 1.5 42.0 60.0 62.7 66.7
500 F 20 180 150 2478 1.8 37.7 54.5 63.9 69.2
500 F30 200 170 2448 1.9 37.9 52.7 64.4 70.3
500 F40 230 220 2413 1.7 29.7 47.4 61.9 66.8
500 F50 220 200 2442 1.5 29.0 45.6 55.8 58.9



1
.
5
0
1
.
6
0
1
.
4
0
2
.
0
0
2
.
0
0
1
.
5
0
1
.
4
0
1
.
0
0
1
.
4
5
1
.
8
0
1
.
5
0
1
.
0
0
0
.
6
0
1
.
2
0
1
.
8
0
1
.
3
0
0
.
8
0
0
.
4
0
1
.
6
0
0
.
8
0
1
.
2
0
1
.
3
0
0
.
6
0
0
.
4
0
0
.
8
0
0.0%
0.5%
1.0%
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
300 350 400 450 500
Cementitious Content
A
d
m
i
x
t
u
r
e

D
o
s
a
g
e
F0 F20 F30 F40 F50
-

Figure 1 : Admixture Dosage vs Flyash Content
33.0
8.1
41.7
33.7
30.7
24.4
17.9
45.6
44.8
38.1
30.8
24.4
13.9
16.3
23.5
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
300 F0 300 F20 300 F30 300 F40 300 F50
Mix Designation
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
v
e

S
t
r
e
n
g
t
h

(
N
/
S
q
m
m
)
7 Days 28 Days 56 Days

Figure 2 : Development of Compressive Strength of 300 Mix
34.2
23.1
10.4
43.7
37.7
32.9
26.5
19.0
48.8
45.4
39.7
32.7
25.6
50.9
45.5
41.9
34.4
14.5
24.9
54.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
350 F0 350 F20 350 F30 350 F40 350 F50
Mix Designation
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
v
e

S
t
r
e
n
g
t
h

(
N
/
S
q
m
m
)
7 Days 28 Days 56 Days 90 Days

Figure 3 : Development of Compressive Strength of 350 Mix
41.9
25.6
19.4
15.5
46.5
41.2
37.9
32.9
23.2
52.6
47.8
44.3
35.8
30.2
36.8
29.5
43.5
54.2
50.4
52.9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
400 F0 400 F20 400 F30 400 F40 400 F50
Mix Designation
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
v
e

S
t
r
e
n
g
t
h

(
N
/
S
q
m
m
)
7 Days 28 Days 56 Days 90 Days

Figure 4 : Development of Compressive Strength of 400 Mix
45.9
37.6
25.6
17.8
45.3
42.2
28.2
60.3
51.4
42.7
59.9 59.9
46.2
31.1
51.1
55.2
55.2
54.3
58.6 61.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
450 F0 450 F20 450 F30 450 F40 450 F50
Mix Designation
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
v
e

S
t
r
e
n
g
t
h

(
N
/
S
q
m
m
)
7 Days 28 Days 56 Days 90 Days

Figure 5 : Development of Compressive Strength of 450 Mix
37.9
29.0
60.0
54.5
52.7
47.4
45.6
62.7
63.9 64.4
55.8
66.7
69.2
70.3
58.9
42.0
29.7
37.7
61.9
66.8
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
500 F0 500 F20 500 F30 500 F40 500 F50
Mix Designation
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
v
e

S
t
r
e
n
g
t
h

(
N
/
S
q
m
m
)
7 Days 28 Days 56 Days 90 Days

Figure 6 : Development of Compressive Strength of 500 Mix
31237
32212
27455
30875
26777
29237
26228
28356
23650
25127
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
400 500
Cementitious Content
E
-
v
a
I
u
e

(
N
/
S
q
m
m
)
F0
F20
F30
F40
F50

Figure 7 : E Value of Concrete Mix
234
260
229
280
218
260
157
300
163
400
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
400 450
Cementitious Content
S
h
r
i
n
k
a
g
e
(

M
i
c
r
o

S
t
r
a
i
n
)
F0
F20
F30
F40
F50

Figure 8 : Shrinkage Value of Concrete Mix
4092
3058
2175
2996
1932
1060
3604
1847
828
1597
621
3106
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
28 DAYS 56 DAYS 90 DAYS
AGE
C
H
A
R
G
E
S

P
A
S
S
E
D

(
C
O
L
U
M
B
S
)
350 F0 350 F30 350 F40 350 F50

Figure 9 : RCPT Results of 350 Mix
3992
3204
2552
3696
1499
894
3305
1464
709
3296
1588
613
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
28 DAYS 56 DAYS 90 DAYS
AGE
C
H
A
R
G
E
S

P
A
S
S
E
D

(
C
O
L
U
M
B
S
)
400 F0 400 F30 400 F40 400 F50

Figure 10 : RCPT Results of 400 Mix
3150
1775
1648
667
1500
759
1984
1364
943
3376
2670
2207
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
28 DAYS 56 DAYS 90 DAYS
AGE
C
H
A
R
G
E
S

P
A
S
S
E
D

(
C
O
L
U
M
B
S
)
450 F0 450 F30 450 F40 400 F50

Figure 11 : RCPT Results of 450 Mix
1447
1303
447
859
1000
3098
3008
2003
1467
629
1530
679
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
28 DAYS 56 DAYS 90 DAYS
AGE
C
H
A
R
G
E
S

P
A
S
S
E
D

(
C
O
L
U
M
B
S
)
500 F0 500 F30 500 F40 500 F50

Figure 12 : RCPT Results of 500 Mix
33.7
37.7
41.2
51.1
30.7
37.9
45.3
24.4
26.5
32.9
42.2
17.9
60.0
55.2
43.7
41.7
46.5
54.5
52.7
32.9
47.4
19.0
45.6
23.2
28.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50
Water Cementitious Ratio (W/Cm)
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
v
e

S
t
r
e
n
g
t
h

(
N
/
S
q
m
m
)
28F0 28F20 28F30 28F40 28F50

Figure 13 : Compressive Strength vs W/Cm at 28 Days
62.7
44.8
47.8
55.2
38.1
44.3
30.8
32.7
35.8
24.4
30.2
42.7
55.8
60.3
48.8
45.6
52.6
45.4
63.9
39.7
54.3
64.4
51.4
61.9
25.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50
Water Cementitious Ratio (W/Cm)
C
o
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
v
e

S
t
r
e
n
g
t
h

(
N
/
S
q
m
m
)
56F0 56F20 56F30 56F40 56F50

Figure 14: Compressive Strength vs W/Cm at 56 Days

Brief Bio-data of Authors





























Mr. Amit Mittal is a graduate in Civil Engineering from Birla Institute
of Technology and Science, Pilani of 1987. He joined Nuclear Power
Corporation of India Limited in the year 1988 at Kaiga Project. He
worked there for 11 years from the inception of project to its final
commissioning. At present he is Engineer In Charge Concrete
Technology Laboratory at Tarapur Atomic Power Project 3&4. He is
actively involved in the design and development of concrete mixes
required for construction of nuclear power plants including high
performance concrete, heavy density concrete and self compacting
concrete. He has won first prize consecutively thrice from 1993 to
1995 for excellence in concrete from American Concrete Institute
Maharashtra India Chapter in its annual concrete cube competition.
He has written more than 25 papers in various journals and National
/ International seminars.


Mr. M.B.Kaisare is a Post Graduate in Chemistry from Karnataka
University. He joined the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
in the year 1990. Presently he is working in Concrete Technology
Laboratory at TAPP- 3&4 as a Scientific Officer-D and involved in the
Quality Assurance of concrete production & testing activities.






Mr. Rajendrakumar Shetti is a Diploma Engineer from B V V S
Polytechnic Bagalkot of Karnataka. He joined Nuclear Power
Corporation of India Limited in 1989. Presently he is working as
Scientific Officer-C at Concrete Technology Laboratory of TAPP 3&4.
He is working in the field of Concrete Technology from last 15 years.
He was involved in development and design of different types and
grades of concrete for construction of Nuclear Power Plants. He was
also associated in development and use of HPC. He had participated
in annual concrete cube competition conducted by American Concrete
Institute of India, Maharashtra Chapter and stood excellent by
winning first prize.