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Structural behavior of alkali activated fly ash concrete. Part 2: structural testing and experimental findings

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Abstract

Alkali activated fly ash concrete (AAFAC) is an alternative form of concrete that uses coal fly ash as a 100 % replacement for ordinary portland cement (OPC). In this paper structural testing of nine steel reinforced AAFAC beams is explored. The test matrix included three over-reinforced, three under-reinforced, and three shear critical AAFAC beam samples, all tested in four point monotonic bending. For control purposes, an identical set of OPC concrete (OPCC) beams was fabricated and tested under identical conditions. Data collection during testing included load, deflection, top and side fiber concrete strains, and crack width. Test results show that AAFAC beams have very similar behavior to companion OPCC beams. This applies to load induced crack pattern, crack width magnitude, neutral axis location, flexural stiffness, and ultimate flexural and ultimate shear strengths. The research concludes that AAFAC flexural members can be designed using existing ACI 318-08 methods developed for OPCC, and that this applies to both the service and ultimate limit states.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the National Science Foundation under Award Number 0923818 for providing financial support for this project, and the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects at Villanova University for providing graduate student tuition. Finally the collaboration and in-kind support provided by Oldcastle Precast of Telford, PA, USA is acknowledged and greatly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, 19085-1681, USA

    Joseph Robert Yost & Michael Salera

  2. Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 231D Sackett, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Aleksandra Radlińska

  3. Tetra Tech, Langhorne, PA, 19407, USA

    Stephen Ernst

  4. Mulhern & Kulp Structural Engineering, Inc, Ambler, PA, 19002, USA

    Nicholas J. Martignetti

Authors
  1. Joseph Robert Yost
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  2. Aleksandra Radlińska
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  3. Stephen Ernst
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  4. Michael Salera
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  5. Nicholas J. Martignetti
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph Robert Yost.

Additional information

This is a two-part research publication describing an experimental program involving fabrication and structural testing of full scale steel reinforced AAFAC beams. Part 1 of the article series presents the AAFAC mixture design, batching and concrete placement, methods of curing at elevated temperature, time–temperature data measured during curing, and hardened material properties of the AAFAC including compression strength, elastic modulus, and stress–strain behavior. In Part 2 of the article series the structural testing program is described, methods of analysis presented, and four point bending test results related to neutral axis location, strength, stiffness, failure mode, and crack width discussed.

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Yost, J.R., Radlińska, A., Ernst, S. et al. Structural behavior of alkali activated fly ash concrete. Part 2: structural testing and experimental findings. Mater Struct 46, 449–462 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-9985-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-9985-0

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