REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT WITH COAL ASH AND REINFORCED WITH POLYPROPYLENE FIBRES

CHAPTER-3
MATERIALS
3.1. CEMENT
Cement is a material with adhesive and cohesive properties which is capable of bonding
mineral fragments into a compact-solid whole. Ordinary Portland cement is the most common
type of cement in general uses all around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar.
Ordinary Portland Cement of 43 Grade of brand name RAMCO, available in the local market
was used in this project.

Fig 3.1 Cement

It is the most commonly used type of cement around the world, as a basic ingredient of
concrete. Ordinary Portland cement consists essentially of compounds of lime (calcium oxide)
mixed with silica (silica dioxide) and alumina (aluminium oxide). The lime obtained from a
calcareous( lime-containing) raw material, and the other oxides are derived from an clayey
material.
Cements may be used alone (i.e., as grouting materials), but the normal use is in mortar and
concrete in which the cement is mixed with inert material known as aggregate. Mortar is cement
mixed with sand or crushed stone that must be less than approximately 5 mm in size. Concrete
is a mixture of cement, sand or other fine aggregate, and a coarse aggregate that for most
purposes is up to 19 to 25mm in size, but the coarse aggregate may also be as large as 150mm

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REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT WITH COAL ASH AND REINFORCED WITH POLYPROPYLENE FIBRES

when concrete is placed in large masses such as dams. Mortars are used for binding bricks,
blocks, and stone in walls or as surface renderings. Mixtures of soil and ordinary Portland
cement are used as base for roads.

3.2 FINE AGGREGATE

Fine aggregate is defined as rock particles with diameter less than 4.75mm, usually called sand.
Sand plays a very important role in concrete. It manages to fill the voids between the powders
and coarse aggregates. That is the reason as sand must be well graded from a particle size point
of view in order to guarantee the filling between the various aggregates as much as possible.
Sand can be finer than normal, as the material less than 150µm may help increase cohesion
thereby resisting segregation.

Fig 3.2 Fine aggregate

Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) was used in this project. Manufactured Sand is an excellent
replacement for natural river sand. It is crushed fine aggregate produced from a source material
and designed for use with concrete in construction. Production generally involves crushing,
screening and possibly washing. This sand is well graded and available in the required
proportion.
The absence of impurities such as clay, dust and silt coatings is helping manufactured sand
with increased quality and durability of concrete. Also the absence of organic and soluble
compounds that affects the setting time and properties of cement is making it a better choice
over the river sand if one is looking to maintain the strength of concrete.

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REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT WITH COAL ASH AND REINFORCED WITH POLYPROPYLENE FIBRES

3.3 COARSE AGGREGATE

Those particles that are predominantly retained on the 4.75 mm sieve and will pass through 3-
inch screen, are called coarse aggregate. The coarser the aggregate, the more economical the
mix. Larger pieces offer less surface area of the particles than an equivalent volume of small
pieces.

Fig 3.3 Coarse aggregate

Use of the largest permissible maximum size of coarse aggregate permits a reduction in cement
and water requirements. Using aggregates larger than the maximum size of coarse aggregates
permitted can result in forming obstructions within a concrete form.
In concrete, an aggregate is used for its economy factor, to reduce any cracks and most
importantly to provide strength to the structure. In roads and railway ballast, it is used to help
distribute the load and assist in ground water running off the road. Increases the volume of
concrete, thus reduces the cost.
Provide dimensional stability, influence hardness, abrasion resistance, elastic modulus and
other properties of concrete to make it more durable, strong and cheaper.

3.4 COAL ASH

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 REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT WITH COAL ASH AND REINFORCED WITH POLYPROPYLENE FIBRES

Fig 3.4 Coal ash

Coal ash, also referred to as coal combustion residuals or CCRs, is produced primarily from
the burning of coal in coal-fired power plants. Coal ash includes a number of by-products
produced from burning coal, including:

 Fly Ash, a very fine, powdery material composed mostly of silica made from the burning of
finely ground coal in a boiler.
 Bottom Ash, a coarse, angular ash particle that is too large to be carried up into the smoke
stacks so it forms in the bottom of the coal furnace.
 Boiler Slag, molten bottom ash from slag tap and cyclone type furnaces that turns into pellets
that have a smooth glassy appearance after it is cooled with water.
 Flue Gas Desulfurization Material, a material leftover from the process of reducing sulfur
dioxide emissions from a coal-fired boiler that can be a wet sludge consisting of calcium sulfite
or calcium sulfate or a dry powered material that is a mixture of sulfites and sulfates.

How much coal ash is there?

Coal ash is one of the largest types of industrial waste generated in the United States. According to the
American Coal Ash Association's Coal Combustion Product Production & Use Survey Report, nearly
130 million tons of coal ash was generated in 2014.

Why is coal ash reused?

Reusing coal ash can create many environmental, economic, and product benefits including:

 Environmental benefits such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced need for
disposing in landfills, and reduced use of other materials.
 Economic benefits such as reduced costs associated with coal ash disposal, increased revenue
from the sale of coal ash, and savings from using coal ash in place of other, more costly
materials.
 Product benefits such as improved strength, durability, and workability of materials.

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REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT WITH COAL ASH AND REINFORCED WITH POLYPROPYLENE FIBRES

3.5 POLYPROPYLENE FIBERS

It is a synthetic fiber formed from a polypropylene melt.

It displays good heat insulating properties and is highly resistant to acid, alkalis and organic
solvents.

Study of improvement of tensile strength of concrete due to use of polypropylene fibre.

Polypropylene fibres are used for secondary temperature shrinkage reinforcement, overlays
and pavements, slabs, flooring systems, crash barriers, precast pile shells and shotcrete for
tunnel linings, canals and reservoirs.

The evaporation of concrete surface water is a factor in creating the contract paste fracture in
concrete which leads to the formation of tension stress since the concrete starts to strengthen
mentioned that using polypropylene fibres can improve the behaviour of concrete

L= 6.2 m D=0.445m

Aspect ratio= 139.33

3.5 Polypropylene

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