Construction and Building Materials 172 (2018) 728–734

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

Influence of activation of fly ash on the mechanical properties of

concrete
Yasmin Hefni ⇑, Yehia Abd El Zaher, Mona Abdel Wahab
Structural Engineering Department, Ain Shams University, Egypt

h i g h l i g h t s

Fly ash as a partial replacement for cement reduces concrete strength at early ages.

Fly ash improved concrete strength at the ages of 56 up to 180 days.

Fly ash extremely enhanced all concrete strengths after exposure to elevated temperatures.

Activation of fly has a pronouncing effect on improving concrete properties at early ages.

Glass fibers enhances the splitting and flexural strength.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The use of high volume fly ash as a partial replacement of cement in concrete reduces environmental pol-
Received 9 December 2017 lution and conserves natural resources. This study presents the results of an experimental investigation
Received in revised form 31 March 2018 to find out the effect of chemical activation of class F fly ash to overcome the low early strength problem.
Accepted 3 April 2018
The replacement ratio of Portland cement with fly ash was 40%. Four different chemical activators were
used in the study; 2.5% Na2SO4, 2.5% NaOH, 3.0% (Na2SiO3 and CaO) by ratio (1:8) and 4% Aquis Na2SiO3.
Concrete strength was investigated at room temperature and after exposure to elevated temperature.
Keywords:
Glass fibers were added by ratio 0.7% to improve concrete ductility. Test results indicated that aquis
Fly ash
Chemical activation
Na2SiO3 activator is the superior activator for fly ash in view of enhancing concrete compressive, splitting
Glass fibers tensile and flexural strengths at early ages. Besides, a significant increase in concrete strength was
Elevated temperature obtained at elevated temperatures. Adding glass fibers in the ratio of 0.7% by weight of cementitious
Mechanical properties material with activated FA by using aquis Na2SiO3 greatly enhances the splitting tensile and flexural
strengths at normal and elevated temperature.
Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction percent [1,2]. The mechanical properties and abrasion resistance

Fly ash is a byproduct of pulverized coal combustion in electric
power generating plants. It reacts aggressively with calcium
hydroxide to form compounds with cementitious value which
increases concrete strength. Nowadays fly ash spreads in Egypt
as a result of burning coal at coal mills at most of cement plants
to produce heat energy. Selecting fly ash in concrete will attain
environmental, economic and also structural benefits as increasing
strength and fire resistance of concrete structures.
Adding fly ash to concrete improves mechanical properties of
concrete al late ages but obtains lower strength up to 28 days.
The reduction in early strength is a function of replacement
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: yasmin_hefni@hotmail.com (Y. Hefni).
showed continuous and significant improvement at the ages of
91 and 365 days due to the pozzolanic reaction of fly ash [2].
However, class F fly ash can be suitably used up to 50% level of
cement replacement in concrete for use in precast elements and
reinforced cement concrete construction [2]. Potha et al. [3] and
Azhar et al.[4] concluded that adding fly ash in concrete by large
doses improved the concrete strength at late ages at normal and
after exposure to elevated temperatures. Strength improvement
at elevated temperature may be attributed to the relatively porous
structure and the reduction in thermal conductivity. The obstacles
of using fly ash in repair techniques such as jacketing are the
extended setting time and the slow strength development.
Different methods of activation have been developed to over-
come the low early strength of fly ash concrete and to enhance
the reactivity. There are three methods of activation of pozzolans;

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.021
0950-0618/Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Y. Hefni et al. / Construction and Building Materials 172 (2018) 728–734
thermal, mechanical, and chemical activation. Chemical activation
method has the lowest cost to strength ratio compared to the
others activation methods and it is superior in improving strength
[5]. Mainly two different methods of chemical activation com-
monly utilized include alkali activation and sulfate activation
[6,7]. Alkali activation using calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 or sodium
hydroxide NaOH and sulfate activation using calcium sulfate
CaSO42H2O or sodium sulfate Na2SO4 [8] are the most common
chemical activation techniques. Other techniques of activation
include calcium chloride CaCl2, sodium silicate Na2SiO3 and cal-
cium oxide CaO [8,9,10]. Gopalsamy et al. [8] studied the effect
of using a mixture of CaO and Na2SiO3 in the ratio of 1:8, respec-
tively, for fly ash activation. Activation by using Aquis Na2SiO3 pro-
duces silica gel that could change to gel with solid properties when
the gel loses water gradually. In fact this gelatinization is the pro-
cess of transformation from linear structure to reticular structure.
Gelatinization process could be expressed by the following equa-
tion [11]:
Na2 SiO3 þ nH2 O ! 2NaOH þ SiO2 :ðn  1ÞH2 O:
Saraswathy et al. [12] experimentally investigated the effect of
chemical activation of fly ash by using chemical treatment with
sodium hydroxide solution on concrete strength and corrosion
resistance. Test results indicated that using activated fly ash up
to critical level of 20–30% replacement improved concrete strength
and corrosion resistance. Owens et al. [13] investigated the effect
of chemical activations on high volume fly ash pastes (50% fly
ash replacement of PC) by using sodium sulfate, calcium sulfate
and sodium hydroxide at a dosage of 1% of weight of binder, 10%
weight of binder and 1 Molar, respectively. Two different temper-
ature regimes were utilized. One was the treatment of samples at
20 °C for 7 days while the other was the treatment at 60 °C for
the initial 24 h and 200 °C for the remaining 6 days. Test results
indicated that the addition of sodium and calcium sulfate
improved compressive strength of the mixes treated at 60 °C after
1 day curing by 10% and 27%, respectively when compared to the
un-activated mix. The sodium sulfate and sodium hydroxide acti-
vated mixes showed no strength gain at 3 and 7 days. The calcium
sulfate activated mix outperformed the un-activated mix at 3 and
7 days.
On the other hand, the use of glass fibers improves the tensile
strength, imparts the concrete ductility and better crack arrest
and propagation. Reddy and Vijayan [14], Sudheer et al. [15] and
Ravikumar and Thandavamoorthy [16] concluded that glass fibers
improve the concrete fire resistance. This may be attributed to the
lower thermal resistance of glass fibers (0.05 Wm°C) which is
lower than concrete. This could explain the better fire resistance
of fiber reinforced concrete as fibers isolate the inner matrix of
concrete and reduce crack propagation and fire intrusions through
cracks.
2. Research significance
The objective of this study is to experimentally investigate the
effect of chemical activation of fly ash on the mechanical proper-
ties of concrete at normal and after exposure to elevated tempera-
tures. Four different chemical activators were used in the study;
2.5% Na2SO4, 2.5% NaOH, 3% (Na2SiO3 and CaO) by ratio (1:8) and
4% Aquis Na2SiO3. The success of promoting the pozzolanic action
of fly ash by chemical activation will help in maximizing the ben-
efits of using fly ash in wide range of applications in concrete
industries. Also, investigating the effect of adding glass fibers on
chemically activated fly ash concrete at normal and elevated tem-
peratures is a major part of the study.
729
3. Experimental study
The experimental program was designed to achieve the objec-
tives of the study through the following two stages:
1. Stage I: Investigating the effect of chemical activation of fly ash
(FA) by using four types of chemical activators. Fly ash was used
by partial replacement of 40% of cement weight. The proposed
ratio was chosen based on an earlier study for the authors
[17]. The compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strengths
were investigated at room temperature and after exposure to
elevated temperatures.
2. Stage II: investigating the effect of adding glass fibers to high
volume chemically activated fly ash concrete on mechanical
properties such as compressive, tensile and flexural strengths;
Younge’s modulus and pull out strength; at normal and after
exposure to elevated temperatures.
3.1. Materials
3.1.1. Cement
Ordinary Portland cement (CEM I 42.5N) complying with ES
4756-1/2007 [18].
3.1.2. Aggregates
Natural siliceous sand with fineness modulus 2.85 was used as
fine aggregate and crushed limestone in two sizes; S1 (5–20 mm
particle size) and S2 (10–25 mm particle size) was used as coarse
aggregate. All used aggregates complying with ECP 203/2007 [19].
3.1.3. Water
Clean tap water (free from organic matters) complying with ECP
203/2007 [19].
3.1.4. Admixtures
High range water reducing admixture complying with ASTM C
494 Type F [20].
3.1.5. Fly ash
Type F fly ash with light grey spherical particles, less than 10%
retained on sieve 45 mm, and specific gravity of 2.0. The chemical
oxide composition (SiO2 + Al2O3 + Fe2O3) of the used fly ash was
92.47% and loss of ignition (LOI) value was 1.1%.
3.1.6. Glass fibers
E-glass single filament fibers with diameter of 13 mm, and two
lengths of 6 mm and 18 mm in the ratio of 1:1.
3.1.7. Sodium silicate
Manufactured directly in a solution from by the wet process
where the silica leached out under pressure by concentrated caus-
tic soda solution. The percent of Na2O and SiO2 of Liquid sodium
silicate were 14.7 and 29.4 and density of the activator was 1.5
g/cm3.
3.1.8. The sodium hydroxide
Solution of NaOH was prepared by dissolving sodium hydroxide
pellets of purity 97% in deionized water at least 1 day prior to
mixing.
3.1.9. Sodium sulfate
Commercially available Na2SO4 as powder (99% pure).
730 Y. Hefni et al. / Construction and Building Materials 172 (2018) 728–734

Table 1
Mix Proportions (kg/m3) for Stage I.

Mix Cement Sand Crushed stone Fly ash Water Admixture Activator
Control 350 540 1107 – 157.5 7.56 –
UF 210 540 1107 140 157.5 7.56 –
NaOH 210 540 1107 140 157.5 7.56 8.75
Na2SO4 210 540 1107 140 157.5 7.56 8.75
Na2SiO3 210 540 1107 140 157.5 7.56 14
CaO + Na2SiO3 210 540 1107 140 157.5 7.56 1.17 + 9.33

Table 2
Mix Proportions (kg/m3) for Stage II.

Mix Cement Sand Crushed stone Fly ash Glass fibers Water Admixture Activator
GUF 210 540 1107 140 2.45 157.5 8.32 –
GAF 210 540 1107 140 2.45 157.5 8.32 14

UF: Inactivated fly ash.

AF: Activated fly ash.
G: Glass fibers.

3.2. Concrete mix proportions 3.4. Heating scheme

Eight different concrete mixes were prepared. Replacement
ratio of fly ash was 40% of cement weight. The water cementitious
ratio was 0.45 for all mixes. Superplasticizer was used to increase
and maintain constant workability. Six mixes were prepared for
studying the effect of chemical activation of fly ash (stage I) where
four different chemical activators were used in these mixes by
ratios; 2.5% Na2SO4, 2.5% NaOH, 3% (CaO and Na2SiO3) and 4%
Aquis Na2SiO3 by ratio (1:8). The dosage for all activators was
taken as a ratio of the weight of cementitious materials (cement
and fly ash). 2.5% Na2SO4 and 2.5% NaOH were in liquid form added
to the mixing water. 4% Aquis Na2SiO3 was added during mixing
process of concrete. 3% Na2SiO3 and CaO are taken in the ratio
1:8 and are heated at about 103 °C. The fly ash was added to the
hot chemicals and mixed.
Two concrete mixes were later implemented based on the out-
put of stage I for studying the effect of adding glass fibers (stage II).
Glass fibers were added in the ratio of 0.7% by weight of cement
based on a previous study for the authors [17] in the two mixes
and the chosen activator was 4% Aquis Na2SiO3. The proportions
for all concrete mixes are illustrated in Tables 1 and 2.
3.3. Preparation and testing of concrete specimens
The slump of all mixes was constant and of value of 100 mm.
Cubic specimens (100  100  100 mm) were used to determine
the compressive strength according to ES 1658 and BS 1881-116
[21]. Cylinders (100  200 mm) were used to determine the split-
ting tensile strength according to ASTM C 496-90 [22]. Prisms (100
 100  500 mm) were used to determine the flexural strength
according to ASTM C 78 [23]. Cylinders (150  300 mm) were used
to determine Young’s modulus according to ASTM C 469 [24].
Cylinders (100  200 mm) were used to determine pull out
strength according to ASTM C 900 [25]. Concrete mixes were cast
Samples were heated in an electric oven with heating rate of 5
°C/min until reaching the target temperature (up to 600 °C) and
sustained for a total heating duration of 3 h. The specimens were
allowed to cool to room temperature before testing.
4. Test results and discussion
4.1. Effect of chemical activation of fly ash
4.1.1. Normal temperature
The results of compression, splitting tensile and flexure tests for
control mix (C), inactivated fly ash concrete mix (UF), and
chemically activated fly ash concrete mixes are illustrated in
Tables 3–5, respectively, at normal temperature at ages of 3, 7,
28, 56, 90, and 180 days.
As illustrated in Table 3, all activators, except NaOH, enhanced
the concrete compressive strength at early ages when compared
with UF mix. The reason of the lower activity of fly ash mixes arises
mainly from the fact that, the glass surface layer of fly ash is dense
and chemically stable. This layer protects the inside constituents
which are porous, spongy, amorphous and therefore with higher
activity. To enhance the early strength, the silica-alumina glassy
chain of high Si, Al and low Ca must be disintegrated [26]. The
attribution of strength enhancement is the gain of high alkaline
environment (high pH value) for the fly ash system, which is much
beneficial to the pozzolanic reaction as the activator disintegrates
the silica, alumina glassy surface of the FA into active groups. Fraay
[27] considered that the pH value required for dissolving the alu-
mina and silica is about 13.3 or higher. The improved pozzolanic
action of FA led to increased CSH gel and ettringite in the mix.
Table 3
Compressive Strength (N/mm2).

and kept in the moulds for 24 h at room temperature, and then Mix Type Age (days)
samples were de-moulded and kept in water of temperature 20 3 7 28 56 90 180
± 2 °C until the time for testing. Three replicates were cast for each
Control 14.74 21.00 25.17 25.33 26.09 26.22
test and the average value was used throughout the study. Com- UF 7.47 11.62 20.76 27.56 33.62 37.35
pression, splitting tensile and flexure tests were conducted at the NaOH 7.72 13.28 26.56 29.88 34.00 34.20
ages of 3, 7, 28, 56, 90, 180 days whereas the ages at testing for Na2SO4 15.36 17.30 26.31 30.30 34.36 36.52
young’s modulus were 28, 56 and 180 days and that of pull out test Aquis Na2SiO3 16.88 22.04 26.91 32.00 35.00 37.50
CaO + Na2SiO3 16.43 18.72 24.41 27.90 33.15 34.01
was 180 days.
 Y. Hefni et al. / Construction and Building Materials 172 (2018) 728–734 731

Table 4 compressive strength [10,11,28]. The reaction is expressed by the

Splitting Tensile Strength (N/mm2). following equations [28]:
Mix Type Age (days)
Na2 SO4 þ CaðOHÞ2 ! CaSO4  xH2 O þ 2NaOH
3 7 28 56 90 180
Control 1.19 1.90 2.31 2.59 2.68 2.69 CaSO4  xH2 O þ C3 A ! ettringiteðAf t Þ
UF 0.62 1.25 1.85 2.49 2.99 3.50
NaOH 0.63 1.38 2.36 2.55 3.24 3.49 The lowest values for compressive strength enhancement at
Na2SO4 1.33 1.74 2.41 2.70 3.20 3.49 early ages were noticed when using NaOH activator, i.e. compres-
Aquis Na2SiO3 1.46 2.39 2.50 2.80 3.25 3.50 sive strength at 3 days was not affected and increased at age 7 days
CaO + 8 Na2SiO3 1.49 1.87 2.09 2.17 2.63 2.99
by 14.3%. Owns et al. [8] concluded that when activating FA by
using NaOH, the used chemical admixtures may result in a struc-
tural change that reduces the compressive strength at early age.
Table 5
Similarly, chemical activation of FA enhanced splitting tensile
Flexural Strength (N/mm2).
and flexural strengths. As shown in Tables 4 and 5, fly ash mix acti-
Mix Type Age (days) vated with Aquis Na2SiO3 was also superior in improving strength
3 7 28 56 90 180 at all ages followed by that with CaO, Na2SiO3 activator at ages 3
Control 1.60 2.50 2.81 3.10 3.15 3.23 and 7 days and Na2SO4 at ages 28, 56, 90 and 180 days.
UF 0.92 1.63 2.41 3.24 3.88 4.54 Activation with Aquis Na2SiO3 imparts 45% of the full splitting
NaOH 0.93 1.80 2.80 3.30 4.20 4.40 tensile and flexural strength at the age of 3 days. When compared
Na2SO4 1.85 2.00 2.90 3.50 3.98 4.40 with UF mix, splitting tensile and flexural strengths at age 3 days
Aquis Na2SiO3 2.21 2.91 3.18 3.85 4.21 4.78
CaO + Na2SiO3) 2.16 2.43 2.60 2.84 3.40 3.78
were increased by 134.2% and 140.8%, respectively. The increase
at 7 days was 90.7% and 78.6%, respectively. The improvement in
splitting tensile and flexural strengths was reduced to 35.1% and
32.0%, respectively, at 28 days and further to 12.5% and 18.9%,
As compared to other activators, Aquis Na2SiO3 is superior for respectively, at 56 days. When comparing these test results with
improving strength at all ages. It highly improved strength at early control mix at age 3 days, activation increased splitting tensile
ages where the compressive strength was increased by 126.0% and and flexural strength by 22.8% and 38.4%, respectively.
89.6% at ages 3 and 7 days, respectively, when compared with UF.
At later ages, the improvement rates were reduced to 29.6% at age 4.1.2. Elevated temperature
28 days and the enhancement of strength noticed at 180 days was Table 6 illustrates the test results for concrete specimens after
slight when compared to UF. However, the overall improvement in exposure to elevated temperature, at ages 56 and 180 days. It is
compressive strength was 43% higher than the control concrete shown that use of fly ash extremely enhanced all concrete
mix at 180 days. The reason of the compressive strength enhance- strengths after exposure to elevated temperatures. This may be
ment by using aquis Na2SiO3 is the fact that aquis Na2SiO3 keeps due to the reaction of fly ash with Ca(OH)2 decomposed at elevated
the concentration of alkali in the solution. temperatures. Thus, produces additional formation of C-H-S gel;
CaO, Na2SiO3 activator clearly enhanced the compressive the principal component of the structure of concrete responsible
strength at early ages. At later ages, a slight reduction in compres- for imparting high residual strength after fire. In addition, adding
sive strength was obvious when compared by UF. The compressive fly ash to concrete by large dose caused a relatively porous struc-
strength enhancement at early ages is a result of successful ture with large number of bores, these pores cause tunnels which
destruction of the crystalline structure of glassy beads of FA and help in escaping evaporated water. Also, fly ash reduces the ther-
initiation of its activation. mal conductivity of concrete and save the inner concrete layers
The effect of Na2SO4 activator in enhancing the compressive from thermal damage.
strength is more closely to that of aquis Na2SiO3. Compressive The activation of fly ash, except with the composite activator,
strength at ages 3 and 7 days for fly ash mix activated with Na2SO4 CaO, Na2SiO3, had no effect on the late age strength of concrete
was lowered by 9.0% and 21.5%, respectively, when compared to after exposure to elevated temperature when compared with UF.
that activated with aquis Na2SiO3. These values were reduced at Among all used activators, Aquis Na2SiO3 is superior for improving
ages 28, 56, 90 and 180 to 2.2%, 5.3%, 1.8% and 3.4%, respectively. compressive strength However; the enhancement in compressive
Although fly ash mix activated with Na2SO4 had lower strength strength was limited after exposure to elevated temperature at late
enhancement compared to aquis Na2SiO3, it gained better worka- ages.
bility and was of lower cost. The strength enhancement with Na2- On the other hand, mixed activator, CaO, Na2SiO3, extremely
SO4 was due to the fact that it raised the pH value. In alkaline reduced compressive strength after exposure to elevated tempera-
conditions, with the addition of the activator, SO2 4 ions will react ture. This reduction may be due to blocking of some pores of con-
with tricalcium aluminate, C3A. at 7 days of hydration, ettringite is crete by CaO that eliminates escaping of the vapor pressure during
mostly formed resulting in a denser matrix and enhancement of heating and generates micro cracks.

Table 6
Compressive, Slitting Tensile and Flexural Strength (N/mm2).

Mix Type Compressive Strength Splitting Tensile Strength Flexural Strength

56 days 180 days 56 days 180 days 56 days 180 days
Control 15.68 15.26 1.35 1.44 1.87 2.05
UF 25.53 24.65 2.32 2.24 3.02 3.19
NaOH 22.83 25.32 2.24 2.41 2.90 3.40
Na2SO4 24.07 25.15 2.41 2.40 3.15 3.40
Aquis Na2SiO3 23.01 25.20 2.34 2.42 3.22 3.44
CaO + Na2SiO3 19.80 20.52 1.64 1.72 2.43 2.48
732 Y. Hefni et al. / Construction and Building Materials 172 (2018) 728–734

Similar trends were observed for splitting tensile and flexural Table 9
strengths; chemical activation of FA enhanced splitting tensile Flexural Strength (N/mm2).

and flexural strengths after exposure to elevated temperature. A Mix Type Age (days)
better enhancement was noticed when using Aquis Na2SiO3 activa- 3 7 28 56 90 180
tor where it improved splitting tensile and flexural strengths after
Control 1.60 2.50 2.81 3.10 3.15 3.23
exposure to elevated temperature at age 180 days by 8.0% and UF 0.92 1.63 2.41 3.24 3.88 4.54
7.9%, respectively. Whereas mixed CaO, Na2SiO3 activator largely AF 2.21 2.91 3.18 4.16 4.57 4.78
reduced these strengths after exposed to elevated temperature GUF 0.90 1.97 2.92 3.97 4.74 5.61
by 23.3% and 22.4%, respectively. GAF 2.40 3.40 3.69 4.49 4.90 5.70

Although, inactivated and activated fly ash mixes did not attain
its maximum strength at age 56 days, elevated temperature up to
200OC caused thermal activation and improved the strength due
Table 10
to faster glass Breakdown [29]. Also, since the penetrating the heat Young’s Modulus Strength (N/mm2).
through the concrete depends on the voids; inactivated fly ash mix
Mix Type Age (days)
has the maximum number of voids and thus showed a competitor
compressive strength at 56 days. 28 56 180
From the above test results and discussions at normal and ele- Control 20900 22610 23741
vated temperatures, it is concluded clearly that aquis Na2SiO3 acti- UF 13490 18525 23845
AF 18100 22800 23940
vator is the superior activator for fly ash in view of enhancing
GUF 15200 20000 23855
concrete compressive, tensile splitting and flexural strength. GAF 21620 23500 24252
Therefore, glass fibers inclusions was investigated to the selected
mix to enhance splitting tensile and flexural strength and assess
the efficiency of this mix in repair and strengthening of concrete
beams. Table 11
Pull out Strength (N/mm2).

4.2. Effect of glass fibers Mix Type 180 days

Control 39.5
4.2.1. Normal temperature UF 47.0
The results for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, AF 51.6*
GUF 48
flexural strength, Young’s modulus and pull out strength for the
GAF 48.3
different concrete mixes are shown in Tables 7–11.
*
Generally, adding glass fibers to both UF and AF mixes slightly Failure of reinforcement bar.
improved compressive strength at all ages. The increase at age
28 days was 6.1% and 11.1% for UF and AF mixes, respectively,
compared with mixes without fibers. After this age this enhance- ral strength was increased at age 28 days by 21.16% and 16.0% for
ment were gradually reduced. The enhancement observed at 180 GUF and GAF mixes, respectively, compared with mixes without
days was relatively limited. fibers.
Since fibers suppress the localization of micro-cracks into Similar trends were observed for Young’s modulus. Adding glass
macro-cracks, the splitting tensile strength on the matrix was fibers to both UF and AF mixes greatly enhanced Young’s modulus
greatly enhanced at all ages. The splitting tensile strength was at all ages. Young’s modulus was increased at age 28 days by 12.6%
increased at age 28 days by 18.9% and 15.2% for UF and AF mixes, and 19.4% for GUF and GAF mixes, respectively, compared with
respectively, compared with mixes without fibers. mixes without fibers.
Similarly, Adding glass fibers to both UF and AF greatly Using high volume fly ash in concrete mixes increases the vol-
enhanced the flexural strength of the matrix at all ages. The flexu- ume of the paste. Hence, the contact area between the paste and
the reinforcement is increased that causes the bond strength
enhancement. Referring to Table 11, the pull out force was
Table 7 increased by 18.9% and 30.6% for GUF and GAF mixes, respectively
Compressive Strength (N/mm2).
when compared by control mix. Contrary, glass fibers reduced pull
Mix Type Age (days) out strength, adding glass fibers to both GUF and GAF reduced the
3 7 28 56 90 180 pull out force by 4.3% and 6.4% for GUF and GAF, respectively.
Control 14.74 21.00 25.17 25.33 26.09 26.22
UF 7.47 11.62 20.76 27.56 33.62 37.35
AF 16.88 22.04 26.91 32.00 35.00 37.50 4.2.2. Elevated temperature
GUF 7.97 13.79 22.03 28.29 34.53 37.50 Table 12 and Figs. 1–4 illustrate the test results for concrete
GAF 18.76 24.49 29.90 35.40 36.20 37.80 specimens after exposure to elevated temperature at ages 56 and
180 days. It is shown that inclusion of glass fibers extremely
enhanced the mechanical properties of concrete mixes after expo-
Table 8 sure to elevated temperatures at age 180 days. This may be due to
Splitting Tensile Strength (N/mm2).
the lower thermal conductivity of glass fibers when compared with
Mix Type Age (days) concrete matrix. Thus, glass fibers isolate the inner matrix of con-
3 7 28 56 90 180 crete from thermal damage. Besides, it sustains longer time under
Control 1.19 1.90 2.31 2.59 2.68 2.69
fire and keeps joining the concrete matrix that reduces the crack
UF 0.62 1.25 1.85 2.49 2.99 3.50 propagation and fire intrusions through cracks.
AF 1.46 2.39 2.50 2.80 3.25 3.50 As shown in Table 12, the enhancements in compressive
GUF 0.66 1.49 2.20 2.92 3.61 4.10 strength of mixes obtained by adding glass fibers to both UF and
GAF 1.78 2.66 2.88 3.34 3.74 4.20
AF mixes after exposure to elevated temperature at age 180 days
 Y. Hefni et al. / Construction and Building Materials 172 (2018) 728–734 733

Table 12
Compressive, Splitting Tensile, Flexural Strengths and Young’s Modulus (N/mm2).

Mix Type Compressive Strength Splitting Tensile Strength Flexural Strength Young’s Modulus
56 days 180 days 56 days 180 days 56 days 180 days 56 days 180 days
Control 15.18 15.26 1.35 1.44 1.87 2.05 6000 6175
UF 23.53 24.65 2.12 2.24 3.02 3.19 6155 6309
AF 23.01 25.20 2.34 2.36 3.22 3.47 6604 6860
GUF 24.90 28.46 2.61 3.00 3.50 4.46 6462 6751
GAF 25.56 30.31 2.69 3.10 3.60 4.48 6868 7203

Fig. 1. Effect of activator type on compressive strength at elevated temperature. Fig. 3. Effect of activator type on flexural strength at elevated temperature.

Fig. 4. Effect of activator type on Young’s modulus at elevated temperature.

and glass fibers significantly reduced the deterioration in compres-

Fig. 2. Effect of activator type on splitting tensile strength at elevated temperature.
were 15.5% and 20.3%, respectively, when compared with related
mixes without fibers and 87.0% and 99.0%, respectively, when com-
pared with the control mix. Also, the presence of activated fly ash
sive strength after exposure to elevated temperature since the
measured compressive strengths for control mix, GUF and GAF
were reduced by 41.8%, 24.1%, 18.7%, respectively at age 180 days.
As indicated in Table 12, similar effect of adding glass fibers to
UF and AF was observed on the splitting tensile and flexural
strengths after exposure to elevated temperature at age 180 days
but with higher enhancement. The absolute values for these
strengths when incorporating glass fibers were nearly as double
734 Y. Hefni et al. / Construction and Building Materials 172 (2018) 728–734
as that of the control mix. Similarly, inclusion of glass fibers
slightly enhanced Young’s modulus values for both GUF and GAF
mixes. Young’s modulus was enhanced by 5.0% and 7.0% for GUF
and GAF mixes, respectively, after exposure to elevated tempera-
ture at age 180 days.
The gradual effect of elevated temperature on concrete proper-
ties is shown in Figs. 1–4. The strength gain in the initial stage up
to about 150 °C is obvious and it may be attributed to the thermal
activation of fly ash. The strength passes a stability stage between
150 °C and 450 °C. Thereafter, steep strength loss is observed. The
inclusion of glass fibers had a pronouncing effect in reducing the
strength loss, especially for splitting tensile and flexural strengths.
Referring to Figures from 1 to 4, typical curves were observed for
the inclusions of glass fibers; the compressive strength was
reduced by 12.3, 9.6% and 9.9% for control mix, GUF and GAF mixes
respectively, after exposure to elevated temperature at 400 °C.
Similarly, the splitting tensile strength was reduced by 23.3%,
2.9% and 1.3% for control mix, GUF and GAF mixes, respectively,
whereas for flexural strength it was reduced by 23.3% 10.9% and
8.7%, respectively. Dramatic reduction in the values of Young’s
modulus as shown in Fig. 4 may be attributed to the high effect
of micro cracks at the interface aggregate surface due to elevated
temperature on the stiffness of the specimens.
5. Conclusion
1. The use of fly ash as a partial replacement for cement reduces
the concrete strength at early ages. A significant improvement
in concrete strength was observed at the ages of 56 up to 180
days.
2. Use of fly ash extremely enhanced all concrete strengths after
exposure to elevated temperatures.
3. Activation of fly as has a pronouncing effect on improving con-
crete properties at early ages.
4. Aquis Na2SiO3 activator is the superior activator for fly ash in
view of enhancing concrete compressive, splitting tensile and
flexural strengths.
5. Use of glass fibers greatly enhances the splitting tensile and
flexural strengths due to the localizations of micro cracks into
macro cracks.
6. The lower thermal conductivity of glass fibers isolates the inner
matrix of concrete. Thus it extremely enhances the mechanical
properties of concrete after exposure to elevated temperature at
age 180 days.
Conflict of interest
Adding glass fibers reduced pull out strength.
References
[1] R. Demirbog, Influence of mineral admixtures on thermal conductivity and
compressive strength of mortar, Energy Build. 35 (2003) 189–192.
[2] R. Siddique, Performance characteristics of high-volume class F fly ash
concrete, Cem. Concr. Res. 34 (2004) 487–493.
[3] R.M. Potha, M. Shoba, K. Rambabu, Flexural strength of fly ash concrete under
elevated temperature, Mag. Concr. Res. 56 (2) (Mar. 2004) 83–88.
[4] S.P. Azhar, C. Nimityongskul, Poon, Development of high performance dry
premixed concrete, Cement and Concrete Technology, in: Proceedings of the
Second International Symposium, Vol. 2, Istanbul, Turkey, (Sep. 2000), 68–77,
6–10.
[5] C. Shi, R.L. Day, Chemical activation of blended cements made with lime and
natural pozzolans, Cem. Concr. Res. 23 (1993) 1389–1396.
[6] Y.M. Zhang, A.W. Sun, H.D. Yan, Hydration of high-volume fly ash cement
pastes, Cem. Concr. Compos. 22 (2000) 445–452.
[7] S. Rohan Gurav, A study on strength parameters of partially replacement of
cement by fly ash and activated fly ash concrete, Int. J. Eng. Res. Technol.
(IJERT) 5 (09) (2016).
[8] K.J. Owens, Y. Bai, D. Cleland, P.A.M. Basheer, J. Kwasny, M. Sonebi, S.Taylor, A.
Gupta, Activation of high volume fly ash pastes using chemical activators, The
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Centre for By-products Utilization, in:
Second International Conference on Sustainable Construction Materials and
Technologies, (Jun. 2010), pp. 28–30.
[9] P. Gopalsamy, E. Poornima, P. Karthick, An experimental investigation on
properties of concrete by using Activated fly ash, Int. Res. J. Adv. Eng. Sci. 1 (2)
(2016) 109–113.
[10] A. Abdullah, M.S. Jaafar, Y.H. Taufiq Yap, A. Alhozaimy, A. Al-Negheimish, J.
Noorzaei, Review the effect of various chemical activators on pozzolanic
reactivity: a review, Sci. Res. Essays 7 (7) (Feb. 2012) 719–729.
[11] B. Wang, Li. Wang, Development of studies and applications of activations
techniques of fly ash, in: International Workshop on Sustainable Development
and Concrete Technology, School of Civil Engineering, Dalian University of
Technology, Dalian, 116024, PRC, pp. 159–169.
[12] V. Saraswathy, S. Muralidharan, K. Thangavel, S. Srinivasan, Influence of
activated fly ash on corrosion-resistance and strength of concrete, Cem. Concr.
Compos. 25 (2003) 673–680.
[13] K.J. Owens, Y. Bai1, D. Cleland, P.A.M. Basheer, J. Kwasny, M. Sonebi, S. Taylor,
A. Gupta, Activation of high volume fly ash pastes using chemical activators,
The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Centre for By-products Utilization, in:
Second International Conference on Sustainable Construction Materials and
Technologies, 2010.
[14] K.V. Reddy, S. Vijayan, Glass fiber reinforced concrete with partial replacement
of cement with fly ash, Int. J. Innovative Res. Sci. Eng. Technol. 5 (2) (2016).
[15] P. Sudheer, R.M. Muni, R.S. Gopala, Experimental study on 1.5% glass fiber
reinforced 40% fly ash, Concrete, Int. J. Civil Eng. Concrete, Structure 1 (1)
(2016).
[16] C.S. Ravikumar, T.S. Thandavamoorthy, Glass fiber concrete: Investigation on
strength and fire resistant properties, IOSR J. Mech. Civ. Eng. 9 (3) (2013)
21–25.
[17] Y.A. Ali, M.M. Abdel –Wahab, Y.H. Abdel -Aziz, Mechanical properties of
concrete containing high volume fly ash and glass fibers at normal and
elevated temperatures, in: The Ninth Alexandria International Conference on
Structural and Geotechnical Engineering (AICSGE9) PROCEEDINGS 19 – 21, No.
MT-12, (Dec. 2016).
[18] ES: 4756-1/2007, Composition, Specifications, and Conformity Criteria for
Common Cement.
[19] ECP 203-2007, Egyption code for concrete design, 2007.
[20] ASTM C 494/ C494 M-99a, Standard specification for chemical admixtures for
concrete.
[21] ES 1658 and BS 1881-116: 1983, Testing concrete: Method for determination
of compressive strength of concrete cubes.
[22] ASTM C 496– 04, Standard test method for splitting tensile strength of
cylindrical concrete specimens.
[23] ASTM C 78 – 02, Standard test method for flexural strength of concrete (Using
Simple Beam with Third-Point Loading).
[24] ASTM C 469 – 02, Standard test method for static modulus of elasticity and
poisson’s ratio of concrete in compression.
[25] ASTM C 900 – 06, Standard test method for pullout strength of hardened
concrete.
[26] S. Hanmant Jadhav, M. Bajirao Mohite, Experimental study on flexural
behaviour of activated fly ash reinforced concrete beams, Global J. Eng. Appl.
Sci. 2 (1) (2012).
[27] A. Fraay, Fly ash a pozzolan in concrete PhD Thesis, Delft University of
Technology, Netherlands, 1990, pp. 28–30.
[28] S. Donatello, A. Fernandez-Jimenez, Pamlo, A very high volume fly ash cement
early hydration study using Na2SO4 as an activator, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 96
(2013) 900–906.
[29] H.S. Pietersen, A. Fraay, J.M. Bijen, Reactivity of fly ash at high pH, Mat. Res.
Soc. Symp. Proc. 178 (1990) 139–157.