Construction Materials Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers

http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/coma.15.00020
Influence of cement alkalis on mortar Paper 1500020
Received 22/03/2015 Accepted 02/07/2015
expansion of ASTM C 1260
Keywords: buildings, structures & design/concrete structures/
Islam and Ghafoori concrete technology & manufacture

ICE Publishing: All rights reserved

Influence of cement alkalis

on mortar expansion of
ASTM C 1260
Mohammad S. Islam PhD Nader Ghafoori
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Civil and Environmental Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering & Construction at the
Engineering and Construction, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA; University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Presently at: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 4R4, Canada.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of three dosages of cement alkalis, such as 0·42, 0·84
and 1·26% Na2Oeq, on the alkali–silica reactivity-induced expansion of mortar bars prepared with 14 aggregate
groups for 1·0, 0·5 and 0·25 N sodium hydroxide solutions at test durations of 14, 28, 56 and 98 d. For each alkali
solution, the percentage contribution of cement alkali, test duration and their interaction to mortar expansion was
also evaluated. The study revealed that, regardless of aggregate mineralogy, the influence of cement alkalis on
mortar expansion depended mainly on the alkali solution concentration and test duration. The effect was more
severe for the reduced concentration of alkali solution and early test duration, whereas the influence was minor for
higher concentrations of alkali solution and extended test durations. Elevating cement alkalis resulted in a greater
increase in the expansion of reactive aggregates for 0·25 N sodium hydroxide as compared to that of innocuous
aggregates.

1. Introduction in expansion of reactive aggregates (Rogers and Hooton,

Alkali–silica reactivity (ASR) is a deleterious chemical reaction
between hydroxyl (OH−) ions associated with alkalis (sodium
and potassium) and certain reactive siliceous components
present in aggregates (Stanton, 1940). A high concentration of
alkali in the pore solution results in an equally high concen-
tration of OH ions (to maintain charge equilibrium), which
leads to the initial breakdown of reactive silica components in
the aggregates (Ferraris, 1995; Schwing, 2010). The formation
of an alkali–silica is expansive (Thomas et al., 2007), with the
rate of the expansion depending on the chemical compositions
of the concrete mixture and the total available alkali content
of the concrete matrix (Pietruszezak, 1996).
Cement alkali (CA) content is one of the most influential
parameters that damage concrete due to ASR. Portland
cement usually supplies the largest amount of alkalis to the
concrete. The amount of alkalis of the available Portland
cements used for construction purposes varies from about
0·4% to about 1·2% Na2Oeq (Mather, 1999), and produce an
inherently high pH (13·2–13·8) in the pore solution (Diamond,
1989). Although the alkalis in Portland cement are present
only in small amounts, they can influence the setting time,
fly ash reactivity, strength development and the durability
of concrete (Johansen et al., 2006). An increase in CA from
0·40 to 0·92% Na2Oeq resulted in an average of 8·2% increase
1993).
Previous investigations (Islam, 2010; Kerenidis, 2007;
Ramachandran, 1997; Shehata and Thomas, 2010; Touma
et al., 2001) have demonstrated that the ASR expansion
increases with an increase in CAs. For instance, the 1-year
expansions of concrete prisms made with 0·97, 1·08 and 1·13%
CAs were shown to be 0·158, 0·165 and 0·211%, respectively
(Kerenidis, 2007). Limiting the CA content to below 0·60%
Na2Oeq (1·92 kg/m3) in concrete is unlikely to prevent the
occurrence of ASR (Stanton, 1940). It is recommended that
restricting CA to ≤1·8 kg of Na2Oeq per 1 m3 of concrete offers
a safety factor for the structure with a relatively high risk of
ASR from the potential contribution of alkalis (Fournier and
Bérubé, 2000). The CSA A23·2-25A-14 (CSA, 2014) standard
suggests the maximum permissible CA to be between 1·8 and
3·0 kg/m3 Na2Oeq depending on aggregate reactivity, exposure
environment and the design life of the concrete structures
(Fournier and Bérubé 2000). Freitag et al. (2003) argued that
an effective way of preventing ASR-induced damage is to not
only to limit the CA itself, but also the total alkali content of
the concrete mixture.
Bérubé and Frenette (1994) demonstrated that the use of low-
alkali cement significantly reduced the expansion rate during

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 Construction Materials
the first month, such that the expansions obtained before
6 months were considerably lower than those obtained for
high-alkali concrete. Touma et al. (2001, 2002) clarified the
influence of CAs on the ASR levels of aggregates. Those
authors demonstrated that highly reactive aggregates would
react with CAs as low as 0·50% Na2Oeq, and non-reactive
aggregate showed innocuous behaviour with CA as much as
0·90% Na2Oeq.
Using two different levels of CAs and three different concen-
trations of sodium hydroxide solution, Shon et al. (2002) con-
firmed that low-alkali cement resulted in a slightly lower
expansion than that obtained for the higher alkali cement.
This study also showed that CAs did not significantly influence
the expansion of mortar bars made with the moderately reac-
tive aggregates, but it was expected to have a major effect on
the expansion of mortar bars made with highly reactive aggre-
gates. An identical conclusion was drawn when the mortar
bars were prepared with fly ash as a partial replacement of
Portland cement (Shon et al., 2004).
A few experimental and numerical modelling procedures have
been performed concerning the influence of CA on ASR.
Multon et al. (2008, 2010) showed that the potential ASR
expansion could be predicted from the amount of reactive
silica and initial alkali content. Smaoui et al. (2005) studied
the impact of alkali addition on the mechanical properties and
durability of concrete. They demonstrated that low-alkali con-
crete shrinks more than that of high-alkali concrete although
their resistance to freezing and thawing are equal.
Only a few investigations have been carried out on the influ-
ence of CAs associated with mortar expansion. However,
they were mostly restricted to (a) a small number of aggregate
quarries that produced a small range of mortar expansions,
(b) a test duration (TD) of 14 d and (c) the standard alkali
solution of 1·0 N sodium hydroxide. To demonstrate the short-
coming of the past studies concerning the effect of CAs on
mortar expansion, an extensive research investigation is needed
incorporating a large number of aggregate groups, various
concentrations of alkali solution and a prolonged TD of at
least 28 d.
2. Research significance
This study expands the previous studies on the impact of CAs
on the mortar expansion by utilising 14 aggregate groups with
a large variation in mortar expansions for the three concen-
trations (1·0, 0·5 and 0·25 N) of sodium hydroxide solution.
Additionally, the TD was not limited to the standard testing
period of 14 d, and but it was prolonged to the extended ages
of 28, 56 and 98 d. A statistical analysis was conducted to
determine the increase in mortar expansion containing elevated
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Influence of cement alkalis on mortar
expansion of ASTM C 1260
Islam and Ghafoori
CAs for the three alkali solutions at 14, 28, 56 and 98 d. The
proposed model would contribute to the present literature from
the aspect that it will guide researchers to pre-select relevant
parameters before starting the experimental study, which
reduces the labour force and cost of the experiments to be con-
ducted. Therefore, an accurate model on predicting the
increase in mortar expansion for elevated CAs is the need of
construction industries.
3. Experimental programmes
Aggregate groups were collected from 14 distinct locations
within the USA. The identification, chemical compositions
and the mineralogy (rock type) of the investigated aggregates
are shown in Table 1. The aggregates to be tested were classi-
fied on the potential ASR reactivity using the geological prop-
erties of various aggregate types described in the studies
conducted by Islam (2010), Islam and Akhtar (2013), and
Islam and Ghafoori (2013). The results are presented in
Table 1. ASTM type-V Portland cement containing 0·42, 0·84
and 1·26% Na2Oeq, designated as low-, medium- and high-
alkali cement, respectively, was used as the sole cementitious
material in this investigation. ASTM type-V Portland cement
with 63·1% CaO, 21% SiO2, 3·6% Al2O3, 4·7% MgO, 3·4%
Fe2O3, 2·6% SO3, 0·84% Na2Oeq and 1·3% LiO was utilised as
a sole cementitious material. An appropriate amount of
sodium hydroxide pellets was added to the mixing water to
raise the CA to the desired levels of 0·84 and 1·26% Na2Oeq.
The test specimens were prepared as mortar bars based on the
proportions of ASTM C 1260 (ASTM, 2007), which included
a certain graded crushed aggregate gradation, a fixed water-to-
cementitious materials ratio (by weight) of 0·47 and a graded
aggregate to total cementitious material ratio of 2·15. The
absorption and moisture content of the graded aggregates were
accounted for in determining the design water content for each
trial mixture.
A constant batch size mixture of 5940 g of graded crushed
aggregates and 2640 g of Portland cement was used to cast
12 mortar bars prepared with each aggregate group and each
dosage of CA. The mortar bars were mixed in accordance
with the requirements of ASTM C 305 (ASTM, 2006), and
moulded immediately. After 24 h of moist curing at room
temperature, the bars were demoulded, and initial readings were
taken before immersing in tap water at 80°C for 24 h, after
which the zero readings were recorded. Then, each group of
four specimens was submerged in sodium hydroxide solutions
of 1·0, 0·5 and 0·25 N in airtight plastic containers held in an
oven maintained at a temperature of 80°C. Subsequent readings
were taken at TDs of 3, 6, 10 and 14 d, and, thereafter, one
reading per week until the TD reached 98 d.
 Construction Materials Influence of cement alkalis on mortar
expansion of ASTM C 1260
Islam and Ghafoori

Compositions: %
Potential reactivity
Agg. ID SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO Na2O K2 O LiO Rock type based on mineralogy

SN-A 0·74 0·03 0·12 30·74 21·24 <0·01 0·03 46·5 Dolomite I
SN-B 17·19 1·22 0·28 43·40 1·49 0·24 0·39 35·6 Limestone R
SN-C 13·50 0·40 0·29 32·55 13·09 0·03 0·14 39·4 Dolomitic limestone R
SN-D 65·35 15·03 2·84 2·91 1·52 4·55 4·37 2·31 Dacite R
SN-E 1·83 0·38 0·28 30·60 20·18 0·03 0·16 45·4 Dolomite I
SN-F 63·09 11·50 3·48 6·92 1·97 2·34 3·28 6·43 Dacite R
SN-G 60·82 15·89 5·37 4·34 2·49 3·57 3·73 2·14 Andesite R
SN-H 10·91 0·66 0·24 41·00 6·65 0·05 0·29 39·4 Limestone I
SN-I 56·66 15·83 5·78 5·33 3·36 3·60 3·85 2·88 Basaltic andesite R
SN-J 68·00 15·48 2·86 1·14 0·94 4·52 5·40 0·63 Dacite R
NN-A 61·17 16·82 5·64 4·88 2·28 3·54 1·92 2·2 Andesite R
NN-B 59·33 17·15 5·83 5·30 2·54 3·76 2·68 1·83 Andesite R
NN-C 52·50 18·45 8·35 8·36 4·59 3·74 1·22 0·98 Basaltic andesite R
NN-D 64·14 17·01 4·20 4·16 1·76 4·23 2·54 0·92 Dacite R

I, innocuous; R, reactive

Table 1. Identification, mineralogy (rock type) and potential ASR

reactivity of the investigated aggregates

4. Results and discussions
4.1 Progression in mortar expansion for 1·0, 0·5 and
0·25 N sodium hydroxide solutions
Figure 1 shows a typical development of the expansion of
mortar bars prepared with NN-C aggregate related to CAs
and TD for 1·0, 0·5 and 0·25 N sodium hydroxide. As can be
seen, the mortar expansion increased with an increase in both
TD and total CA. For each alkali solution, mortar expansion
was directly related to the alkali content of cement. The speci-
mens submerged in the 1·0 N sodium hydroxide expanded
slowly with an increase in CAs. In the case of the 0·25 N
sodium hydroxide, the mortar expansion increased rapidly with
increasing CA. On the other hand, the CAs affected moder-
ately the mortar expansion for 0·5 N sodium hydroxide
solution. The characteristics of the mortar expansion against
the CA and TD for the remaining 13 aggregate groups were
shown to be similar to that obtained for the NN-C aggregate.
4.2 ASR classifications of aggregates
The ASR classifications of the investigated aggregates were
evaluated based on the expansion limits of mortar bars pre-
pared with 0·84% Na2Oeq CA at the TDs of 14, 28 and 56 d.
The 14 d expansion limit of 0·10%, recommended by ASTM C
1260 (ASTM, 2007), resulted in the 4 of 14 aggregate groups
(SN-A, SN-D, SN-E and SN-H) innocuous, and the remaining
10 aggregates as reactive. Of the 14 aggregates tested, the 28 d
and 56 d expansion limits of 0·28 and 0·48%, respectively,
suggested by Islam (2010), showed identical ASR classification

0·42% 0·84% 1·26%

2·4
Expansion: %

2·0
1·6
1·2
0·8
0·4
0
0 14 28 42 56 70 84 98112 0 14 28 42 56 70 84 98 112 0 14 28 42 56 70 84 98 112
Immersed age: d Immersed age: d Immersed age: d
(a) (b) (c)

Figure 1. Mortar expansion of NN-C aggregate related to TD and

CA for (a) 1·0; (b) 0·5; and (c) 0·25 N sodium hydroxide solutions

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 Construction Materials
of 11 aggregates as compared with the findings produced by
the expansion limit at the early age of 14 d. The remaining
three aggregates (SN-B, SN-I and NN-A) that considered as
reactive at 14 d were treated as innocuous by the extended
failure limits of mortar bars at 28 and 56 d. The failure limits
of mortar expansions of 0·33% at 28 d and 0·47% at 56 d,
suggested by Hooton (1991), and Rogers and Hooton (1993),
showed good agreement on aggregate classifications with the
results obtained by the extended expansion limits of mortar
bars proposed by Islam (2010).
4.3 Increase in mortar expansion due to elevated
CAs
The percentage increase in expansion of mortar bars (PIIE)
made with 0·84 and 1·26% CAs compared with the expansion
of mortar bars prepared with 0·42% CAs, represented by
PIIE0·84/0·42 and PIIE1·26/0·42, respectively, was evaluated for
1·0, 0·5 and 0·25 N sodium hydroxide solutions. Figure 2
shows the PIIE0·84/0·42 of each aggregate group for the 1·0 N
sodium hydroxide at TDs of 14, 28, 56 and 98 d. As can be
seen, for each aggregate group, the PIIE0·84/0·42 was maximum
at 14 d, and then gradually decreased with an increase in TD.
The values levelled off at the TD of 56 d. The PIIE0·84/0·42 of
the investigated 14 aggregates varied from 3·25 to 46·65%
with an average of 15·12% at 14 d, from 2·95 to 26·74% with
an average of 9·17% at 28 d and from 1·38 to 14·52% with an
average of 7·04% at 56 d. A maximum decrease in PIIE0·84/0·42
was observed between the TDs of 14 and 28 d, whereas a
minimum decrease in PIIE0·84/0·42 was noticed between TDs of
56 and 98 d. The PIIE1·26/0·42 of each aggregate group was
more than the PIIE0·84/0·42 at any TD. However, the pattern of
PIIE1·26/0·42 over the TD was shown to be identical to that of
the PIIE0·84/0·42.
For the 0·5 N sodium hydroxide, at any TD, the PIIE0·84/0·42
and PIIE1·26/0·42 of each aggregate group were more than those
50
40
PIIE0·84/0·42
30
20
10
0
SN-A SN-B SN-C SN-D
Figure 2. PIIE prepared with 0·84% CA as compared with the
expansion of mortar bars made with 0·42% CA (PIIE0·84/0·42) for
1·0 N sodium hydroxide
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Influence of cement alkalis on mortar
expansion of ASTM C 1260
Islam and Ghafoori
obtained for the 1·0 N sodium hydroxide solution, respectively.
The nature of the PIIE0·84/0·42 and PIIE1·26/0·42 for 0·5 N
sodium hydroxide was shown to be similar to that found for
the 1·0 N sodium hydroxide. However, the reduction in
PIIE1·26/0·42 and PIIE0·84/0·42 for 0·5 N sodium hydroxide over
the TD was more as compared with those observed for the
1·0 N sodium hydroxide, respectively. In general, the percentage
increase in mortar expansion due to the elevated CAs of 0·84
and 1·26% Na2Oeq as compared with the expansion of mortar
bars prepared with 0·42% CA was levelled off at TDs of 56 d.
Once the concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution was
reduced to 0·25 N, the pattern of PIIE0·84/0·42 and PIIE1·26/0·42
was the same as that obtained for the 1·0 and 0·5 N sodium
hydroxide solutions, respectively. Due to the significant differ-
ence in the OH− concentration between the 0·25 N sodium
hydroxide solution and the pore solution in mortar bars made
with 0·84 and 1·26% CAs, the OH− ions transferred from the
concrete pore solution to the sodium hydroxide solution over
time resulted in the increase in OH− concentration to alkali
solution. As such, PIIE0·84/0·42 and PIIE1·26/0·42 for 0·25 N
sodium hydroxide solution increased with an increase in TD
for a certain age, and the values decreased thereafter. The age
at which PIIE0·84/0·42 and PIIE1·26/0·42 remained steady varied
mainly depending on the aggregate reactivity.
4.4 Factorial analysis of CA and TD on mortar
expansion
The experimental expansion data of each aggregate consisted
of two factors of TD having three levels of testing age (14, 28
and 56 d) and CA having three dosages of alkali content (0·42,
0·84 and 1·26% Na2Oeq). Four replicates were recorded at each
setting. For each investigated aggregate group and each alkali
solution concentration, a full factorial analysis was conducted
to determine the percentage contribution of CA, TD and their
interaction to mortar expansion, as designated by (PC)CA,
14 28 56 98
SN-E SN-F SN-G SN-H SN-I SN-J NN-A NN-B NN-C NN-D
Test duration: d
 Construction Materials Influence of cement alkalis on mortar
expansion of ASTM C 1260
Islam and Ghafoori

(PC)TD and (PC)CA.TD. The values of (PC)CA, (PC)TD and
(PC)CA.TD of each aggregate group added up to 100%, as
shown in the following equation
1: ðPCÞCA=SC þ ðPCÞTD=SC þ ðPCÞðCA:TDÞ=SC ¼ 100
where (PC)CA/SC, (PC)TD/SC and (PC)(CA.TD)/SC are the
percentage contributions of CA, TD and their interaction to
mortar expansion for a given sodium hydroxide solution (SC),
respectively.
Table 2 documents the values of (PC)CA, (PC)TD and
(PC)CA.TD of each aggregate group for 1·0, 0·5 and 0·25 N
sodium hydroxide solutions. As can be seen from Table 2, the
percentage contribution of CA to mortar expansion varied from
1·01 to 10·41% with an average of 4·93% and standard devi-
ation of 3·20 for 1·0 N sodium hydroxide solution. Once the
sodium hydroxide concentration was reduced to 0·5 N, (PC)CA
differed from 4·08 to 32·60% with an average of 12·66% and
standard deviation of 8·27. For the lowest alkali concentration
of 0·25 N, the contribution of CA to mortar expansion varied
from 4·19 to 55·22% with an average of 25·83% and standard
deviation of 13·17. The results showed that the effect of CA
on mortar expansion varied extensively among all aggregate
groups for 0·25 N sodium hydroxide solution, and the devi-
ations decreased with increasing solution concentration. In
general, the influence of CA on mortar expansion increased
with a decrease in alkali solution concentration, and on the
other hand, the impact of TD on mortar expansion decreased.
Finally, it can be demonstrated that the interaction of CA and
TD on mortar expansion of each aggregate group was limited
for all alkali solution, and the percentage contribution of the
combined effect of TD and CA on mortar expansion was
more than 95% regardless of aggregate mineralogy.
Table 2 also demonstrated that CA had the most adverse influ-
ence on ASR-related expansion for 0·25 N sodium hydroxide
solution, moderate influence for 0·5 N sodium hydroxide and
slight effect for the 1·0 N sodium hydroxide solution. The vari-
ation in (PC)CA among the aggregate groups was widespread
for 0·25 N sodium hydroxide, and it became narrower with ele-
vating the concentration of alkali solution. In the case of 1·0 N
sodium hydroxide, the difference in (PC)CA among the aggre-
gate groups was minor. Finally, the percentage contribution of
the interaction of TD and CA to the mortar expansion was
very minor for all aggregates as compared with that obtained
by the individual contribution of TD and CA. The TD con-
tributed the major portion of mortar expansion, followed by
the CA, and the interaction of TD and CA.

1·0 N sodium hydroxide 0·5 N sodium hydroxide 0·25 N sodium hydroxide

Interaction of Interaction of Interaction of

Agg. ID TD CA TD and CA TD CA TD and CA TD CA TD and CA

SN-A 89·51 10·41 0·08 66·02 32·60 1·37 70·42 27·48 2·10
SN-B 97·65 2·08 0·27 95·31 4·58 0·10 59·75 34·55 5·69
SN-C 96·60 3·10 0·30 93·18 5·56 1·26 43·82 55·22 0·95
SN-D 95·76 3·58 0·66 87·65 9·65 2·71 61·45 34·28 4·27
SN-E 91·37 8·41 0·21 73·77 25·03 1·20 70·89 29·03 0·09
SN-F 98·27 1·56 0·18 94·22 4·08 1·71 78·27 20·76 0·97
SN-G 97·47 2·22 0·31 92·01 7·52 0·47 77·39 19·29 3·32
SN-H 96·14 3·60 0·26 85·90 10·28 3·81 84·25 15·35 0·40
SN-I 95·81 4·01 0·17 88·12 11·80 0·07 85·57 12·60 1·83
SN-J 93·32 6·53 0·15 78·36 21·05 0·60 82·71 14·39 2·89
NN-A 91·07 8·76 0·17 89·77 8·43 1·80 95·30 4·19 0·51
NN-B 90·17 9·69 0·14 87·51 12·44 0·04 60·12 37·14 2·74
NN-C 95·81 4·09 0·09 90·61 9·09 0·30 77·64 20·48 1·87
NN-D 98·87 1·01 0·12 83·85 15·11 1·03 61·42 36·84 1·74

TD, test duration; CA, cement alkali

Table 2. The percent contribution to mortar expansion due to TD,

CA and their interaction for 1·0, 0·5 and 0·25 N sodium hydroxide
solutions

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 Construction Materials Influence of cement alkalis on mortar
expansion of ASTM C 1260
Islam and Ghafoori

1·4 remained similar to that observed for 1·0 N sodium hydroxide.

Table 3 documents the statistical data (regression parameter a,
Expansion of mortar bars

elevated cement alkali: %

1·2
1·0 Prob(t), Prob(F), coefficient of multiple determination (R 2)
prepared with

y = 1·2034x 2
0·8 R² = 0·9935 and coefficient of the adjusted multiple determination (Radj ))
y = 1·0815x of Equation 2 for 1·0, 0·5 and 0·25 N sodium hydroxide sol-
0·6
R² = 0·9975 utions at TDs of 14, 28, 56 and 98 d. As can be seen from
0·4
Table 3, the expansions of the mortar bars containing 0·84 and
0·84%
0·2 1·26% CAs showed good correlation with those of the speci-
1·26%
0·0 mens prepared with 0·42% CA for 0·5 and 1·0 N sodium
0·0 0·2 0·4 0·6 0·8 1·0 1·2 1·4
Expansion of mortar bars prepared with 0·42% cement alkali: %
hydroxide solutions at the four TDs of 14, 28, 56 and 98 d.
The predicted expansion of the mortar bars made with 0·84
and 1·26% CAs for 1·0 N sodium hydroxide solution was eval-
Figure 3. Fourteen-day mortar expansion for 1·0 N sodium uated at any TD from the following equation given below
hydroxide related to CA
2: Yt ¼ a ðExpt Þ0
42

4.5 Prediction of mortar expansion

Figure 3 shows the relationship of mortar expansion made
with 0·84% Na2Oeq (Exp0·84) and that of made with 1·26%
Na2Oeq (Exp1·26) with those made with 0·42% CA (Exp0·42)
for the 1·0 N sodium hydroxide at the TD of 14 d. As can be
shown, a strong linear correlation with the R 2 values of 0·9970
and 0·9934 existed between the expansions of the mortar bars
made with 0·42% CAs and those made with 0·84 and 1·26%
CAs, respectively. The relationship is represented by a general
linear model as shown in Equation 2. The equation is also
shown as a good fit for the experiment data at TDs of 28, 56
and 98 d.
Once the alkali solution concentration was reduced from 1·0
to 0·5 N and 0·25 N, the pattern of the Exp0·84 against Exp0·42
and Exp1·26 against Exp0·42 at TDs of 14, 28, 56 and 98 d
where Yt is the expansion of the mortar bar prepared with the
elevated CA (0·84 or 1·26%) at TD of t days, (Expt)0·42 is the
expansion of the mortar bar containing 0·42% CAs, t is any
TD in days and a is the regression parameter, which represents
the slope of the line.
The average increase in expansion of mortar bars (AIIE) made
with 0·84 and 1·26% Na2Oeq CAs compared with the expan-
sion of mortar bars prepared with 0·42% CA, as represented
by AIIE0·84/0·42 and AIIE1·26/0·42, respectively, for the 1·0, 0·5
and 0·25 N sodium hydroxide solutions was determined from
Table 3. The results are shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4 shows that the values of AIIE0·84/0·42 and AIIE1·26/0·42
reached a maximum at 14 d, and then decreased as the TD

0·84 against 0·42% 1·26 against 0·42%

Solution Age: d a SE t ratio R2 R2adj a SE t ratio R2 R2adj

1·0 N sodium 14 1·0815 0·0106 102·1134 0·9988 0·9987 1·2034 0·0192 62·7848 0·9967 0·9965
hydroxide 28 1·0433 0·0050 206·8285 0·9997 0·9997 1·1309 0·0136 83·0318 0·9981 0·9980
56 1·0340 0·0067 155·1626 0·9995 0·9994 1·1136 0·0121 92·2529 0·9985 0·9984
98 1·0398 0·0078 133·7853 0·9993 0·9992 1·1294 0·0103 109·6125 0·9989 0·9988
0·5 N sodium 14 1·2410 0·0442 28·0544 0·9838 0·9825 1·4625 0·0610 23·9758 0·9779 0·9762
hydroxide 28 1·1178 0·0145 77·0965 0·9978 0·9976 1·2505 0·0284 44·0322 0·9933 0·9928
56 1·1003 0·0115 95·6525 0·9986 0·9985 1·2228 0·0166 73·6932 0·9976 0·9974
98 1·1003 0·0123 89·2806 0·9984 0·9982 1·2372 0·0204 60·5515 0·9965 0·9962
0·25 N sodium 14 1·6388 0·1718 9·5384 0·8750 0·8654 4·3255 0·4216 10·2592 0·8901 0·8816
hydroxide 28 1·7586 0·0992 17·7288 0·9603 0·9572 4·2771 0·4640 9·2173 0·8673 0·8571
56 1·5426 0·1247 12·3706 0·9217 0·9157 2·2868 0·1581 14·4685 0·9415 0·9370
98 1·2614 0·0719 17·5354 0·9594 0·9563 1·6955 0·0805 21·0562 0·9715 0·9693

Table 3. Statistical parameter and significance of Equation 1 and

the failure criteria of mortar bars prepared with 1·26% CA

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 Construction Materials
50 50
0·84%
40 1·26% 40
AIIE: %
30
AIIE: %
30
20
20
10 10
0 0
0 14 28 42 56 70 84 98 112
Immersion age: d
(a)
Figure 4. AIIE of mortars made with 0·84 and 1·26% CAs as
compared with the expansion of mortars prepared with 0·42%
CA for: (a) 1·0 N; (b) 0·5 N; and (c) 0·25 N sodium hydroxide
solutions
lengthened for each alkali solution. At 14 d, the mortar bars
prepared with 0·84 and 1·26% CAs expanded by 8 and 20%,
respectively, in the 1·0 N sodium hydroxide (Figure 4(a)) as
compared with the expansion of mortar bars containing 0·42%
CA. Similarly, for 0·5 N sodium hydroxide, the expansion of
mortar bars containing 0·84 and 1·26% Na2Oeq was shown to
be 24 and 46% greater than that made with 0·42% Na2Oeq,
respectively (Figure 4(b)). These results confirm the outcome
of the study conducted by Hooton and Rogers (1993), who
demonstrated that an increase in CA content from 0·40 to
0·92% resulted in an average of 8·2% increase in expansion.
For 1·0 and 0·5 N sodium hydroxide solutions, the AIIE
decreased rapidly between TDs of 14 and 28 d, and the rate was
nearly constant thereafter. Extending the TD to 98 d,
the expansion of mortar bars prepared with 0·84 and 1·26%
CAs as compared with the expansion of mortar bars containing
0·42% CA was increased by 4 and 12% for 1·0 N sodium
hydroxide, 10 and 24% for 0·5 N sodium hydroxide, respectively.
Figure 4(c) demonstrated that AIIE0·84/0·42 and AIIE1·26/0·42
over the TD for 0·25 N sodium hydroxide were much higher as
compared with those obtained for 1·0 and 0·5 N sodium
hydroxide solutions, respectively. Additionally, the reduction in
AIIE0·84/0·42 and AIIE1·26/0·42 over the TD was insignificant for
the higher alkali concentration than those obtained for the
lower alkali concentration. For 0·25 N sodium hydroxide sol-
ution, AIIE0·84/0·42 and AIIE1·26/0·42 values were nearly steady
at the TD of 98 d. The study particularises that the influence
of CA on ASR expansion has less effect at the extended TD.
4.6 ASR-induced cracks on mortar bars
The ASR-induced cracks developed on the surface of mortar
bars were carefully examined. Regardless of CAs, the speci-
mens prepared with the innocuous aggregates showed no
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Influence of cement alkalis on mortar
expansion of ASTM C 1260
Islam and Ghafoori
350
0·84% 300 0·84%
1·26% 1·26%
250
AIIE: %
200
150
100
50
0
0 14 28 42 56 70 84 98 112 0 14 28 42 56 70 84 98 112
Immersion age: d Immersion age: d
(b) (c)
visible cracks even at the extended TD of 98 d. However,
severe cracking was observed on the surface of the specimens
containing highly reactive aggregates even at the early age of
14 d. For the standard alkali solution (1·0 N sodium hydrox-
ide), the increase in ASR-induced cracks was insignificant as
CA was increased. When immersed in 0·5 N sodium hydroxide,
the cracks developed faster for the specimens containing
higher CAs than those prepared with low CAs. For the 0·25 N
sodium hydroxide, the ASR-induced cracks were observed only
on the surface of the mortar bars prepared with severe reactive
aggregates, and more ASR-related cracks were shown for the
specimens prepared with higher CAs than those made with
lower CAs. The progression of ASR-induced cracks was
directly related to the increase in expansion, which varied with
aggregate reactivity, solution concentration and CAs used to
prepare the mortar specimens.
5. Conclusions
On the basis of the results of the study presented herein, the
following conclusions can be made.
(a) The influence of CAs on the mortar expansion was pri-
marily dependent on TD, alkali solution concentration
and aggregate reactivity.
(b) The PIIE0·84/0·42 and PIIE1·26/0·42 of each aggregate group
were highest at the early age, and the values decreased
with an increase in TD for 1·0 and 0·5 N sodium hydrox-
ide solutions. For most aggregates, PIIE0·84/0·42 and
PIIE1·26/0·42 became nearly constant at 56 d for 1·0 N
sodium hydroxide and 0·5 N sodium hydroxide solutions.
(c) In 0·25 N sodium hydroxide, the influence of CAs on the
expansion of mortar bars prepared with some reactive
aggregates did not follow the trend similar to that
obtained in 1·0 and 0·5 N sodium hydroxide solutions.
 Construction Materials
For 0·25 N sodium hydroxide, PIIE0·84/0·42 of the SN-G
and NN-C aggregates and the PIIE1·26/0·42 of the SN-C,
SN-G, NN-B, NN-C and NN-D aggregate groups
increased with an increase in TD after a certain age, and
the values decreased over time thereafter.
(d) At any TD, the PIIE made with elevated CAs (0·84 and
1·26% Na2Oeq) compared with the expansion of mortar
bars prepared with 0·42% CA increased with a decrease
in the concentration of alkali solution.
(e) The influence of CAs on mortar expansion was nearly
proportional. The effect was minor for 1·0 N sodium
hydroxide solution, moderate for 0·5 N sodium hydroxide
and highest for 0·25 N sodium hydroxide solution,
respectively. The impact of CA on ASR expansion was
limited and the variations among the aggregates were
small for 1·0 N sodium hydroxide, moderate for 0·5 N
sodium hydroxide and finally extensive for 0·25 N
sodium hydroxide.
Acknowledgements
The authors recognise Nevada Department of Transportation
(NDOT) for their financial support. Special thanks are also
due to a number of aggregate suppliers located in southern
and northern Nevada, who contributed materials for this
investigation. Their names are withheld to avoid any concern
of commercialisation or private interest.
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