Construction and Building Materials 84 (2015) 294–300

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Construction and Building Materials

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Strength development of lime–pozzolana pastes with silica fume and fly

ash
David O. Koteng, Chun-Tao Chen ⇑
Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan

h i g h l i g h t s

 Lime–pozzolana pastes (LPP) with ordinary strength has been produced.

 Inclusion of silica fume is necessary for LPP to gain high early strength.
 Water curing at 60 °C improves the 28-day strength of the LPP by 40%.
 Strength loss occurs in water-cured specimens during hydration time of 28–90 days.
 Carbonated outer shell in air-cured specimens reduces strength gain.

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

Article history: This study explores the lime–pozzolana pastes made from high calcium hydrated lime blended with type
Received 5 November 2014 F fly ash and silica fume, with the total pozzolana content up to 40%. Research focuses on the develop-
Received in revised form 28 February 2015 ment of the compressive strength by varying the water–binder ratio, powder proportioning, fineness
Accepted 8 March 2015
of lime, and curing conditions. The lime–pozzolana cement shows good promise as a binder which can
Available online 25 March 2015
be used alongside the Portland cement. With lower unit weight and higher compressive strength per unit
weight than the Portland cement paste, the lime–pozzolana pastes can reduce the weight of structural
Keywords:
elements and the overall cost of structures.
Lime
Pozzolana
Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Compressive strength
Silica fume
Fly ash

1. Introduction production is reduced. Lime–pozzolana cement (LPC) is greener

High energy and raw material consumption and high CO2 emis-
sion during the production of the Portland cement (PC) have raised
concerns over the sustainability of concrete use. Mitigation meth-
ods adopted include blending PC with pozzolana, which reacts
with lime produced by the hydration of PC, to produce more
cementing materials. Many pozzolanas such as fly ash (FA) and sil-
ica fume (SF) are industrial waste products which do not need fur-
ther processing and their use in cement reduces the consumption
of energy and raw materials and the emission of CO2. Natural lime
can be blended with larger amounts of pozzolana and can also gain
strength by the carbonation of free lime, thereby reducing the CO2
profile of the cement. Calcination temperatures for the limes are
lower than that for producing PC clinker so the energy for cement
⇑ Corresponding author at: No. 43, Sec. 4, Keelung Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan. Tel.:
+886 227376322; fax: +886 227376606.
E-mail address: chuntaoc@mail.ntust.edu.tw (C.-T. Chen).
than PC. The lighter unit weight of lime–pozzolana pastes (LPPs)
compared to Portland cement paste (PCP) reduces the dead weight
of structural elements and can reduce the building costs.
Archeological excavations have shown that lime is among the
earliest binders used by man. Theoridou et al. [1] found that in
Cyprus, lime mixed with crushed bricks was used as early as in
1200 B.C. Hydraulic lime was used widely by Romans, who added
volcanic ash or finely ground burnt clay tiles, and later added sand
and crushed stone or bricks to the paste to make the first lime–
pozzolana concrete in history [2]. Lime was also used by early
builders in central America [3] and in China during and after the
Ming dynasty [4].
Recent publications by Grist et al. [5], Day and Shi [6], and Lanas
et al. [7] show revived interest in lime-based binders. Grist et al.
blended natural hydraulic lime with 25% SF and 25% FA by mass,
prepared mortar specimens in accordance with BS EN-196-1, and
then cured the specimens in water for up to 90 days. The strength
rose continuously to cubic crushing strengths of 19.9 MPa at

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.03.052
0950-0618/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 D.O. Koteng, C.-T. Chen / Construction and Building Materials 84 (2015) 294–300 295

Table 1 Table 3
Typical chemical compositions and burning temperatures of lime and cement. Mixing proportions and curing conditions of specimens used to explore variations in
pozzolana content and w/b.
Material Chemical compositions (%) Burning temperature
Pozzolana Paste Curing conditions
CaO MgO SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 (°C)
composition by
NHL 96.0 1.0 1.5 0–1.5 0–1.5 900–950 weight (%)
HL 54.3 7.7 12.6 5.4 1.2 1000–1250
Content (%) SF FA NHL 0–7 days 7–14 days 14–28 days
PC 60–67 0.5–4 17–25 3–8 0.5–6 1250–1450
10 10 00 90 Mold Air Water, RT
20 10 10 80 Mold Air Water, RT
28 days and 29.8 MPa at 90 days. The authors also made mortar 30 10 20 70 Mold Air Water, RT
specimens with lime blended with 30% SF and obtained 28-day 40 10 30 60 Mold Air Water, RT

and 90-day strengths of 28.7 MPa and 37.6 MPa, respectively.
Day and Shi [6] tested paste specimens made by hydrated lime
with natural pozzolana of 554 m2/kg Blaine fineness in a mass ratio
of 1:4 and incorporated calcium chloride as reaction activator.
Specimens were cured in water at 50 °C for up to 90 days. The
authors obtained 28-day and 90-day cylindrical crushing strengths
of 17 MPa and 19 MPa, respectively. Strength rose continuously
until 14 days, remained constant until 28 days, and then rose
slightly until 90 days. Lanas, et al. [7] tested mortar specimens
made with natural hydraulic lime and sand in a ratio of 1:1 by vol-
ume and cured in water at ambient laboratory conditions until
365 days. The 28-day and 365-day cubic crushing strengths were
9 MPa and 16 MPa, respectively. Between the hydration times of
28 and 180 days, the strength increased only slightly to 9.5 MPa
but rose steadily after 180 days. In summary, specimens in most
of the studies were cured in water until the time of testing and
had high strengths. However, onsite structures are often cured in
water for only limited periods. In view of this issue, this study
investigates the strength development of the paste when exposed
to air after an initial water curing regime.
Calcitic or high calcium hydrated lime is obtained by burning
calcite (CaCO3) bearing rocks, such as limestone and chalk, at
900–1250 °C to release CO2 and produce quick lime (CaO). Water
is added to the lime to produce hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2). The cal-
cite bearing sands and shells of eggs, snails, oysters and sea organ-
isms can also be used in lime production. Hydraulic lime (HL)
contains significant natural quantities of silica and alumina and
sets in both air and water. Non-hydraulic lime (NHL) sets only in
moist air but also sets in water when mixed with pozzolana.
Table 1 shows the typical chemical compositions and burning tem-
peratures of NHL [8], HL [7], and PC [2,8]. The choice of NHL over
HL is preferred due to the lower calcination temperature range of
NHL and the reduced production energy. In addition, NHL has
40% more CaO than HL. Therefore, when NHL blends with more
pozzolana, the production energy, raw materials and CO2 emission
is further reduced. Pozzolanas contain reactive silica and alumina.
Among the pozzolans, FA is a by-product of burning coal and rich
in reactive silica and alumina. Type F FA has a low amount of
CaO compared to type C FA. SF is a powder with particles finer than
cement, consisting almost entirely of very reactive silica. It is a by-
product during the manufacture of silicon and ferro-silicon alloys.
Lime–pozzolana paste (LPP) hardens partly by the chemical
reaction of calcium hydroxide in hydrated lime with silica and
alumina in pozzolana in the presence of water to form cementing
C–S–H and C–A–H phases as shown in Eq. (1) and (2).
Note: RT = room temperature.
CaðOHÞ2 þ SiO2 þ H2 O ! C  S  H ð1Þ
CaðOHÞ2 þ Al2 O3 þ H2 O ! C  A  H ð2Þ
LPP also hardens in moist air by the reaction of calcium hydrox-
ide with atmospheric CO2 to form calcite as shown in Eq. (3) and
(4).
H2 O þ CO2 ! H2 CO3 ð3Þ
H2 CO3 þ CaðOHÞ2 ! CaCO3 þ 2H2 O ð4Þ
The aim of this study is to explore the effects of powder propor-
tioning, water–binder ratio (w/b), fineness of lime, and curing con-
ditions on the early strength of LPP. The total amount of pozzolana
in the paste is limited to 40% in order to observe the effects of
carbonation of free lime on strength development.
2. Experimental work
2.1. Materials
NHL in accordance with ASTM C821 was used. FA produced in accordance with
ASTM C618 was supplied by Formosa Petrochemical Corporation, Taiwan. Type I PC
in accordance with ASTM C150 was used to prepare control specimens. SF was sup-
plied by Elkem Materials, China. The properties of the powders are given in Table 2.
A polycarboxylated superplasticizer (SP) in accordance with ASTM C 494 type G
admixture was used.
2.2. Sample preparation
Densities of the raw materials used in this study were determined in accor-
dance with ASTM C 188. Weights of the desired NHL, FA, SF, and water were calcu-
lated by predetermined proportions of the total mass of powder. The mixing
proportions of the powders are given in Tables 3 and 4.
SF, FA and PC were used as supplied, but NHL was sieved by ASTM #50 sieve to
remove hard lumps and sintered particles. Some NHL was sieved through ASTM
#30, #50, #100 and #200 sieves in order to obtain different particle size fractions.
The materials required to make each mix were weighed to the nearest gram. A pad-
dle mixer shown in Fig. 1(a) was used for mixing. The water was added to the pan
followed by SF and FA. The pozzolanas were mixed to produce a uniform paste as
shown in Fig. 1(b). NHL was then added to the pozzolana paste in three equal por-
tions, and each addition was followed by mixing at low speed of 140 rpm to pro-
duce a uniform paste. A stiff paste as shown in Fig. 1(c) was formed and drops of
SP were added while mixing at low speed to bring the paste to imminent flow, as
shown in Fig. 1(d). The paste was then mixed at high speed of 245 rpm for one min-
ute. SP dosages were varied with the paste proportions and w/b but less than 0.5%
of the total weight of powder. In general, an increase in w/b or FA reduced the
amount of SP required to provide the target workability. The paste was used to cast
test cylinders with 50-mm in diameter and 100-mm in height.

Table 2
Chemical and physical properties of raw materials.

Raw materials Chemical compositions (%) Specific gravity

SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO Ca(OH)2 CaCO3 MgO
NHL 1.5 1.0 0.5 – 90.0 6.0 1.0 2.45
FA 58.3 27.9 3.3 4.4 – – – 2.00
SF 93 2.0 1.0 1.2 – – 0.5 2.31
PC 20.4 4.4 3.3 63.2 – 2.0 3.2 3.11
296 D.O. Koteng, C.-T. Chen / Construction and Building Materials 84 (2015) 294–300

Table 4 average of three tests. Representative samples for microstructure examination were
Mixing proportions and curing conditions of specimens used to explore variations in taken and preserved in 95% alcohol. Specimens cured in air were broken across and
fineness of lime, silica fume, fly ash, and curing conditions at w/b of 0.35. the exposed cross-section was sprayed with 1% phenolphthalein in 70% ethyl alco-
hol. The un-carbonated inner core rich in calcium hydroxide turned pink while the
Pozzolana Paste composition by Curing conditions carbonated outer shell remained neutral. The depth of the carbonated outer shell
content weight (%) was measured to the nearest 0.1 mm using Vernier calipers.
(%) SF FA NHL 0– 7–28 days 28–
7 days 180 days
2.5. Microstructure examination
25 10 15 75 Mold Water, RT Water, RT
30 10 20 70 Mold Water, RT Water, RT Tests were carried out to determine the compositions of the outer shell and
35 10 25 65 Mold Water, RT Water, RT inner core at 90 days for specimens with 10% SF, 30% FA, and 60% NHL, which were
40 10 30 60 Mold Water, RT Water, RT cured in water at room temperature up to 28 days and then cured in air. Test sam-
40 00 40 60 Mold Water, RT Water, RT ples were cleaned with alcohol, dried by compressed air, crushed and sieved
40 10 30 60 Mold Water, RT Air, RT through ASTM #200 sieve. The powder was placed in a plastic sample holder and
40 10 30 60 Mold Air, RT Air, RT the surface levelled smooth with a glass pane. The sample was then examined by
40 10 30 60 Mold Water, Air, RT an X-ray diffractometer (D2 Phaser, Bruker Corp.) using X-ray radiation with a
60 °C dwell time of 0.3 s and step size of 0.02° in 2h.

Note: RT = room temperature.

2.3. Curing
Fresh specimens were placed in covered plastic boxes at room temperature. The
specimens were de-molded after 7 days of curing. In tests for various pozzolana
contents and w/b, the specimens were kept in the boxes for another 7 days before
starting water curing to allow the weak specimens to gain strength. For all other
tests, water curing started immediately after de-molding. The specimens were
cured in saturated lime water. To explore the effect of water curing at room tem-
perature, the curing box was covered and kept under ambient laboratory conditions
at 25 °C. To explore the effect of water curing at high temperature, specimens were
placed in water maintained at 60 °C until the age of 28 days, and then they were
placed in dry open boxes at ambient laboratory conditions at 25 °C. To explore
the effect of air curing, specimens were placed in dry open boxes under ambient
laboratory conditions of 25 °C and 70% RH until the time of testing.
2.4. Tests for compressive strength
Water cured specimens were surface dried by compressed air. Air cured speci-
mens were tested in the dry state. The specimens were weighed to the nearest 0.1 g
and loaded with a computer controlled servo hydraulic compression testing
machine at a constant rate of 3.14 kgf/cm2/s until failure. Each record was an
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Effect of pozzolana content and water–binder ratio
The purpose of these tests was to determine the trend in
strength development as the powder proportions and w/b were
varied. With a fixed SF content at 10%, the FA content and w/b
was varied from 0% to 30% and 0.30 to 0.60, respectively.
Specimens were tested for compressive strengths at 7, 14, 21 and
28 days. The results are shown in Fig. 2. A steady strength increase
with increased pozzolana content and reduced w/b is observed.
Increasing pozzolana content provided more silica and alumina,
which could react with calcium hydroxide to form binding C–S–H
and C–A–H phases, resulting in high strength. A high w/b resulted
in less binding powder in a given volume of paste, and excess
water which did not participate in the chemical reactions of the
binding powders occupied space and contributed to porosity. For
example, for the specimens with 10% SF, 30% FA, and 60% NHL,
increasing the w/b from 0.3 to 0.6 reduced the amount of powder

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Fig. 1. Preparation for the pastes: (a) paddle mixer, (b) silica fume and fly ash paste, (c) stiff paste before adding superplasticizer, (d) final paste used to cast test specimens.
 D.O. Koteng, C.-T. Chen / Construction and Building Materials 84 (2015) 294–300
in the paste by 28% and increased the porosity. The two factors
caused a great reduction in 28-day strength from 21.1 MPa to
7.4 MPa. However, too little water in the paste can lead to incom-
plete reaction of the powders and strength reduction. It is thus
important to determine the minimum w/b that gives the best
results.
3.2. Effect of fineness of lime
Specimens containing 10% SF, 30% FA, and 60% NHL were pre-
pared with NHL with particle range of ASTM sieves #30-50, #50-
100, #100-200 and passing ASTM #200 sieve. A w/b of 0.35 was
used and all specimens were cured in water at room temperature
until test. Test results are shown in Fig. 3. Results for LPP with
the same mix proportions but made with NHL passing ASTM #50
sieve is included for comparison. Specimens with NHL passing
ASTM #200 sieve show slightly higher strength than the other
mixes after 24 days. NHL passing ASTM #50 sieve gives better
results than NHL in all the remaining particle ranges. Some drop
in strength occurs between the ages of 28 and 90 days in all
specimens.
The specimens with NHL passing ASTM #200 sieve had
increases in 28-day and 180-day strengths by 11.8% and 11.5%
respectively, which may not justify the extra effort in sieving or
grinding necessary to produce the finer powder. The increase in
strength is attributed to the improved reactivity of the powder.
The decrease in strength of specimens between 28 and 90 days
Fig. 2. Strength development of pastes with 10% silica fume and varying fly ash at (a) w/b = 0.3, (b) w/b = 0.4, (c) w/b = 0.5, or (d) w/b = 0.6, cured in air for 7–14 days and then
in water for 14–28 days.
297
is due to the aging of free lime in the paste and was observed
in all specimens cured continuously in water. Several authors
[9–13] have suggested that when calcium hydroxide is continu-
ously wetted, morphological changes take place in the crystal
structure so that its physical properties are changed. For instance,
Cazzalla et al. [9], Mascolo et al. [10], Margalha et al. [11], and
Rodriguez-Navarro et al. [12] have suggested that single prismatic
calcium hydroxide crystals break down into many small platelike
crystals under continuous wetting. Ruiz-Agudo and Rodrigues-
Navarro [13] found that the viscosity and plasticity of the paste
increases initially due to the random alignment of the platelike
crystals, but the viscosity and yield stress reduces with time as
the plates realign themselves face to face. The increase in
strength after 90 days is attributed to the increased pozzolanic
reactions.
3.3. Effect of silica fume content
Specimens for this test were prepared with paste containing
10% SF and FA amounts of 15%, 20%, 25%, or 30%. Another set of
specimens was made with 40% FA and no SF. Specimens had a w/
b of 0.35 and were cured in water at room temperature until test.
Results are given in Fig. 4. It is shown that the 28-day strengths of
the pastes with FA contents between 20% and 30% were very close,
indicating that SF content contributes more to early strength than
the total pozzolana content. Without SF, the strength development
is very slow, as shown in the paste with 40% FA but no SF.
298 D.O. Koteng, C.-T. Chen / Construction and Building Materials 84 (2015) 294–300
Fig. 3. Effect of fineness of lime on compressive strength of paste with 10% silica
fume, 30% fly ash, and 60% lime made with w/b = 0.35 and cured in water at room
temperature.
Fig. 4. Effect of silica fume content on the compressive strength of paste made with
w/b = 0.35 and cured in water at room temperature.
3.4. Effect of curing conditions
All specimens were made with 10% SF, 30% FA, 60% NHL at w/b
of 0.35 and classified as four groups with different curing condi-
tions. The first group of the specimens was cured in water at room
temperature throughout, the second group of specimens was cured
in water at room temperature up to 28 days and then cured in air,
the third group was cured in water at 60 °C up to 28 days and then
cured in air, and the fourth group was cured in air throughout. The
results are given in Fig. 5. Specimens cured in water at room tem-
perature have 28-day compressive strength of 18.7 MPa, and those
cured in water at 60 °C have 28-day strength of 26.5 MPa. Air cured
specimens have 28-day strength of 12.6 MPa. Specimens cured
continuously in water beyond the hydration time of 28 days have
a slight drop in strength to 17.4 MPa between 28 and 90 days
before rising to a strength of 31.3 MPa at 180 days. On the other
hand, specimens cured in water at room temperature and then in
air have strength continuously rising to 23.1 MPa at 180 days,
and those cured in water at 60 °C and then in air attain a strength
of 32.6 MPa at 180 days with a peak of 34.9 MPa at 90 days.
Similarly, specimens cured in air throughout had a strength of
12.5 MPa at 180 days but also show a peak strength of 18.9 MPa
at 90 days. In addition, specimens cured in air had strength
Fig. 5. Effect of curing condition on the compressive strength of paste with 10%
silica fume, 30% fly ash, and 60% lime at w/b = 0.35.
Fig. 6. Carbonation of pastes with 10% silica fume, 30% fly ash, and 60% lime at w/
b = 0.35 at 90 days by (a) air curing or (b) water curing at room temperature for
28 days and then air curing.
dropped from 9.0 MPa at 7 days to 6.1 MPa at 14 days.
Microcracks were observed on the surface of those specimens at
14 days, but beyond that time the cracks reduced with age and
eventually disappeared.
Curing specimens at high temperature increased the rate of
pozzolanic reaction and the early strength. All specimens exposed
to air after an initial period of water curing continued to gain
strength through a combination of pozzolanic reaction and car-
bonation of free lime by atmospheric carbon dioxide. Specimens
cured in air throughout show poor strength development, implying
the importance of wet curing at the early age. The initial cracking
of specimens cured in air resulted from drying shrinkage as speci-
mens lost the moisture, and this cracking led to reduction in
strength. At early hydration time, the loss of moisture is high and
a large volume change occurs, leading to microcracks. The ten-
dency to lose moisture is reduced as the remaining pore water is
used during the pozzolanic reactions. The products of pozzolanic
and carbonation reactions also increase the volume of the paste,
thereby compensating the shrinkage. With the increased hydration
time, deposition of products of pozzolanic reaction and carbona-
tion filled the cracks, showing that LPP has good autogenous heal-
ing properties. The ability of cementitious pastes to heal cracks
through the deposition of reaction products, known as autogenous
healing, has been reported by several authors, including
Termkhajornkit et al. [14] and Van Tittelboom et al. [15]
Specimens cured in air developed a carbonated outer shell, as
shown in Fig. 6(a) and (b), and the depth of carbonation increased
with time, as shown in Fig. 7. The curing regime of paste not only
 D.O. Koteng, C.-T. Chen / Construction and Building Materials 84 (2015) 294–300
Fig. 7. Variation of carbonation depths of pastes with 10% silica fume, 30% fly ash,
and 60% lime at w/b = 0.35 and different curing conditions between 7 and 28 days.
affects the initial strength but also influences the progression of
the carbonation depth. Carbonation penetrates less if the initial
strength of paste is high. This behavior is to be expected since an
initial high strength implies that more pozzolanic reactions have
taken place, leaving less calcium hydroxide to be carbonated.
Both filling effect of calcite and reduced free calcium hydroxide
with age contribute to slow the progress of carbonation inwards.
Fig. 8 shows typical failure modes of specimens cured in water
and in air. Specimens cured wholly in water fail by the crushing of
the entire specimen, as shown in Fig. 8(a). Specimens cured in air
tend to fail by the carbonated outer shell delaminating from the
inner core at high stresses, as shown in Fig. 8(b) and (c). This failure
mode is due to the secondary lateral forces, which create tension at
the interface between the carbonate rich outer layer and the C–S–
H/C–A–H rich inner core. The interface appears to be a point of
weakness in the paste. At early ages of aerial carbonation, forces
required to induce delamination of the outer shell and those
required to crush the inner core are close. Therefore, both failure
modes are observed, as shown in Fig. 8(b). However, at later ages
increased strength of the inner core leads to the delamination of
the carbonated outer layer before the inner core has attained full
load capacity, as shown in Fig. 8(c). In Fig. 5, the increasing
Fig. 8. Failure of pastes with 10% silica fume, 30% fly ash and 60% lime at w/b = 0.35 and curing in (a) water until 180 days, (b) water for 28 days then in air until 56 days, or (c)
water until 28 days then in air until 180 days.
299
Fig. 9. Strength-weight ratios of Portland cement paste cured in water and lime–
pozzolana pastes with 10% silica fume, 30% fly ash, and 60% lime and different
curing conditions at w/b = 0.35.
influence of the secondary lateral forces reduces the rate of
strength gain, giving peak strengths at 90 days.
3.5. Comparison between strength/weight ratios of lime–pozzolana
paste and Portland cement paste
The strength-weight ratios of LPP specimens with 10% SF, 30%
FA, and 60% NHL at w/b of 0.35 and cured as described in section
3.4 were compared with those of normal strength PCP specimens
with w/b of 0.35 and cured continuously in water at room tem-
perature. Fig. 9 shows that the LPP cured in water at 60 °C up to
28 days then in air attains a better strength-weight ratio than the
PCP after 14 days. The LPP cured in water at room temperature
then in air attains a strength-weight ratio equivalent to the PCP
after 80 days, and the LPP cured in water throughout the time
has a better strength-weight ratio than the PCP after 144 days. It
appears that the LPP strength is sufficient for most concrete appli-
cations when very high strength is not required, such as the low-
rise buildings, concrete for internal finishes including, mortar for
plastering, precast concrete elements including the masonry units,
300 D.O. Koteng, C.-T. Chen / Construction and Building Materials 84 (2015) 294–300

2
60 °C. The LPP can thus be used alongside the PCP or replace the
1. PCP paste in some instances with economic and environmental
2. advantages. On the other hand, this study shows that the LPP
3.
strength continues to rise when exposed to air after an initial per-
4.
5. - calcite.
iod of water curing. This observation is important since concrete
6. - aragonite. specimens in practice are cured in water for limited periods only.
7. Specimens kept in water for long periods lose some strength
5
4
between the ages of 28 and 90 days and it is important to use
the lowest strength in this zone for design purposes. The LPP has
1 2 4 1 3 the advantage over the PCP for its appreciable strength gain
1 73 5 6 16 5 57 5 56
Outer shell
beyond 28 days.

Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Taiwan

Inner core Building Technology Center at National Taiwan University of
Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.

References

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Fig. 10. XRD patterns for paste with 10% silica fume, 30% fly ash, and 60% lime at w/
b = 0.35, cured in water at room temperature until 28 days then in air at hydration
time of 90 days.
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3.6. Microstructure examination
The XRD patterns in Fig. 10 show the presence of calcium
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the calcium hydroxide reacts with carbon dioxide in air, thereby
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28-day strength of the paste can be enhanced by water curing at