Investigation on grinding impact of fly ash particles and its characterization analysis in cement mortar composites

Abstract

The extensive usage of cement in almost all infrastructure projects will affect the health of construction industry around the world. At present, the entire globe is marching towards sustainable, eco-friendly and energy efficient infrastructure development with economic viabilities. The research elucidates the effect of grinding of Fly Ash (FA) and Ground Fly Ash (GFA) was studied. The fly ash particles are ground from 727 cm2/g to 3526 cm2/g specific surface area Ground fly ash were analyzed from the Blaine’s fineness test and particle size and optimized with 120 min of grinding to achieve the ultra-fine particle size. The Cement replacement by 15% FA and 30% GFA were determined from the mechanical strength of blended mortar specimens. The investigation is aimed to increase the consumption of fly ash and enable to reduce the usage of natural resources for the cement production with ultrafine fly ash as an efficient replacement material. Keywords: Secondary cementitious materials, Fly ash, Grinding process, Ultrafine fly ash, Compressive strength, Microstructure study