Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62

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Construction and Building Materials

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

Special Issue
Banthia-Basheer Special Issue on Advances in Science and Technology of Concrete
Self-compacting concretes using fly ash and fine limestone powder:
Shrinkage and surface electrical resistivity of equivalent mortars
A. Duran-Herrera a,⇑, J. De-León-Esquivel a, D.P. Bentz b, P. Valdez-Tamez a
a
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil, San Nicolás de Los Garza, N.L. 66455, Mexico
b
Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8615, USA

h i g h l i g h t s

New knowledge about the substitution of OPC by fly ash(FA) and limestone filler(LF).

Appropriate combinations of FA + LF counteracts the setting delays in FA concretes.

Appropriate combinations of FA+LF improve resistivity and volume stability.

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

Article history: Self-compacting concrete (SCC) has become a preferred option for many projects that should satisfy strict
Received 23 December 2016 fresh stage properties that are of major concern in quality assurance. To ensure stable and robust fresh
Received in revised form 10 November 2018 stage properties, typically a significant amount of fine materials is incorporated, but this often increases
Accepted 23 November 2018
shrinkage. For this purpose, fly ash (FA) has been used, but because it can induce delays in times of set-
Available online 11 December 2018
ting, it is not extensively used. Under this scenario, micro limestone powders (L) have been effectively
used to counteract the delays in the times of setting of concrete with high volumes of fly ash.
Keywords:
For a fixed water/powder ratio equivalent to a water-to-cement ratio of 0.40 in a 100% cement mixture,
Fly ash
Micro limestone powder
a total of thirteen mortars were produced to evaluate the synergetic effects of twelve portland cement
Self-compacting concrete substitutions by FA + L on times of setting, compressive strength, shrinkage and electrical resistivity.
Setting times Results indicate appropriate FA + L combinations to counteract delays in times of setting and to signifi-
Shrinkage cantly improve electrical resistivity and volume stability.
Surface electrical resistivity Ó 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

1. Introduction improve the densification of the cementitious matrix, which leads

Since its first use in the late 1980s, Self-Consolidating Concrete
(SCC) has been used as a replacement of conventional Vibrated
Concrete (VC) because of its numerous advantages, including labor
savings, construction cost reductions, and ease of placing in heavily
reinforced members, among others [1]. One of the most important
differences between SCC and VC is the incorporation of higher
amounts of fillers in the SCC, as this type of concrete demands a
higher powder content for its formulation.
These fillers often include supplementary cementitious materi-
als (SCMs) in replacement of portland cement to improve the fresh
and hardened stage properties of the SCC, since these powders can
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: alejandro.duranhr@uanl.edu.mx (A. Duran-Herrera).
to a decrease of the concrete’s permeability and consequently to an
increase of its durability [2].
In terms of durability, the incorporation of fly ash in concrete
(typically in substitutions of 25–30% by mass of cement), provides
several benefits that could be associated to the following beneficial
effects of this SCM-filler in fresh and hardened stages of concrete:
workability improvement, reduction in water demand, less segre-
gation, reduced heat of hydration, increased long term strength,
significant reduction of permeability and chloride resistance,
reduced expansion due to alkali-silica reaction, increased sulfate
resistance, among others [3,4].
Although these benefits, fly ash in concrete are not readily used
by the construction industry, mainly due to a decrease in strength
at early ages. Even tough with the incorporation of high amounts of
fly ash, this problem could be overcome, as long as a significant

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.11.191
0950-0618/Ó 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62
reduction of the water/binder ratio, and a superplasticizer to pro-
vide also an appropriate consistency are incorporated. The use of
a wide range of Portland cement substitutions by fly ash were
widely studied in research projects and field applications in the
1990s, in concrete mixtures with key parameters such as the Port-
land cement substitution by fly ash per cubic meter, the amount of
fly ash per cubic meter, the water-binder ratio and the 28 day com-
pressive strength, in a range between 53 and 58%, 125 and 230 kg/
m3, 0.32 and 0.45 and 20 to 40 MPa, respectively. The optimum fly
ash content will vary on a case-by-case basis. Fly ash contents up
to 50% may be suitable for most elements without any adverse
impact in construction schedule [4]. Fly ash contents of 40–50%
are suitable for slabs, that merely require a broom finish, but the
level of replacement should be reduced (25%) for slabs that
requires trowels to avoid unwanted delays in finishing [5].
The low water-to-cementitious materials ratios commonly
used for SCC range from 0.3 to 0.40 [6], and in combination with
a higher powder content, often lead to an increase of the total
shrinkage of the concrete [7], which is typically the combination
of two processes nominally present at different stages of the life
of concrete: autogenous shrinkage and drying shrinkage. The first
one is more significant at early ages, and concerns volumetric
changes that involve self-desiccation inducing capillary stresses
and leading consequently, to cracking. The second one occurs at
a later age along with the contribution of temperature and con-
crete restraint and is due to moisture loss to the surrounding
environment by evaporation [8,9]. Shrinkage can cause cracking
that could lead to the failure of the concrete structure, because
cracks in concrete will reduce mechanical properties and durabil-
ity [10].
Due to the advantages offered by the incorporation of industrial
byproducts into concrete, fly ash (FA) obtained from coal combus-
tion is one of the most commonly used SCMs for concrete, chiefly
because of the benefits it provides to the rheological, mechanical
and durability performance, and for its contributions to concrete
industry sustainability. However, the early-age reactivity of FA is
generally lower than that of portland cement, such that it con-
tributes to delays in times of setting and to slower strength
development.
In high volume fly ash concretes with 40–60% portland cement
replacement, the implementation of judicious combinations of a
fine limestone powder with a average particle size of about one
micrometer (5–15% of the total cementitious content) in combina-
tion with fly ash, could diminish, delay or lead to similar setting
times and to a superior potential durability [11–13].
Based on several research or field application reports, this
research work evaluated twelve substitutions of Portland cement
by a binary powder mix of fly ash (FA) and limestone filler (L) for
a fixed total substitutions of 70, 55 and 40% for mixtures of groups
A, B and C respectively, with FA and L substitutions in the range of
15–60% and 5–15% respectively.
2. Research significance
Limestone powder has been used previously in order to coun-
teract the delays in setting times encountered in most concretes
made with FA; however, only a few of these works have evaluated
the effects of the combination of limestone powder and FA on the
shrinkage and durability of concrete. Results of shrinkage, both
autogenous and drying shrinkage, as well as a durability index
(surface electrical resistivity) are presented in this study in order
to demonstrate the beneficial synergistic effects of a FA produced
in Northeast Mexico and a commercial micro limestone powder
(L), regarding times of setting, compressive strength, volume sta-
bility and surface electrical resistivity.
51
3. Procedure
3.1. Materials and mixture proportions
The materials used in this study are: an ASTM C150 [14]. Type I Portland cement
(PC); an ASTM C618 [15] type F fly ash (FA) and a commercial micro limestone pow-
der (L), the latter with an average particle size of 0.7 mm (according to the manufac-
turer’s technical data sheet). The physical and chemical characteristics of these
powders are given in Table 1. Also, the corresponding particle size distributions
(PSDs) as measured using laser diffraction are shown in Fig. 1. Table 2 presents
the parameters associated with the PSDs of PC, FA and L; each parameter indicates
the particle size of the materials for which 10%, 50% and 90% of the total sample fall
below and are referenced as D10, D50 (also known as the median), and D90, respec-
tively. From these results, it can be observed that the FA particles are 4 times coar-
ser than the portland cement particles; while the micro limestone particles are up
to 11 times finer than the portland cement particles.
A limestone from Nuevo León, Mexico that meets ASTM C33 requirements [16]
was used as coarse and fine aggregates. To obtain the target flowability and stabil-
ity, two ASTM C494 [17] admixtures were used: a Type F water reducer and a Type S
anti-wash out admixture as a viscosity modifier with a density or specific gravity of
1.10 and 1.23, and a solids content of 42.1 and 44.5% respectively.
Reference mortar proportions were established from a Self-Consolidating Con-
crete (SCC) with a water-to-cement (w/c) ratio of 0.4 by mass and with optimized
proportions to meet the following target properties: slump flow of 56 cm ± 1 cm
according to ASTM C1611 [18], static segregation of 2.6% ± 0.2% using the segrega-
tion column according to ASTM C1610 [19], and a flow of 51 cm ± 1 cm for the
J-Ring passing ability test determined according to ASTM C1621 [20]. Reference
mortar proportions kept a w/c of 0.4, and were obtained by the Concrete Equivalent
Mortar (CEM) method [21]. Self-Consolidating Concrete (Ref SCC) and reference
concrete equivalent mortar (Ref CEM) proportions are given in Table 3, where
aggregates are presented in dry condition, and where water labeled as reaction
tap water corresponds to the water dosed for the hydration of the Portland cement,
according to the fixed target water to-cement ratio (effective water).
In addition to Ref CEM made just with cement, twelve (12) mortars, distributed
in three groups, were produced to evaluate different combinations of PC + FA + L. In
order to eliminate volumetric variations attributed to the significant differences in
the specific gravities of the powders (PC, FA and L), based on the Ref CEM mixture,
volumes of water and powders were maintained constant in all of the mixtures. The
composition of the paste fraction of these mortars varies according to the propor-
tions presented in the experimental matrix in Table 4.
3.2. Experimental methods
Fresh stage characterization consisted of: flow as a measure of the mortar work-
ability with the cone specified in ASTM C 1437 [22]; times of setting according to
ASTM C 403 [23]; unit weight and air content obtained through the procedures
described in ASTM C 185 [24]. When determining the unit weight and air content,
the mold was filled in one layer and 12 S were applied around the perimeter of the
mold with a rubber head mallet weighing 0.6 kg ± 0.2 kg. Results of single tests are
reported in Table 5; all the flow results meet the targeted consistency of
17 cm ± 1 cm. For the air content, the precision and bias section of ASTM C185
reports a single-operator within laboratory standard deviation of 0.56% for air con-
tents in the range of 8–19%. No uncertainty is reported for unit weight
measurements.
After fresh stage characterization, mortar test specimens were cast and cured
for the determination of the following hardened stage properties:
(1) Compressive strength: measured on triplicate specimens at 7 d, 28 d and
56 d using 50 mm standard cubes. Due to the self-consolidating nature of
the mortar, all of the specimens were cast with only one layer of mortar
Table 1
Chemical composition and specific gravity of PC, FA and L.
Component (%) PC FA L
SiO2 17.66 67.48 0.20
Al2O3 4.72 23.94
Fe2O3 2.26 4.63
CaO 63.68 1.76
MgO 1.20 1.16
SO3 5.12 –
Na2O 0.66 1.14
K2O 0.74 0.99
TiO2 0.24 0.94
P2O5 0.09 0.03
MnO 0.08 –
(SiO2 + Al2O3 + Fe2O3) % 96.05
CaCO3, % ˃99
Specific gravity, g/cm3 3.10 2.03 2.68
52 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62

Fig. 1. Particle size distributions of PC, FA and L.

Table 2
calculated and estimated for ages of 28 d and 52 w, respectively, according
D10, D50 and D90 values in mm of PC, FA and L.
to the procedures described in the standard test method (Section 12, note 2
Material D10 (mm) D50 (mm) D90 (mm) and Fig. 1).
(4) Surface electrical resistivity: was obtained with a four-point resistivity
PC 3.0 18.4 46.2 meter operating on the principle of the Wenner probe and with 38 mm
FA 14.0 71.2 242.1 inter probe spacing according to the AASHTO TP 95-11 specification [28].
L 0.6 1.7 4.7 For this test, 3 cylindrical specimens of 10 cm in diameter and 20 cm in
length were made for each mortar mixture and were stored in water satu-
rated with calcium hydroxide. Measurements were taken at ages of (1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56) d. The measured electrical resistance
(O) was obtained as the average of 12 measurements (with 4 measurements
without any compaction energy; afterwards, the standard procedure per cylinder). Thereafter, surface electrical resistivity was calculated with
described in ASTM C109 [25] was followed for storage, curing and for the Eq. (1):
determination of compressive strength.
(2) Autogenous strain: measured on triplicate specimens according to the stan-
dard procedure from ASTM C1898 [26]. For each mortar mixture, the first
q¼Rk ð1Þ
reading was taken at the final time of setting, and thereafter up to an age where R is the measured resistance and k is the geometric correction factor used for
of 28 d. Because the standard procedure of this test requires significant care, cylindrical specimens as shown in Eq. (2):
precision and permanent monitoring, intermediate mixtures 1PC-FA-10L,
2PC-FA-10L and 3PC-FA-10L were not considered for this test since their 2pa
k¼ ð2Þ
results should be between those exhibited by the corresponding 5L and 1:10  0:730
d=2
þ ðd=a
7:82
Þ2
15L mixtures.
(3) Drying shrinkage: Measurements were made on triplicate specimens and This formula is only valid when d=a  4 and L=a  5, where d is the diameter of
ultimate drying shrinkage was determined according to the procedure the cylinder (mm), a is the inter probe distance of the Wenner apparatus and L is the
described in ASTM C596 [27]. Average and ultimate drying shrinkage were length of the cylinder (mm) [29].

Table 3
Reference concrete equivalent mortar proportions (Ref CEM) per cubic meter of concrete/mortar, obtained from SF1 Self Consolidating Concrete (Ref SCC). Aggregates in dry
condition.

Materials Ref SCC Ref CEM

Tap water Effective, L/m3 166.2 221.7
Total, L/m3 191.3 255.1
3
Type I Portland cement (kg/m ) 420.0 560.2
HRWA Amount L/m3 2.7 3.6
Dosage (ml/kg) of PC 6.5 6.5
%* 0.71 0.71
VMA Amount L/m3 0.10 0.13
Dosage ml/m3 100.0 133.4
%* 2.9  102 2.9  102
Coarse aggregate kg/m3 696.7 –
Fine aggregate kg/m3 1136.3 1532.2
*
Percentage of the total binder weight.
 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62 53

Table 4 result in a reduction of the unit weight by 5.4, 5.8 and 6.9 respec-
Experimental matrix and powder proportions in mortars, % in volume. tively. When the binary cementitious system of PC + FA was fur-
Group Identification PC FA L ther replaced with micro limestone filler (L) in additions of 5, 10
REF REFERENCE 100 0 0 and 15%, the unit weight reduction resulted between 4.1 to 2.7,
4.4 to 2.7 and 4.9 to 1.9 respectively. While the flows for all the
A 1PC-FA 70 30 0
1PC-FA-5L 70 25 5 mortar were similar with results in the range of 16.5–18, a general
1PC-FA-10L 70 20 10 analysis of these results confirm that fly ash (FA) could increase the
1PC-FA-15L 70 15 15 consistency (mainly group C, mixtures 3PC-FA and 3PC-FA-SL) and
B 2PC-FA 55 45 0 suggest that limestone filler (L) slightly increases the viscosity of
2 PC-FA-5L 55 40 5 the paste phase, improving accordingly the stability of the mixture,
2 PC-FA-10L 55 35 10 the benefit is derived in the flow reduction for mixtures PA-FA-ISL
2 PC-FA-15L 55 30 15
(Groups A, A and C).
C 3PC-FA 40 60 0 The entrapped air content of 3% obtained for reference mixture
3PC-FA-5L 40 55 5
3PC-FA-10L 40 50 10
is in agreement with the expected approximate volume suggested
3PC-FA-15L 40 45 15 by ACI 211.1 (as the maximum aggregate size decreases air content
increases). Results for groups A, B and C, suggest that the addition
of FA significantly increases the air content from 3.0 to 9.9, 9.1 and
Table 5 9.1% for substitutions of PC by FA of 30, 45 and 60%.
Measured fresh stage properties of mortars. This adverse effect is attributed to a collateral reaction between
the fly ash and the policarboxilate superplasticizer and/or the
Group Identification Flow (cm) Unit weight (kg/m3) Air content (%)
viscosity-modifying admixture. The substitution of FA by L sup-
REF REFERENCE 17.0 2188 3.0
ports this assertion since as this substitution increases the trapped
A 1PC-FA 16.0 2070 9.9 air content decreases. It is well known in the technical literature
1PC-FA-5L 17.0 2099 8.9
that for each increase of entrapped/entrained by one percent, there
1PC-FA-10L 17.0 2122 8.1
1PC-FA-15L 16.5 2130 8.0 is generally a decrease of about 4–6% in the compressive strength
of concrete; then, a fraction of the significant compressive strength
B 2PC-FA 17.0 2061 9.1
2PC-FA-5L 17.0 2091 8.1 loss observed for groups A, B and C in Fig. 3 could be attributed to
2PC-FA-10L 17.0 2111 7.4 the increase in air content (between 8 and 36%). For future work,
2PC-FA-15L 16.5 2130 6.8 possibly the use of an entrained air reducer will improve compres-
C 3PC-FA 18.0 2036 9.1 sive strength and electrical resistivity.
3PC-FA-5L 18.0 2081 7.3
3PC-FA-10L 17.0 2124 5.7
3PC-FA-15L 17.5 2147 4.9 4.2. Times of setting

FA causes delays in the times of setting as reported previously

4. Results and discussion
4.1. Fresh properties
The measured fresh properties for the thirteen mortar mixtures
are shown in Table 5. For groups A, B and C, the substitution of
portland cement (PC) by fly ash (FA) by 30, 45 and 60% by mass,
[30], a characteristic observed in Fig. 2, where the results of the ini-
tial and final times of setting are reported for the thirteen mortar
mixtures evaluated in this study.
In Fig. 2, it is evident that the incorporation of L reduced the
retardation caused by FA. It can be observed that for a 5% substitu-
tion of FA by L, times of setting similar to those of the reference
mortar were obtained. Further substitutions of FA by L lead to

Fig. 2. Measured times of setting of mortars.

54 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62

Fig. 3. Compressive strength of mortar mixtures.

Table 6 greater reductions in times of setting. The acceleration can be

Measured autogenous strain of mortars. attributed to the fineness of the L, because it has a smaller particle
Group Identification Autogenous strain at Strain Standard size than the portland cement, representing a greater surface area
28 d (mm/m)* reduction deviation available as nucleation centers that promote the formation of port-
%* (mm/m) land cement hydration products [31,32].
REF REFERENCE 378 0 26 Results confirms that the setting times increases as the substi-
A 1PC-FA 230 39 12 tution of PC by FA increases and the results obtained for groups
1PC-FA-5L 146 61 15 A and B clearly illustrates that the replacement of FA by L counter-
1PC-FA-15L 192 49 13 acts this increase.
B 2PC-FA 135 64 38
2PC-FA-5L 82 78 11
2PC-FA-15L 157 58 41 4.3. Compressive strength
C 3PC-FA 60 84 23
3PC-FA-5L 53 86 4 The compressive strength results at ages of 7 d, 28 d, and 56 d
3PC-FA-15L 123 67 17 are given in Fig. 3. Groups A, B and C show results from five binary
* blends (PC + FA), and ternary blends with varying dosages of L that
Reduction of shrinkage regarding the reference mortar, in percentage.

Fig. 4. Autogenous strain of Group A.

 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62 55

go to 15% in substitution of the FA volume in the cementitious
system.
Compared to the reference mortar mixture, the substitutions of
PC by FA evaluated in groups A, B and C (30%, 45%, and 60% FA by
volume) produced reductions of the compressive strength of 31%,
61%, and 63% at 7 d, of 30%, 37%, and 54% at 28 d, and of 23%,
30%, and 48% at 56 d, respectively.
On the other hand, the effect of L as a filler agent and nucleation
center, combined with the pozzolanic effect of FA, led to higher
compressive strengths at 56 d for mixtures 1PC-FA-5L, 2PC-FA-
15L and 3PC-FA-10L in comparison to their respective reference
(1PC-FA, 2PC-FA and 3PC-FA), specifically leading to increases of
10%, 4%, and 4%, respectively.
The standard deviations for the compressive strengths reported
in Fig. 3 were generally within the range of variations permitted by
ASTM C109 (8.7% for three cubes and 7.6% for two cubes).
In general, results of compressive strength indicate that as PC
by FA substitutions increases, strength decreases, also that the sub-
stitutions of FA by L counteracts this reduction mainly at 28 days
and later ages.
For each average result, the standard errors calculated as an
estimate of the uncertainty with regard to the estimation of the
compressive strength were within the following ranges: 1.09–
3.98% for the reference mixture, 0.11–4.83% for group A, 0.10–
14.74% for group B, and 0.10–11.13% for group C.
4.4. Autogenous strain
To obtain reliable results, only the ten mixtures identified in
Table 6 were evaluated. The total autogenous strains at 28 d are
given in Table 6, the negative sign corresponds to shrinkage. For
groups A, B and C, autogenous strains measured up to an age of

Fig. 5. Autogenous strain of Group B.

Fig. 6. Autogenous strain of Group C.

56 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62

28 d are also presented in Figs. 4–6. A greater substitution of PC by
FA or FA + L produces a greater reduction in the measured autoge-
nous strain. Reductions were between 39% and 86% in comparison
with the reference mixture, which can be attributed to the reduc-
tion of Portland cement (the most reactive component) in the
cementitious systems of PC + FA or PC + FA + L, which led to a
reduction in self-desiccation. Substitutions of FA by L also have a
significant influence, with the mixtures with 5% of L having the
higher reductions in autogenous shrinkage for groups A, B and C.
The mortar mixtures with FA contents of 45% and 60% by vol-
ume (2PC-FA and 3PC-FA) showed a slight expansion after the
final time of setting, which was more noticeable in mixture
3PC-FA. Previous research works on the subject have attributed
this behavior to the formation of ettringite and/or to the reab-
sorption of the bleed water [33,34]. The reduction of the total
shrinkage can be also attributed to the larger particle size of
the FA used in this study, in comparison to the portland cement
[35,36].
The results of mixture 3PC-FA-5L confirm that L can also con-
tribute to a slight autogenous expansion after the final time of set-
ting, which can be caused by the fineness of L, as it can absorb and/
or adsorb water. However, shrinkage will appear when this water
is subsequently (re)absorbed by the anhydrous and hydrated
cement phases because of the capillary tensions inside of the paste
pores [37,38]. Other authors attribute this expansion to the forma-
tion of calcium hydroxide crystals and/or ettringite and carboalu-
minate phases [9,39]. In this regard, it is worth noting that the
presence of the fine limestone powder will stabilize the ettringite
formed at early ages [40]. This in turn will maximize the contribu-
tion of ettringite (needles) to the early-age autogenous expansion
and minimize the contribution to autogenous shrinkage that may
subsequently occur when these needle-like structures dissolve
(removing their expansive restraint) during their conversion to
monosulfoaluminate phases.
Fig. 7 presents the ultimate autogenous strain at 28 days; for
group A, the substitutions of PC by FA indicate that as the substitu-
tion increases the reduction increases approximately by 150 (39%),

Fig. 7. Ultimate Autogenous Strain at 28 days.

Fig. 8. Drying shrinkage of group A.

 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62 57

and that the substitution of FA by 5 or 15% of L increases the reduc-
tion to 240 (63%) and 180 mm (47%) respectively.
For group B and C, the substitution of PC by FA leads to higher
reductions of autogenous shrinkage 250 (66%) and 320 mm (86%)
respectively. For this two groups, the substitution of FA by 5% of
L improves (295 mm  78%) and maintain (320 mm  86%) the
reduction respectively. The reductions were less significant when
FA was substituted by 15% of L, 225 mm (59%) and 265 mm (70%)
for groups B and C respectively.
The substitutions of PC by FA in 30, 45 and 60% by mass reduced
autogenous shrinkage by 150 (40%), 250 (66%) and 320 mm (84%), a
benefit that suggests that for a substitution between 30 and 60%
could lead to an average reduction of 100 mm per each 15% of
substitution.
The calculated standard deviations of the autogenous strain
measurements presented in Figs. 4–6 were within the following
ranges: 3–41 mm/m for the reference mixture, 3–31 mm/m for
group A (Fig. 4), 1–41 mm/m for group B (Fig. 5), and 1–47 mm/m
for group C (Fig. 6).
4.5. Drying shrinkage
Results of drying shrinkage up to an age of 28 d are presented in
Figs. 8–10 for Groups A, B and C, respectively. Average results at 28 d
and estimations at 52 weeks (52 w) are presented in Fig. 11; a sum-
mary of the results at 28 d and 52 w is presented in Table 7. Results
show that drying shrinkage is reduced by 17%, 32%, and 45% in
groups A, B, and C, respectively when the substitutions of PC by FA

Fig. 9. Drying shrinkage of Group B.

Fig. 10. Drying shrinkage of Group C.

58 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62

or FA + L increases. This reduction can be attributed to the larger par-
ticle size of the FA, which is 4 times larger than the portland cement
particles. This physical characteristic could lead to average pore
sizes larger than 50 nm in the mortar mixtures, originating a reduc-
tion in shrinkage, since the pore solution within pores smaller than
50 nm will induce significant capillary stresses [41,42].
It is also observed that drying shrinkage slightly increased when
FA was substituted by L. This increase was more significant for
group C, when greater amounts of FA or FA + L were used. This
increase was attributed to the resulting finer pore structure due
to the filler effect of L. For groups A and B, at 28 d, substitutions
of FA by L did not significantly influence drying shrinkage.
Comparing 28 d drying shrinkage for each single mix with the
estimations at 52 w, results indicate that drying shrinkage could
increase 74% for the reference and 82%, 77%, and 55% as a result
of the substitutions of PC by FA in series A, B, and C, respectively.
In comparison with the potential increments estimated between
28 d and 52 w for mixtures R, 1PC-FA, 2PC-FA and 3PC-FA, substi-
tutions of FA by L lead to lower drying shrinkage estimations, with
values in the range of 55–82%, 50–69%, and 32–56% for series A, B,
and C respectively. For groups A and B, Fig. 10 indicates that drying
shrinkage decreases as L increases and evidence an inverse trend
for results of group C.
For each group (A, B or C), results in Fig. 11 illustrate that reduc-
tions in drying shrinkage are approximately the same for mixtures
PC-FA, PC-FA-5L, PC-FA-10L and PC-FA-15L. Based on this consider-
ation, the average drying shrinkage for mixture R and for groups A,
B and C ((PC-FA + PC-FA-5L + PC-FA-10L + PC-FA-15L)/4) were 870,
720, 600 and 540 mm at 28 days, and 1520, 1230, 1005 and 785 mm
at 56 days respectively. This results indicate that as the substitu-
tion of PC by FA of FA + L increases by 30, 45 and 60%, drying
shrinkage decreases by an average of 17, 31 and 38% at 28 days
and 19, 34 and 48% at 56 days respectively.
The standard deviations of the 28 d average drying shrinkage
presented in Figs. 8–10 were within the following ranges: 16–
21 mm/m for the reference mixture, 5–20 mm/m for group A
(Fig. 8), 5–32 mm/m for group B (Fig. 9), and 6–24 mm/m for group
C (Fig. 10).

Fig. 11. Average and ultimate drying shrinkage calculated and estimated at 28 d and 52 w, respectively.

Table 7
Measured drying shrinkage of mortars.

Group Identification Shrinkage, mm/m (%) Reduction (%)* Standard deviation (mm/m)
28 d1 52 w2 28 d 52 w
REF REFERENCE 871(0.09) 1517(0.15) 0 0 20
A 1PC-FA 724(0.07) 1318(0.13) 17 13 8
1PC-FA-5L 709(0.07) 1283(0.13) 19 15 16
1PC-FA-10L 712(0.07) 1106(0.11) 18 27 20
1PC-FA-15L 719(0.07) 1215(0.12) 17 20 12
B 2PC-FA 591(0.06) 1049(0.11) 32 31 8
2PC-FA-5L 600(0.06) 1011(0.10) 31 33 24
2PC-FA-10L 622(0.06) 932(0.09) 29 39 11
2PC-FA-15L 620(0.06) 955(0.10) 29 37 12
C 3PC-FA 480(0.05) 742(0.07) 45 51 6
3PC-FA-5L 543(0.05) 845(0.09) 38 44 5
3PC-FA-10L 546(0.06) 723(0.07) 37 52 12
3PC-FA-15L 580(0.06) 876(0.09) 33 42 24
*
Reduction of shrinkage regarding the reference mortar, in percentage.
1
Calculated according to ASTM C596-09, Section 12.
2
Estimated according to ASTM C596-09, Note 2 and Fig. 1.
 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62 59

4.6. Surface electrical resistivity
The surface electrical resistivity measured at different ages
(between 1 d and 56 d) is presented in Figs. 12, 13 and 14 for
specimens corresponding to groups A, B and C, respectively. Elec-
trical resistivity at early ages decreases as PC by FA substitution
increases. At later ages, the electrical resistivity of the FA and FA
and L systems increases significantly above that measured for the
reference. This later age behavior is attributed chiefly to the
densification of the cementitious matrix and to the pore refine-
ment produced by the pozzolanic reaction of FA [43–45]. Surface
electrical resistivity is an indirect measure of both porosity and dif-
fusivity. The electrical current flowing through the hydrated paste
is due to an electrolytic process mainly resulting from the flow of

ions present in the pore solution (Na+, K+, Ca2+, SO2+ 4 , OH ) [46].
When portland cement is replaced by FA, the concentration of
the alkali ions generally decreases (Na+ and K+), leading to a lower
ionic conductivity and therefore to a greater electrical resistivity
[47].
Moreover, for groups A, B, and C, it can be observed that the
resistivity decreases when FA is substituted by L. The presence of
L increases the concentration of OH ions that will act as an elec-
trolyte in the pore solution of the mortars/concrete and will
decrease the electrical resistivity because these ions are the more
conductive ions within the pore solution [48,49].
In Figs. 12–15, results of surface electrical resistivity illustrate
that in general, the substitutions of PC by FA of FA + L significantly
increases this durability index. The effect is more significant as FA
or FA + L increases. For the three groups of mixtures (A, B and C),
the substitutions of PC by FA leaded to the highest increments.

Fig. 12. Surface electrical resistivity vs curing time of Group A.

Fig. 13. Surface electrical resistivity vs curing time of Group B.

60 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62

Fig. 14. Surface electrical resistivity vs curing time of Group C.

Fig. 15. Surface Electrical Resistivity at 28 days and 56 days.

For mixtures with FA + L the effect were less significant and tends
to decrease as L increases.
Regarding the surface electrical resistivity results obtained for
group A mixtures, results in Figs. 12–14 indicate that as the substi-
tution of PC by FA or FA + L increases, the age when mixtures
PC-FA, PC-FA-5L, PC-FA-10L and PC-FA-15L exceeded the surface
electrical resistivity of reference mixture was accelerated by 6,
12, 16 and 14 days respectively for mixtures of groups B and C.
The standard errors calculated as an estimate of the uncertainty
with regard to the estimation of the surface electrical resistivity
were within the following ranges: 0.12–1.26% for the reference
mixture, 0.19–2.45% for group A (Fig. 12), 0.16–3.06% for group B
(Fig. 13), and 0.11–2.43% for group C (Fig. 14).
5. Conclusions
From this study, the following conclusions can be drawn:
1. The results for electrical resistivity indicate a significant
improvement in the cementitious matrix imperviousness due
to the replacement of PC by FA. As the substitution of PC by
FA increases, the electrical resistivity results at later ages
demonstrate an increasing benefit.
2. The results confirm that the addition of L is an effective option
to counteract the delays in the times of setting that result from
replacing PC by FA and identify the more appropriate combina-
tions of FA + L for this purpose. As for the compressive strength,
 A. Duran-Herrera et al. / Construction and Building Materials 199 (2019) 50–62
the results show that some of the tested combinations can lead
to a better performance at advanced ages, which is attributable
to the effects of the micro limestone powder acting as a filler in
the cementitious matrix and as a nucleation center for the
hydration products from the surrounding cement particles.
3. In all cases, the FA substitution by L produced a decrease in the
electrical resistivity; as the substitution levels increased, the
electrical resistivity further decreased.
4. Substitutions of PC by FA led to significant reductions in autoge-
nous shrinkage ranging between 39% and 84% for substitutions
between 30% and 60%. In relation to mixtures based on the bin-
ary blend (PC + FA), substitutions of FA by L resulted in either
slight reductions or increases of autogenous shrinkage, which
were not greater than 84 mm/m and 63 mm/m, respectively.
These reductions were more evident for PC by FA substitutions
of 30%; for substitutions of 45% and 60%, substitutions higher
than 5% of FA by L resulted in increased autogenous shrinkage.
5. Substitution of PC by FA reduced 28 d drying shrinkage between
17% and 45%, the reduction becoming more significant as the
substitution of PC by FA increased. For series A, substitutions
of FA by L produced less significant reductions, 35% on average.
In series B and C, substitutions of FA by L showed quite similar
trends to those of series A for monitoring times between 3 d and
15 d. However, at later ages, in both cases, the PC + FA mixtures
as well as the PC + FA + L mixtures showed practically the same
shrinkages at 28 d. At this age, average reductions for series B
and C were 18% and 31%, respectively. Regarding projected
52 w results, substitutions of PC by FA indicate that ultimate
drying shrinkage could increase between 55% and 82 % and that
substitutions of FA by L increase drying shrinkage between 32%
and 81%. Estimations at 52 w tend to be lower as the substitu-
tions of PC by FA or PC by FA + L increases.
Conflict of interest
The authors of the manuscript titled ‘‘Self-Compacting Con-
cretes Using Fly Ash and Fine Limestone Powder: Shrinkage and
Surface Electrical Resistivity of Equivalent Mortars” submitted to
the Journal of Construction and Building Materials certify that this
manuscript have not being submitted to any other journal, and
that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organiza-
tion or entity with any financial interest, or non-financial interest
in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Consejo
Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) for providing the
scholarship to Juan De-León for his MSc studies. Also to Dave Carr
and Francisco Pazos from OMYA and Israel Olivares from Repre-
sentaciones Técnicas S.A. de C.V., for providing the micro limestone
powder used in this study. As well as to Filiberto Marín from
EUCOMEX S.A. de C.V., for providing the high range water reducer
and viscosity modifier admixtures, and to Ramón Álvarez from
Concretos La Silla, S.A. de C.V., for providing the portland cement.
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