5 minute Flash

Construction

Silica Fume and Fly ash

Mohamed Wagih
BU Manager Contractors
Sika Qatar

Sika Egypt
Construction Flash Agenda :
•Definition .
•Specification Standards.
•Chemical and physical Characteristics.
•Advantage and Disadvantage of Fly Ash in Fresh and
hardened concrete.
•Reaction of Silica Fume in Concrete
•Physical Contribution.
•Chemical Contribution.
•Effect of Silica Fume on fresh concrete and how those
effects improve constructability and the final concrete.
•Effect of Silica Fume on Hardened Concrete and how those
effects are used in concrete applications.

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Construction Definition
Silica Fume
Very fine non-crystalline
silica produced in electric
arc furnaces as a by product
of the production of
elemental silicon or alloys
containing silicon-ACI 116R-
Grey colored powder similar
to Portland cement or some
fly ash.
Fly Ash
Fly ash is a group of
materials that can vary
significantly in composition.
It is residue left from
burning coal, which is
collected on an electrostatic
precipitator or in a bag
house. It mixes with flue
gases that result when
powdered coal is used to
produce electric power.
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Construction Fly Ash standards:
•Class ” F “ is made from burning anthracite and/or
bituminous coal .
•Class “ C “" is produced from lignite or sub bituminous coal.
In Canada, there is a further distinction.
•When the lime content is 8-20 percent, it is classified Cl, and
when it is higher, it is class C.
Silica Fume ( ASTM C1240 ) :
•Minimum Silicon Dioxide of 85 %.
•Maximum Moisture content to 3 % .
•Maximum loss in ignition to 6 % .
•The Oversize materials retained on a 45- m ( No.325) sieve to
a maximum of 10 %.
•The maximum variation from average be no more than 5%
points .
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Construction
Comparison of chemical and physical Characteristics Fly Ash,
Silica Fume and Portland cement.
Silica Fly Ash Fly Ash Portland Property
Fume Class C Class F Cement
85 to 97 35 52 21 SiO2 %

<1 21 5 62 CaO %

15,000 to 420 420 370 Fineness as

30,000 surface area ,
m2/Kg

2.22 2.65 2.38 3.15 Specific gravity

Property Cement Cement Primary binder General use in

enhancer replacement replacement Concrete

Silica Fume is typically much more reactive, particularly at

early ages , because of its higher silicon dioxide content and
because of its very small particle size .
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Construction

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 Advantages of Fly Ash :
Construction In Hardened Concrete
Good quality fly ash generally improves
workability or at least produces the same
workability with less water. The reduction in
water leads to improved strength.
Fly Ash has been suspected of contributing to
corrosion because it reacts with Calcium
Hydroxide.
Also, it reduces permeability that help to
protect the concrete from Chloride
penetration.
A super plastizer combined with Fly Ash can
be used to make high-performance and high
strength concrete.
Concrete containing fly ash generally
performs better than plain concrete in drying
shrinkage tests.
Cost of fly ash
Fly ash typically costs approximately 1/2 to 1/3 that of Portland cement as
delivered, assuming a suitable means of batching is already in place.
In Fresh Concrete
Fly Ash particles are spherical and in the
same size range as Portland cement, a
reduction in the amount of water needed for
mixing and placing concrete can be obtained .
In precast concrete , this can be translated
into better workability , resulting in sharp and
distinctive corners and edges with better
surface appearance , it also reduce
permeability which is leading cause of
premature failure .
The use of Fly Ash can result in better
workability , pump ability ,Cohesiveness ,
finish, ultimate strength and durability .
The fine particles in fly ash help to reduce
bleeding and segregation .
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Construction Disadvantages of Fly Ash :

•Poor-quality fly ash can have a negative

effect on concrete (increase permeability ).
•Some concrete will set slowly when fly ash
is used. Though this might be perceived as
a disadvantage, it can actually be a benefit
by reducing thermal stress .
•Freeze-thaw durability may not be
acceptable with the use of fly ash in
concrete.
•High-carbon fly ash materials tend to use
more water and darken the concrete as
well.

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Construction Reaction of Silica fume in Concrete :
The benefit seen from adding Silica Fume are
the result of changes to the microstructure of
the concrete.

Physical Contribution Chemical Contribution

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Construction Physical Contribution :

•Adding Silica Fume brings millions and millions of

very small particles to concrete mixture.
•Just like fine aggregates fills in the spaces between
coarse aggregate particles, Silica Fume fills in the
spaces between cement grains.
•This phenomenon is frequently referred to as particle
packing or micro-filling .

Even if Silica Fume didn’t react chemically, the micro-filler

effect would bring about significant improvement in the nature
of the concrete .

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Construction Chemical Contribution :
•It is a very high amorphous silicon dioxide content
because of that silica fume is a very reactive
Pozzolanic material in concrete.
•As the Portland Cement in concrete begins to react
chemically it releases Calcium hydroxide.
•The Silica Fume reacts with this Calcium hydroxide
to form additional binder material called Calcium
Silicate hydrate , which is very similar to the Calcium
hydrate formed from the Portland cement .
•It is largely this additional binder that gives silica-
fume concrete its improved hardened properties.

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 Effect of Silica Fume on fresh concrete and how those effects
Construction improve constructability and the final concrete.

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 Effect of Silica Fume on Hardened Concrete and how those
Construction effects are used in concrete applications.

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Construction We hope You got the information
you need from
this flash

By: Eng.:Mohamed Wagih

Business Unit Contractors Manager Sika Gulf B.S.C - Qatar Division

Return to the Technical Data sheet for more details

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