Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon) 2019

Study on Strength and Durability of Cellular Cement-

Fly Ash Blocks
K. Baskaran J. R. U. C. Jayakody
Senior Lecturer Department of Chemical and Process Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering University of Moratuwa
University of Moratuwa Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka [email protected]
[email protected]

M.A.R. Sandaruwan
Department of Civil Engineering
University of Moratuwa
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
[email protected]

Abstract— Fly ash, which is a waste product collected during

coal combustion, has become an issue to the environment and I. INTRODUCTION
human, due to lack of proper disposal methods. The major The composition of fly ash decides its application in any
barrier of fly ash not being used as a land filling material is its industry. The unburned carbon content hinders the bond
heavy metal composition. The usage of fly ash in concrete may strength of cement aggregate mixture. Therefore, the optimum
also vary with the composition of unburned carbon in fly ash. If
mix proportion must be decided based on experiments.
used in optimum proportions fly ash can give many benefits like
cold weather resistance, high strength gains, a good admixture, a The literature shows that coal fly ash has many
non-shrink material, great workability, reduced crack problems, applications in both building construction and road
reduced heat of hydration and CO2 emissions. Fly ash can be construction fields but only a very few number of applications
used in many applications as an additive in building materials are used commercially in development activities. Studies done
such as bricks, blocks, concrete, road and embankment covers. by the U.S. Department of Transportation shows the
Since fly ash is a by-product, it possesses a very low embodied percentage of fly ash used in different activities. Fly ash is
energy, which in turn reduces the embodied energy of the used in concrete, flowable fills, structural fills, mineral fillers,
product made out of fly ash to a considerably low value.
soil and water stabilizations, agriculture, road base and mining
Therefore, the introduction of fly ash into cement sand blocks as
a raw material is a better sustainable practice. This research
applications. Though there are so many applications of fly ash,
attempt focuses on finding a feasible and an effective solution for only 32.3 % of produced fly ash is used productively [1].
the coal fly ash problem in fluidized bed boiler and to check the In 2004, Baba and Kaya had evaluated the applicability of
suitability of coal fly ash cement blocks in building construction. coal ash in concrete industry in Turkey. The results concluded
An appropriate mix proportion for fly ash cement blocks is found that 10% replacement of Portland cement by coal ash
through trial and error process and various different mix improved mechanical properties of concrete [2]. There were
proportions can be tested to obtain a productive and sustainable
no tests done by them on the environmental sustainability of
result in future as well. Tests, done on the product, proved that
using coal ash in day to day products. Kim and Lee found that
the raw materials used including fly ash, are healthy and robust
to be handled and incorporated. Tests proved that the the density of hardened concrete linearly decreases with the
substitution of fly ash has created very less amount of change to introduction of fly ash or bottom ash into concrete without a
the strength and durability. Also the experiments done on the major change to strength [3]. The studies done by Nisnevich
heavy metal leachate confirms this product is eco-friendly and and Eshel have proved that replacement of fine aggregate with
human friendly. Tests done on durability, strength and thermal bottom ash led to low density, low thermal conductivity, low
properties have confirmed that fly ash can be used as an effective shrinkage and high heat resistive concrete [4].
substitute for sand in cement sand blocks, hence providing a
The research did by Vijayaragavan shows a clear
promising way to dumb fly ash in an eco friendly way.
comparison of characteristics of brick types i.e. conventional
Keywords— coal fly ash; cement blocks; strength; durability brick, mud brick, mud brick with slag, mud brick with quarry

978-1-4799-1740-2/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE

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waste and fly ash brick with slag. The results are a clear dug well at the block manufacturing plant of ICC. Fly ash was
indication in favour of the alternative material bricks on all obtained from Brandix Textiles (Pvt) Ltd.
counts. The alternative material bricks are stronger, absorb
less moisture and as per the tests slightly heavier than A. Determination of material properties
conventional bricks. Hence it can be clearly recommended for Physical properties such as bulk density and particle size
cost effective construction for low cost housing [5]. distribution of all the aggregates including fly ash were
Fly ash has also been used in paving block manufacture. determined as per ASTM C29 [10]. Moisture contents of
The concrete paving blocks with the fly ash replacement ratio manufacturing sand and fly ash were determined before the
of 25% satisfied the production target value of the plastic manufacturing process as per ASTM C566 [11].
deformation (at most 1 mm), at the unit water content which is The chemical properties of water including chloride, sulphate,
used as the basis of water control at the factory, where the unit fluoride and nitrate were determined using ion
water content ranges from the unit water content at the chromatography. The pH value of the water was determined
moulding limit through the unit water content at the moulding by a pH meter according to BS 1377-3 [12].
limit minus 10 kg/m3. Also, this mix satisfied the target The chemical composition of fly ash and leaching properties
production value of the 7-day flexural strength at least 6.00 of blocks were determined by the atomic absorption
MPa [6]. spectrophotometry method following USEPA method no.1311
[13].
Coal ash has been used as fine aggregate in hot mix asphalt
wearing surfaces and base courses. Researchers of U.S.A. B. Conducting pilot tests
have found that hot mix asphalt with 15% bottom ash had Several pilot tests were done to select a suitable mix
good performance to control mixes and cost effective aspects proportion of fly ash with other raw materials. The
[7]. Tata power, India installed a coal ash brick manufacturing manufacturing of the samples were done by machinery at ICC
plant to produce eco-friendly bricks which uses 400kg of precast yard, Madapatha, Piliyandala. The blocks were
bottom ash and 500kg of fly ash per day to produce 250 bricks compressed into shape by applying a constant hydraulic
[8].The annual coal requirement for the Norochcholai power pressure for a few seconds. Samples were prepared replacing
plant of Sri Lanka is 2.4 million MT, generating 255,000 MT manufactured sand with 10%, 20% and 30% of fly ash by
of ash annually. The residual ash is used both by the cement volume. The compressive strength check and water absorption
and asbestos industries [9]. test confirmed that the samples are robust. Therefore, the
Most of the literature, though show various testing done on percentage of fly ash replacement with manufactured sand was
fly ash and products manufactured, lack the need for testing increased to 50% and 75% and strength and durability tests
different aspects and practical issues encountered when the were done for these samples. The dimensions of the cellular
products are being used. Not a single product is fully tested in blocks prepared are 390 mm x 190 mm x 100 mm. TABLE I
the aspects of raw material testing, mechanical, thermal, shows the mix design of the final samples.
chemical properties testing of the product, the environmental
sustainability of the product and how it affects the human life. C. Curing process of blocks
This research is based on the utilization of fly ash The manufactured blocks were cured by thermal curing for 24
produced in a fluidized bed coal boiler as a filler material in hours in a specially prepared insulated chamber. Then the
cellular cement sand blocks. The main objective of this blocks were sent for water curing where water was sprinkled
research is to find an environmental friendly way to dispose on them as they dried up. Water curing was done for 3 days.
8000 tons of fly ash already produced by the fluidized bed
boiler. Since the use and storage of river sand is legally TABLE I : MIX DESIGN OF THE FINAL SAMPLES
restricted and manufactured sand requires extra energy and
cost to produce, fly ash if used as a filling agent in blocks Material Block type I Block type II Block type
creates many advantages. Many mix proportions were III
prepared and tested in this research to select the best suitable
option. The blocks were manufactured using machinery where Cement (kg) 50.00 50.00 50.00
the block is compressed into shape by applying hydraulic
pressure. The samples were tested for dry and wet Fly ash (kg) 0.00 27.13 40.70
compressive strength, water absorption, drying shrinkage and
spray erosion. The results are tabulated to compare the better Manufactured sand (kg) 190.00 100.70 51.00
mix proportion of fly ash to be added into the final product.
Quarry dust (kg) 250.00 250.00 250.00

II. METHODOLOGY OF EXPERIMENTAL STUDY Quarry chips (kg) 125.00 125.00 125.00
The raw materials used to manufacture the cement fly ash
blocks were identified as cement, manufactured sand, quarry Water (kg) 30.00 30.00 30.00
dust and chips, fly ash and water. The ordinary Portland
cement is used and all the aggregates were taken from
Thudugala ICC crushing plant. Water was obtained from a

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D. Determination of compressive strength TABLE II : BULK DENSITY OF MATERIALS

The compressive strength of the blocks was determined by a Material Bulk density (kg/m3)
digital compression testing machine after 07days and 28 days
in compliance with the SLS 855: Part 1: 1989 [14]. Fly ash 378
E. Determination of water absorption
Manufactured sand 1249
Water absorption test was carried out as per SLS 855: Part 1:
1989 [14]. Initial weights of blocks were measured first. The Quarry dust 1424
blocks were immersed in water for 24 hours and submerged
weight, wet weight and dry weight were measured using a Quarry chips 1389
spring balance.
Water 996
Water absorption = (
4 –
2) / (
1 –
3) (1)
TABLE III shows the results of chemical analysis carried out

1 – Initial weight of block
using atomic absorption spectrophotometry and ion

2 – Submerged weight of block
chromatography on the fly ash. The results reveal that the

3 – Wet weight of block
toxicity levels of chemicals found are below the limit specified

4 – Dry weight of block
by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
F. Determination of wet compressive strength
TABLE III : CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF FLY ASH
The wet compressive strength was determined by the digital
compression test machine after immersing the blocks in water Parameter Value (ppm) Toxicity limit (ppm)
for 48 hours. Wet to dry ratio of compressive strengths was
calculated.
Antimony 0.03 NAa
G. Spray erosion test
This test was carried out under the compliance of SLS 1382-2- Cadmium 0.007 41
2009 [15]. Three types of blocks were tested after oven drying Chromium 0.01 NAa
for 24 hrs. Each specimen was subjected to a water spray of
Copper 0.006 1500
50kPa for 1 hr. The depth of pit created due to the water spray
was measured in 15 min interval. Lead 0.03 NAa

H. Drying shrinkage and wetting expansion test Zinc 0.12 NAa

This test was carried out as per SLS 855 standards. Specimens Arsenic 0.02 41
of dimension 25 mm x 50 mm x 150 mm was prepared and
immersed in water at room temperature for 5 days. After 5 Selenium 0.02 100
days the length of the specimen was measured using the Barium 0.26 NAa
drying shrinkage apparatus. The specimens were oven dried
Fluoride 0.028 NAa
for another 48 hours and the length was measured. This cycle
of drying, cooling and measuring was repeated until a constant Chloride 2.246 600
length is attained.
Phosphate 3.939 NAa
I. Determination of thermal properties
Nitrate 0.231 NAa
The specific heat capacity of blocks was measured using a
calorimeter and thermometer. Some smaller specimens of Sulphate 13.895 2000
blocks were oven heated for 100 0C and added into the a.
Not Applicable.
calorimeter with water at room temperature to measure the
The properties of water given in TABLE IV are below the
temperature reduction.
specified limits given in BS 1377-3. The source of water used
III. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS for the manufacturing of blocks can be recommended suitable.

A. Properties of materials
The bulk density values of the raw materials used for the
manufacture of cement fly ash blocks are indicated in the
TABLE II.

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 TABLE IV : PROPERTIES OF WATER TABLE VII : WET COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH RESULTS

Water properties Value Limit Block type Dry strength Wet strength Wet to dry ratio
(N/mm2) (N/mm2)

Fluoride content 0.008 ppm NAa I 8.5 5.3 0.62

Chloride content 58.039 ppm < 4000 ppm II 7.2 4.9 0.68

III 5.3 4.5 0.85

Sulphate content 13.467 ppm < 1000 ppm

Nitrate content 114.208 ppm NAa E. Spray erosion test

The maximum pit depth in a block must be 10mm as per the
pH value 7.1 6.5-7.5 standards. The results of all the blocks are given in TABLE
a.
Not Applicable.
VIII and they have not exceeded the specified value.

B. Compressive strength TABLE VIII : PIT DEPTH VALUES

Results in TABLE V show that the block type III with the
highest percentage of fly ash has the lowest compressive Block type Pit depth (mm)
strength. The strength has decreased with the introduction of I 0.0
fly ash probably due to the unburned carbon in it making less
strong bonds with cement. The density of block type III is the II 5.0
least due to the low density of fly ash. III 5.0

TABLE V : COMPRESSIVE STRENGTHS AND DENSITIES OF BLOCKS F. Drying shrinkage and wetting expansion
Block type Compressive strength Density (kg/m ) 3
Limits specified for drying shrinkage and wetting expansion in
(N/mm2) SLS 855 is 0.06% and 0.03% respectively. Since the results in
07 days 28 days TABLE IX are below the limits, the fly ash cement blocks
satisfy the drying shrinkage and wetting expansion
I 5.8 8.5 1645 requirements.
II 4.8 7.2 1500 TABLE IX : DRYING SHRINKAGE AND WETTING EXPANSION VALUES

III 4.0 5.3 1469

Block type Drying shrinkage Wetting expansion
(%) (%)
C. Water absorption
Fly ash shows a greater affinity to water due to its finer I 0.05 0.03
particle size. Therefore, the water absorption in fly ash cement
blocks is higher compared to normal block as given in TABLE II 0.04 0.03
VI. But the values are below the specified limit (240 kg/m 3).
III 0.04 0.03
TABLE VI : WATER ABSORPTION VALUES
G. Thermal properties
Block type Water absorption Moisture content The specific heat capacities of clay bricks and cement blocks
(kg/m3) (%)
found in the market are 900-1000 J/kg.K and 850 J/kg.K
I 154.5 24.1
which are much higher compared to the results obtained in
TABLE X. Fly ash cement blocks possess good thermal
II 195.8 22.2 properties.

III 180.7 27.8 TABLE X : SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY VALUES

Block type Specific heat capacity (J/kg.K)

D. Wet compressive strength
TABLE VII depicts the wet to dry compressive strength ratios I 711
of the block types. The wet to dry ratio must be maintained at
least 0.4 which is satisfied in all three types of blocks. II 679

III 773

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H. Leaching properties • General public may become hesitant in using this new
TABLE XI shows that the blocks when subjected to wash product due to its novelty and less knowledge on the
away. Due to rains do not release considerably high toxic level properties of the product.
of heavy metals to the environment. Therefore, this block • Further alternative mix proportions, manufacturing
types are healthy to handle and use as walling material. techniques and bending strength of fly ash block walls can be
tested to utilize increased amounts of coal fly ash in cement
TABLE XI : LEACHATE VALUES blocks manufacturing process as future work.
Parameter Value (ppm) Toxicity limit ACKNOWLEDGEMENT


(ppm)
Block Block Block type The authors wish to specially thank International
type I type II III
Construction Consortium (pvt) Ltd, who helped us immensely
in the process of making block samples and Brandix Textiles
Antimony 0.002 0.002 0.002 31 (Pvt) Ltd. for the sponsorship given for the research. The
Cadmium ND b
ND b
ND b
41 authors’ sincere thanks go to the Department of Civil
Engineering and the Department of Material Science
Chromium 0.2 0.15 0.12 100,000
Engineering of University of Moratuwa and their staff
Copper ND b
ND b
ND b
1500 members, who helped made this research a success.
b b b
Finally the authors would thank the National
Lead ND ND ND 300
Building Research Organization and Industrial Technology
Vanadium 0.002 0.003 0.002 5200 Institute for the guidance and services provided for the
research.
Arsenic NDb NDb NDb 41
REFERENCES
Selenium NDb 0.001 NDb 100
[1] Transportation, U. D. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal
Barium 0.29 0.26 0.28 530 Highway Administration, 2017, [Online] Available:
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov [Accessed January 17, 2019]
Boron 1.1 1.3 1.3 NAa [2] Baba & Kaya, “Leaching characteristics of solid wastes from thermal
power plants of western Turkey”, Journal of Environment Management,
Mercury NDb NDb NDb 17 vol. 73, pp. 199-207, November 2004.
Nickel 0.004 0.005 0.005 420 [3] Kim & Lee, “Use of power plant bottom ash as fine and coarse
aggregates in high strength concrete”, Journal of construction and
Cobalt 0.001 0.002 0.002 23 building materials, vol. 25, pp. 1115-1122, February 2011.
[4] Nisnevich & Eshel, “Using high volume fly ash in light weight concrete
Molybdenum 0.04 0.03 0.03 380
with bottom ash as aggregate”, Seventh Canmet/ACI, vol. 199, pp. 99-
a.
Not Applicable. 114, January 2001.
b.
Not Detectable. [5] C. Vijayaraghavan,“Cost Effective Bricks in Construction” International
Journal of Applied Engineering Research , vol. 4, pp. 327-334, 2009.
[6] Karasawa, “Application of fly ash to concrete paving blocks”, 7th
IV. CONCLUSIONS International Conference on Concrete Block Paving (Pave Africa 2003)
Sun city, South Africa: Document Transformation Technologies,
• Properties of fly ash, from Brandix Textiles (Pvt) Ltd. had October 2003.
useful physical and chemical properties, which made it [7] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), [Online] Available:
amenable to produce light weight blocks with good thermal www.epa.gov, last updated 2012, [Accessed January 17, 2019]
properties. [8] Tatapower, www.tatapower.com, [Online] Available:
• There is no health risk involved in using and handling the https://www.tatapower.com , 2012, [Accessed January 17, 2019]
blocks though fly ash contains heavy metals and other [9] Skandha Gunasekara,“Tokyo Super awarded lion’s share of Fly Ash
chemicals in trace amounts. tenders”, Daily FT, [Online] Available: http://www.ft.lk/news/Tokyo-
Super-awarded-lion-s-share-of-Fly-Ash-tenders, November 2017.
• The compressive strength has decreased with the addition of
[10] ASTM C29 / C29M - 17a, Standard Test Method for Bulk Density
fly ash yet the blocks have the strength more than 4 N/mm 2 (“Unit Weight”) and Voids in Aggregate, Standards America, ASTM
which is the commercial requirement. International, US.
• The blocks became lighter in weight with the addition of fly [11] ASTM C566 – 13, Standard Test Method for Total Evaporable Moisture
ash but the water absorption is higher compared to normal Content of Aggregate by Drying, Standards America, ASTM
International, US.
blocks.
[12] BS 1377-3:2018, Methods of test for soils for civil engineering
• The analysis of results proves that fly ash can become a purposes. Chemical and electro-chemical testing, British Standards
robust substitute for sand when manufacturing blocks. Institution, London.
• Since fly ash is not a good strength gainer higher percentage [13] SW-846 Test Method 1311: Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure,
of replacements with fly ash needs admixtures to be added. United States Environmental Protection Agency, USA.
This creates extra cost for the product. [14] SLS 855-1:1989: Specification for cement blocks: Part 1: Requirements,
• Addition of fly ash makes the blocks darker in colour and Sri Lanka, Standards Institution, Colombo.
may become disadvantageous in aesthetical appearance. [15] SLS 1382-1:2009: Specification for compressed stabilized earth blocks:
Part 1: Requirements, Sri Lanka Standards Institution, Colombo.

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