About Projects Concrete 101 Products Pricing Applications Media Contact Call Us 706-724-0860 Email Us office@americanconcrete.org GET A QUOTE WHAT’S NEW What's new with American Concrete American ConcreteWhat’s New February 27, 2019 / Updates Fly Ash is NOT just filler! Fly Ash is one of the most commonly misunderstood components of ready mixed concrete! I routinely hear people say that Fly Ash is just a cheap “filler” that ready mix companies use to keep the cost of concrete down. This really couldn’t be further from the truth. Fly Ash, known as a “pozzolan”, is generally a byproduct of coal-fired power generation plants. Pozzolanic material will not react with water by itself, but when mixed with water and Portland cement it will form a compound with cementitious properties. Let me explain that even a little further: Cement + water = C-S-H + CH + “other phases” Word did not find any entries for your table of contents. C-S-H in this equation is Calcium-Silicate Hydrate, and it is the main “glue” that holds everything together within a concrete mix. The more C-S-H that you have within your mix will have two main results: 1) your mix will be stronger 2) the concrete will become more impermeable (water resistant). You will also notice in the original equation that there is another product that is created, Calcium Hydroxide (CH). It is good for a concrete mix to have a little CH because it helps to maintain a high PH, which is needed to keep steel products from corroding. However, too much CH can start to cause problems as it can easily seep from the concrete and expedite some pretty serious deterioration processes (Alkali Silica Reaction and Sulfate attacks). This is where Fly Ash really starts to earn it’s reputation as a valuable and important ingredient in concrete. As I stated earlier in this post, most pozzolans will not react directly with water. However, when these pozzolans are introduced to a source of CH, the reaction will look like this: Silica (from pozzolan) + CH + water = C-S-H (the good stuff we want lots of!) What we see in the above equation is that the fly ash reacts with CH that was liberated in the hydration process and created more C-S-H, which will ultimately add more strength. It will also, at the same time, leave enough CH present to keep the PH high enough to protect steel from corroding! In simplest terms, fly ash becomes cement! But we aren’t done here…. fly ash continues to help in so many ways: It refines and fills in the pore structure of the concrete “paste”, greatly reducing permeability! There are so many efforts to reduce vapor and water migration through concrete (after hydration) and a high fly ash mix will naturally do just that! The less permeable concrete is, the less effective outside forces are in penetrating and attacking the mix. Combats Alkali-Silica Reactivity, Alkali-Carbonate Reactivity and various Sulfate attacks. Lowers heat of hydration! This is a great benefit to those finishing concrete in hot weather or placing concrete in large volumes (mass pours). Lowers carbon footprint. Across the world, engineers and concrete producers are having incredible success with high fly-ash mixes….over 50%-60% by volume and up! The technology is present to pour large structures (bridges, dams etc) with concrete mixes that have MORE FLY ASH THAN CEMENT with results that are nothing short of amazing! I’ve seen 28-56 day breaks of over 6000 psi on some of these high fly ash mixes and these structures are almost impervious to attacks (ASR and sulfate). Fly Ash is not a liability anymore…it is a asset to this industry that can exponentially increase our capabilities in the construction world. I’ve had great success creating an EccoCrete mix that can be used in flatwork and blockfill, containing over 40% fly ash, which will meet and/or exceed strengths of a standard low fly ash mix! The technology is here….it has been here for quite some time! I would love the opportunity to show you the benefits and performance results of a high fly ash EccoCrete mix! Please feel free to contact us to learn more! – TJ Barton NRMCA Certified Concrete Technologist Level 4 February 27, 2019 / Updates Military Appreciation As we have said numerous times we believe it is more important to “carry the flag” than to merely “wave it around”, and we have backed up this belief with 4 generations of significant military service. We are intentional with investing in the youth within our community, and we are devoted to supporting our fellow brothers and sisters of the United States Armed Forces. One way we can personally help support our active duty/retired veterans is to help “lighten the loadyou’re your construction costs. We gladly offer a military discount to all active duty and retired military personnel. As long as you have a military ID or DD-214 we will be glad to apply this discount. Call our main office for more details at 706-724-0860 Search for: Industry News Resources Builders Association of Metro Augusta homebuildersaugusta.org Home Builders Association of Aiken County aikenbuilders.com/membersoverview.cfm American Concrete Institute concrete.org Portland Cement Association cement.org Georgia Ready Mixed Concrete Association gaconcrete.org RECENT POSTS Fly Ash is NOT just filler! Military Appreciation 1310 Walker Street • Augusta, GA 30901 (706) 724-0860 office@americanconcrete.org GET A QUOTE EMPLOYEE PORTAL American Concrete • The All American Concrete Company