Performance evaluation of the fresh and mechanical characteristics of cement paste using silica fume

• Main Authors: Sahii, Saadia A., Hlail, Saif Hameed, Sada, Yasameen Azeez Abdul
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon dioxide; Cement; Cement paste; Compressive strength; Flexural strength; Mechanical properties; Mixtures; Performance evaluation; Portland cements; Silica fume
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0162945

In recent years, the demand for cement plants has increased for use in construction operations, which leads to more problems of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. Therefore, the world is currently turning to use by-products or waste materials to be used as a partial replacement for cement to reduce the problems of CO2 emissions. In this paper, the supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) represented by silica fume (SF) were used as a partial replacement for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with proportions (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, and 20%) by weight. The fresh and mechanical characteristics of the cement paste were evaluated in terms of flow table test, compressive and flexural strength. The outcomes illustrated when adding silica fume as a partial supplanting for ordinary Portland cement with a fixed water-binder ratio (W/B) of 0.35% to all mixtures leading to an amelioration in the mechanical characteristics of ordinary Portland cement. At the same time, the increase of silica fume with ordinary Portland cement clarifies a decrease in the flowability of the cement paste. The increase in the percentage of silica fume combined with the ordinary Portland cement leads to a rise in compressive and flexural strength against to traditional mixture containing 100% ordinary Portland cement.