Internal curing effect of high volume furnace bottom ash (FBA) incorporation on lightweight aggregate concrete

Furnace Bottom Ash (FBA) is a by-product of coal-fired power generation plants. Few studies have focused on assessing the impact of using high volumes of FBA on lightweight aggregate concrete, especially on its dimensional stability and thermal insulation properties. In this study, normal weight coarse aggregate concrete (NAC) and lightweight coarse aggregate concrete (LWC) have been prepared. High volumes of FBA were used to replace natural fine aggregates to prepare the concrete mixes. Silica fume was used to mitigate the high permeability of concrete induced by porous aggregates incorporation. The compressive strength test results show that high strength LWC can be prepared with high volume FBA incorporation. The dimensional stability evaluation shows the linear relationship between FBA replacement ratio and autogenous shrinkage reduction. The internal curing effect of FBA aggregate has been investigated. The increased use of FBA in both NAC and LWC resulted in improved thermal insulation properties. The results indicate the potential of producing high performance lightweight aggregate concrete with high volume industrial by-products.