Effects of increasing limestone content of cement on concrete performance

To reduce the CO2 footprint of the construction industry, technologies have been developed for the replacement of Portland cement by other materials, such as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), which have had the benefit of increased concrete durability, when properly applied. More recently, the cement industry has focused attention on incorporation of increasingly larger amounts of limestone in general purpose (GP) cement, and proposed to incorporate up to 12% limestone in all cements under the designation of GP cement in Australia Long-term durability of concrete made with such cements has not been studies in various applications, such as precast concrete and aggressive exposure conditions.This work, supported by Austroads through ARRB (where first author was project leader), reports on the effects of increasing the limestone content of both GP and blended cements from 2.9% to12% on the properties of concretes cured under ambient and steam-curing conditions (~80°C). The blended cements incorporated either 25% fly ash or 65% slag. Mechanical, microstructural, and durability properties of concretes were studied and compared. Results showed that the compressive strength of concrete was not significantly affected. However, some mechanical and durability properties were adversely affected as a result of incorporation of 12% limestone in plain GP cement, particularly in steam-cured concrete. The adverse effects were significantly reduced in the blended cements. Based on the results, it was concluded that incorporation of 12% limestone in GP cements could cause both mechanical and durability problems, particularly in steam-cured concrete elements, and cannot be recommended.

• Record URL:
  • https://austroads.com.au/publications/bridges/abc2022-000-22
• Record URL:
  • https://arrbknowledge.com
• Authors:
  • Shayan, A
  • Andrews-Phaedonos, F
• Conference:
  • Austroads Bridge Conference, 11th, 2022, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
• Publication Date: 2022-11

Media Info

• Pagination: 17p
• Monograph Title: 11th Austroads Bridge Conference, Adelaide, 15th-18th November 2022

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cement; Concrete; Curing and setting agents; Durability; Fly ash; Limestone; Performance; Slag; Steam
• Geographic Terms: Victoria
• ATRI Terms: Cement; Concrete; Curing; Durability; Fly ash; Limestone; Performance; Slag; Steam
• ITRD Terms: 4702: Curing (concrete)
• Subject Areas: I32: Concrete;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01901735
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB Group Limited
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Dec 7 2023 2:54PM