Influence of Fly Ash on Thaumasite Form of Sulfate Attack in Cement-Based Materials

A low temperature sulfate attack research was carried out to investigate the effects of fly ash on thaumasite form of sulfate attack (TSA) in cement-based materials. Cement-limestone-fly ash samples were immerged in 5% magnesium sulfate solution at (5±2) oC. The appearance of samples was observed, and strength was also tested. Besides, the corrosion products were analyzed by infrared spectrum (IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Cement was equally replaced by fly ash with 20%, 30%, and 50% proportions. The results show that: Effects of fly ash on TSA were closely related to the composition, content and fineness of fly ash. Fly ash with an activity index larger than 80% could improve the resistance to TSA in cement-based materials when the replacement reached 50% while fly ash only played a minor role in early stage with 20%-30% content.