Características físicas e mecânicas de misturas de solo, cimento e cinzas de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar Physical and mechanical characteristics of soil-cement-bagasse ash mixtures

Este trabalho teve por finalidade analisar algumas características de misturas de solo, cimento e cinzas de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar para sua possível utilização na fabricação de materiais alternativos de construção. Para tal, amostras de cinzas de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar foram submetidas a um tratamento prévio que consistia de peneiramento e moagem, antes de serem incorporadas às misturas de solo e cimento. Diferentes combinações de cimento-cinzas foram estudadas, determinando-se, para cada uma delas, a consistência normal e a resistência à compressão simples, aos 7 e 28 dias. Posteriormente, corpos-de-prova moldados com tais misturas de solo-cimento-cinzas foram submetidos a ensaios de compactação, compressão simples e absorção de água. Os resultados indicaram a possibilidade de substituir até 20% do cimento Portland, na mistura, por cinzas de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar, sem prejuízo da resistência à compressão simples.<br>This work was done with the objective of studying some physical and mechanical characteristics of the sugarcane bagasse ash added to a soil-cement mixture, in order to obtain an alternative construction material. The sugarcane bagasse ash pre-treatment included both sieving and grinding, before mixing with soil and cement. Different proportions of cement-ash were tested by determining its standard consistence and its compressive resistance at 7 and 28 days age. The various treatments were subsequently applied to the specimens molded with different soil-cement-ash mixtures which in turns were submitted to compaction, unconfined compression and water absorption laboratory tests. The results showed that it is possible to replace up to 20% of Portland cement by sugarcane bagasse ash without any damage to the mixture's compressive strength

Hydration of mechanically activated granulated blast furnace slag

Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) is known to possess latent hydraulic activity, i.e., it shows cementitious properties when in contact with water over a long period of time. Results are presented in this article to show that, in sharp contrast to published literature on the hydration of neat GGBFS, the complete hydration of slag is possible in a short time (days), even without a chemical activator. This is achieved if the slag used for hydration is mechanically activated, using an attrition mill. The nature of the hydration product of the mechanically activated slag depends not only on the initial specific surface area (SSA) of the slag but also on the surface activation, as manifested by the change in the zeta potential (ξ) of the slag during the milling process. Depending upon the SSA and the ξ, the hydration product changed from nonreacted slag with high porosity (slag SSA −29 mV) to hydrated slag with a compact structure (SSA=0.3 to 0.4 m2/g, ξ=−29 to −31 mV), and, finally, to fully hydrated slag with high porosity (SSA>0.4 m2/g, ξ ∼ 26 mV). Unlike the poorly crystalline hydration product formed by the nonactivated slag, even after prolonged hydration for years, the hydration product of mechanically activated slag was crystalline in nature. The crystallinity of the product improved as the duration of the mechanical activation increased. The calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) phases present in the slag hydration product, characterized by a Ca/Si ratio of 0.7 to 1.5, were similar to those found for the hydraulic cement binder, except for the presence of Mg and Al as impurities. In addition, the presence of a di-calcium-silicate-hydrate phase (α-C2SH), which normally forms under hydrothermal conditions, and a Ca-deficient and Si-Al-rich phase (average Ca/Si mole ratio < 0.1 and Si/Al ∼ 3) is indicated, especially in the hydration product of slag that was activated for a longer time