A study on physical properties of mortar mixed with fly-ash as functions of mill types and milling times

Abstract

Coal ash, a material generated from coal-fired power plants, can be classified as fly ash and bottom ash. The amount of domestic fly ash generation is almost 6.84 million tons per year, while the amount of bottom ash generation is 1.51 million tons. The fly ash is commonly used as a concrete admixture and a subsidiary raw material in cement fabrication process. And some amount of bottom ash is used as a material for embankment and block. However, the recyclable amount of the ash is limited since it could cause deterioration of physical properties. In Korea, the ashes are simply mixed and used as a replacement material for cement. In this study, an attempt was made to mechanically activate the ash by grinding process in order to increase recycling rates of the fly ash. Activated fly ash was prepared by controlling the mill types and the milling times and characteristics of the mortar containing the activated fly ash was analyzed. When the ash was ground by using a vibratory mill, physical properties of the mortar mixed with such fly ash were higher than the mortar mixed with fly ash ground by a planetary mill.