Application of internal curing for mixtures containing high volumes of fly ash

This paper focuses on testing performed on mixtures that would be consistent with the mortar portion of a concrete bridge deck mixture for many state departments of transportation. In this work a relatively large percentage of cement (40%, 60%, or 80% by volume) is replaced with Class C fly ash. To overcome concerns associated with slow set and early-age strength development that are often expressed with the high volume fly ash mixtures (HVFA), the water-to-cementitious materials ratio (w/cm) by mass has been reduced from a conventional value of 0.42 to 0.30. To overcome potential complications that the low w/cm may cause in terms of self-desiccation, internal curing (IC) with prewetted lightweight aggregate was used to reduce shrinkage and increase hydration. By adopting this approach (lowering the w/c and using IC) IC HVFA mixtures show additional benefits that should permit their broader application.