Petrography study of two siliceous limestones submitted to alkali-silica reaction

This study presents the contribution of petrography to the comprehension of the alkali-silica reaction mechanism applied to two siliceous limestones. A petrography study was made on the two aggregates before reaction to define their relative proportions and types of reactive silica and to observe their distribution in the microstructure. Then a model reactor, constituted by the reactive siliceous limestone aggregate, portlandite and NaOH, was used to measure the swelling due to reaction of the silica with alkalis and the free expansion of the aggregates. The volume evolution between both aggregates was very different and could be explained by the preliminary petrographic study. It appears that the swelling of the aggregates is conditioned by the microstructure of the carbonated matrix, the quantity and the distribution of the reactive silica.