Effects of superfine zeolite on strength, flowability and cohesiveness of cementitious paste

Superfine zeolite (SFZ) is a natural zeolite ground to higher fineness than cement. Being a pozzolanic material, it can be used to replace part of the cement to reduce the cement consumption and carbon footprint of concrete production. In this study, in order to evaluate the effects of SFZ on strength and fresh properties, a total of 30 cementitious paste mixes with different SFZ contents and different W/CM ratios were produced for 7-day, 28-day, 70-day strength tests, and flowability and cohesiveness tests. And, to evaluate the effectiveness of SFZ as a superfine filler, the changes in packing density and water film thickness (WFT) due to the addition of SFZ were measured and determined. It was found that the addition of SFZ as cement replacement up to 20% slightly decreased the early strength, but slightly increased the long-term strength. Moreover, it increased the packing density and exerted its influence on the fresh properties of cementitious paste through the corresponding change in WFT. It also significantly increased the cohesiveness at the same flowability.