Microstructure and mechanical properties of fly ash blended cement pastes

Regarding the wide use of fly ash in normal and high-strength concrete, this study aims to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of fly ash blended cement pastes. To fulfill the aim of this study, multiple techniques, including scanning electron microscopy with backscattered electron and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy detectors, thermo-gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, instrumented nanoindentation and ultrasonic measurements, were applied on fly ash blended cement pastes at different water to binder ratios. Through this study, the mechanical properties of fly ash blended cement pastes were reported, and the results showed that the incorporation of fly ash significantly influenced the microstructure and mechanical properties of calcium-silicate-hydrates gel.