A Study on Sodium Sulfate Activited the Hydration Properties of Fly Ash-cement Paste

Abstract

In order to solve the problem of low early-age compressive strength of high volume fly ash concrete. This paper studies the effect of 2% sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) as a chemical activator on the paste with 40% fly ash content and a water-binder ratio of 0.30. The results indicate that the addition of Na₂SO₄ can effectively improve the early-age compressive strength of the fly ash-cement system, and the strength improvement rate on the first day reached nearly 70%. In addition, calorimetric analysis reveals that the incorporation of Na₂SO₄ promotes the early hydration of cement and fly ash, increases the cumulative hydration heat and delays the heat peak of the aluminum phase.