Influence of the variability of calcareous fly ash properties on rheological properties of fresh mortar with its addition

One of the main by-products of brown coal burning is calcareous fly ash (CFA). Apart from other applications, it is used as a main component of cement, or as an active mineral additive to concrete. The present study involves the impact of the raw and processed calcareous fly ash (CFA) on the changes of rheological properties of mortars. The said impact was determined by using the coefficient of variation (CV) given in percentage. CFA samples collected from various sources were subjected to testing. The samples were collected from two electrofilters of blocks with boilers of different combustion parameters and from the retention tanks of the CFA sales department (CFA T) in which CFAs from various boilers are mixed. It has been demonstrated that the degree of the impact of CFA addition on the rheological properties of mortars depends on the source of this addition and on bulk density. The present work demonstrates the negative impact of raw CFA on mortar workability, and hence it is questionable to support its use in concrete technology.