title: Radiological and material characterization of high volume fly ash concrete.
abstract: The main goal of research presented in this paper was the material and radiological characterization of high volume fly ash concrete (HVFAC) in terms of determination of natural radionuclide content and radon emanation and exhalation coefficients. All concrete samples were made with a fly ash content between 50% and 70% of the total amount of cementitious materials from one coal burning power plant in Serbia. Physical (fresh and hardened concrete density) and mechanical properties (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and modulus of elasticity) of concrete were tested. The radionuclide content (226Ra,232Th and40K) and radon massic exhalation of HVFAC samples were determined using gamma spectrometry. Determination of massic exhalation rates of HVFAC and its components using radon accumulation chamber techniques combined with a radon monitor was performed. The results show a beneficial effect of pozzolanic activity since the increase in fly ash content resulted in an increase in compressive strength of HVFAC by approximately 20% for the same mass of cement used in the mixtures. On the basis of the obtained radionuclide content of concrete components the I -indices of different HVFAC samples were calculated and compared with measured values (0.27-0.32), which were significantly below the recommended 1.0 index value. The prediction was relatively close to the measured values as the ratio between the calculated and measured I-index ranged between 0.89 and 1.14. Collected results of mechanical and radiological properties and performed calculations clearly prove that all 10 designed concretes with a certain type of fly ash are suitable for structural and non-structural applications both from a material and radiological point of view.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials and Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: ivani@imk.grf.bg.ac.rs.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ignjatović
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, P.O. Box 158, H-8201, Veszprém, Hungary.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sas
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials and Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dragaš
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, P.O. Box 158, H-8201, Veszprém, Hungary.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Somlai
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, P.O. Box 158, H-8201, Veszprém, Hungary.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kovács
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D060729:Coal Ash / Q000032:analysis*; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000032:analysis*; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011883:Radium / Q000032:analysis; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis; D055771:Serbia; D013051:Spectrometry, Gamma; D013910:Thorium / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D060729:Coal Ash; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes; D013910:Thorium; D011886:Radon; D011883:Radium
keywords: Concrete; Fly ash; I-index; NORM; Radon exhalation