Measurement and Comparison of Pozzolanic Activity of Siliceous Materials Using Mechanical Tests

The classification of mineral additives used in cementitious materials is dependent on many factors such as morphology and composition, but it also depends on the kinetics of the reaction with calcium hydroxide, also known as its pozzolanicity. Several tests are used to evaluate the reactivity of siliceous material in the presence of calcium hydroxide, but some of these tests are not quantitative and there is no known correlation between the results of the various tests. Therefore, this study presents the results of compression and bending tests of samples containing different levels of substitution of cement by siliceous materials. Ground quartz, silica fume, and a silica-rich industrial waste at work were used. The results show that the mechanical tests are more affected by the substitution content than by the nature of the substitution.