A study of the association involving pore characteristics and compressive strength of cement pastes incorporating fine fly ash

The evaluation of mechanical properties in materials derived from cements incorporating ultrafine fly ash was performed. An examination of the influences of curing time, fly ash concentration, and particle size on the compressive strength of materials derived from cements was executed. Upon the integration of ultrafine fly ash into materials derived from cements, the pore structure was scrutinized using the mercury intrusion technique, and the impact of fly ash concentration and particle size on diverse pore structure parameters was investigated. According to the findings, the quantity of macropores in materials derived from cements progressively diminished with the rise in fly ash concentration, and the porosity consistently decreased with the extension of curing time, culminating in an elevation of compressive strength. The proportion of gel pores in materials derived from cements contracted with the increment in fly ash concentration, resulting in a decline in compressive strength. Fly ash particles of reduced dimensions exhibit heightened compressive strength due to the diminution in particle size. Employing fractal theory, the fractal dimension of the pore surface in materials derived from cements was ascertained, and an outstanding correlation between the fractal dimension and the total pore surface area was discovered. Grounded in the connection concerning the compressive strength of materials derived from cements and assorted pore structure parameters, a suitable relationship model has been devised between the total pore volume, transitional pore volume, and compressive strength. At the same time, a fitting scope of the model had been determined.