Discussion of Papers Published Prior to 1954 - Alkali Reactivity of Natural Aggregates in Western United States (1953) 196, p. 991

Dexter H. Reynolds (Chapman and Wood, Mining Engineers and Consulting Geologists, Albuquerque, N. M.)—A number of questions are raised by conclusions and inferences made in the above-mentioned paper. The more troublesome of these concern use of the various pozzolans to combat the deleterious effects of the alkali-aggregate reaction. The most alkali-reactive materials listed are opal and rocks containing opaline silica. The pozzolans mentioned specifically for use as amelioratives are opaline shales and cherts. These are stated to retard the expansion caused by the alkali-aggregate reaction. Another well-recognized pozzolan is diatomaceous earth, which consists principally of opaline silica. A pozzolan presumably owes its effectiveness to its high reactivity with the alkaline liquid phase of the concrete mix. It appears reasonable to expect that finely divided opaline silica added as a pozzolan would be more susceptible to reaction with the alkalies present than would larger particles of the same material. The authors report that work with high and low alkali cements indicates that in the presence of alkali-reactive materials, deleterious expansion depends upon the alkali content of the cement. The total effect, therefore, should be more or less independent of the amount of reactive aggregate present, and still more independent of its state of subdivision. The deleterious effects should, if anything, be aggravated by the addition of a finely divided, highly reactive pozzolan. Further, if the alkali-aggregate reaction is of great importance in the long-term soundness of concrete structures, the addition of a pozzolan to a concrete made with aggregate free from known deleterious materials would be a questionable procedure. The benefits reportedly accruing from such use of pozzolans are greater ultimate strength for a given cement content, increased resistance to deterioration by exposure to sulphate solutions and other mineral waters, and greater resistance to damage by wetting and drying and freezing and thawing. In view of the deleterious effects of highly reactive materials are these benefits ephemeral? The same considerations apply to another alkali-reactive material, chalcedony, which appears to consist of ultrafine-grained quartz, with opal absent in detectable amounts. Quartz flour is notably reactive chemically and physiologically (cf. Ref. 11 of Holland and Cook's paper), a fact borne out by its effectiveness as a pozzolan, which presumably might be expected to offset the deleterious effects of the presence of chalcedony in the aggregate. A second question of some importance concerns the reportedly highly deleterious reactivity of acidic and intermediate volcanic glasses, such as rhyolite, perlite, and pumice. Air entrainment is listed as one of the ameliorative measures to combat the deleterious effects of the alkali-aggregate reaction. The alkalic-silica gel formed by the reaction may expand into air bubbles and thus not cause appreciable expansion of the concrete mass. It would appear then that pumice and perlite, particularly perlites of the pumiceous types and other types after expansion, would also tend to counteract the expansion, since these materials consist largely of voids and air bubbles. Certainly this would be expected of structural concrete in which pumice or perlite is used as total aggregate. Finely ground pumice, perlite, and volcanic ash have been demonstrated to be active pozzolans (cf. Pumice as Aggregate for Lightweight Structural Concrete by Wagner, Gay, and Reynolds, Univ. of New Mexico Publications in Engineering No. 5, Albuquerque, 1950). In fact, the term pozzolan was first associated with finely divided pumice or volcanic ash. Such materials were used with hydrated lime as the sole cementitious agent in constructing public buildings, roads, and aqueducts by the ancient Romans. The deleterious alkali reactivity of the volcanic glass, itself containing several percent of the alkalies, apparently did not contribute to the remarkable state of preservation of those ancient structures, as exemplified by the Appian Way and the Pantheon Dome. Still a third question involves .the reactivity of constituents of concrete when exposed to various salt solutions. Resistance to. deleterious expansion and cracking as a result of contact with mineral waters and its relationship to the mineral content of the aggregate are not mentioned by the authors. Yet the phenomena pictured in Fig. 1, and especially in Fig. 2, appear very much like those caused by exposure to mineral waters. The deterioration of concretes exposed to sulphate waters is generally considered related to the chemical constituency of the cement itself, particularly to the relative amount of tricalcium alum-inate contained. Could not many of the ill effects presently blamed on alkali-aggregate reaction really have been caused by contact with sulphate or other salt-containing mineral waters? Or perhaps their use as mixing waters? May not the deleterious expansion be as much a function of the chemical makeup of the cement as it is of the mineral constituency of the aggregate? Would it not be just as important to use alkali-free mixing water as it is to use a low-alkali cement? It appears obvious that resistance of cements and concretes to sulphate and other salt solutions cannot be left out of account in discussion of deterioration of concrete structures with time. This factor may be of equal or even greater importance than the alkali-aggregate reaction, particularly for concrete subjected to wetting and drying cycles, such as airstrip paving, water-retaining dams, and highway structures. Another very important factor is called to attention on page 1022 of the article in Mining Engineering, October 1953, in that failure of concrete structures may result from poor construction practices and use of too high water-cement ratios. Both of these can contribute remarkably to decreased resistance to attack by sulphate waters, and presumably could have an equally remarkable effect upon extent of damage resulting from the alkali-aggregate reaction. From the above remarks it appears that while alkali-aggregate reaction may be an important factor in decreasing the useful. life of a concrete structure, it is not the only factor involved, and it may not be even a controlling factor. Likewise, many of the phenomena apparently associated with the alkali-aggregate reaction may have resulted from cond'itions which had little relationship to the alkali-reactivity of a constituent of the aggregate. Certainly if alkali-aggregate reactivity is a major factor in bringing about early failure, one cannot help feeling anxiety concerning the future of the many concrete structures in this country and abroad in which pumice and perlite were used as total or partial aggregates. This anxiety can only be dispelled by calling to mind that among the best-preserved relics coming down to us from ancient times are structures made with mortars containing highly alkali-reactive aggregates.