International Journal of Advanced Engineering Application

Mechanical Performance, Durability, and Sustainability of High-Strength Concrete Incorporating Fly Ash, Silica Fume, and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag as Ternary Supplementary Cementitious Materials

Author(s):Vikram, Suresh Reddy

Affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India Department of Structural Engineering, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal, India

Page No: 49-55

Volume issue & Publishing Year: Volume 3, Issue 6, 2026/06/08

Journal: International Journal of Advanced Engineering Application (IJAEA)

ISSN NO: 3048-6807

DOI:

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Abstract:
motivating widespread investigation of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) that partially replace clinker while maintaining or enhancing concrete performance. This study investigates the fresh properties, mechanical strength development, durability characteristics, microstructural evolution, and embodied carbon footprint of M40-grade concrete incorporating three SCMs — Class F Fly Ash (FA), Condensed Silica Fume (SF), and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) — individually and in ternary blends optimised through a central composite design (CCD) response surface methodology. Six mix designs are evaluated at total binder content of 400 kg/m³ and water-to-binder ratio of 0.38: OPC control; 10%FA+5%SF; 20%FA+8%SF; 10%GGBS+10%FA; 15%GGBS+10%SF; and a CCD-optimised ternary blend (12%FA+8%SF+10%GGBS). Fresh concrete properties assessed include slump flow, V-funnel time, and L-box ratio per EFNARC guidelines. Hardened properties evaluated include compressive strength at 7, 28, and 90 days; split tensile and flexural strength at 28 days; water absorption; Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RCPT) per ASTM C1202; and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) pore structure evolution at ages 3–90 days. SEM/EDX microchemical analysis at 28 days characterises C-S-H gel morphology and interfacial transition zone (ITZ) density. The ternary optimum blend achieves 90-day compressive strength of 47.8 MPa (59% above control), RCPT of 560 C (Very Low category), water absorption of 2.2%, and embodied CO₂ reduction of 27.3% versus the OPC control. Response surface models achieve R² > 0.95 for all strength and durability responses, enabling validated design-space exploration and identifying a global optimum at 12%FA+8%SF+10%GGBS that maximises the composite desirability function across all responses simultaneously

Keywords: high-strength concrete, fly ash, silica fume, GGBS, ternary SCM blend, compressive strength, chloride permeability, MIP, response surface methodology, embodied carbon, sustainability

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