Life cycle assessment of a column supported isostatic beam in high-volume fly ash concrete (HVFA concrete)

Title: Life cycle assessment of a column supported isostatic beam in high-volume fly ash concrete (HVFA concrete)
Author(s): Philip Van den Heede, Elke Gruyaert, Nicolas Robeyst, Nele De Belie
Paper category : conference
Book title: 2nd International Symposium on Service Life Design for Infrastructures
Editor(s): K. van Breugel, Guang Ye, Yong Yuan
Print-ISBN: 978-2-35158-096-7
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-097-4
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2010
Pages: 437 - 444
Total Pages: 8
Nb references: 11
Language: English

Abstract: Nowadays, a lot of research is being conducted on high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete.
However, a precise quantification of the environmental benefit is almost never provided. To do this correctly, we adopted a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. By considering a simple structure and an environment for the material, differences between traditional and HVFA concrete regarding durability and strength were taken into account. This paper presents the LCA results for a column supported isostatic beam made of reinforced HVFA concrete located in a dry environment exposed to carbonation induced corrosion. With a binder content of 425 kg/m³ and a water-to-binder ratio of 0.375, the estimated carbonation depth after 50 years for a 50 % fly ash mixture does not exceed the nominal concrete cover of 20 mm. As a consequence, no additional concrete manufacturing for structure repair needs to be included in the study. Moreover, structure dimensions can be reduced significantly due to a higher strength compared to the reference concrete used in the same environment. In total, about 32 % of cement can be saved this way. The reduction in environmental impact equals 25.8 %, while this is only 11.4 % if the higher material strength is not considered.

Online publication: 2011-04-20
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00