Performance of olive waste ash concrete exposed to alkali-silica reaction

This work investigates the effect of olive waste ash (OWA) on the durability of concrete exposed to alkali-silica reaction (ASR). Three OWA contents were considered in the work: 7, 15 and 22 %, with crushed Pyrex glass used as reactive fine aggregate. The other experimental parameters investigated in the study were: w/c ratio (0.4 and 0.5) and air content (non-air-entrained and air-entrained). The OWA concrete specimens were submerged in 1-N NaOH solution at 40 °C to accelerate the ASR. The ASR damage was monitored by measuring the expansion of concrete prisms and the decrease in compressive strength.
The study demonstrates that OWA concrete is more resistant to ASR deterioration than plain concrete. The durability of OWA concrete with respect to ASR damage improved with the increase in OWA content. The OWA concrete with a w/c ratio of 0.4 exhibited a better performance with respect to ASR deterioration than the OWA concrete with a w/c ratio of 0.5. The air-entrained OWA concrete exhibited better durability with respect to ASR damage than the non-air-entrained OWA concrete.