Properties of self-compacting mortars using blends of limestone powder, fly ash, and zeolite powder

The present study investigates the influence of limestone powder, fly ash, zeolite powder, and their blends on some fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting (SC) mortars. Blends of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) perform better than a single SCM in cementitious systems. The motivations for the present study include the introduction of novel blends of SCMs like limestone and zeolite powders to provide efficient SC mortars and potential alternatives of fly ash in a period of its short supply. The investigated properties include flow characteristics, shrinkage, pore pressure, hydration kinetics, compressive strength, microstructural characteristics using MIP and SEM, compositional analysis using thermo-gravimetric analysis, hardened density, and relative water absorption. The experimental results indicate that 20% replacement of cement with blend of limestone and zeolite powders led to the most improved response and provided better performance than other studied compositions.