Effect of Zeolite on the Compressive Strength and Durability Properties of Roller Compacted Mass Concrete

Low-cement roller compacted concrete is one of the special types of concrete that has a low amount of cement in its mixture proportion in order to reduce the heat caused by the hydration reaction. This increases the permeability of roller compacted concrete compared to conventional concrete. The increase in permeability also leads to the entry of destructive ions into concrete of mass structures and ultimately the instability of these structures. Cement supplementary materials such as zeolite can reduce permeability, so in this research, the effect of replacing a part of cement with zeolite on durability and mechanical properties of roller compacted concrete has been investigated. First, chemical analysis and pozzolanic activity of zeolite were investigated. Then, in order to evaluate the effect of zeolite on the properties of concrete, samples of roller compacted concrete were made in four mixture proportions with replacement percentages of 0%, 15%, 30% and 40% of cement with zeolite and subjected to compressive strength, water penetration depth, water absorption, Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RCPT), electrical resistivity, Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV). The workability of the roller compacted concrete mixtures was also determined by the V.B. table test. The results showed that according to RCPT, water penetration depth and electrical resistivity tests, replacing 15% of cement weight with zeolite reduces permeability and significantly improves durability properties of roller compacted concrete. Also, increasing the percentage of zeolite reduces the compressive strength of the specimens.