ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT CEMENT

The objective of this project is to develop an improved ultra-lightweight cement using ultra-lightweight hollow glass spheres (ULHS). This report discusses testing that was performed for analyzing the alkali-silica reactivity of ULHS in cement slurries. Laboratory testing during the tenth quarter focused on evaluation of the alkali-silica reaction of eight different cement compositions, four of which contain ULHS. The original laboratory procedure for measuring set cement expansion resulted in test specimen erosion that was unacceptable. A different expansion procedure is being evaluated. This report provides a progress summary of ASR testing. The testing program initiated in November produced questionable initial results so the procedure was modified slightly and the testing was reinitiated. The results obtained with the modified procedure showed improvement over data obtained with the original procedure, but questionable data were obtained from several of the compositions. Additional modification of test procedures for compositions containing TXI Lightweight cement are being implemented and testing is ongoing