A Comparative Study of the Thermal Conductivities of CBA Porous Concretes

Porous concrete has recently gained increasing attention in the construction industry. To improve the properties of porous concrete, coal bottom ash (CBA) was used as the aggregate in the concrete mixtures studied herein. Hybrid CBA aggregates, including a 20% proportion of particles with sizes of 1.2~2.5 mm and an 80% proportion of particles with sizes of 2.5~5.0 mm, were used in the mixtures. Various water/cement ratios ranging from 0.25 to 0.35 were used in the mixtures. The effects of compaction at 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 MPa on the properties of the porous concrete were also examined. The increase in the water/cement ratio reduced the unit weight and thermal conductivity while increasing the porosity of the porous concrete. Although the compaction had a significant impact on the other properties of the porous concrete, the thermal property was not significantly influenced. By using CBA in porous concrete, the mechanical and thermal properties of the concrete were significantly improved. Finally, the relationships between the thermal conductivity and other properties of the porous concrete were investigated.