Integrated evaluation of fly ash and crushed glass in concrete: experimental, microstructural, and machine learning perspectives
摘要
This study investigates the mechanical and durability performance of concrete incorporating fly ash (0–30%) as cement replacement and crushed glass (0–35%) as fine aggregate replacement. Sixteen mixes were tested for 28-day compressive strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), water absorption, abrasion resistance, carbonation depth, and rapid chloride permeability (RCPT). The control mix (C0-FA0) achieved 49.48 MPa compressive strength with 1.03% water absorption and 1000 C charge passed in RCPT. In contrast, mixes with 30% fly ash and 25–35% glass (e.g., C30-FA25) dropped to 20.08 MPa compressive strength, showed water absorption as high as 5.85%, and RCPT values around 1450 C. These results demonstrate a clear trade-off: while the use of fly ash and glass supports sustainability goals by reducing cement and natural sand consumption, higher replacement levels significantly compromise strength and durability. Microstructural analyses (SEM, XRD, FTIR) confirmed increased porosity and silica-rich gel phases in high-replacement mixes. ANOVA confirmed statistically significant effects (p = 0.00) with large effect sizes (η² = 0.84–1.00). Eight machine learning models were trained to predict key properties; Lasso and Ridge regression achieved R² > 0.98 for compressive strength and UPV with < 2% error. The combined experimental and predictive approach highlights both the environmental benefits and the performance risks of incorporating industrial byproducts, offering a framework to optimize eco-concrete mixtures.