Title:
Thermal Insulation Performance of Pumice Concrete Improved by Coal Gangue-Fly Ash Porous Ceramsite
Author(s):
Y. Dong, X. Wang, C. Yan, S. Liu, L. Jing, J. Zhang, and Z. Yang
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
123
Issue:
3
Appears on pages(s):
27-38
Keywords:
coal gangue; fly ash; porous ceramsite; pumice concrete; thermal insulation
DOI:
10.14359/51749411
Date:
5/1/2026
Abstract:
This research aims to prepare porous ceramsite with low thermal conductivity. The porous ceramsite was also used as fine aggregate to substitute river sand in pumice concrete. Its impact on improving the thermal insulation performance of pumice concrete was thoroughly investigated. The experimental method included high-temperature calcination; transient planar heat source analysis; as well as the use of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) techniques. The investigation revealed that the best calcination parameters were a preheating temperature of 400°C (752°F), a preheating duration of 25 minutes, a calcination temperature of 1250°C (2282°F), and a calcination duration of 25 minutes. Under these conditions, the crushing index of the porous ceramsite was determined to be 29.1%, with a thermal conductivity of 0.138 W/(m·K) (0.08 Btu/h∙ft∙°F). It is worth noting that an increase in calcination temperature promotes the hole content in ceramsite, leading to a 52.19% increase in macropore volume and a corresponding decrease in thermal conductivity. Furthermore, as the replacement rate of ceramic aggregate increases, the thermal conductivity of pumice concrete gradually decreases, with values ranging from 18 to 34.8%. This reduction occurs because the replacement elevates the volume of coarse capillary pores and non-capillary pores in pumice concrete, increasing by 13.9% to 91.3% and 63.1% to 128.5%, respectively. Additionally, a prediction model for the thermal conductivity of pumice concrete has been established using the Mori-Tanaka homogenization method. The model’s verification accuracy falls within an error range of 5%, demonstrating its effectiveness in accurately predicting the thermal conductivity of pumice concrete.
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