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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
Many fly ashes contain free lime (CaO) and periclase (MgO) [1,2]. These two compounds, when present in excessive amounts, are known to cause soundness problems in portland cement [3,4]. Recent work [5] has indicated that the autoclave expansion of portland cement-fly ash pastes is related to the concentration of CaO and MgO in a given paste, free lime typically being more detrimental than periclase. The purpose of this technical note is to briefly discuss two methods that are currently available for determining the free lime content of fly ash, and to suggest a supplement to the autoclave test (described in ASTM C 151). The major drawback of the autoclave test is that it requires approximately two days to complete and therefore it would be helpful to have a quick chemical test that could be used to indicate the soundness properties of a given fly ash.