NEW CONCRETE CARGO APRON USING CEMENT, FLY ASH AND BLAST FURNACE SLAG AS CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL AT BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT OF HOUSTON

A new cargo apron of approximately 500,000 S.Y. of concrete pavement was designed using a 3-way mix of 50% cement, 25% fly ash, and 25% blast furnace slag as the cementitious material for the concrete pavement. The design was based on 700 psi flexural strength. The fly ash specified is Class C fly ash (ASTMC-618) and the blast furnace slag was specified as ASTMC-989, Grade 120. The contractors bid on this project was approximately $8/c.y. or 10% cheaper than similar projects using a conventional mix design. This apron is designed for Boeing 747s, Antonov 124s and other heavy cargo aircraft. Trial batch runs of the concrete mix indicate remarkable strength gains in 90 days. Flexural strengths of 900 psi to 1,000 psi were obtained in 90 days, due, in part, the use of 50% pozzolanic materials. The concrete trial batch runs were made using crushed granite rock with a maximum Los Angeles abrasion of 30 maximum. This $50 million project includes storm drainage systems and environmental safety systems.