Uncovering the Mechanism of the Role of Fly Ash in the Self-Healing Ability of Mortar with Different Curing Ages

As an admixture of cement-based materials, the reaction of fly ash (FA) usually takes place in the late age of curing, so FA will affect the self-healing ability of long-age cement-based materials. The self-healing potential and the characteristics of self-healing products of cementitious materials before and after crack healing were analyzed by microscopic tests, and the mechanism of the effect of fly ash on the self-healing performance of cementitious materials was revealed. The results showed that the increase in fly ash content promoted the improvement of the self-repair performance of cracked specimens at 28 d, especially when the fly ash dosage was 40%, the crack opened after 30 d of healing in water was completely closed, the UPV value after recovery was close to 3000 m/s, the self-repair efficiency of maximum amplitude and main frequency amplitude was up to more than 60%, and the recovery rate of compressive strength was increased to more than 30%. However, the increase in fly ash content was not conducive to the self-repair of cracked samples at 210 d, and with the increase in fly ash content, the crack closure effect weakened, the UPV value after recovery decreased, the crack repair rate based on ultrasonic transmission decreased to about 20%, and the compressive strength recovery rate increased slightly. In addition, calcium carbonate precipitation was the main repair product of crack filling and healing, including calcite and spherulite. With the increase in fly ash content, the content of element C in the self-repair products of 28-day-old specimens gradually increased, and the size of calcium carbonate crystals gradually decreased, but the filling was denser, whereas the calcium carbonate crystals in the self-repair products of 210 d specimens gradually became fine and loose.